REVIEW: The Usurper by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Usurper by Rowena Cory Daniells
Publishing Information: Paperback; 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (2 Sep 2010 - UK, 31 Aug 2010 - US & CA)
ISBN 10: 1907519068
ISBN 13: 978-1907519062
Series: 3rd book of King Rolen's Kin
Copies: Provided by the publisher (Yagiz); Out of pocket (Tyson)
Reviewers: Yagiz and Tyson

Now a slave, Piro finds herself in the Merofynian Palace where, if her real identity is discovered, she will be executed.

Meanwhile, Fyn is desperate to help his brother, Bryen, who is now the uncrowned King.

Bryen never sought power but now he finds himself at the centre of a dangerous resistance movement as the people of Rolencia flee vicious invaders. How can Byren defeat the invaders, when half his warriors are women and children, and the other half are untrained boys and old men?

Yagiz

The beginning of the book is just like the reader would like it to be: dropped into the action straight-away. This third book of the series continues from the point where The Uncrowned King left off.

Daniells' style is still pleasant and The Usurper is a fast-paced and easy-to-read book, just like the previous books. However because this is the last book of the trilogy, I expected some surprises, plot twists, revelations about the setting but unfortunately I was left unsatisfied on various points.

I'm going to try to give an example without spoilers: At this point in the book, we know that an Affinity seep is bad a thing but we don't know what happens to the infected. This remains a mystery. We know the infected becomes evil but there is no specific information about it, no anecdotes told by characters, no references to any historical figures, etc. The reader is hoping to find out more about it in The Usurper, it being the last book. In the story, when one of the secondary characters might be infected, the expectation builds up but this thread dies off without any explanation or elaboration. To tell you the truth the same story thread ends abruptly, as if it had an awkward editor's cut.

I was also disappointed with the end. It gave the impression that it was rushed out. I was hoping for a more imaginative ending. Even though it may seem absurd to talk about realism, it is important, in general, to remain true to the setting. Especially towards the end, the plot and the details left me hoping for better.

The character development follows the same lines drawn by the first two books. I'm surprised that the characters didn't show any further development. My favourite characters were Piro and Fyn however I can't qualify them as memorable.

The King Rolen's Kin trilogy is a fast-paced and easy-to-read trilogy. The best word that comes to my mind qualifying these three books are "affordable". I don't doubt that they are going to please to a great audience: mature as well as young adult. However, readers looking for epic fantasy with realistic battles, detailed settings and memorable characters would be disappointed.

Plot: 6
Characters: 6
Style: 8

Overall: 7/10

Tyson

I was hoping for quite a lot more than what I received when I finished The Usurper. The book left me with a lot of questions and very few answers. Yagiz managed to bring most of them to light without containing spoilers and the other "holes" would spoil things so, I will not be bringing them up.

However, while I enjoyed books 1 and 2, I did not like this finale like I thought I would. The entire book felt disjointed and rushed. While there were a few characters I was dying to know more about, Dunstany, being the one I wanted the most background information for. Once I found out, I was no longer interested in things. There were as Yagiz points out, no twists. Everything comes to a close and it is done about as tidy as one could hope for. For all of the series' build up it was rather anti-climatic. A huge disappointment. It was as if Daniells had a maximum word count she was allowed and stuck to her quota.

The book does leave us with a cliff hanger of sorts as it is open for sequels to see how things unfold after the ending of The Usurper. However, the way things ended, I highly doubt I will be interested in returning to this world. The series was fairly impressive in its early stages but by the conclusion it seemed to stumble on its own feet and fell flat on its face. What was turning out to be a lite version of A Song of Ice and Fire turns out to be nothing like what I was hoping for or expecting. A major bummer.

Plot:  6
Characters:  7
Style:  5

Overall:  5/10

REVIEW: The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells
Publishing Information: Paperback; 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (5 Aug 2010 - UK, 27 Jul 2010 - US & CA)
ISBN 10: 1907519041
ISBN 13: 978-1907519048
Series: 2nd book of King Rolen's Kin
Copies: Provided by the publisher (Yagiz); Out of pocket (Tyson)
Reviewers: Yagiz and Tyson

Thirteen year old Piro watches powerless as her father’s enemies march on his castle. A traitor whispers poison in the King’s ear, undermining his trust in her brother, Byren.

Determined to prove his loyalty, Byren races across the path of the advancing army, towards the Abbey. Somehow, he must get there in time to convince the Abbot to send his warriors to defend the castle.

Meanwhile, the youngest of King Rolen’s sons, Fyn, has barely begun his training as an Abbey mystic, but he wakes in a cold sweat, haunted by dreams of betrayal...

Yagiz

Solaris did a great job in publishing King Rolen's Kin books back to back with only 4 weeks of waiting time in between installments (The King's Bastard: 8 July 2010, The Uncrowned King: 5 Aug 2010, The Usurper: 2 Sep 2010 in the UK). Therefore, if the reader likes The King's Bastard, as I think most of you would, you don't have to wait long before the next book becomes available in your favorite bookshop. There's also no need to worry about the ever-slipping publishing dates.

The story and the events of The Uncrowned King continues from the same point corresponding to the end of The King's Bastard. It is obvious that the installments are not meant to be read as standalones, which is also confirmed by the very close release dates. It feels like a one big continuous story that is broken into three pieces.

The Uncrowned King is considerably shorter than the first volume. Without the introductory type of chapters, it comes across like a faster and more action-packed book. However the plot has less twists and turns that surprise the reader. During our chats with Tyson, we both agreed that the most intriguing character of the book was Lord Dunstany. Without giving any spoilers, let's say that his motives are not clear so we are in for some surprises in the last installment of the series.

Usually it is easy to get disappointed with the second book of a trilogy as the excitement of the beginning and the curiosity of the conclusion are not there. But Daniells delivers a strong second book that is as enjoyable as the first one. If you liked The King's Bastard, this book won't disappoint you. And at the end, I am sure you will want to order your copy of The Usurper.

Plot: 8
Characters: 7
Style: 8

Overall: 8/10

Tyson

The second book in the King Rolen's Kin series is a quick and fast read. I really enjoyed book one and The Uncrowned King picks up right were the first book leaves off and it hits the ground at a sprint.

With the first book out of the way and the plot set up, The Uncrowned King has a chance to settle down and tell a story. We have a few new developments for some of our main characters that I do not really want to spoil but it does have a nod to A Song of Ice and Fire to a certain degree. We also gain more insight into the enemy. There is political intrigue at every turn.

My favorite character in this novel was Lord Dunstany. His motivation is unclear and just where he fits in the "Game of Thrones" is unknown. He seems to be much more than our average magic welder and he seems to have a better understanding of what is going on more then anyone else in the novel. Every time he was in a scene in the book he surprised me with his ability to command and delve into the truth of the matter and glean information that no one else in the room could. He will be the one I watch when the series comes to a close in the next installment.

I was expecting the book to be similar to most second installments in a trilogy with everything looking bleak and as dark as possible but by the end of The Uncrowned King there is light at the end of the tunnel for many of the players. That does not mean all is well, but there is hope for some. A lot has yet to be resolved and I look forward to seeing how that comes about. Daniells has managed to create a light version of A Song of Ice and Fire. Lots of political intrigue, constant backstabbing, large packs of wolves, a kingdom and realm in turmoil, and limited magic in a snow covered world. Best of all, the trilogy is complete so you don't have to wait the better part of a decade for things to come to a close. The Uncrowned King and the opening book in the series, The King's Bastard have their flaws. But it is a series that does what it is suppose to do - entertain you. It is a light read that looks to be coming to a spectacular close. Stay tune as we will bring you the review for the final book in the series soon, The Upsurper.

Plot: 7.5
Characters: 9
Style: 8

Overall: 7.5/10