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The Queen's Blade #2
Sacrifice
The Queen’s Blade is shot in the back by a Cotti spy and almost dies on the journey home from Jadaya, where he admitted to killing King Shandor in the Cotti courts and assassinated Prince Lerton, second in line to the throne, in order to ensure Kerrion’s ascension. In the border camp, a Cotti assassin tries to kill Blade again, using a poisoned weapon, and the assassin seems bound to die this time. Queen Minna-Satu sends her physician to accompany him on the journey to Jondar, achieved despite winter snows. Blade recovers, and Minna-Satu names him Lord Protector of Jashimari. Although still incapacitated, the assassin faces a challenge for his title of Master of the Dance from a rival Dance Master during Jondar’s last days. As two armies converge upon the doomed city, the young Queen Minna-Satu prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice and save her people from slavery and slaughter by placing King Kerrion’s new-born daughter on the Jashimari throne. Blade’s unwanted wife, Chiana, first advisor to the Queen, is chosen as regent, and she tries to glean some small gestures of affection from her glacial husband before the end, for he will surely die when his enemy reaches Jondar. The Queen’s advisors rail against her plan to sully her bloodline with a half blood queen, but the Idol of the Beasts has told her it is the only way to prevent her kingdom’s destruction. The Princess’ life is in danger from plotting Jashimari lords who wish the war to continue, and Blade seeks a painless death, fearing a torturous one as his enemy approaches…
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2010
24 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
T.C. Southwell
37 books156 followersT. C. Southwell was born in Sri Lanka and moved to the Seychelles when she was a baby. She spent her formative years exploring the islands – mostly alone. Naturally, her imagination flourished and she developed a keen love of other worlds. The family travelled through Europe and Africa and, after the death of her father, settled in South Africa.
T. C. Southwell has written over thirty novels, ranging from fantasy and science fiction to romance and adventure, as well as five screenplays. Her hobbies include motorcycling, horse riding and art, and she earns a living in the IT industry.
T. C. Southwell has written over thirty novels, ranging from fantasy and science fiction to romance and adventure, as well as five screenplays. Her hobbies include motorcycling, horse riding and art, and she earns a living in the IT industry.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 2, 2011
Can't put this series down! I NEED to know what happens to the characters. Blade is a captivating character. How all the others are drawn to him is interesting. Not sure if the last book so far is the end of the series but I should know in about... 5 days at the rate I'm going. I'm starting book 3 today to see what happens to Blade & Chiana, Minna & Kerrion + the little princess. Definatley recommend this series!
March 19, 2012
Spoiler!
What is it about blade that makes everyone loves him some much! including the readers. He is a cold hearted, anger person that doesn't waver. He so far, is true to his character! Though he doesn't seem to grow, but he does get in-tangled in everyone's live, and he hates it.
We last left off, with him shot in the back. Oh joy, lucky for him, a soldier finds him, and then refuses to let him die, never mind there was an arrow in his back.
Though out the the whole book Blade is wounded. he doesn't let his wounds heal and either does the queen or his guild.
Mean while the Queen gets ready to give birth to her Half Cotti daughter. And as she expected, some of her nobles try and kill her daughter Kerra who will be a queen in less then a month old.
also the Queen has Blade marry her chief advisor... this his horror. though she loves him, he can't love her. though, he always makes sure that she is protected. He even told her, that she is Most likely the only person save from his blade, being the ONLY assassin wife in history. There is an interesting bed scene... I would say Unique.
Meanwhile our Cotti Prince because king and plays learns the fine are Of Politics... ohh and figures out the way to save the Queen from the The Poison of the Queens cup. YAY. especial since Blade is taking it too.
This also shows Blades character. He stays with the Queen when she dranks the cup, and Protects her until the princes gets there before taking the reason of the Cup himself. Not knowing there is an antidote.
You would figure the books ends here... but no that would be logical. It is only half way though, the rest is Blade, Karrion (the king) and Minna (the queen) traveling to Cotti and then blade going to poison, because he refuse to Help the king... i have to the say, Yes the king is an idiot.
Because of this, We leave off with Blade about to be Crippled by other Prisoners of his country. Oh, blade, will you ever have ending where you not going to be wounded.
What is it about blade that makes everyone loves him some much! including the readers. He is a cold hearted, anger person that doesn't waver. He so far, is true to his character! Though he doesn't seem to grow, but he does get in-tangled in everyone's live, and he hates it.
We last left off, with him shot in the back. Oh joy, lucky for him, a soldier finds him, and then refuses to let him die, never mind there was an arrow in his back.
Though out the the whole book Blade is wounded. he doesn't let his wounds heal and either does the queen or his guild.
Mean while the Queen gets ready to give birth to her Half Cotti daughter. And as she expected, some of her nobles try and kill her daughter Kerra who will be a queen in less then a month old.
also the Queen has Blade marry her chief advisor... this his horror. though she loves him, he can't love her. though, he always makes sure that she is protected. He even told her, that she is Most likely the only person save from his blade, being the ONLY assassin wife in history. There is an interesting bed scene... I would say Unique.
Meanwhile our Cotti Prince because king and plays learns the fine are Of Politics... ohh and figures out the way to save the Queen from the The Poison of the Queens cup. YAY. especial since Blade is taking it too.
This also shows Blades character. He stays with the Queen when she dranks the cup, and Protects her until the princes gets there before taking the reason of the Cup himself. Not knowing there is an antidote.
You would figure the books ends here... but no that would be logical. It is only half way though, the rest is Blade, Karrion (the king) and Minna (the queen) traveling to Cotti and then blade going to poison, because he refuse to Help the king... i have to the say, Yes the king is an idiot.
Because of this, We leave off with Blade about to be Crippled by other Prisoners of his country. Oh, blade, will you ever have ending where you not going to be wounded.
January 4, 2012
I LOVE BLADE!!!!!
June 15, 2015
This is a blanket review for the series as I didn’t find enough differences between the books to warrant separate reviews. The Queen’s Blade Series consists of six books, eight if you count the two prequels, that tells the story of two kingdoms torn by war. Queen Minna-Satu is determined to end the fighting that is destroying her kingdom and sets forth on the path foretold by a seer. In her quest to complete the prophecy she takes the assassin Blade into her employ and the perilous journey described in the following six books begins.
The first book in the series, “The Queen’s Blade,” is a free book. It starts out a bit slow but once the story begins following Blade the action is never absent for long and that trend continues through the series. Of course, the first free book ends in a cliff hanger so you just have to buy the next one, and the next one, and the next one…
The main character in the series, Blade, is a well rounded character that draws readers in. He is a hard man who cares for none but himself, however, the occasional glimpses of his consideration for others and the slowing growing revelation of his horrendous past builds a relationship between him and the reader that keeps the pages turning. Blade is supported by a full cast of well developed characters, both friend and foe, leading to a very readable book.
My biggest complaint was the repetition that becomes more noticeable towards the end of the series. Eventually it seems to be a cycle of Blade being wounded nearly to death, being rescued and nursed back to health, being captured, escaping, being wounded, being nursed, being captured, escaping, etc. That aside, the backdrop for the story is constantly changing and, while assassinations figure prominently in the plot, the storyline has enough changes to keep the reader interested. When all is said and done I would recommend this book to any readers of fantasy, especially the young adult category.
The first book in the series, “The Queen’s Blade,” is a free book. It starts out a bit slow but once the story begins following Blade the action is never absent for long and that trend continues through the series. Of course, the first free book ends in a cliff hanger so you just have to buy the next one, and the next one, and the next one…
The main character in the series, Blade, is a well rounded character that draws readers in. He is a hard man who cares for none but himself, however, the occasional glimpses of his consideration for others and the slowing growing revelation of his horrendous past builds a relationship between him and the reader that keeps the pages turning. Blade is supported by a full cast of well developed characters, both friend and foe, leading to a very readable book.
My biggest complaint was the repetition that becomes more noticeable towards the end of the series. Eventually it seems to be a cycle of Blade being wounded nearly to death, being rescued and nursed back to health, being captured, escaping, being wounded, being nursed, being captured, escaping, etc. That aside, the backdrop for the story is constantly changing and, while assassinations figure prominently in the plot, the storyline has enough changes to keep the reader interested. When all is said and done I would recommend this book to any readers of fantasy, especially the young adult category.
October 20, 2015
I love this book so much, while I was reading it I almost fell of my bed around 5 times because I was so into it. The storyline has such different way of formation I just can't tell how its different, but it just gets you into the book sort of in a magical way.
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SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
The first time I saw this book was when my dad was reading it, I read a little with him but didn't understand it then, Some years later I needed a book and because of how memorable it was I still remember that one part in a bar and blade had to assassinate someone in plain sight while he was drunk, I don't remember anything else because I probably fell asleep by that time.
Over all I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Fantasy Fiction and Sneakiness because they will just get sucked in and never be able to stop.
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SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
The first time I saw this book was when my dad was reading it, I read a little with him but didn't understand it then, Some years later I needed a book and because of how memorable it was I still remember that one part in a bar and blade had to assassinate someone in plain sight while he was drunk, I don't remember anything else because I probably fell asleep by that time.
Over all I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Fantasy Fiction and Sneakiness because they will just get sucked in and never be able to stop.
August 11, 2013
This is a minireview for the whole series, since the books are somewhat similar:
This series follows an assassin, aptly called an instrument of destiny at some point, who changes the fate of three kingdoms while finding himself in the process (mostly in the last book. It's a very slow finding of self)
Thus, awesome characters, slow plot and next to no drama(until #6). There are a lot of action scenes, quite a lot, and the protagonist gets caught and makes a daring escape in every book, sometimes even twice or thrice in the same book.
Three stars is my assessment of the series, growing to four when there's a discussion that does nothing but reveal something about the character or the relationship between characters and their place in the world.
This series follows an assassin, aptly called an instrument of destiny at some point, who changes the fate of three kingdoms while finding himself in the process (mostly in the last book. It's a very slow finding of self)
Thus, awesome characters, slow plot and next to no drama(until #6). There are a lot of action scenes, quite a lot, and the protagonist gets caught and makes a daring escape in every book, sometimes even twice or thrice in the same book.
Three stars is my assessment of the series, growing to four when there's a discussion that does nothing but reveal something about the character or the relationship between characters and their place in the world.
August 3, 2012
The Queen's Blade II: Sacrifice was an amazing insight into a character I had already fallen in love with. Despite Blade's reckless and callous exterior, his motives leave much food for thought in the second installment of T.C. Southwell's The Queen's Blade series. I won't ruin the ending, but suffice it to say the moments exchanged between two dying people are artfully written without being over the top. And,of course, the action and assassinations continue with relentless force--just ask my husband, who had to hide my Nook from me before I could download and start the next book in the series!
September 30, 2011
This another clean, fast read. I, personally, have a great liking for T.C. Southwell's writing style as done in this book/series. It's tight and crisp and the plot moves along pretty effortlessly. The characters and story line are engaging and, while not particularly *deep*, the writing style and story line are definitely pleasurable. This book, as all the books in the series, left me immediately happy to start on the next one.
Given the price of these books, I think they are incredible deal for the quality of writing you are getting.
Given the price of these books, I think they are incredible deal for the quality of writing you are getting.
October 9, 2012
Better than book 1.
More action, more emotions and the main character is more loveable even if he is stubborn, full with hatred towards those who are responsible for his fate but also, and more important, full with hatred toward himself.
I just hope he will find peace eventually. I got so attached to him.
Caution : if you haven't got book 3 ready by the time you finish book 2, you're in big trouble. The cliffhanger is just...well better have book 3 ready.
More action, more emotions and the main character is more loveable even if he is stubborn, full with hatred towards those who are responsible for his fate but also, and more important, full with hatred toward himself.
I just hope he will find peace eventually. I got so attached to him.
Caution : if you haven't got book 3 ready by the time you finish book 2, you're in big trouble. The cliffhanger is just...well better have book 3 ready.
February 17, 2014
Think I enjoyed the second book in the series a bit more than the first. The author has an unusual style that takes a little getting used to but the story is a page turner, involves characters you can build relationships with and contains multiple threads to unravel. Some aspects are a tad far fetched (my view) but overall an enjoyable and entertaining read and the desire to continue the series is kindled strongly. We'll worth the read and four stars from me.
September 20, 2012
I. Love. Blade. He is the ultimate billy bad ass for this time period. I couldn't put these books down! The author describes him so well that you can picture everything about him in your mind, from his arctic glare to his master's belt. He is awesome and like all the other characters in the book, I was star struck with him. A must read.
September 25, 2011
Just as good as the first if not better! I love a good long and intertaining book.
February 2, 2012
I got so drawn into this book. Hard to put down and a good sequel.
April 27, 2012
Getting a little fed up with the series. No real dimension to the characters and the language is stilted.
January 5, 2013
Not as good as the first one. Still kinda liking the Queen and Blade but not really caring about anyone else.
January 10, 2013
Awesome book, kept me coming back for more. Couldn't put it down!
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2013
The second book was far better than the first. The characters really start to come out and shine!
May 21, 2013
This is a great continuation of The Queen's Blade. Blade is a great character as is Minna.
October 30, 2013
Still as exciting as the first novel! I pretty much devoured this book in only a few sittings.
January 24, 2014
Fabulous, thrilling, suspenseful, cannot put it down - need I say more?
May 26, 2014
I am starting to love Blade. A master character.
August 21, 2014
Some neat plot twists here though I feel the "opposition" are a little one-dimensional and lack in depth of characterisation, particularly the Lords in Court. The denouement is neatly satisfying.
October 20, 2014
Another enjoyable edition of Blade's escapades and I'm very much looking forward to reading the third book. Is it just me though, or is Blade actually invincible? He's certainly a survivor...
November 17, 2011
All his books are good
December 17, 2014
pretty good follow up but Damn a nice cliff hanger...
June 20, 2014
Excellent second book in the series. Great characters and plot.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews