Princess Raisa, accompanied by bodyguard (and love interest) Amon, seeks anonymity at the military academy at Oden's Ford. Meanwhile, former gang lord Han Allister also travels to Oden's Ford to enroll in the wizard's academy. This sequel to The Demon King advances the story to a crisis point, where it leaves readers poised in eager anticipation of future installments.

Duty, love, expedience and revenge fuel the labyrinthine intrigues of this second entry in an epic fantasy series. Han Alister, quondam gangleader and reluctant wizard-come-lately, has escaped pursuit and heads out for magical training as a covert agent of the clans. Meanwhile, Raisa—more of a runaway princess than an exiled queen—has fled a forced marriage and seeks to learn the warcraft necessary to claim her royal heritage. The two eventually cross paths in the neutral university town of Oden's Ford, but not before each is embroiled in shifting alliances and courted by shadowy figures with enigmatic agendas. While the overarching plot advances very little, readers will revel in the alternating viewpoints of the dense narrative, rich in character development and packed with worldbuilding. Established players reveal unexpected layers, and the tangled political situation becomes ever more hopeless. No matter that this title ends with the heroes once again in desperate straits, separated by their enemies and their own deceptions; Seven Realms fans will pore over every detail and beg impatiently for the sequel. Riveting. (Fantasy. YA)

Gr 8 Up-Seventeen-year-old Han Alister was once the Ragmarket street lord, skilled in thievery and lies. But now he's traveling to Oden's Ford to earn an education in the magical arts, and it will not be without peril. Despite the fact that the academy is known as "the great leveler," there are students who have reason to hate Han, specifically the Bayar twins, Micah and Fiona, because he stole the Demon King's amulet from their father, the High Wizard. To gain the upper hand on them, Han joins forces with a mysterious wizard he met in the dream world, but what this wizard asks in return may be more than the teen wishes to give. Meanwhile, Princess Raisa has fled from an arranged marriage with Micah Bayar. She and her loyaland belovedsoldier, Amon, are also making their way to Oden's Ford so that Raisa might receive a military education in order to become a stronger ruler. Raisa's and Han's paths have crossed in the past, but when they meet again their connection is more powerful than before. Chima has created an intricate world with a rich history, cultural prejudices, and complicated political dynamics. Her characters are multifaceted: no one is either completely evil or insipidly perfect—each has shortcomings as well as redeeming traits. Readers would do well to pick up the first book in this series before tackling this one, as there are some details that will be lost without knowledge of what transpired in The Demon King (Hyperion, 2009), but those who love a well-thought-out fantasy will enjoy this novel.— Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO