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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Second in the Dark Swan urban fantasy series about a half-human, half-fae warrior shaman caught up in prophecy and romance.
My Take
Poor Eugenie...she's hoping to slip into the baby shower unnoticed but reckons without the herald announcing, "Her Royal Majesty, Queen Eugenie Markham, called Odile Dark Swan, Daughter of Tirigan the Storm King, Protector of the Thorn Land, Beloved of the Triple Moon Goddess." Ooops…
There is a lot of conflict for Eugenie in this story. She knows she can't tell her stepfather of her new involvement in the Otherworld due to his and her mother's experiences there and yet she desperately needs his help and advice. The inadvertent hardships her people are undergoing because she didn't know. Then there's her human approach to others, not yet understanding at a visceral level that the gentry have a completely different approach to everything! She does however make great progress in manipulating her powers.
Then there's the romantic conflict with Kiyo and Dorian. She loves Kiyo, but what is his problem about Eugenie being queen…?? Dorian of course still wants to get Eugenie back into his bed and doesn't hold back in his "assault" on her. Dorian can be pretty naughty outside of his bed [no, not a sex thing!] as well as in.
The Story
Eugenie Markham has unexpectedly become the Queen of the Thorn Land. Partially due to subtle trickery by King Dorian. It was that unexpectedness that created the desert landscape of Eugenie's new land with very unexpected results for its people. It's also cutting into her real work---that of a mercenary shaman policing the supernatural antics in the mortal world.
Being queen means duties---including the baby shower for Kiyo's former lover. And a three-hour trip by horseback that provides Eugenie with a tour of her new land---and its troubles. And Dorian forces Ysabel to Eugenie's queendom to teach her more about her powers.
It's Eugenie's friendly human nature that gets her into trouble, but also makes her appear a saint to her own people. Making them brave enough to ask for additional aid in finding their missing daughters and fighting the bandits surrounding their villages. An investigation that soon finds that a crossroads between worlds exists in the area where the girls are going missing.
The Characters
Eugenie Markham, queen of the Thorn Land, is the half-fae, half-human offspring of Tirigan the Storm King. A prophecy that states the grandchild of one of Storm King's daughters will rule the world and it has many fae after her. Unfortunately for them, Eugenie is happy in her relationship with Kiyo and perfectly capable of protecting herself! Now if only...
...Kiyo Marquez would give her more of his attention, but his former lover, Maiwenn, Queen of the Willow Land, is about to give birth to his child.
Roland Markham is Eugenie's stepfather and Dee is her human mother, raped by Storm King. She has spent all of Eugenie's life indoctrinating her against the fae. Now, Eugenie is desperately trying to keep her stepfather from finding out she's a queen in the Otherworld.
Lara is her secretary arranging her appointments, keeping the books, and billing the clients while Tim Warkowski is her fraudulent housemate. He pretends to be a Native American and reads his poetry while scamming his customers. Nia is her lady-in-waiting who does her best to beautify Eugenie per fae fashions...she's lucky if she can get Eugenie into a dress! Shaya is Eugenie's regent ruling the Thorn Land while Eugenie is back in our world. Rurik, the Ice Elemental who tried to kill her in Storm Born is now her captain of the guard. All three were members of Dorian's court. Volusian is Eugenie's miserable sidekick, a damned soul, demon-like. As long as she can control him, he will serve her although he takes great joy in repeatedly explaining how he'll torture her very slowly until she dies if he ever breaks free. In the meantime, he must come when she calls and carry out her commands.
Katrice, the Rowan Queen, is plotting to bring her technologically savvy son, Leith, together with Eugenie. It's the only way Leith will ever rule a kingdom. Duke Marlin is her consort. Girard de la Colline is a fae metalsmith who happily takes up Eugenie's offer. King Dorian of the Oak Land is very interested in bedding Eugenie. Again. And he sets about his campaign with ruthless truthfulness. And very useful support. He's currently "spending some time" with Ysabel...it's Shaya who points out that all the women Dorian has had in his bed since Eugenie...look like Eugenie. Davros is the mayor of one of Eugenie's villages and makes her aware that her changing the land to resemble her beloved Sonoran desert has consequences.
Wil Delaney is a human client who had asked Eugenie to rescue his sister (see Storm Born). He's also a conspiracy/alien nutcase. Jasmine is Eugenie's half-sister and a daughter of Storm King. A typical teenager, she's obsessed with being the first daughter to bear the son of the prophecy. She wants to rule the world and have all bow down to her.
Barbara is "a type of holy woman" for the Pascua Yaqui tribe; her grandsons are Felix and Dan. None of them are pleased with Tim's impersonations. Art and Abigail are two of the shamans who police the crossroads in Yellow River, Texas.
The Cover and Title
The cover is black and blue. A blue of rippling sand, a wall of arched openings with a castle atop it while this blonde [guess the cover artist didn't get the character description memo] Eugenie is in a corset-back leather vest and black leather pants festooned with knives, tattoos, and holding a gun as she cautiously tests the wind.
The title reflects Eugenie's new title as the Thorn Queen. The new elven queen.
My Take
Poor Eugenie...she's hoping to slip into the baby shower unnoticed but reckons without the herald announcing, "Her Royal Majesty, Queen Eugenie Markham, called Odile Dark Swan, Daughter of Tirigan the Storm King, Protector of the Thorn Land, Beloved of the Triple Moon Goddess." Ooops…
There is a lot of conflict for Eugenie in this story. She knows she can't tell her stepfather of her new involvement in the Otherworld due to his and her mother's experiences there and yet she desperately needs his help and advice. The inadvertent hardships her people are undergoing because she didn't know. Then there's her human approach to others, not yet understanding at a visceral level that the gentry have a completely different approach to everything! She does however make great progress in manipulating her powers.
Then there's the romantic conflict with Kiyo and Dorian. She loves Kiyo, but what is his problem about Eugenie being queen…?? Dorian of course still wants to get Eugenie back into his bed and doesn't hold back in his "assault" on her. Dorian can be pretty naughty outside of his bed [no, not a sex thing!] as well as in.
Kiyo: "Dorian used to watch you like a starving man wants meat. Now he looks at you like he wants seconds."Then there's the legal/moral conflict of one's shamanic duties. And Eugenie discovers a nasty hypocrisy in her own family---she makes a good point when she reminds Roland that she and Kiyo are the same. If Roland rejects Kiyo for his half and half nature, he's also rejecting her for the same reason.
The Story
Eugenie Markham has unexpectedly become the Queen of the Thorn Land. Partially due to subtle trickery by King Dorian. It was that unexpectedness that created the desert landscape of Eugenie's new land with very unexpected results for its people. It's also cutting into her real work---that of a mercenary shaman policing the supernatural antics in the mortal world.
Being queen means duties---including the baby shower for Kiyo's former lover. And a three-hour trip by horseback that provides Eugenie with a tour of her new land---and its troubles. And Dorian forces Ysabel to Eugenie's queendom to teach her more about her powers.
It's Eugenie's friendly human nature that gets her into trouble, but also makes her appear a saint to her own people. Making them brave enough to ask for additional aid in finding their missing daughters and fighting the bandits surrounding their villages. An investigation that soon finds that a crossroads between worlds exists in the area where the girls are going missing.
The Characters
Eugenie Markham, queen of the Thorn Land, is the half-fae, half-human offspring of Tirigan the Storm King. A prophecy that states the grandchild of one of Storm King's daughters will rule the world and it has many fae after her. Unfortunately for them, Eugenie is happy in her relationship with Kiyo and perfectly capable of protecting herself! Now if only...
...Kiyo Marquez would give her more of his attention, but his former lover, Maiwenn, Queen of the Willow Land, is about to give birth to his child.
Roland Markham is Eugenie's stepfather and Dee is her human mother, raped by Storm King. She has spent all of Eugenie's life indoctrinating her against the fae. Now, Eugenie is desperately trying to keep her stepfather from finding out she's a queen in the Otherworld.
Lara is her secretary arranging her appointments, keeping the books, and billing the clients while Tim Warkowski is her fraudulent housemate. He pretends to be a Native American and reads his poetry while scamming his customers. Nia is her lady-in-waiting who does her best to beautify Eugenie per fae fashions...she's lucky if she can get Eugenie into a dress! Shaya is Eugenie's regent ruling the Thorn Land while Eugenie is back in our world. Rurik, the Ice Elemental who tried to kill her in Storm Born is now her captain of the guard. All three were members of Dorian's court. Volusian is Eugenie's miserable sidekick, a damned soul, demon-like. As long as she can control him, he will serve her although he takes great joy in repeatedly explaining how he'll torture her very slowly until she dies if he ever breaks free. In the meantime, he must come when she calls and carry out her commands.
Katrice, the Rowan Queen, is plotting to bring her technologically savvy son, Leith, together with Eugenie. It's the only way Leith will ever rule a kingdom. Duke Marlin is her consort. Girard de la Colline is a fae metalsmith who happily takes up Eugenie's offer. King Dorian of the Oak Land is very interested in bedding Eugenie. Again. And he sets about his campaign with ruthless truthfulness. And very useful support. He's currently "spending some time" with Ysabel...it's Shaya who points out that all the women Dorian has had in his bed since Eugenie...look like Eugenie. Davros is the mayor of one of Eugenie's villages and makes her aware that her changing the land to resemble her beloved Sonoran desert has consequences.
Wil Delaney is a human client who had asked Eugenie to rescue his sister (see Storm Born). He's also a conspiracy/alien nutcase. Jasmine is Eugenie's half-sister and a daughter of Storm King. A typical teenager, she's obsessed with being the first daughter to bear the son of the prophecy. She wants to rule the world and have all bow down to her.
Barbara is "a type of holy woman" for the Pascua Yaqui tribe; her grandsons are Felix and Dan. None of them are pleased with Tim's impersonations. Art and Abigail are two of the shamans who police the crossroads in Yellow River, Texas.
The Cover and Title
The cover is black and blue. A blue of rippling sand, a wall of arched openings with a castle atop it while this blonde [guess the cover artist didn't get the character description memo] Eugenie is in a corset-back leather vest and black leather pants festooned with knives, tattoos, and holding a gun as she cautiously tests the wind.
The title reflects Eugenie's new title as the Thorn Queen. The new elven queen.
magikspells's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this more than the first book. My interest is still held but this definitely took a more intense turn.
klippy's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this series - I cannot believe how long of a wait until the next one!!!
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
And I continue to be pleasantly diverted but not blown away by this series. Eugenie is her typical resourceful, appealing, and feisty self. It was cool to see how she deals with her new responsibilities as queen. Once again, though, I'm unimpressed by the love triangle. Kiyo is more believably flawed in this book, but Dorian never quite does it for me, and I often found Eugenie's unstated attraction to him inexplicable. I guess I will read the next book in the series when my mind needs another break from heavier reading...
bewitched_bibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
silreadsalot's review
4.0
Poor Thorn Queen...she's caught up in two worlds, trying to keep everyone safe. Watching her handle her two worlds is infuriating at times. I got annoyed that Roland and Kiyo kept giving her a hard time but offered no solutions. Reluctant as she was she always found a way to deal with the problems that found her.
I was disappointed at what happened to her at the end of the book. Awful!!! Looking forward to the next book!
I was disappointed at what happened to her at the end of the book. Awful!!! Looking forward to the next book!
jessicaalexander95's review against another edition
3.0
Great action packed book. The plot has high stakes and Eugene is struggling with ruling her kingdom and balancing her like. I hate Kiyo and I always will
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Okay, I have to start by saying that this book is definitely an adult book - much more explicit sex than in the Vampire Academy books. If you've been reading my recent reviews, you'll see that this seems to be the theme for me this week. I'm not quite sure why, but that's just the way it worked out. Sigh. But, I'm happy to say that, while this book definitely had some explicit sex scenes, the sex didn't define the book - it was just one element of a very emotionally complex book.
By the end of Thorn Queen, I was hooked on this series - I will definitely be reading the next two books!
The negatives:
Rape.
If you're sensitive to the issue of rape in a book, this is not for you. Of course, if you read the first book in this series then you probably already know that it's not for you (since the whole first book is spent with Eugenie avoiding being raped by gentry that want to impregnate her so they can father a prophesied child - I actually think this may have been one of the things that made me feel just so-so about the first book). That threat doesn't go away in this book and, in fact, becomes more than a threat. (I don't want to say more because it would spoil things, but I do want to give a warning, since this is obviously a very sensitive subject).
What I LOVED:
The Emotional Complexity.
Eugenie struggles in this book. She's tough, she's hardened and she's used to taking care of herself, but she suddenly finds herself in a situation that she doesn't know how to handle (actually more than one) and it throws her. Eugenie never wanted to be a gentry queen and she certainly doesn't want to be responsible for a whole kingdom. She knows that she doesn't want to live up to her father's reputation of being a ruthless leader, but she finds it impossible to suddenly be responsible for the lives of the gentry in her kingdom (especially after having spent so much time hunting them in the mortal realm!). Morality is no longer black and white and she suddenly finds herself being asked to choose sides between humans and gentry - a decision she once thought would be easy, but gets much more complicated as time goes on. She also struggles to control her ever-growing desire for magic - and finds that it may be leading her down a dark path that she can't escape.
The love triangle.
Yes, there is a love triangle. But, just like with the rest of the story, it's grounded in Eugenie's very realistic emotional turmoil. After all, her boyfriend is having a baby with another woman! I completely believed Eugenie's struggle with jealousy and her somewhat selfish desire to have Kiyo all to herself. I felt for her when she met the baby for the first time and fought to be nothing but happy for Kiyo when she really felt a sense of loss over something she didn't even know if she wanted and an insecurity that she couldn't simply banish. And then there was Dorian, who seemed to understand all that about her when Kiyo just didn't. Dorian who seemed to understand her thoughts and fears and needs, even when she didn't want him to. In short, I believed in Eugenie's struggle. That's the key to a good love triangle.
Thorn Queen was an emotionally complex story with an exciting plot. I can't wait to find out what happens to Eugenie next! 4.5/5 Stars.
Okay, I have to start by saying that this book is definitely an adult book - much more explicit sex than in the Vampire Academy books. If you've been reading my recent reviews, you'll see that this seems to be the theme for me this week. I'm not quite sure why, but that's just the way it worked out. Sigh. But, I'm happy to say that, while this book definitely had some explicit sex scenes, the sex didn't define the book - it was just one element of a very emotionally complex book.
By the end of Thorn Queen, I was hooked on this series - I will definitely be reading the next two books!
The negatives:
Rape.
If you're sensitive to the issue of rape in a book, this is not for you. Of course, if you read the first book in this series then you probably already know that it's not for you (since the whole first book is spent with Eugenie avoiding being raped by gentry that want to impregnate her so they can father a prophesied child - I actually think this may have been one of the things that made me feel just so-so about the first book). That threat doesn't go away in this book and, in fact, becomes more than a threat. (I don't want to say more because it would spoil things, but I do want to give a warning, since this is obviously a very sensitive subject).
What I LOVED:
The Emotional Complexity.
Eugenie struggles in this book. She's tough, she's hardened and she's used to taking care of herself, but she suddenly finds herself in a situation that she doesn't know how to handle (actually more than one) and it throws her. Eugenie never wanted to be a gentry queen and she certainly doesn't want to be responsible for a whole kingdom. She knows that she doesn't want to live up to her father's reputation of being a ruthless leader, but she finds it impossible to suddenly be responsible for the lives of the gentry in her kingdom (especially after having spent so much time hunting them in the mortal realm!). Morality is no longer black and white and she suddenly finds herself being asked to choose sides between humans and gentry - a decision she once thought would be easy, but gets much more complicated as time goes on. She also struggles to control her ever-growing desire for magic - and finds that it may be leading her down a dark path that she can't escape.
The love triangle.
Yes, there is a love triangle. But, just like with the rest of the story, it's grounded in Eugenie's very realistic emotional turmoil. After all, her boyfriend is having a baby with another woman! I completely believed Eugenie's struggle with jealousy and her somewhat selfish desire to have Kiyo all to herself. I felt for her when she met the baby for the first time and fought to be nothing but happy for Kiyo when she really felt a sense of loss over something she didn't even know if she wanted and an insecurity that she couldn't simply banish. And then there was Dorian, who seemed to understand all that about her when Kiyo just didn't. Dorian who seemed to understand her thoughts and fears and needs, even when she didn't want him to. In short, I believed in Eugenie's struggle. That's the key to a good love triangle.
Thorn Queen was an emotionally complex story with an exciting plot. I can't wait to find out what happens to Eugenie next! 4.5/5 Stars.
witchylevy's review against another edition
3.0
I disapprove of Dorian. Kiyo isn't giving her enough credit, but Dorian is pushing her to be too much more than she wants to be. Girl needs to just stop thinking sex and start thinking about how she can benefit both halves of herself. She's perhaps destined to have a child who will bring the gentry back to her world. Okay, she can make that a good thing. Police the shamans (who show in this book that it's needed) and police the gentry. What she endures in this book is horrible. How she deals with it though? I'm not sure. She seemed too nice and too heavy handed at the same time. Magic shouldn't be able to control her. I love learning new things. I was that student. Just because I learn and seek to learn doesn't mean that the lesson will control and force my behavior. There is no personal responsibility in this world.
tilbard's review against another edition
5.0
Funny, I really didn't like Storm Born. It's been a while, so I don't remember why, but Thorn Queen is excellent. Eugenie is a strong female character who manages to handles her issues as a leader, not as a 'girl'.