Nick Martell continues his Legacy of Mercenary Kings series with The Two-Faced Queen, picking up the story shortly after the events of the opening novel in the series, The Kingdom of Liars. Michael Kingman, falsely accused of killing the king, is still trying to save the land where he is considered an outcast and criminal.
The Hollows is gripped in unrest and on the brink of civil war as an insurgency of anarchists rise, and brother and sister vie for the throne in the second novel in the critically hailed Legacy of the Mercenary King series which Brandon Sanderson called “excellent.”
Michael Kingman thought he was going to die by the executioner’s axe, forever labeled as a traitor. Still alive, and under the protection of the Orbis Mercenary company, Michael and his family and friends are deeply involved in the seemingly rival conspiracies that are tearing The Hollows apart. With the death of the King, both the Corrupt Prince and his sister Serena are vying for the throne, while the Rebel Emperor is spreading lies amongst the people, and all of them want Michael dead. This is a story of betrayal, murder, and rebellion, and in this direct sequel to the debut novel The Kingdom of Liars, also some hope for justice.
For readers who love the intrigue and widening scope of epic fantasy like Sanderson’s Mistborn and Week’s The Black Prism, you will find your next must-read fantasy series.
About a month after the death of King Isaac, the event which closed out The Kingdom of Liars, Michael Kingman is still a man with a target on his back. One of those people aiming at his back is the presumptive heir to the throne, Princess Serena. Serena happens to be Michael’s closest childhood friend, but the fact that he’s accused of killing her father puts a very large cloud on those bonds of friendship. She wants him dead, but a war is threatening the Hollows so her attention cannot be focused on her former childhood friend. Meanwhile, Michael is training to become a mercenary in the Orbis Mercenary Company with a mysterious man who is known only as Dark.
Michael strikes a deal with the Princess – if he can help to put an end to the rebellion, she’ll allow him to attempt to convince her of his innocence. Michael is also trying to reconnect with his family, his mother was healed in the previous novel from a long-suffering illness and has resumed her position at the head of the family. In addition, Michael is trying to uncover the identity and bring to some level of justice the man who is responsible for Michael’s and his family’s downfall. Michael has some contacts that are helping him in a frustratingly vague fashion, which only adds to the excruciating tension Michael feels. Add all of this with the aforementioned mentorship he’s undertaking with Dark, Michael has a lot on his plate.
Martell does a really nice job of increasing the tension and raising the stakes for Michael on a personal level. The worldly events and the national state of affairs of the Hollows seems to be background to what Michael is experiencing and trying to accomplish. Whereas Martell did a nice job of hinting at the magic and providing details of the world where a Moon is crumbling and falling to earth in The Kingdom of Liars, he doesn’t add too much detail in this second novel. Honestly, I think that’s for the best because it allows Martell to focus on Michael’s plight. He is running back and forth between these various groups to which he is connected, fearing for his life, and not being completely honest with some of those people.
I appreciate that there was a “what came before” section as a preface as well as a list of characters. Things like that make a second book in the series more appealing to new readers. Those things also help readers ease into book two if a few months have passed since they read book one.
As the second book in a series, The Two-Faced Queen heeds the call admirably, the story is advanced, tension is raised. While there is a very strong sense of closure, there’s definitely room for more story. The Kingdom of Liars was a bit more tightly and evenly paced than The Two-Faced Queen, but Martell’s storytelling skills are still of a very high caliber. Nick Martell has proven two books into his career that he is a Fantasy Writer to watch
Recommended
© 2020 Rob H. Bedford
March 2021 | Saga Press
592 Pages | Hardcover
https://www.nickmartell.com/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Saga Press
