3.5- The Rightful Queen continues the epic tale that began in The Empire’s Ghost. If you enjoyed book one, you will absolutely enjoy The Rightful Queen. I would not recommend picking up The Rightful Queen without having read The Empire’s Ghost first. As the plot thickens, alliances are formed and betrayals are merciless. The threads binding the large cast of characters together are still evident, even as tensions rise and secrets are revealed.

Steiger shows significant growth as a writer as she continues to unravel the tangled plot that she has woven. Parts of this book really worked for me and others did not. I struggled with pacing and momentum in the middle, but I trusted all would be made clear in the end. It mostly was, though much of this book felt like it was setting itself up for book three. With such a complicated story, the writing wrestled with telling more than showing, mainly in terms of character dialogue. That said, there were sections of dialogue that made me positively grin with delight! The characters are devious, conspiring, and courageous. One of my favorite parts of this book was the flashbacks where more is revealed about the experiences that shaped certain characters.

This is not a light read, but if you commit to it you are in for a compelling and intense story. If you enjoy Game of Thrones, twisted politics, and complex characters, then you will definitely want to check out this series, Paths of Lantistyne. The Rightful Queen releases July 21, 2020. Thank you to Isabelle Steiger, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.