Review: The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2) by Jodi Meadows

The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2) by Jodi Meadows

Published: April 5th 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books

 Rating: 3 out of 5

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Synopsis:

Wilhelmina has a hundred enemies.

HER FRIENDS HAVE TURNED. After her identity is revealed during the Inundation, Princess Wilhelmina is kept prisoner by the Indigo Kingdom, with the Ospreys lost somewhere in the devastated city. When the Ospreys’ leader emerges at the worst possible moment, leaving Wil’s biggest ally on his deathbed, she must become Black Knife to set things right.

HER MAGIC IS UNCONTROLLABLE. Wil’s power is to animate, not to give true life, but in the wraithland she commanded a cloud of wraith mist to save herself, and later ordered it solid. Now there is a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.

HER HEART IS TORN. Though she’s ready for her crown, declaring herself queen means war. Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. If she can’t protect both kingdoms, soon there won’t be a land to rule.

In this stunning conclusion to THE ORPHAN QUEEN, Jodi Meadows follows Wilhelmina’s breathtaking and brave journey from orphaned criminal on the streets to magic-wielding queen.
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Review:

I had high hopes for the second part of this duology. I read all the prequel novellas and really got my hopes up. But something just didn't fit right with this one. At the end of The Orphan Queen there was a whole lot of drama as the killer, Patrick, finally got to the King, almost killing him. The wraith boy is created and wants to do nothing but please Wil. And we're left intrigued...

The Mirror King starts exactly as the last one left us. Wil is kept away from Tobiah and kept a virtual prisoner in the palace. Needless to say all the baddies dislike her even more now. All except Meredith and James.

Wil calls in one of the younger Ospreys, Connor, who saves the king. Within minutes of his getting better the romance ramps up again. Wil is conflicted. She loved Black Knife but dislikes Tobiah. The first thing I noticed at the start is that Tobiah starts acting normally. He isn't so solemn or aloof as he was in the previous book. Proving he can be one person to Wil.

Everything is set for the wedding between Tobiah and Meredith. He's still going ahead with it even after his life-and-death experience. What no one thinks about is the wraith boy. At the behest of 'someone' who talked to him through a door telling him his Queen was unhappy, the wraith boy escapes and kills Meredith at the altar. Sadly, Wil must leave the palace now and when Prince Colin announces he's leaving to go back to Aecor Wil joins him.

Wil tells the rest of the Ospreys they must stay, they can't return with her yet. After a long journey where the only people she really trusts is James and her friend Rees, they arrive at the border. But Patrick's Red Militia is waiting. Wil declares herself Queen to avoid Prince Colins death and so....Wil must start acting as her title dictates and start ruling. But things don't go well for from the start. Riots flush through the city along with the Red Militia causing trouble. Wil must pick up the pieces of the broken city knowing the wraith will soon be on her doorstep and the final battle will take more from her than she can possibly imagine.

I have a few questions about this part of the story. Firstly, Prince Colin's role. Surely Tobiah could have transferred over Aecor to Wil before she left. Colin is the Overlord, not ruler and Tobiah is King. To me this was a massive hole in the story and either proved Tobiah is a weak king who has the wrong advisors or Colin had something over Tobiah from the start.

Patrick's story arc annoyed me as well. He wanted Wil to be Queen and he wanted to rule beside her. He got one wish so why was he stirring up trouble knowing the wraith was on its way. Why did he have to make everything so difficult. Even in the final hours when he was in prison, the actions his army took didn't make sense. He would rather see Aecor reduced to rubble so he could sit on a throne with Wil? And rule over what? A pile of ash?

The wraith boy was almost an unused plot line. Why did Wil keep him in a cupboard instead of getting used to him and learning more about what he could do for her? Apart from the finalé the author rendered him as a prop and nothing more.

The last quarter felt rushed. The James twist was an okay one. Tobiah's revelation, again, didn't fit well. So he had enough magic to recreate the broken bridge. Why didn't he use it when he was Black Knife and help the Flags. No one would have seen him. Why didn't he do more? And if he had that power why didn't he know the cathedral was about to fall apart and fix it before the ceiling fell in?

Overall, it was a nice read and nice bit of romance but the whole mystery and conclusion of the wraith was never really solved. I would have liked to have had a sense of closure rather than wondering what would happen next.


-CBx

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About the Author

Jodi Meadows wants to be a ferret when she grows up and she has no self-control when it comes to yarn, ink, or outer space. Still, she manages to write books. She is the author of the INCARNATE Trilogy, the ORPHAN QUEEN Duology, and the FALLEN ISLES Trilogy (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen), and a coauthor of MY LADY JANE (HarperTeen).

You can find Jodi Meadows here:

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