When I saw the first book pop up on Netgalley alongside the second one and Rebecca Ross's name, I instantly requested both although in hindsight i'm not sure if I would have read the sequel if I hadn't done this due to disliking the first book. I would argue this book is better than the first one. The range of characters were better developed and whereas the first book ambled forward, this one had a clear goal and worked towards it, which worked well. Overall the story was a fun read, and I do think a significant reason why I enjoyed this book was the fact there is a lot less romance in it. As a teacher, student-teacher relationships make me feel icky and the fact it was not a key aspect of the book allowed me to enjoy the actual story. However, I do think that Brienna was a tricky character to like as much as the other characters as she is described as being rather flawless in terms of her actions and abilities, and as someone who everyone loves and that made it harder to connect with her as a character. You can definitely tell this is a debut series in terms of the quality of craft but overall the world building was decent enough and also the ribbon plot line was a cute detail.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collis for the chance to read the ARC.

Brienna has finally found who she is and now she wants to crate a life for herself in this new world. This book starts off not long after the first and it was just as amazing. I love watching Brienna develop and discover who she is. I adored this series and loved the journey it took me on.

Rebecca Ross has a wonderful way of bringing fantasy worlds alive for the reader. Her writing style has a lyrical tilt to it which suits this type of story, especially with the warring houses in the book making it seem as if it is based in an Arthurian or Medieval setting.
Whilst the previous book was very entertaining and could have feasibly been a standalone, I think that this next book adds more depth to the story and leaves the reader with a much more satisfying ending. Much like in her other duologies, the Divine Rivals and A River Enchanted series’s. she uses this sequel to A Queen Rising to develop her world building and challenge her characters in new and interesting ways. I was particularly excited to learn more about the complicated relationships between the various Houses. The political intrigue was enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.
She has once again created a truly unique and fantastical series. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thanks NetGalley and publishers for the arc of The queens resistance by Rebecca Ross. Having not read the first book I think I’m missing a lot of the story. I wasn’t overly comfortable with the teacher student relationship. That aside, it was well written and I did enjoy it for the most part.

THE QUEEN’S RESISTANCE is a strong end to the duology. Like the first book, it’s a slower paced YA political fantasy that reads like a standalone as there are no loose threads being picked up from the first book.

This book is told from two POVs – Brienna’s alternated with Cartier’s. As there’s quite a lot of movement, having two POVs meant the story could follow all the twists and turns of the schemes. It’s another twisty, political fantasy looking at the aftermath of a revolution and the complications in trying to secure a country. Lots of books often end on the rebellion, but this goes further and examines the instability a violent change in regime brings.

The theme of found family is followed through in this book, with the addition of two children that Brienna and Cartier become responsible for. There is also the judgement the people visit on Brienna for her parentage, and Sean’s attempts to overcome the same prejudices. I particularly liked the relationship between Cartier and Tomas, as it was really helped to humanise Cartier, who was absent for much of the first book.

I touched on it in my review of the previous book, but the relationship makes me a bit uncomfortable. Teacher/student is never a good trope in my opinion (I do a lot of volunteering with children’s groups, so I’ve done a lot of safeguarding training and this trope breaks all the rules on appropriateness and abusing positions of trust). There is also a 8 year age gap between the two, and given Brienna is 18, this is significant. It’s unfortunate, as the two have chemistry, so this is a case where I wish that Cartier had been another student – or some such role – to avoid the two issues (the student/teacher being the main problem).

All in all, it was an enjoyable end to the duology and I’m looking forwards to reading her latest release next.

I was blown away by book 1 on this series, The Queen's Rising, so knew that I would need to get my hands on book 2 as soon as possible, and ordered it as a birthday present to myself. Now that Isolde has been restored to her rightful position as queen, and Brienna is settling into her role as MacQuinn's adopted daughter, and mistress of knowledge, the bunch of characters we know and love might have been expecting that life could get to normal, and their wouldn't be too many issues to contend with. However, that isn't the case. Aodhan's - who we met as Cartier - whole house has been decimated, and trying to rebuild the Morgane family from the ashes of his ancestral home. While trying to come to terms with his new position as master of his house, and his feelings for Brienna, he discovers a young boy hiding in his home, who he takes under his care, and whom he and Brienna care for. No one knows who the boy is, though, and when his identity is revealed, both must do all they can to save him from the justice that is being served to so many others. Also, we have so many other characters, some new, some old, who are displeased with the restoration of the monarchy, and will do just about anything to ensure that our rag-tag bunch of characters fail in their efforts.

I loved how the character growth we saw in Brienna and Aodhan in book 1 developed so much more in this book. Both have distinct roles they now have to deal with, which are a lot harder than they may have expected, both mentally and physically. They need to rely on each other, for their strength, and we see how their attraction, which may have been physical and brief in The Queen's Rising, cements and strengthens, as they do. They are a true power couple, and every part of this book proves that. The whole aspect of found family, whether platonic or romantic love, is definitely explored here, in so many regards. Even without all of the action - which there was a lot of - I would've been happy to read a book that explored the characters coming together, and becoming a family, which they all are by the end of the book. The ending tied up everything perfectly, and I've already got my eye on Ross' next book. This is definitely a series for fantasy lovers!