Review: The Queen of Izmoroz by Jon Skovron

Synopsis

Sonya has brought a foreign army to free her country from imperial rule, but her allies may have other goals in the second book of this thrilling epic fantasy trilogy from Jon Skovron.

The first battle is over, but war yet looms on the horizon. Sonya and her allies–the foreign Uaine and their armies of the undead–have beaten back the imperial soldiers from the capital city. Now they have the rest of the country to free.

Meanwhile, her brother the famed wizard Sebastian has retreated with the imperial forces to regroup and lick his wounds. Betrayed by his sister and his wife, the beautiful noblewoman Galina, he will regain control of his life and his country at any cost.

What I thought

This is the second installment in the Goddess War series, so I am not going to spoil you, because I really feel that if you enjoy epic fantasy, you should give this series a chance. I do not think this series gets enough love, I don’t think I have seen anyone else really talking about it.

This is a multiple POV story, I enjoyed getting POV’s from all over the continent, so you are seeing everything that is happening as it is happening. This book starts out a little slow, but it picks up. I think the slowness is due to everyone having to travel to their next destination, and that in itself took a bit of time. The travel time is not wasted, the siblings are forced to begin considering that they may not know as much as they thought they did. Through their travels, this world expands so much, you get a good look at different cultures and religions, which just adds more layers to this world.

This book keeps the question of morality front and center. Sebastian and Sonya are now seeing what their naïveté has cost them. I think that their growth is the main focus, even though they are on two very different paths (sides of a war) due to their choices, this leads them to question everything that they thought they knew. They both want what is best for their country, I just don’t think they considered anything beyond what they thought was the best solution. In the end, they both want the same thing, but will they ever achieve it?

Their mother Irina takes on her own role outside of just being their mother in the installment. I find it to be an interesting turn of events, however it is a dangerous one.

Galina really steps up her political role in this one. To be honest, I was a little surprised by how far she gets. I am interested to see where her story line goes.

This series has its own mythology and that is explored more in this installment. You even get conversations between the goddesses as they talk about the humans. I think it adds an interesting layer and makes you really think about whether or not we are all just puppets on a string to be toyed with.

My Rating: /5

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? Tell me in the comments below.