Early Review--The Stolen Throne by Abigail Owen

 

My twin sister is the true queen of Aryd. She survives, hiding and clinging to life in the desert, while I reign as the false queen alongside the monstrous King Eidolon. There’s only one escape from this gilded prison: Reven. My Shadowraith. My heart. Only the shadows that he struggles to control are growing more sinister, more powerful.

It’s just a matter of time before they turn on him…and on me.

Even escape doesn’t mean true freedom, though, when we’re still on the run from Eidolon’s unstoppable armies. And when we discover there’s a traitor among us, I have no choice…I must become the queen I was never meant to be.

Because as one evil hunts me, the other loves me more than himself.

And my fate lies with both.

 

 

 

I received this early copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

 

Abigail Owen returns to the world of Dominions with The Stolen Throne and right away we're immediately thrust into the action of where things left off. This book started with a bang and I was more than happy to get back into the thick of things!

We open with Reven working with Cain as they try to break Meren out of Eidolon's hold. Meren has been playing the part of Tabra as she was always meant to do, and as far as she knew, it was working, but as it turns out Eidolon knew all along who she was. Luckily, Meren still has every intention of leaving as soon as she gets the chance. The jailbreak had its hiccups but was more or less than a success, but with Eidolon hot on their heels, Meren, Reven, Cain, and Achlys have to up their pace in order to stay ahead.

The group reconvenes with Cain's people, which was where Tabra had been staying as she healed. Though much to Meren's dismay, her sister is still deathly ill. If things weren't bad enough with her sister's ailing health, Reven has decided it would be better if he and Meren stayed apart, and then Cain's father is proposing marriage between her and Cain, much to Cain's delight. But Meren's heart remains with Reven, so things are chaotic and messy. 

Finally a bit of luck comes their way when Meren finally gets a lead on Eidolon's ultimate plan. There are set of six stones with Enfernae trapped within, and Meren plans to find them all before he can. She already has one wrapped in the necklace she always wears. Meren soon sets out on a quest to find the remaining ones and hopefully find a way to save Tabra as well.

This book was absolutely thrilling! It was the most exciting read I've read so far this year! Or at least this spring! It was a source of endless entertainment! I positively love the flow and atmosphere of this world! There are times I can't quite grasp if we're in a sort of high fantasy world, or some sort of twisted dystopian that goes along the path of the past. There are just times when I feel like the language of the characters just seems a little more modern. I can't really put my finger on what "era" this series seems to fall into, but at the same time, I don't think it matters either way. It's just one of those weird little things I started picking up on and I feel like I noticed it in the first book as well. There's no true modernity or technology happening, but little things like their slang and speech just make me wonder is all.

I was very much afraid that this book would fall into the dreadful middle book of a trilogy that we sometimes encounter. I'm proud to say that this book is just a thrilling second journey for Meren and her cohorts! Although, I was a little upset with Reven's behavior. It does get revealed why he's being so distant and trying to end things with Meren, but I wasn't having it. I hate when the love interest suddenly decides it's safe to stay apart, especially when it took the almost the entire book before for them to be together! Of course, this is just nuisances for me as a reader! I totally understand the need for these things to happen, but the reader in me just screams at it all the time!

The suspense and mystery to this one were played up very well! All the while we're being led to believe sinister things are happening within Meren's circle. You never really know who to trust, even among the familiar faces as it seems like Eidolon gets a little too close for comfort. Hence, the suspense! The clock is ticking and Meren is trying to face dangerous people and entities as she tries to retrieve the Enfernae stones.

The ending was one I suspected of course. I feel like we were given enough clues to suspect it happening, but one suspicion I have was not confirmed by the last page, so I of course will be wondering the next year if I am right or not! Lol. The pains of reading a beloved book early! Things were pretty intense at the end and there's quite the mess of cliffhangers to deal with. While I wouldn't say we're dangling off the cliff per se, there's a bit left unsaid and a lot of things left to do before the epic conclusion next year! I would pretty much liken it to our previous cliffhanger in The Liar's Crown, on the scale of how much sanity will I be losing while I wait? So take that as you will!

The Stolen Throne was a perfectly marvelous read filled with action, adventure, betrayals, magic, and romance! It's a spellbinding tale that will leave you craving for more and loathing the return to reality. It's pretty much the perfect fantasy read and I absolutely loved it!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

The Stolen Throne releases May 2, 2023