9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you struggled with the first book in the series, don't be afraid to give this one a try!, August 16, 2009
If you struggled to get through all the darkness and unlikable characters in the first book in this series, but liked the author's writing in spite of yourself, I recommend that you give this second book a try. The same compelling writing is there, but The Riven Kingdom tells a different story with, for the most part, different characters. These characters are also flawed, but they are very likable, and most of them are trying to do the right thing. I read this book in less than half the time it took me to get through the first book.
This is a very different type of story than the one told in Empress, but it doesn't completely abandon that storyline. It tells the story of an island, Ethrea, where nobody has ever heard of Mijak or the people who live there. These people have their own internal problems which they are trying to overcome, and most of the story revolves around that. One character from Mijak does end up in Ethrea fairly early on in the story. (If you read the first book, you can probably guess who.) There are also three chapters scattered throughout the book that take place in Mijak to let us know what's going on there in the meantime. But other than that, don't expect to see much from the characters in the first book. I suspect we'll see more of them in book 3. The things that frustrated me in Empress start to get explained in The Riven Kingdom. You can see how the foundation laid in the 1st book is going to tie together with the overall story. I'm looking forward to reading the 3rd book and seeing how the author brings everything to a conclusion.
There was more humor in this book. Just small, light moments with the characters that made me chuckle.
The only thing that really drove me nuts in this story was the way the character from Mijak said "yes", "no", and "sorry" in the Mijak language throughout the entire book. The people of Mijak and the people of Ethrea speak different languages, so the character from Mijak had to learn the language of the people from Ethrea. While they were learning to communicate, the main characters in Ethrea also learned some Mijak words. I think it's cool when a book has some made up words in its own language that are used throughout a story, but this was different. Eventually this character was doing a decent job of communicating in the language of Ethrea and yet still persisted in saying these three words in the Mijak language even while correctly translating much more difficult words. Not only that, but all of the main Ethrea characters would use the Mijak language for those words whenever they spoke to the character from Mijak. It was just silly, and annoyed me more and more as the story went on. The Mijak word for "yes" rhymes with "no", and I had trouble keeping them straight for some reason. I had to pause every time they used the word to make sure I knew whether they were saying yes or no. Still, it's a pretty minor nitpick, and might not bother other people as much as it bothered me.
The author took a risk with the way she began this series, and I'm not sure it paid off. The first book was dark and frustrating and, even though it was interesting and well written, it was painful to read. If the number of reviews for the 1st book versus the 2nd book are any indication, it seems that many people gave up after the first book. On the other hand, it seems some of the people who loved the first book were disappointed by the second book because of how different it was and because it didn't have many of the same characters. It's almost a no-win scenario. This is frustrating because, from what I've read so far, this series is worth reading.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
worth getting through Empress, October 12, 2008
This review is from: The Riven Kingdom (The Godspeaker Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)
Sometimes there are books that are so difficult to get through, that only later do you realize this is an indication of how well the author made you loose yourself in the story. "Empress" was one of those. In the "Riven Kingdom" you are well rewarded for your persistance. I love stories about people who rise to extraordinary occassions when faced with the need. Add to that the painful path to redemption of another character, and you have a story that makes me ache for the conclusion.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Weakest Link but still good, July 5, 2010
This review is from: The Riven Kingdom (The Godspeaker Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)
As the second book of the Godspeaker Trilogy, the The Riven Kingdom takes a step towards a sterotypical fantasy that is probably going to be more comfortable to read for a majority of the readers out there. With the desert country of Mijak under the ironfisted rule of Hekat, Miller turns her narritive to the green and blue country off Ethrea and its embattled princess Rhian.
In Empress, Miller created and intriging protagonist in Hekat, however Rhian is more formulaic. Rhian is the spunky, young, and beautiful princess and heir apparent to the throne. With her brothers dead and her father on his deathbed, Rhian must fight for the right to rule her country as a Queen, not consort.
Miller works hard to seperate Mijak, with its desolate desert and its deranged Empress Hekat, from niave, smart Rhian and her serene Ethrea. She succeeds especailly when an errant Mijak prince finds his way to Ethrea, the ensuing culture shock is jarring and fun to read. However, Miller tries a bit too hard with Rhian, who at times comes off as being petulant. I believe this was meant to be intentional, however Rhian's whining is can be annoying. Rhian saves herself as she is incredabily strong and is capable of holding her own in the political arena.
Though the book is all about Rhian, Miller expertly throws Hekat into the mix alittle bit. Dispursed throughout the novel is Hekat and her mighty army conquering its way to a port. Readers are given a little taste of what can happen to Ethrea when Hekat finds her way to its harbors. This background threat is an excellent set up to a potential showdown between the two strong monarchs and their countries completely different cultural and religious views.
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