The Bandit King

Romances of Arquitaine #2

by Lilith Saintcrow

Tristan d'Arcenne is what he always wished to be -- Vianne di Rocancheil's Consort. But Vianne is no more a noblewoman, she is the Queen of Arquitaine, faced with treachery, invasion, war, and a Consort whose secrets may well shatter their marriage. For before Tristan was hers, he belonged to a King. . .and that King died by Tristan's hand.Arquitaine needs them both. The country is locked in a deadly game whose rules change by the moment. The Queen is an adept player, but hardly ruthless enough. The contest requires a man who has nothing to lose, a man who has already done the worst and will continue to do so for his wife, his country, and his own salvation.The Bandit King approaches. . .

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magic

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Lilith Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as a child, and fell in love with writing stories when she was ten years old. She and her library co-habitate in Vancouver, Washington.

Reviews

[Feminista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I love this second and last book to the Arquitaine series. With the ending of book 1 and an epic teaser of this book, I was more than eager to start reading this.

This story is told from Tristan's point of view. And wow, the extent that Tristan is obsessed with/loves Vianne is unbelievably crazy.

There is a big spoiler here, but almost EVERYTHING he does at the court is for Vianne.

His obsession/love for Vianne gets to be a bit too much at times, but Vianne is equally smart, evading him and setting plans ahead for their whole country. As a queen, she does a beautiful job. But it felt like Tristan and Vianne exchanged their intelligence/cunningness. Because in the last book it was Tristan in the lead, directing their escape and so on. This changed to Vianne taking the lead in this one, and Tristan in pursuit...

I only wished that Vianne saw just how much in love with her Tristan was, before the ending.

[heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. Just, wow.

I thought Tristan was a bit sketch at the end of the last book. He broke vows, killed, and generally behaved very badly to get to be with Vianne. Now he is married to her, and I want to take her to a battered woman's shelter. The story is told entirely from his perspective and we get to watch him go through his cycle of abusiveness over and over again, like a creepy textbook example.

Step 1: Abuse
Step 2: Remorse/self-justification
Step 3: Appeasement
Step 4: Victim-blaming
Bonus: Jealousy/possessiveness

WARNING: VIOLENT SEXUAL ASSAULT

Step 1: I twisted her wrist, bruising-hard, and my mouth caught her cry.... Kisses between us were often shy, tentative; this one was not. Copper and spice filled my mouth, she bit my lip hard enough to add to the bleeding, and I held her pinned as she writhed and fought.
For once, I did not ask. I took what I wanted from her. What she had, what she could give, what I would die without. I kissed her as the blood welled and wounds burned...

Step 2: I should have hated myself. But it was worth it. It was.
I would do it again, as well.

Step 3: "I am not a gentle man." I had told her as much before. I felt the need to repeat it, and immediately gave myself the lie by kissing her again. "But now you know. I am sorry for it, I can explain --"
She struggled uselessly. "Stop. Let go."
...
"Not until you see....I am not your enemy, Vianne. Everything I have done is for you, for your safety, for you to--"

Step 4: What would I not do, to bring her where I needed her to stand?

Bonus: Vianne's smile was a ghost of its old unworried self, but it held a depth of affection altogether too profound to be wasted on a mere boy.


As for the story itself, I enjoyed the plot, and the way it turned and twisted to serve the characters and the ending. Vianne grew into her power really well, and I respected her for it. But it is hard to wholeheartedly like a book when the narrator is so self-centered, amoral, and flat-out creepy.

Read if: You enjoy dominance and abuse stories that turn out more equitable, kinda. You want your court intrigue stories with more bruises.

Skip if: You are at all triggered by sexual violence or stalking.

Read instead: The Privilege of the Sword

[Virginia Ballesty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really liked the first book in this series. The Hedgewitch Queen set up an interesting world, had a lot of great character dynamics and was a fun read. It was a little predictable, but overall well written and enjoyable. I was excited to pick up this book and was pre-disposed to like it… and then I started reading.

I almost don’t even know where to start. But let’s start here:

Overarching Plot
Picking up where The Hedgewitch Queen left off, The Bandit King continues to tell the story of Tristan d'Arcenne and Vivane di Rocancheil's “romance.” Told from Tristan’s point of view, it is a study in bad decisions, obsessiveness and violence.

(Side note: I wish someone had told me about these spoilers before I picked the book up. There is a lot of violence against the heroine disguised as "romance" going on here)



Some immediate problems I had with the story include, but are not limited to the following:


The Hero Rapes the Heroine
Consider this passage...

For once, I did not ask. I took what I wanted from her. What she had, what she could give, what I would die without. I kissed her even as the blood welled and the wounds burned… it was Vianne in my arms again, her softness and the marks of her nails in my back. The hot tight core of her… her teeth driven into my shoulder… Tears welling from her closed eyelids… When at last I let myself careen over the edge… she wept as if her heart would break.
I should have hated myself. But it was worth it. It was.
I would do it again, as well.

I literally had to read that passage twice, because I couldn't believe it. Was I really reading the rape of the heroine by the “hero”? Yes… yes, I was. It’s right there in the paragraph. “I took what I wanted… I would do it again.” Enough said.

Actually, not enough said. Let’s look a little deeper into it. “I took… what she had… what I would die without.” Excuse me?? Is the hero really saying he’s going to die without sex? Or is he saying he’ll die without her?

Never mind the obvious problem that if she’s so important to her, he shouldn't be raping her, the REAL problem is the insinuation that he’ll die without her or her love, which is rationalizing his actions and making them "OK" in his mind. Real love doesn't work like that. You don’t die from a broken heart. It hurts, it sucks, you move on. IT IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR RAPE OR ANY OTHER ACT OF VIOLENCE. EVER.

It certainly does not entitle you to take what you want or to force someone into giving you something emotionally or physically.

And just to be sure we’re all on the same page that this was definitely an act of rape and Vianne was not consenting, here’s some other passages from throughout the book.

Right after the rape scene

She lay very still, trembling slightly as she wept.

And from later on when Tristan’s still following her and obsessing about her

I cannot gainsay you, [she said].
How right she was. I could stride into the bedroom, shaker her awake. Strike her. Make her respond. She was only a woman… I could do what I liked. Truly, who was there to halt me or say me nay? She needed me, by all appearances… I had one her once; I could win her again. Patience and time – but my patience was solely lacking, and there was no time.

Ok so he could woo her again… (for the moment we’ll move past the automatic assumption she’ll still have him), but really, why wait when he can just have her by force? Note that the fact that he doesn't act on his thoughts here seems to be some sort of play for character sympathy: look what a good hero he is. He has all these terrible, violent impulses (driven by the fact that he needs her) but he restrains himself. Good. For. Him.

And finally, where Tristan admits even to himself that he raped her

Why here, Vianne… Is it that you think I will force my way into your chambers again?

The Hero is Absolutely Certainty that (despite lots of evidence to the contrary) The Heroine is an Idiot That Can’t Function Without Him
Ahh, straight up misogyny. But seriously, this is the majority of the book:

1. Vianne ditching Tristan in some castle or camp or tent; either because he’s injured or she doesn't trust him
2. Tristan going into some internal rant about how much she needs him.
3. Tristan racing to catch up with her (generally with some sort of life threatening wound, because again that makes him sympathetic… not stupid…)
4. Tristan going into another internal rant about how she clearly doesn't know what she’s doing

Here’s a few of my favorites...

I has to work to unclench my fists – had d’Orlanns commissioned the dress for her? Could she understand what an advantage she would give him by wearing it?

What kills me most about this statement, is it’s a complete reversal from everything he’s ever said or thought about her. I don’t have a handy passage to quote, but most of Vianne's character back story revolves around her ability to outmaneuver others in court intrigues. Her whole existence at Court was to ferret out plots to entrap or embarrass the Princesse and stop them – and she was good at it.

Never mind that the thought itself is insulting in its implications, it’s bad character consistency.

Also, given how much of what Tristan does is meant to also put a mark of ownership on her, it’s a little ironic that he’s angry at some other male for attempting to do the same. But moving on to some of my other choice quotes…

There would be much to do, and much she would not think to ask for or on.

(Again, note that by this time she’s outmaneuvered and ditched him like three times. Clearly she’s too stupid to stand without his help, though).

And finally the 100% favorite example

She should not be allowed to persist in this folly

Never mind that she’s a free woman who should be allowed to persist in whatever folly she chooses; she’s also the Queen. A Queen chosen by the Gods (by the way) and who Tristan advocated for (because she would be right for the role). Until she doesn't need him anymore and then, of course, she’s an idiot.

This sort of trite and frankly inconsistent character building makes me crazy.

Violent Obsession is Passed off as Love
This is sort of along the same lines as the rape problem, but it goes much deeper. Throughout the entire novel there’s a constant undertone of obsessive and violent behavior from Tristan, starting with him eaves dropping in a temple and trying to countermand her order to get her Heir to safety (because he doesn't trust the Heir and spends most of the book wanting to kill him).

I said it before but I’ll say it again. This isn't love. Trying to pass it off as love is misleading, insulting and potentially detrimental to your readers. Chuck Wending made a really good point about this earlier in the week and you should go check out his post.

To quickly paraphrase his point, he essentially said if you’re going to use rape (or violence) in your story, exercise storytelling skill and wisdom to do so. Recognize that this is not a plot device, it’s not all fictional. Rape (and other acts of violent) happen and some of your readers will have experienced it, which is why the subject should be approached with care. Mind you, he's not saying avoid it; he's just saying give it the weight and consideration it deserves.

With that in mind, would you really want to be in a relationship with someone thinking this?

I wanted to burst forth from my lair and catch him, beat every living shred of information out of his quivering body, and finish by sliding a knife between his ribs. My savagery did not shock me.

You would think Tristan is considering the villain here, right? Or one of the bad guys that’s trying to kill her? Nope… he’s thinking about one of her trusted allies. But surely, this man is either a traitor or at least trying to seduce the Vianne, right? Umm, no. Tristan is considering killing him because Vianne spent too much time talking to this man when he first arrived. She was busy gathering intelligence on the enemy, which Tristan knows, but he’s still jealous enough to kill over it. Never mind a rationale response, at this point I’d settle for a proportional one.

Or if we just want to talk about obsession instead of violent obsession

The two times I drank myself into a stupor, with the door securely locked and the window barricaded as well, I had held the crystal to my face and inhaled its bloom…

For context, he’s talking about a vial of her perfume that he bribed someone to get for him. So basically he sits in his room, drinks himself half blind and smells her perfume while he thinks about her. Because that’s not super creepy.

Other Things
-Victim Blaming: I don’t have a good quote for this one, but the overtone is there
-Self-pity: "I stood in the ashes of my dreams…"
-Controlling Behavior: “For a moment I regretted not telling Vianne I was familiar with the tongues of Arquitaine’s enemies; it could have been useful to hear what she would have had me translate…”
-Possessive Behavior: "The moment I realized she as mine for the taking…”
-And straight up presumptuous behavior: “My temper all but broke. “Do you plan to reduce me to begging? I wish to be at your side; do you not understand?”

What I’d like to know is what makes Tristan think he has a right to be at her side, or any other woman’s, after he raped her? Who cares what he wants? I certainly don’t.

I kept reading this book through the end, hoping beyond hope that she’d forsake him at the end. But of course she didn't. Nothing like a good old “romance” to tell women that their place is under a man and to tell a man that women really secretly enjoy being dominated, right?


I honestly couldn't have been more disappointed or angered by The Bandit King.

And beyond all the messed-up things that Tristan does, it’s really not that great of a story. What was really compelling about the first book was the relationships. Vianne’s attraction to Tristan, the trust she builds with her guard, the guard’s relationships with Tristan. All of that is stripped from this story. All that’s left is an angry man who wants a woman whether or not she’ll have him.

I wish I could mark this as DNF, but as it stands I’ll just say this: Reader Beware.

[Lexie]

I...just can't with this series. I just can't. This is love? Really?

[Katy]

WTH? I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm hoping this is a political move on Vianne's part. I mean, who does that to their husband? And I thought Vianne was a bit of a dramatic ninny in Book 1, but I sort of forgave her for it because it worked. But Tristan is a bit of a girl himself. Not sure how much I'm liking that. Even the guard and Tris' parents are into the dramantics. Saintcrow, what are you doing to me?

[Experiment BL626 · Rating 2 out of 5]

CAUTION: Spoilers

The second and final book in the Romances of the Arquitaine series, The Bandit King (TBK) immediately picked up where book 1 ended. However, this time the story was told from Tristan's 1st PoV instead Vianne's.

The Characters

+++ Tristan

In book 1, Tristan was a take-charge, do-whatever-it-take character. He was dangerous, he was deranged, he was completely obsessed with Vianne. In book 2, he was an emo.

In book 1, the instant love of a romance was messed up but compelling. In book 2, the instant love was pitiful and eyerolling.

I did not care for Tristan's PoV. I couldn't connect with him in book 2 as I did in book 1. I thought TBK would be more action-packed since its PoV was from a character whose thing was to scheme and kill. But to my great disappointment, TBK was actually boring. Instead of chasing Vianne and doing everything in his power to be with her like the nutbag that he was, he got played like a fool by her, which was ironic because in book 1 she was the fool and he the person who fooled her.

TBK was pretty much about Tristan running around (sometime literally) trying to find Vianne, finding out what she's up to because she never tells him anything, and hoping she'll just stay with him because she knows he's a nutbag.

+++ Vianne

I didn't understand the fuck that was going on with Vianne. I sympathized her when she finally learned about Tristan's secret, but I didn't understand her erratic treatment of Tristan. One moment she was cuddling with him, the next she threw him in jail.

Why the fuck did she married him in book 1 and stay married in book 2 if she suspected him of foul play? Tristan was no saint and hardly rational, but if she truly felt he was wrong or even dangerous for her, she could have easily divorce him or have him executed. It was not as if there was a lack of opportunities for Vianne to do away with Tristan. As far I saw, I believe she never sincerely loved him in return. Care for him, yes. Love him? Doubtful.

Vianne changed a lot in book 2 and not for the better.

The Writing

The writing was convoluted.

First example was the pseudo-French. I didn't mind the pseudo-French phrases in book 1 but in book 2 they were used a tad too much. Not only did they roughen the pace of the story, they made the story a tad pretentious.

Second example was the countries. It took me late in the story to realize they were countries not actual characters. I wish the book would have put the countries in better context, i.e. "kingdom blah-blah" instead of just "blah-blah." It's one of the books where if readers want a good sense of the geography of the story's world, they better memorize the map illustration provided at the beginning of the book.

It didn't help that the plot was worse.

The Plot

I want to say not much happened because I got bored and skimmed a couple of pages in the last half of the book, but that would be not entirely accurate. Things did happen. There was a civil war and political play going on, but I honestly didn't care.

The plot lacked direction. I got the gist of each scene, but I didn't understand how these scenes contribute to the bigger picture. I got the impression that the series couldn't decide whether it was a fantasy or a romance — the two elements often clashed and the plot stumbled because of it.

The Ending

The ending was meh. Once the war was won, Vianne abdicated the crown to her cousin who was the rightful heir and forsook her court life by running away. Tristan went after her and promised her that they would have no more to do with war, royalty, and the like — that they would live as common wanderers among the R'mini (the faux Gypsy). It was a HEA, but it was in the sense of wrapping things up rather than giving the couple true happiness.

It is my belief that Vianne still couldn't decide whether she loved Tristan or not. Tristan never grew out of his irrational love for Vianne and continued to perceive her as a demure damsel in distress.

In Conclusion

I rate TBK 2-stars for it was okay. The series was supposed to be half fantasy and half romance but it was not good at either genre. I was indifferent to both protagonists, and I could care less about the fate of their kingdom, Arquitaine the faux France.

If readers want a good fantasy-romance hybrid, I recommend the Spiritwalker Trilogy (book 1, Cold Magic). Even though I rated those books 2-stars as well, they were still hella better than this series.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so frustrated after reading this book. Which says it's a good book to me.

I'd imagine I was frustrated just as much as Tristan was ... trying to following his Queen. I was frustrated because I was reading a story through the eyes of a stubborn man, who has no idea how to process feelings ... except by fighting and feeling sorry for himself at every turn.

As I was reading, I wasn't sure the ending would come to my liking ... but it ended well. And I realized this book was everything it should have been.

[Lis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also Found On: A Book and A Record

When I reviewed The Hedgewitch Queen I had (obviously) not read the second one. So some of the problems that I had with the first one were redeemed in the second because the slowness I felt in the pacing of the first was really a setting up of sorts for the second. Phew, I hope that made sense, probably not.
Anyways, The Bandit King is told from Tristan’s point of view. Now Tristan was the character that kept me interested in the series so I was pretty excited to read this one purely because it is his point of view. What I wasn’t expecting: How dark and dreadful Tristan’s mind was. I thought all those brooding stares were out of love. Nope. Well, kind of.
And that sums up how I felt about this book. Kind of good about it, but kind of annoyed. I feel like Tristan and Vianne never really get on the same page with each other. They’re always one step behind or ahead of the other. Vianne is cutting Tristan out of everything and does quite a few things without asking for his advice, though in her defense Tristan is kind of a lying dog jerk face meanie. The thing with these books is that I went into them thinking they were a fantasy-heavy light-romance fun kind of read it is not that. The Bandit King is based more on politics, intrigue, magic, and the inner workings of the aforementioned topics. The love story that we were first introduced to takes a complete back burner (if not being completely obliterated altogether).
I felt that this was a good conclusion, and I can’t say I didn’t like hearing from Tristan, he just wasn’t what I expected him to be. Then again, if I think about it, he was exactly what you would expect from a trained assassin and King’s Left Hand. I’m giving it a three because I was satisfied, but I was bummed about the stuff that went down romance-wise.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book despite having several reservations about it.

As the teaser at the back of The Hedgewitch Queen implied, this novel was entirely from Tristan's point of view. I don't want to get into spoilers, so I can't discuss the plot in any meaningful way.

What I can say is that this novel changed the way I thought about Tristan. After finishing it, I went back and did a quick reread of HQ, and I could see that he does display behavior that provides clues into his thoughts. However, in that book, Vianne is too innocent to read him, and since it's told in a tight first person format, her POV is all that we get. In BK, the situation is reversed, and we're stuck in Tristan's head. While I didn't find it a problem in the first book, this time, I had a a very difficult time with the restriction. It could be because I didn't like Tristan so well as I did Vianne, but I'm not certain. At the very least, I wanted to understand her thoughts.

This novel also forced me to question the nature of love and obsession. That's something that I tend to focus on in any romance, but it was strongly evident here. Just how much does Tristan love anyone? Why does he love Vianne?

I don't think the book really answers those questions, which is part of the reason why I think I like it so much. Despite understanding himself very well, and having few blind-spots when it comes to his understanding of the world, Tristan is not perfect. He is extremely flawed, and not everything is wrapped up in a bow at the end. That's a good thing.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great read as good as Hedgewitch Queen. I wasn't disappointed!!!

I liked The Bandit King as much as I did The Hedgewitch Queen. Wheb I first started reading The Bandit King , I was kind of horrified by Vianne treatment of her Consort, Tristan. But after reading chapter 10, I re-read the The Hedgewitch Queen again as I wanted re-familiarize with Vianne thought process, her internal struggle and her insecurities again. In the Hedgewitch, from her perspective, Tristan seemed and appeared invisible , always there for her , yet she questioned his motives even then.

In The Bandit King , it is Tristan story alone and his point of view of Vianne : her inscrutable demeanor yet we all know that Vianne has her own insecurities which she concealed well.

Though I think Tristan's character should have been more fleshed out and Vianne shouldn't have played hide and seek with him She was forthright with Tristan in the end.

" Major Spoiler Alert"

The story was throughout full of intrigue and suspense. The ending is ever after with happy ending. Tristan is the Baron which makes her the Baroness. D'arcenne is where there future lay given Tristan's responsibility to D'arcenne. D'orleanne is still alive and there is the matter to avenge his father and protect Vianne from any mischeif from the court or D'orleanne.

What I find slightly off putting was that Vianne, in the end, still thought that Tristan is going to kill her after he fought her and saved her life on more than one occasion. She only breathes with relief when he tells her he is no more the Left Hand for the new King!

Does anyone know good epic fantasy/ alternate history books with royalty and not over the top magic sans vampires and dragons?

[Kara-karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved The Hedgewitch Queen, book #1 in this series. A bit like Maria V. Snyder's writing it was just charming and fast-paced enough to have your undivided attention till the very end of the book.

However, The Bandit King is written from Tristan's point of view, so there is no Vianne's input only his descriptions of her actions which makes the book pretty dry and emotionally exhausting. He goes through some really deep, painful feelings, gets his heart broken and all his hopes crushed.

Tristan loves Vianne to the point of obsession, he'll die for her, starves for her attention and will kill in her name without any hesitation. There is nothing else for him apart from her. He has loved her from afar for years before conquering her heart, so when she finds out that he is the one who killed the old King, - for her it's a huge betrayal, oath breaking and treason. She doesn't know him anymore, she tries to distance herself and re-evaluate her feelings.

However, she can not afford it. The gods approved of their marriage, the country is at war and the Seal she owns works at its full strength only with Tristan nearby. So this coldness, distrust between them leads to despair from Tris's side and an urgent need to redeem himself in Vianne's eyes.

The one thing that makes an otherwise awkward book a very interesting read is battle sequences and one epic duel. Oh my God, one thing you can't take away from Lily, - she knows her war stuff well. I loved it!

Overall, not Lily's best book, it reads tortuously slow, and I almost gave up on Tris few times, but there are few epic moments in it and the ending is pretty decent.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Hedgewitch was Vianne's story, the Bandit King (despite its name) is Tristane's. Mostly is Tristane trying to survive his lies and deceptions and being outwitted every time by V. (We only get his point of view.)

Most of the story revolves around Vianne's so we actually miss how he's trapped until he realizes it. Unfortunately this also means we don't get how she uses the Arix (in the first book she couldn't, it used her) and why she needs him. The story revolves around the war, too, so we have a lot of training, battles, skirmishes.

In a sense we have a reverse of Hedgewitch, here Vianne is strong and Tristane is weak, or better here we sees his insecurities and fears (the way we did with hers in the first book).

Until the very end I could not predict how the story was going to unravel. (If not for the title, of course, but it didn't tell me much else :).)

Ms Saintcrow's world-building is superb as usual. I know lots of readers are pissed by the fake "French", and I'm really surprised. Lots of fantasy have made-up languages, why this should be any different?

I'm one of her fans, so my rating does show it :) On the other side I couldn't put the book down, so I think The Bandit Kings deserves it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The follow up to Hedgewitch Queen--my favorite part was the shift in perspective and the bits of overlap with the previous novel that enriched the detail of the world. Again not too long a book. The story was a bit simple for traditional high fantasy but when you sacrifice length it makes sense. This was not as good as the pace was a bit start and stop in places. Also the protagonist was a bit tortured for my taste---internal monologue moaning is not my thing. I enjoyed finishing the story and I like the definitive ending.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gobbled this down in a single evening. There was something about having book one in first person heroine and book two in first person hero that really worked for me. I was deeply invested in these two getting together and, you know, winning the civil war, too, sure.

[Debby Tiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have complicated feelings about this book. I completely understand why some people hate it. I also can see why Saintcrow chose to write it the way she did, and it does feel accurate to the characters. I didn’t LIKE the book, and I can’t say I even had a favorite character. Perhaps the Knife, if any.

A rather disappointing book, but it made sense in a way.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from Tristan’s POV. So very much better than the first one. I knew she could salvage this series😊

[Sarah Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lead male protagonist in this duology is the worst. So, it was difficult to get through an entire book from his point of view, but the story itself was compelling. TW for sexual assault.

[Wetdryvac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done indeed, and kept me in the story despite utter disgust towards a well crafted loathsome.

[a book reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read all of the author's book so I can't make a hasty proclamation, but it seems she almost never writes about nicely functioning relationships. Of course every relationship is a struggle to make it work, but in her books, love is such a twisted and messed up power struggle that it's almost painful to read. Manipulation, silence, and the sense of betrayal dominate the scene.
You are left wondering if they will ever get a happily ever after, even though the couples remain together. And The Bandit King is no exception to the pattern.

It's not exactly a bad thing, since after reading YA fantasies for years you get tired of predictable HEAs, and messed up relationships always make memorable, bittersweet reads. I won't forget the last chapter for a long time. But reaching that end is a torture. I focused on every interaction between Tristan and Vianne, hoping to get a clue what the hell is wrong, and always ended up feeling like missing something. By the end it feels like things are beginning to make sense, and I want to go back and reinspect to complete the puzzle. But I can't, I can't face the pain, the frustration, the hopeless agaony again.

In many ways The Bandit King reminded me of the latter books in the Dante Valentine series. Tristan and Dante, frustrated by their spouses' manipulation and silence, running wild without a clear sense of direction to find out what's going on. And readers also get lost, trailing after them. We are desperate to find something, but what is that something? Are we achieving anything? There always are something happening, but those events do not accumulate toward the climax. When the final moment comes, oh, well, guess I should've seen that coming, but what have I been doing, making all that fuss? It kind of feels like you could've waited sitting until the moment comes instead of running around.

Anyway, I blindly love this book, hence automatic five stars. But that doesn't mean I would say it is perfect.

[Myth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I reviewed The Hedgewitch Queen earlier. I liked it. A lot. I saw a lot of things for Ms. Saintcrow to play with in the next book. I mentioned many things I loved about it.

This book took them all away. I was angry when I finished this book. It made me think even less of Tristan (and it was from his point of view). It made me think less of Vianne too, at the end.

I cannot even describe to you how angry and disappointed I was. Am. Will be? I might read it again and see if I like it better a second time (it's been known to happen) but not for a while. Because this just...

Other people might like it. Other people might actually love it. But it hit my squick buttons in a major way at multiple points, and I am therefore not capable of judging impartially. I really disliked this book.

1.5/5. I'm sorry, Ms. Saintcrow, I have at least liked every single other book of yours I have read, but Tristan made me angry with what he did to Vianne and everyone else, Vianne made me angry because she went all irresponsible at the end, and that they got together at all at the end (given what kind of person he was, and what he did to her specifically) made me nearly unintelligible in my upset.

In conclusion, world: stop trying to sell me on the idea that obsession is love, and that love itself is enough to get your relationship through anything. And Tristan might be my least favorite character in all literature, because whatever Edward Cullen did, he never raped his 'love' and got away with it scott free or was responsible for the death of her best friend/cousin with only a teensy bit of regret.

[Yv · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. What to say? I think that if you mashed the Bandit King and Hedgewitch Queen together and took it out of 1st person POV, it might make for a decent read. Whereas Vianne was annoying in the first book, Tristan was just downright creepy and abusive and not at all likeable in the the Bandit King. His obsession with her is his justification for literally EVERYTHING he's ever done at court, for like, a decade. He's pretty much an abusive, possessive stalker. And this is supposed to be romance?! It's just so disappointing because I thought relatively well of Tristan in THQ, probably because I wasn't in his head. Again, 1st person POV was a bad idea for this character. FYI and trigger warning, he also pretty much rapes Vianne at one point and justify's it...somehow?? I don't know.
And Vianne! Like, wtf is going on with her? We never find out because it's Tristan's POV and they hardly ever talk because she's got PLANS and is hieing off to all corners of the country. She just seemed so out of step with her character in tTHQ and you never get to see the progression in between.
The last chapter was decent and showed more of the redemption of Tristan that I expected to see. If that had come right after THQ, it might not have been quite so bad. Unfortunately there was the other 98% of the novel between those two points.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why anyone has trouble with the language. Maybe it's because I speak French, and the quasi-French terms are easily recognizable to me....but still. A basic grasp of vocabulary lets you figure it out.

Anyway, wasn't quite as engaging as the Hedgewitch Queen but I liked the intensity of Tristan. A few times, I found myself wishing for Vianne's POV again as she was so hard to read. The political stuff was excellent as always; that's what makes these books for me.

BUT... Three stars because Saintcrow really, really made a huge mistake with Tris' motives. Meaning, he had next to none. It was never fully explained why he killed the King other than he didn't want Vianne married off. So....was he planning that all along because the King was corrupt and he figured this was the icing? Did he just take the opportunity because be knew the usurper would anyway? Was Tristan in on the plot or not? Did he kill the other heirs? Nothing was answered!! I'm peeved at Saintcrow for doing such great political background and then getting immersed in the gothic romance. Argh. Still, I mostly loved the characters. She gave them somewhat short shrift at the end, but eh. Happens.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard for me to rate this book. Right now I am giving it 2.5 stars out of 5. I loved the first book (The Hedgewitch Queen) which is written from the perspective of Vianne. This book is written from the perspective of Tristan d'Arcanne, her husband, and captain of the guard, but after the shocking reveal that he actually was involved in the coup and killed the king. I liked Tristan in the first book but I really hated him in this book. He goes through hell and he does something totally unforgiveable to Vianne. I really could not empathize with him but I read the book to see what happens to Vianne. We really don't know what she is thinking because she is not with her husband for most of the story. She is busy leading an army to defeat the bad guys. Tristan is mainly stewing in his own juices when he is not healing from the many violent attacks he has to suffer. He tries to justify his actions with his love of Vianne, but is it love of obsession he feels? I felt sad after reading this book and disappointed that it did not follow the stereotypical happy ending - maybe there could not be a happy ending to this story.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid finale to a good duology. I'll just list my notes on the book, under categories (just so I can do things with the least amount of effort possible):

Positives:
A change of perspective. We switch to Tristan's point of view. It's great to see things from his point of view and it does remove any possibility of boring narrator syndrome. It also lessens confusion of events and negates the need for random situations that are required to straighten out important facts. Now, our narrator can just tell us. Easy.
A wide variety of characters all great in their own ways.
Strong, amazing women.
A beautiful world.
Tieris.
The Bandit King himself.
The magnificent moustaches.

Negatives:
The relationship borders on creepy. It bends the line. Really bends it.
Velvet. Everything is velvet. And it MUST be mentioned. Repeatedly.
'Brittle,' and 'darling,' are used far too often. Or is that just me?
Slightly losing track of all the legends and myths of the world, as well as some of the people's back stories etc. The gist, however, is understood.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! Vianne’s character is better developed in this book and isn't as whiney as she was in the previous. I like and respect her as seen through Tristan’s eyes. And despite everything, I do love Tristan. I find myself yelling at him quite a bit for his stupidity and his inability to trust in Vianne. But despite that I find that I'm still a sap and his motive (love) dispels my dislike for him, well almost.
I felt like this book has a really great ending, everything ended up they way it should have. Saintcrow puts to rest all the nagging questions from the previous book, just not very cleanly in all cases. This probably for the best as the characters all survived a dangerous plot that killed the king and almost all those closest to him, a frantic flight across the country, lies, deceptions and finally a war. They shouldn’t come out all shiny from this, so it’s good they all come out a little worse for wear.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

My feelings have not changed since the first book. I'd hoped this one would be slightly better, since it's told from Tristan's POV instead of Vianne's. I was wrong. She stole his brain, and he spends most of the book rolling around in angst while more interesting things go on elsewhere.

In fact, my little opinion of Tristan plummeted. At the end of the first book, there's a "twist" where we find out that he's the one who killed the king, not D'Orlaans. That's fine, as there were rumors that king raped him, among other things. That turns out to be not true. Tristan killed the king because we was going to marry Vianne off to someone who is Not Tristan. He becomes some ridiculously possessive asshole from this point on. And then he turns into a 1970s romance novel "hero" and makes me so angry.

It's safe to say that I'll never read anything by Lilith Saintcrow ever again.

[lc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really have no idea why I continue reading books by Lilith Saintcrow. She beats her leading men to a bloody plump and once and a while throws them a bone if she doesn't kill them off. I wonder what happened in the authors life for her art to reflect so much hate toward men.

The Bandit King is told in Tristan's point of view, which is great. He is very dark and obsessed to the point where he actually throws his life away for Vianne. I don't think I could have taken 250 pages of Vianne's POV. She left Tristan in dark most of time, ran away, threw him in jail, ran away, made him fight a duel to the death and did some more running away. The whole plot was very frustrating, but Saintcrow is just one of those authors that I love to hate. I'm waiting for her to give me something that lives up to Dante and Japh.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this one, as I did get sucked into the first book. I found the quasi-French language to be a little irritating, sure. Ya, and maybe the heroine was a little weak (I think she spent half the book unconscious), but I found Tristin to be a good hero for her (why yes, yes he is flawed. A good hero should be flawed!). So the idea of the sequel to be his story sounded like a great idea!

What a huge disappointment. Again, I felt all the action took place somewhere else. (ya, NOW she's a awake and doing stuff, while he's not capable of action). The quasi-French language was even more irritating this time (that might be related to frame of mind)... oh and the title is a total spoiler. Ya, thanks for that.

Overall, it was okay. However, I'm hoping the author continues with the Steelflower series, as I found it to be more to my taste.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read some of the reviews before reading this book, and I feel like that was a mistake; I almost didn't read the book, but I'm glad I did.

Personally, I found The Bandit King more enjoyable than The Hedgewitch Queen, and unlike some, I didn't find Tristan overly annoying. I loved Tristan's character in the first book, but thanks to the reviews I read, I was convinced I would hate him. At first, I only read the book to see how Saintcrow would answer specific questions and loose ends, but as i got further in, I found myself still enjoying Tristan's character. It is a frustrating read because the characters are so harsh to each other, and the brutality of all the distrust ruins the romance of the series a bit. I absolutely detest the final line of the novel, but I highly recommend reading it for yourself, especially of you enjoyed The Hedgewitch Queen.

[Dorri · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Hedgewitch Queen Vianne di Rocancheil showed us Tristan d'Arcenne. Now it's Tristan's turn to show us Vianne. The woman he has loved since he first set eyes upon her. The woman he will protect until the weight of the crown she now bears breaks her. Once she is broken, he will hold her pieces firmly together and forge her into an icon the world will rally behind to defeat the false king. He will steal her heart and shatter her soul. He will search her out in any guise she wears and walk beside her all their days.

An epic story for an epic time. Tristan is the character I loved, but he showed me that Vianne was more than I could have ever imagined, even if I hated her in the beginning.

Always read to the end, for the words might surprise you.