The True Queen

Sequels to books I enjoyed make me extremely wary. Too often I find that they just don't seem to capture the same feelings as the original, and I'm left feeling slightly sad and unsatisfied. You just can't always capture lightning twice, I guess.

Not so with this book. Actually, I daresay I enjoyed this one even slightly more than the first. The focus of this book isn't on the cast from the first book (though they do play minor roles and cameos), but instead follows two sisters, Muna and Sakti, who are separated from each other while venturing through the fairy realm to England. Muna makes it to England and Prunella's school, but Sakti does not. The story follows Muna as she tries to reunite with her sister despite overwhelming opposition, and the discovery of why they were separated in the first place.

While I was able to guess the twist relatively early on, I still liked how the author handled it and still manage to make parts unexpected. The story just felt...fun. Like a magical romp with slightly high stakes, like a brighter Harry Potter, maybe. The story is self contained, nothing needs a sequel, and it leaves you feeling glad to have read it at the end.

Minus one star for drawing out the Saktimuna plot beyond all reason (I figured it out a quarter of the way through the book), plus one star for ending with magical lesbians.

*3.5 stars.