Review: Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead

Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead 
Published: July 13th, 2008 (Bantam)
Pages: 480
Age group: adult
Source: bought
Challenge: none
Series: Dark Swan, #2
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★★★☆

Note: this is not the first book in a series, and can therefore contain (minor) spoilers for the previous book(s) in the series. Reading of this review is at your own risk.

Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire. She's paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld.

But something happened after her last battle. She became queen of the Thorn Land. With her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind, the job's really not all it's cracked up to be.

Now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one seems willing to find out why. Or to put an end to it. Not that Eugenie's fazed by spilling fey blood, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and dangerous -- and nursing a very personal grudge.

Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in a power she can barely control. She may be a reluctant queen, but she's vowed to do her duty, even if it means facing the darkest and deadliest side of her nature.

The second instalment in the Dark Swan series is just as exciting and fast paced as the first volume. Picking up where we left off with Storm Born, we follow Eugenie deeper into the world of fae and her struggle with an old prophecy, the fae themselves and her more complicated love life. And if you ask me, it only gets better.

Where I was firmly on Kiyo’s side in the first book, I’ve now switched sides and am currently rooting for Dorian. Who, by the way, turns out to be smoking hot AND caring. Instead of, you know, controlling and annoying. Oh, and lying. I was really annoyed by Kiyo’s behaviour in this book and that was a really big chance from what I’ve seen from him in the first book.

The story itself gets twistier with every page and I love how Mead has managed to create this world. There’s something about it that makes it realistic while you still realise that it’s completely fantasy and I really like that. The fae are awesome, whether they are good or bad, they are written in a way that makes them walk out of the pages. I really like that I’m feeling these extreme emotions with these characters – I either love them or hate them. With a burning passion.

I’m curious to see where book three takes me, especially after seeing Eugenie’s dad acting so weird. I feel like he’s up to something (either that, or he has something to hide about what he already did) and I want to punch it out of him. And of course after what happened in the end.. What is next for Eugenie is probably war, but I agree with Dorian. I would have done the same thing. Well, maybe not, but I feel the same way he does.

So.. Yeah. That’s my rambly review of Thorn Queen. I don’t know what it is with this book that makes me unable to form some decent thoughts on the book without talking about smoking hot characters and slapping others. Having said that, I think I’ll just go cheat on my book buying ban and get the third instalment to read while I’m in London. Sounds like a plan to me!