Review: The Kheld King by L.L. Stephens
Blurb:
The King is dead.
Long live the Kheld King
The Triempery lies crippled, its godborn princes slaughtered by treachery, its ruling houses desperate to maintain their monopoly of the god-machine Entities. In the aftermath of the slaughter, Stefan Stauberg-Randolph inherits his grandfather's throne. Already an outsider because of his Kheld heritage, Stefan sees enemies around every corner--but he particularly fears Dorilian Sordaneon, sole surviving heir of the Rill Entity's power.
Set upon conflicting paths by betrayal and suspicion, the animosity between the two young rulers could well threaten not only the Triempery's remaining houses, but the Entities themselves.
Review:
The Kheld King. A sequel that is both epic in scope as well as an epic fantasy tale that continues to breathe life into its own world. The world that L.L. Stephens has created is jaw droppingly amazing and thought out, continually making me feel like it is a world that is just waiting for the next thing to be discovered. It was gorgeously introduced in Sordaneon and I am pleased to say that it just continues to be one that keeps growing and evolving in all of the ways that a reader could ever want. The characters return from the incredible ending in book one and the impact that the ending had is very clearly evident in all of the characters lives. Rather than focusing on Dorilian, we now get to see more of the way that Stefan views the world and the changes that he tries to put into place. Once again, the complexity of the political landscape is influenced in many ways, often with personal bias from multiple characters being thrown in, all of it being presented as a tapestry of believable proportions that is not often seen in fantasy reads.
The strength of the novel were the characters that returned. A few of them are now in new positions of power, and the repercussions are clearly evident depending on the point of view that is being shown. The connection is so strong, that when calamity happens, it hits a reader in the heart in ways that are often indescribable. This is a series that allows readers to be immersed in multiple lives over many years. There is the constant plotting behind the scenes that keeps me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how they start to initialize each little piece. The pacing of the novel is slower, with some time jumps that may throw some readers off. It is done well and actually makes what is happening more believable as it shown in snapshots of the important goings on. I know this style is not for everyone, and it may deter some. The plot does flow smoothly and without interruption of what is happening in the lives of the many characters.
I am so glad that I took the dive into this deep pool of a series. I can fully immerse myself in this world and be amazed at the beauty that is described as well as being shocked by what happens. I will continue to hype up this series as one that could rival many different fantasy worlds. L.L. Stephens has written a sequel worthy of the Highborn and deserves its place among their ranks. I eagerly look forward to the next installments and what surprises are in store for us as readers.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
