Book Shelf: Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury #2) by Tracy Banghart

Nomi and Malachi find themselves powerless and headed towards their all-but-certain deaths. Now that Asa sits on the throne, he will stop at nothing to make sure Malachi never sets foot in the palace again.

Nomi's sister, Serina, is far away on the prison island of Mount Ruin - but it is in the grip of revolution and Serina leads. The women there have their sights set on revenge beyond the confines of their island prison. They will stop at nothing to gain freedom for the entire kingdom. But first they'll have to get rid of Asa, and only Nomi knows how.

Separated once again, this time by choice, Nomi and Serina must forge their own paths as they aim to tear down the world they know, to build something better in its place.

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Review: 

Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart is the sequel to Grace and Fury and conclusion of the duology by the same name in this fast paced and action filled story.

Nomi and Malachi are powerless and facing almost certain death. Having tricked them, Asa now sits on the throne and is proving to be an even crueller ruler than his late father. He will stop at nothing to assure that Malachi never takes his rightful place as ruler, even if that means killing his brother and the woman he betrayed. Across the sea, Nomi’s sister Serina sits on Mount Ruin, having recently led a coup to overthrow the guards and take control of the prison where woman have been forced to fight to the death. The women of Mount Ruin will do anything to keep their freedom and killing Asa is the only way to guarantee this. Torn apart by a cruel dictator, Nomi and Serina soon find themselves together again, but when it becomes clear the way to stop Asa lies in Nomi, the sisters will need to separate once more. Before they were fighting for their lives, now they’re fighting for something even more important; their freedom.

Tracy Banghart is an author I’ve always enjoyed. I read and adored her independently published Rebel Wing series and absolutely loved Grace and Fury, but I was somewhat underwhelmed with Queen of Ruin. I still felt it was a great fantasy read; it just seemed to fall flat in some respects whereas the first novel really blew me away. I felt empowered by the characters and their circumstances during the first book and was prepared to metaphorically fight by their side. In Queen of Ruin, although the stakes were higher than ever, I felt like some of this drive was missing.

The novel also seemed rushed, especially towards the end and I felt that the defeat of Asa was anticlimactic. After the big twist in the previous novel and the way in which he manipulated Nomi into seizing power, his destruction was just too easy. I wanted more oomph, more fight. I wanted Banghart to truly wow me with this conclusion to her duology and although it was a decent ending and promising, it was too simple for my liking.

I still liked the characters including sisters Nomi and Serina. It’s been a reversal of roles with obedient Serina now a fierce warrior for womankind while defiant Nomi is more demure and uncertain, having seen a new side to the Heir during her time as a Grace and whose mistakes have paved the way for Asa’s reign. I think that Banghart developed the characters well. I actually came to like Serina over Nomi in this novel where before it was the younger sister I enjoyed following more. I think both young women have been through a lot and can’t deny that as characters they have driven the storyline forward well.

Though not as good as I was anticipating, Queen of Ruin was still an overall solid read and a fair conclusion to the duology. I appreciated the romances Tracy Banghart included for both Serina and Nomi with Val and Malachi exactly what the gals needed and I’m satisfied that the women of Viridia will have a new prosperous future now that a new dawn has been brought in for the kingdom where they will have rights and opportunities the same as men.

Rating:
Source: Purchased by me
Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
Format: Paperback
Release Date: July 11th 2019
Buy: Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: Not quite as good as the first one, I still very much enjoy Tracy Banghart's books and am looking forward to her next release!