The Blood King
Ratings16
Average rating3.6
Exiled prince. Mage heir. Necromancer king.
Prince Martris Drayke of Margolan escaped the bloody coup that murdered his family and put his half-brother, Jared, on the throne. He fled with three close friends, found allies along the way, and gained the backing of loyal deserters, the undead vayash moru, and the vengeful ghosts of Jared’s many victims.
In just one year under the Usurper’s thumb, Margolan has gone from prosperity to chaos and starvation. Jared’s troops hunt down any who oppose him, filling the gibbets and scaffolds and carrying out a reign of terror.
Tris has risked destruction to gain control of his spirit magic, and harness his power. But when he and his allies return to Margolan, Tris must confront Foor Arontala, Jared’s blood mage, and stop him from freeing the soul of the Obsidian King from its crystal prison. If Tris fails, Arontala will set the Obsidian King free and take on his power, becoming unstoppable and destroying the last chance to free Margolan from Jared’s rule.
Can Tris stand against the blood magic of the Obsidian King to take back the throne and save his kingdom—or will his half-mastered magic bring about an even greater destruction?
Series
Featured Series
4 primary books#2 in Chronicles of the Necromancer
Chronicles of the Necromancer is a 4-book series with 4 released primary works first released in 2007 with contributions by Gail Z. Martin.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
Pros: quick read, variety of action, good pay off, complex plans
Cons: some unnecessary repetition
Tris and his friends have made it to Principality City and gained several powerful allies, but if Tris wants to claim the Margolan throne and right his half-brother's wrongs, he'll have to assemble an army and master his summoner abilities.
As with the first book, there's a good variety to the action: fight scenes, mage training, diplomacy, and a touch of romance. It keeps things feeling fresh and helps with the quick turning of pages.
The plan for taking back Margolan has an appropriate complexity that relies on more than just Tris and his training. I appreciated that the efforts of displaced farmers and deserting soldiers helped with the overthrow.
You learn more about the vayash moru (vampires), and how they operate and survive. I also liked the introduction of new blood magic formed ‘creatures', though wished they had been given more page time as they're quite terrifying.
There were some times when the author repeated herself in giving information but it wasn't as distracting as in the first book.
It's a great conclusion to Martin's duology, with a pay off that feels hard earned for the characters.
