A Queen Comes to Power

Heir Comes to Rise Series, Book 2

By: Chloe C. Peñaranda

Narrated by: Elisabeth Lagelee

A Duty . . .

Bound in service to the king within the city, Faythe grapples with morality to keep herself and her friends safe. Nik's loyalty is tested as he struggles against his father's cruel ways. When blood and duty divide the heart, can love conquer all?

An Alliance . . .

While the kingdoms prepare to unite, Faythe is forced to remain hidden in plain sight. But suspicions quickly arise with the mysterious fae general from an ally court. Getting close to Reylan could unravel truths she longed for, but trust is hard to gain and even harder to hold. When lurking evil threatens the alliance that keeps them all safe, Faythe may find herself on the side where danger meets desire in a force that could break past the guard on her heart.

A Choice . . .

The threat of battle isn't the only conflict to fear. Faythe can't forget the deal she struck in the woods to save her friend's life—and it's time to fulfil. Finding the temple ruin leads them to harrowing discoveries within the castle . . . and something more sinister than the war that lingers. It seems everyone will receive more than they bargained for. A history that haunts, truths that destroy, and a tangled destiny they didn't expect.

©2021 C.C. Peñaranda (P)2022 Tantor

Great story , the narrator threw me off

This series feels like reading acotar or ToG for the first time . Absolutely hooked and could not put the book down for hours and hours.
Pushed through the narrator, I didn’t like how the characters were portrayed (voices and accents sounded forced). She would maybe be better suited for non fiction stories idk. Would have liked for Elizabeth Evans to finish the rest of the series.

Narrator makes all the difference

After finishing 3 SJM series, read by Elizabeth Evans, I was eager to start this series. Despite some less than stellar word choices by Penaranda (only so many times I can hear “relished” misused), Evans’s skill in book 1 made made up for it, and I was caught up in the characters, the world, and the story. I eagerly downloaded book 2 and was dismayed to hear a different narrator. Dismay quickly deepened. I ended up downloading book 2 on my Kindle, finishing it there. It was easier to overlook the need for editing out overused and misused words to enjoy the story.
The story is good, not on a level with Maas, but enjoyable despite Faythe’s cringe-worthy self doubt. All of the characters begin to flesh out in book 2 and the world-building takes clearer shape. Without creating a spoiler alert, I must say it opens and closes with an appearance by Reuben that I still don’t get. Answers in book 3? Maybe.
*set reading speed at 1.2 or 1.3–it helps

Phew…glad the pain is over.

Ok a few quick things that really irked me about this book. The change in narrator, the storyline and the MC/heroine. This story was difficult for me to navigate at times and inconsistent. I skipped certain parts because If I didn’t I would not have finished. Anyway, I hope the next book will be worthwhile.

Fantasy Romance with a Small Side of Spice

Perfection! No really. Well paced, beautifully written, and wonderful narration. So excited to get the next book!

Enjoying the Journey!

I love high fantasy reads (think Throne of Glass or Lord of the Rings) and this book series is not disappointing!!

Terrible Narrator!

I can usually push through just about any narrator for a good book but not this one. I gave up by Chapter 11. Please redo these books with the original narrator.

Oof

I would highly recommend NOT listening to this directly after the first book. The narrator switch is not an easy transition AT ALL. I loved the narrator of the first book, this one, not so much. I had to switch over to kindle after the first chapter it was so annoying. I was ble to come back but it’s not the same. Tolerable after a break though.

Bias and Spoilers

I dislike how the narrator changed from book 1 to book 2, I also favor E.Evans narration.FMC seemed weak maybe wines is a better word.

I also couldn't stand the "I'm mad at Faith because she should have tried harder. She should have been there for me" REALLY!!!! Faith saved your life and is locked up how is she suppose to be there for you when she sacrificed her self for you. Now it's your turn to help her. not be jealous.

I feel like if the author wanted there to be friction between the characters she could have came up with a better scenario. You have Jackon saying how amazing Marlo is and how caring a selfless she is, but non of marlos actions are saying this at all. - it's nice to see Jackons pov of Marlo vs Faith's cause they see different sides of her but it's almost too different. To the point we're they seem like completely different people they're referring to.

Great story

Amazing story could not get enough of it. I bought the next two books in the series. Amazing.

Good story mostly. Narrator not so much.

Narrator change was disappointing. I’m sure she would be great with another type of book, but it felt like she was speaking too slow. Listened to it at 1.15 speed and made it slightly better. Evans should have finished the series.


Next issue… love the story so far, albeit very reminiscent of TOG, but Marlo and Jackon? I felt like they were getting forced upon us. Loved them both in the first book, but Marlo started sounding whiny and irritating. Hopefully they’ll redeem themselves in the next book.

Will continue onto the next book, hoping things will turn around before I give up.