The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen

The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom #2) by Danielle L. Jensen, 346 p.

"Lara has only one thought when her husband is taken prisoner: I will do whatever it takes to set you free. A queen now in exile as a traitor, Lara has watched Ithicana be conquered by her own father, helpless to do anything to stop the destruction. But when she learns her husband, Aren, has been captured in battle, Lara knows there is only one reason her father is keeping him alive: as bait for his traitorous daughter. And it is bait she fully intends to take.

Risking her life to the Tempest Seas, Lara returns to Ithicana with a plan not only to free its king, but for liberating the Bridge Kingdom from her father's clutches using his own weapons: the sisters whose lives she spared. But as Lara and her companions formulate a plan to free Aren from her father's palace, they soon discover that while it is easy to get in, it will be quite another thing to get Aren, and themselves, back out. Not only is the palace inescapable, there are more players in the game than Lara ever realized, enemies and allies switching sides in the fight for crowns, kingdoms, and bridges. But her greatest adversary of all might be the very man she's trying to free - the husband she betrayed.

With everything she loves in jeopardy, Lara must decide who - and what - she is fighting for: her kingdom, her husband, or for herself."--Goodreads blurb

The second book in this series was a little easier to swallow. Not so boring, a little more action, yet I don't think I'll continue on with the series. 

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom #1) by Danielle L. Jensen, 354 p.

"Lara has only one thought for her husband on their wedding day: I will bring your kingdom to its knees. A princess trained from childhood to be a lethal spy, Lara knows that the Bridge Kingdom represents both legendary evil - and legendary promise. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom controls all trade and travel between lands, allowing its ruler to enrich himself and deprive his enemies, including Lara's homeland. So when she is sent as a bride under the guise of fulfilling a treaty of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture the defenses of the impenetrable Bridge Kingdom.

But as she infiltrates her new home - a lush paradise surrounded by tempest seas - and comes to know her new husband, Aren, Lara begins to question where the true evil resides. Around her, she sees a kingdom fighting for survival, and in Aren, a man fiercely protective of his people. As her mission drives her to deeper understanding of the fight to possess the bridge, Lara finds the simmering attraction between her and Aren impossible to ignore. Her goal nearly within reach, Lara will have to decide her own fate: Will she be the destroyer of a king or the savior of her people?"--Goodreads blurb

This book was just ho-hum. Everything goes right, conflict is resolved too easily, and people make decisions so quickly and because of all that, it was kinda boring. It's enough of a story to keep me in for the next one. I'll give it a chance

 

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2) by Sarah J. Maas

 Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2) by Sarah J. Maas-418 pages

I enjoyed reading Throne of Glass, so I wanted to read the second in the long series by Maas. This one did not disappoint. In fact, I found this second installment even more thrilling and enjoyable. I especially liked the ending. A secret is revealed at the end that will change Adarlan, Terrasen, and all of Erilea forever. Celaena is a character that I am rooting for, along with Chaol and Dorian. This secret revealed will change the nature of their relationship forever, also. 

Queen of Shadows - A Throne of Glass Novel - Book 4 - by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows
A Throne of Glass Novel
Book 4
by Sarah J. Maas
648 pages

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire - for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom and to confront the shadows of her past...

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

I have enjoyed this series of books and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

The Cup and The Crown by Diane Stanley

The Cup and The Crown by Diane Stanley, 344 pages
(sequel to The Silver Bowl)

Once again we meet up with Molly, King Alaric and Tobias. This time, King Alaric sends Molly on a mission to find a loving cup her grandfather made. What she finds instead leads her to secrets of her past and portents of her future. One special person from "The Silver Bowl" makes an appearance in quite the unusual way. This story was well told with twists and turns a plenty.

A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin

A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin    1128 pages

  A Storm of Swords is the third book in the series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin.  At this point, I have nothing but songs of praise for Martin and the series, the third book being no exception.  He writes his characters to the point that they become super likeable, then he kills them and the reader gets upset, but that's okay because there are a lot of characters doing a lot of things.  This book was unique too because he took characters that I despised from the previous books, made me like them, AND then killed them.  In hindsight, I should be more upset than I am, but I'm in way too deep in the series, so yeah.

"Green Rider" by Kristen Britain

"Green Rider" by Kristen Britain, 450pgs

I didn't think I'd ever be able to finish this book. The end almost made the hard journey worth it. Karigan G'ladheon has been expelled from school and is on her way home to father when she is stopped by a man dying from two arrows that pierced his back. He is a green rider (an elite messenger service to the king) and entrusts her (a young teenage girl) with a message to deliver to the King. Karigan pledges to see his message delivered no matter what. Somehow she faces highwaymen, elite fighters called Weapons, a gray-cloaked/magic wielding man and various creatures/horrors along the way without losing her life. In fact, most of the time she's protected by ghosts, magic, people popping up in the woods, etc. While the plot line itself does have many flaws, it is still entertaining. I have had several patrons comment on what a fantastic read it was. It just wasn't a great read for me.