Lovin' los libros

A book blog dedicated to young adult and new adult novels

Review: Summer Queen by Amber Argyle

By 8:27 AM , , , ,

Summer Queen (Fairy Queens #2)
   by: Amber Argyle

Publication Date: Apr. 2, 2015
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 379 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Poised to become the most powerful priestess in Idara, Nelay doesn’t have time to become a pretty bauble for the king. She’s too busy saving her people from the invading army sweeping across her kingdom.

But in defeat after defeat, Nelay begins to realize a bigger power is at play than that wielded by mere mortals. Only she can stand between the cinders of her once-great nation and the vengeance of a goddess.

 
 
Having really enjoyed the first book in the Fairy Queens series, I was excited to get my hands on this next book! Argyle provided us with a prequel novella, Of Fire and Ash, so we were already introduced to the main character, Nelay and got a glimpse of her life as a child and how the fairies played a role in altering the course of her future forever. The book opens with Nelay living as a priestess in Thandjavar, having left her family behind in order to do so. She has been trained by the High Priestess herself and is considered a favorite. However, the land of Idara is being ravaged by war and Nelay is about to get sucked into the very midst of it. Desperate to find her family, she enlists the help of a smuggler named Rycus to help her flee her responsibilities as a priestess in order to ensure their safety.
 
What I loved most about this book was how Argyle weaved in so many plot points and tied them all together and really made them WORK. Fantasy can be a tricky genre and I felt she did a great job of making sure we understood all the layers and creating a fluid storyline and rich characters from start to finish. I have to admit there was one storyline that took me by surprise and left me feeling quite conflicted. We do get to see Ilyenna again, the Winter Queen from the first book, and it wasn't quite what I expected. And yet, I probably should have. I am really nervous as to how Argyle will continue this storyline in the upcoming novels. (In other words I really like both Nelay and Ilyenna!)
 
I really liked Nelay's character. She is so fierce and strong and I love her devotion to her friends and to her people. She will do what she must even at the sacrifice of her own happiness. Not to mention, you gotta love a heroine that can literally kick ass! She proved herself so many times over that she was a true warrior in every sense of the word. I also enjoyed the secondary characters too. Jez, her best friend and fellow priestess, was a great character who was fiercely loyal to Nelay. Maran is a woman Nelay helped along her journey and I ended up really liking her, despite some of the decisions she made. I can understand her plight though, and overall I am happy with the way things turned out for her. Rycus is probably my favorite and not that's not just because he was the love interest. He ended up being such a source of strength and comfort for Nelay. They balanced each other so well and I was absolutely giddy over the way things played out between them. I also love that even though this is considered YA, Argyle isn't afraid to take her characters into more mature territory in regards to their relationship.
 
I can't wait to read the next book in the series and I do hope we get to see Ilyenna and Rone again. I am interested in seeing the role the fairies will play as well as find out how things will continue for the realms of Winter and Summer. Either way I am anxious because I now have two sets of characters I love and I am worried of what will become of them in the future books!

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7 comments

  1. Gahh this series sounds perfect for me and the covers OMG! I remember wanting to start this series but I got distracted. Thanks for reminding me. Great review!

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  2. I can't wait to read this one! I wanted to request it for review, but I have so many books to get through I didn't think it would be fair to have her wait a bit. I loved Nelay in the novella, and just the imagery as a whole.
    I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  3. I really love the sound of this book, Jess. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and this sounds so well written. I love the sound of the romance too, especially after what you told me the other day. *giggles*
    I think I would really love Nelay's character. I'll have to check this book out soon.
    Wonderful review!

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  4. I am so excited to pull everything together in the last book. I think you're going to love how it all plays out.

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  5. Love the cover! Fantasy, great covers, good romance... I think I have book one somewhere! I'll probably binge-read the series once it's over. I hope you enjoy the next book, Jess!

    Fabulous review :)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  6. The girl on the cover looks so bad ass! Definitely sounds like a series I need to check out. I adore the fantasy genre and I do love a book with a very fierce heroine.

    Lovely review!

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  7. I really need to catch up with the series because I adored Winter Queen!! I have both the novella and Summer Queen in my Kindle, so I just need to sort through my ARCs and pending books and move these up the TBR pile already! I love that we get to see Illyena again!
    Great review!

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