Author: Thaddeus Nowak
Series: Heirs of Cothel
Publisher: Mountain Pass Publishing LLC
Date of Publication: March 2013
Source: received for blog tour for my honest opinion of it
Links to Buy: located at the end of the post
Book Synopsis:Stephenie has revealed to the world that she is a witch!
The faithful followers of Felis and the other gods are now demanding that she be burned to prevent the spread of the demon god’s evil. However, another voice is rising up, declaring that she has already been cleansed of Elrin’s influence and that she is chosen by the gods; it is a claim Stephenie detests.
To make matters worse, her brother, who by rights of succession is now King, lacks the funds to pay his soldiers and keep control of Cothel. Their mother, having fled to Kynto with the treasury and war supplies, has emboldened some of the dukes and many of the barons to demand more control of the country in exchange for their support.
Can Stephenie avoid the fires of the followers of Felis and people she once called friend or will their claims of righteous anger overwhelm her support? And even if she avoids being burned alive, will her presence simply be the catalyst that plunges Cothel into a civil war?
My Thoughts:
In book 2, Daughter's Justice, I find myself pulled closer to princess Stephenie and understanding her more and more; as well as sympathizing with her plight.
Even after saving many of the people of her kingdom, she finds herself still looked at warily as people are slow to forgive her for her abilities that saved their lives.
I found myself getting so angry at these backwoods people. She saved their lives and yet they still want to burn her and do god knows what else to her all because of her powers. This is how I know Mr. Nowak has a true talent for writing to bring out such strong emotions in his readers. Truly, I wanted to reach through and grab some of those sexist priests up by the collar and shake them just a little....
Okay maybe a lot.
We also see more of what Stephenie and Kas' relationship entails. I am curious to see how far this can go because I truly love Kas and I think he is the perfect match for her as well as the only one that really understands what she feels inside and out.
This is such a great YA fantasy novel because of the strong complex characters that can hold you in their grips for the entire story's length. The plot is engaging and the dialogue between Stephenie and her guards is very comical.
Stephenie has really grown into her powers, her royalty, and her commitment to saving their kingdom from itself. Even though this is a fantasy novel it still holds aspects that realistic and could still happen today. Especially, the distrust and dislike toward those that are different from you. I believe Princess Stephenie is a wonderful role model because she has been discriminated against in the worst way possible and yet she still finds the courage to rise above it all and do what is right for everyone; including those that seek to destroy her. Oh how so many adults could learn from her in this day and age!!
I am looking forward to the next book in the series and eager to see how Stephenie ends up dealing with her traitorous mother. I can't wait for that battle!!
I enjoyed Mother's Curse immensely but I was sucked into Daughter's Justice and found it hard to stop reading to even eat or breathe lol. I have to give it five hearts!!
I totally agree with your points on Daughter's Justice! In Mother's Curse I sometimes thought of Stephanie as a petulant child, but in Daughter's Justice my view of her totally changed. I thought she grew into a strong young woman. And I love her relationship with Kas!
ReplyDeleteI adore Kas! I think he is the missing piece to Stephenie to because he grounds her.
DeleteThanks for commenting!
Another great review, Amy. I'm so glad that you enjoy the books more and more as they go along :-D
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining us on this tour and sharing your wonderful review. When you have a moment, please cross-post to Amazon and GoodReads to show Ted some TLC.
Thank you again,
Em
I knew I was forgetting something! Thanks for reminding me! I am usually so good at doing that but I think I just had a lot going on that week.
DeleteI did enjoy the books immensely and I am glad I got to read them!