Scott's Take: The Two-Faced Queen: A Novel by Nick Martell

The Two-Faced Queen: A Novel by Nick Martell is the sequel to The Kingdom of Liars and begins several months after the first book and continues a lot of the story arcs from the first book. In addition to the detailed character list, there is a three-page summary of the first book in The Legacy of the Mercenary King series to remind readers of what has happened so far.

 

As this novel begins, newly minted mercenary Michael Kingsman is caught between the rival factions supporting the Corrupt Prince, the Rebel Emperor, and Princess Serena. Each leader wants the throne to themselves and is pretty much willing to do anything to get the power. Any one of his enemies would happily kill Michael so he has to constantly battle to stay alive with so many hunting for him.

 

Much of what goes on in this book is never mentioned in the book blurb. This is without question one of the most complicated reads I have read in a long time. There are so many factions and people with agendas that are constantly changing that it can easily get very confusing.

 

This excellent book suffers from so many side plots that one does start to wonder why so many of them matter in regards to the main plot. What seems to be filler content to pad the book to nearly six hundred pages in hardback becomes very crucial on the last 100 pages of the novel. The reader has to trust that the author had a point with everything and was not just racking up the page count. That became very clear the last 100 pages and I then understood why everything had been set up the way it had in the read.

 

This ultimately very good novel sets up the next book in the series and has created a rich world full of complex characters. Michael Kingsman continues to evolve as a character with a wonderful cast of characters around him that have their own character development and arcs. What worked in the first book, continues to work here as Michael Kingsman remains outmatched and tries to survive by using his wits, sarcasm, and his friends. Many of the twenty plus characters that he knows could have been the main character in a different novel if the author chose to write it that way.

 

While one should read this series in order to truly appreciate it, it is not absolutely necessary thanks to the reader summary of the first book included in this novel. If you enjoyed the first book, you would enjoy this one. It should be noted that The Two-Faced Queen is a darker and more violent read in several ways than the first one.

 

I eagerly await the next book in the series. 

 

The Two-Faced Queen: A Novel

Nick Martell

https://www.nickmartell.com/

Saga Press (Simon & Schuster, Inc.)

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Two-Faced-Queen/Nick-Martell/The-Legacy-of-the-Mercenary-King/9781534437814

March 2021

ISBN#: 978-1-5344-3781-4

Hardback

592 Pages 

 

My reading copy came from the White Rock Hills Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2021