Family can be the best ally—or the worst enemy. The saga continues in the third book in Bridget E. Baker’s Birthright Series, where trust is the ultimate political weapon. Accept the world as it is… Days before her eighteenth birthday, Chancery Alamecha has more to worry about than the flowers at her celebration. She’s no closer to learning who killed her mother. Her twin sister is missing, … learning who killed her mother. Her twin sister is missing, fate unknown. And she’s the new ruler of an empire with abilities she has yet to harness.
Or do something to change it…
When her first act as a merciful queen is met with resistance, Chancery realizes her mission to improve the world will be harder than expected. She’s attacked on multiple fronts, distrust simmers within her ranks, and her list of allies grows shorter by the day. But to unite the evian families and gain control of five powerful rings, the most direct path to peace may be through war…
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After a foray into Judica’s story in book two, I loved returning to the central story of Chancery’s journey. This book is full of surprises and keeps the reader guessing (who can she trust?!).
Chancery is trying her best to figure out how to rule not just her bit of the world, but how to follow through with staking claim to basically all of earth. Queen of Queens is a pretty bold assertion and perhaps one only a naïve girl is able to make. Chancery has a rough idea of what this will entail, but perhaps not as much as her sister Judica or their older sisters might know. Certainly not what she was brought up to expect she would be thinking about at 18 years old, and not at all what the other blood-thirsty ruling families were planning for the Alamecha reign just a few short months ago. She is in a tough spot, trying to stay true to who she is while gaining/maintaining control over the masses, while mending relationships that are even more important to her than her queendom. She grows a lot in this book and it is interesting to see the other characters’ development, too.
Wow, if I could give it more than 5 starts, I would. Thia book picked up where books 1 and 2 end and didn’t disappoint!
So many questions answered, but new questions arise.
Friendships – new and old- were lost and found. There was action, adventure, intrigue, love, and more.
We really got to see more about Chancery. Her character has been developed so well throughout the book, and series. She grows, she stumbles, she doubts and overcomes. She learns and hesitates. She is willing to take action, but also willing to accept help.
I start to fall more in love with Edam’s character as he grows – both himself and his relationship with Chancery.
Then, that huge surprise in the book – the big reveal that I totally didn’t see coming !!!!
I can’t wait to read the next book!!! I have to know what happens next!
In my review of book one I boldly stated that we all knew who Chancery would end up with. Well, after reading this book I’m no longer sure! My reasons for thinking one of the love interests could never work, which made him a mere distraction, are now gone. That’s all I’m going to say, other than I did not see that twist coming! I think that’s what Bridget does the best as a writer. She continuously blindsides me with things I do not see coming in every one of her books.
Chancery is finally gaining the confidence she needs in this book and I’m glad! She has so much self doubt, and blames herself for everything. These are traits that can get annoying at times, but they also make her seem more real. I’m excited to see what she will do in future books, especially with that ring. This ends on a cliffhanger and I dying to find out what happens next.
We are back to continue Chancery’s story and boy is it better than ever! The big decision continues!! Team Noah or Team Exam! I love them both! Chancery continues her quest to retrieve all the stadium from the other families with lots of new and exciting challenges along the way. I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Another great book in an amazing series. The author does a great job bringing her characters to life. The only downside is that I get sucked in and lose track of time while reading.
It’s hard being a 17-year-old who goes from being in her mother’s and sister’s shadows to unexpectedly taking the most powerful position in the world. It’s even harder when you not only take your mom’s place as empress but have to tell the other five world rulers that you’re the prophesied Queen of Queens and would they please hand over their royal rings? In Displaced, Chancery had to grow from a shy teenager to a world leader in days. This time she has to grow even more as she fights not just for the power to rule, but HOW to rule. She will not be her mother, Enora the Merciless, but she needs to be strong and wise and just and revolutionary. A tall order for a teen. Especially a teen who is trying to avoid being assassinated by an enemy while searching for her mother’s killer, rebuilding her relationship with her twin sister, and figuring out how to outwit political leaders who have been in power for hundreds of years.
Is Chancery up for the task? She’s not sure, despite the prophecy. But she decides that it’s time for some changes in the way the world is run, and immediately starts working toward that. For a bit, she seems a little too much like the typical teen heroine of a dystopia. Girl accepts mantle of leadership and begins campaigning for equal rights for all. Girl receives opposition from everyone in her circle over age 17. Girl is torn between two guys: the obvious, logical choice and the one she knows she shouldn’t love. But this stereotypical behavior serves to make the plot twists that much more surprising. And Chancery begins to learn the balance between holding firmly to her goals and listening to others, even though she really can’t trust anyone as one person after another becomes suspect or reveals hidden secrets. Ultimately, she has to decide on her own how she can fulfill the prophecy without destroying the world.
I lose Chancery’s voice at times in this book. And that’s rather fitting, because she is searching for herself. By the end of the book, she has learned and grown, but she still has maturing to do before she can truly come into her own. Honestly, that’s refreshing. She has just turned 18 and is doing what no one has done before. One of Ms. Baker’s strengths in writing is that each book has plenty of character development, action, and reveals. Many series use the first book to introduce characters and most of the surprises. Subsequent books carry the plot forward (along with heavy focus on developing romance and introspection), but the reader knows the characters. In the Birthright series, each book makes huge strides in character development. The characters you think you know well may not be who you think they are, and with each solved mystery another appears, a new layer to the puzzle. I enjoyed the fact that there are so many GOOD characters in this book. The two men who love Chancery are not just good-looking boys who are attracted to her, but leaders in their own right who want to encourage her in her reign, have wisdom to offer, and are willing to sacrifice their comfort, desires, and even their lives for her. Any number of secondary characters are noble, kind, and helpful. Even the villains are not generally pure evil, but their actions and attitudes are shown as understandable.
I feel like I ended this book with as many questions as I had at the beginning…just different questions, as many of my earlier ones DID get answered throughout rather than dragging on interminably. I ended with a sense of satisfaction at what had happened as well as intense anticipation of what was to come.
In this edge of your seat mystery, we rewind find Chancery taking the mantle of Empress just as Judica disappears. Though the reader understands that she was kidnapped, Chancery doesn’t know this. She is left to worry about her sister, as well as where her sister’s loyalties lie. This story is filled with twists, turns, and if not surprises, at least suspense and suspicion.
The part of the story that was disappointing is that Chancery’s sister Melina is not a believer of this passage in Romans1:26-31.
I received a review copy of this audiobook, and I am leaving a voluntary review.
The fun never stops as Chancery is faced with new challenges. I’m so glad to see her side of the story unfold and how she reacts to situations way beyond her comfort zone. With each new problem, she learns to depend on those around her and she grows in confidence—even if she feels out of her league. Now, if only she knew who she could really trust!
I love how the intrigue never lets up. So many plots and subterfuge happening in the world of the evians. I really appreciate how Noah stands by her side, even if he has so much to offer and not much opportunity. The love triangle and the banter between Chancery, Edam, and Noah is highly entertaining.
While this story covers some pretty serious subjects, it does it in an entertaining way. I’d highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone ages 10-1000 (just in case some evians want to read it to get caught up).