Spirits are on the brink of tearing apart the world, queens are sparring and warring with each other. What can be done to bring peace and harmony to the world of Renthia? To get close to an answer, you’ll have to first read The Queen of Blood and The Queen of Sorrow, the two previous novels in the series which introduced, as their protagonists respectively, Daleina and Naelin and their ascent to their respective crowns. Although Daleina and Naelin wear their crowns differently, their goals are the same. When Merecot, the queen of Semo who attempted to kill Daleina in the previous novel, continues her scheming and kidnaps Naelin’s children, The Queen of Sorrow kicks off a rapid-paced story.
Queen Daleina has yearned to bring peace and prosperity to her beloved forest home—a hope that seemed doomed when neighboring forces invaded Aratay. Now, with the powerful Queen Naelin ruling by her side, Daleina believes that her dream of ushering in a new era can be realized, even in a land plagued by malevolent nature spirits who thirst for the end of human life.
And then Naelin’s children are kidnapped by spirits.
Nothing is more important to her than her family, and Naelin would rather watch the world burn than see her children harmed. Blaming the defeated Queen Merecot of Semo for the kidnapping, Naelin is ready to start a war—and has the power to do it.
But Merecot has grander plans than a bloody battle with her southern neighbors. Taking the children is merely one step in a plot to change the future of all Renthia, either by ending the threat of spirits once and for all . . . or plunging the world into chaos.
Through the previous two novels, Durst has done a fantastic job of creating characters with whom we can easily sympathize and empathize. In the third volume, because we’ve come to know (and in my case, love) these characters, opening the pages is like settling in with friends and comfortable companions. Additionally, because Merecot was introduced in the very first novel, we have a sense of who she is, at least from the other character’s points of view. Here in The Queen of Sorrow, we are able to get inside her head a little more; get to at least understand her fears even if we don’t agree with her reactions to them. Not only are her fears understandable, but her ultimate goal – ensuring the safety of her people – is completely understandable. But as the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. All of this serves to make Merecot a wonderfully rounded antagonist, if not quite a villain and far from a shrieking cardboard cutout of evil.
As well developed as the three queens were, some of the secondary characters are quite rounded and developed, too. Renet, Naelin’s estranged husband has his own journey to undertake. In The Queen of Sorrow, he came across as very much an annoyance who looked only to serve his own needs. While that streak is still present here in Renet, he is put on a somewhat redemptive arc that feels emotionally earned and rewarding. The poisoner, Garnah, is a delightfully sarcastic character to read and it shows that this character was the most fun to write, according to this interview with Sarah Beth Durst at Unbound worlds.
The Queen of Sorrow is an excellent finale to the trilogy; much of the early conflicts come to resolution, characters grow and evolve, and events unfold in a fashion that are unexpected as they happen, but logical upon reflection. Through the three novels, a great emphasis is placed on empathy, humanity, and understanding. Those things come full circle here in the trilogy as strong, hopeful elements unifying the characters and the world. Through the trilogy; however, there’s a sense of a greater world at play with references to other lands and queens. Durst has crafted a vivid, realistic world in these three books with more to see. Although The Queen of Sorrow is a concluding volume, Durst points to a future story set in this same world. With her precise world-building, empathetic characterization, and comforting, page turning prose, I’m looking forward to where Sarah Beth Durst next takes readers.
As a finale, The Queen of Sorrow comes with high recommendation, and as a series, The Queens of Renthia is a must-read of the genre.
Highly Recommended
© 2018 Rob H. Bedford
Hardcover, May 2018
Book Three of The Queens of Renthia
http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/
Excerpt: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/QueenofSorrowexcerpt.htm
Review copy courtesy of the publisher HarperCollins Voyager
