Kingsbane (Empirium Trilogy Series #2)

by Claire Legrand

Overview

Book two in the New York Times bestselling dark fantasy series, the Empirium Trilogy!

Two queens, separated by thousands of years, connected by secrets and lies, must continue their fight amid deadly plots and unthinkable betrayals that will test their strength—and their hearts.

Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien—but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist.

Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity's long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption—fear of becoming another Rielle—keeps Eliana's power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted—by embracing her mother's power, or rejecting it forever.

Perfect for those looking for:

• Epic fantasy with stunning and elaborate world building
• Teen fantasy books for girls
• Strong complex female characters
• An immersive series with an intricate magic system
• Friendship and teen romance books

The Empirium Trilogy:

• Furyborn (Book 1)
• Kingsbane (Book 2)
• Lightbringer (Book 3)

Praise for Furyborn:
A BuzzFeed Most Anticipated Title of Spring 2018
A Goodreads Most Anticipated Title of Spring 2018
A Bustle Most Anticipated Title of Spring 2018
"A must-read." —Refinery29
"A series to watch." —Paste Magazine
"Visionary." —Bustle Magazine
"One of the biggest new YA fantasies." —Entertainment Weekly
"Empowering." —BuzzFeed
"Beautiful, brutal, heart-stopping, and epic." —Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone saga

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492656654
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	05/21/2019
Series:	Empirium Trilogy Series , #2
Pages:	608
Sales rank:	38,244
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 2.20(d)
Lexile:	840L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Claire Legrand is the author of several novels for children and young adults, most notably The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, Some Kind of Happiness, Winterspell, and The Empirium Trilogy. Claire lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Visit claire-legrand.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Claire Legrand is one of the most exciting voices in YA fantasy-and in YA as a whole-writing right now." - Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven, The King's English Bookshop (Salt Lake City, UT)

"I hope everyone is ready to cry a bucket of tears over this victorious and vengeful sequel... Legrand's writing has never been so fierce and frenetic, and Kingsbane moves at a breakneck pace that left me breathless. I wanted to stay in this world forever and I'll be heartbroken when the trilogy ends." - Sami Thomason, Square Books (Oxford, MS)

"Kingsbane was everything I was expecting from a sequel to Furyborn and more... This is one book I absolutely cannot wait to start selling." - Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks (Winston-Salem, NC)

"Furyborn was incredible, Kingsbane is better! The second novel has even more magic, cliffhangers, and romance... Already excited for the next one in this trilogy. This is a wild ride." - Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books (Wake Forest, NC)

"It's the perfect mix of blood, mystery, and high fantasy that readers of the genre crave and an amazing middle hinge for the trilogy to swing on. I am so anxiously awaiting the third book." - Chaning Green, Square Books (Oxford, MS)

"Above and beyond my expectations!" - Leah Atlee, Changing Hands Bookstore (Phoenix, AZ)

"Masterful." - Booklist

"Fans of the first installment won't be disappointed, especially if they enjoyed Sarah J. Maas' lusty romances (A Court of Thorns and Roses, BCCB 7/15, etc.)." - Bulletin of the Center for the Children's Books

"A spell-binding successor to Furyborn...setting up the series for a truly captivating and heart-racing ending." - Hypable

From the Publisher

2019-02-20

In the sequel to Furyborn (2018), Rielle and Eliana struggle across time with their powers and prophesied destinies.

Giving readers only brief recaps, this book throws them right into complicated storylines in this large, lovingly detailed fantasy world filled with multiple countries, two different time periods, and hostile angels. Newly ordained Rielle contends with villainous Corien's interest in her, the weakening gate that holds the angels at bay, and distrust from those who don't believe her to be the Sun Queen. A thousand years in the future, Eliana chafes under her unwanted destiny and finds her fear of losing herself to her powers (like the Blood Queen) warring with her need to save those close to her. The rigid alternation between time-separated storylines initially feels overstuffed, undermining tension, but once more characters get point-of-view chapters and parallels start paying off, the pace picks up. The multiethnic cast (human versus angelic is the only divide with weight) includes characters of many sexual orientations, and their romantic storylines include love triangles, casual dalliances, steady couples, and couples willing to invite in a third. While many of the physically intimate scenes are loving, some are rougher, including ones that cross lines of clear consent and introduce a level of violence that many young readers will not be ready for. The ending brings heartbreaking twists to prime readers for the trilogy's conclusion.

A very full mixed bag. (map, list of elements) (Fantasy. 17-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

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