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The Crow's Gambit #2
The Blood of Queens
What happens when you take a thief and a con-man, that everyone thinks is a monster, and make him captain of the Queen's personal bodyguard?
Gossip, treachery, and paperwork... So much paperwork.
Ren's appointment as Warden, the Queen's personal bodyguard and head of her security has created something of a stir in the walled realm of Lenmar. Opposition to his mere presence within the Crystal Palace is high, and old schemes and rivalries are kindled anew as the tension builds between the nobility and the factions pushing for change.
Ren just wants to keep the Queen safe, solve the mystery of his mentor's disappearance, and figure out why, Haim, who'd saved his life and been his accomplice on more than one occassion, was avoiding him.
An attack on the eve of the Moon Festival, when the Council of Nobles is set to convene, provides the spark to ignite a chain of events that threatens the very foundations that have kept the people of Lenmar safe, and puts everyone Ren cares about in danger.
Gossip, treachery, and paperwork... So much paperwork.
Ren's appointment as Warden, the Queen's personal bodyguard and head of her security has created something of a stir in the walled realm of Lenmar. Opposition to his mere presence within the Crystal Palace is high, and old schemes and rivalries are kindled anew as the tension builds between the nobility and the factions pushing for change.
Ren just wants to keep the Queen safe, solve the mystery of his mentor's disappearance, and figure out why, Haim, who'd saved his life and been his accomplice on more than one occassion, was avoiding him.
An attack on the eve of the Moon Festival, when the Council of Nobles is set to convene, provides the spark to ignite a chain of events that threatens the very foundations that have kept the people of Lenmar safe, and puts everyone Ren cares about in danger.
410 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2024
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Alex C. Pierce
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 29, 2025
Review originally posted on the SFF Insiders website:
https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/revi...
Following on the heels of The Blood of Crows, I jumped right into this sequel. Once again I did admire the cover, but overall the biggest hype that I had was to continue the incredible story that I experienced in the first. It picks up shortly after the first one, with just a little bit of time that had passed in between them. I was excited to be back with Ren and his group of friends, while navigating the twist that had ended the first book. It was different as this one is much more political than the first, as the characters are now fully involved with the main leaders of the kingdom. There are still elements of the heist feeling that are scattered between the new elements of being in charge of the Queen’s guard. The political elements are essential and are the driving factor to what has happened in the story so far. I will say that it is a much slower pace from the first novel that may not be to the liking of all readers. It did not bother me and it feels like the first one as it comes closer to the ending of the novel.
The strength of the novel is most definitely the main character of Ren. He still has the roguish feel and the skills that he has learned from the streets. The reveals of who he truly is weigh heavy on his mind and it was refreshing to see the mental stress from the responsibility he now has. It felt realistic and the choices were made with a thought to how the consequences could be felt by all those around him. I did like how he was able to interact with a group that did not have the page time in the first novel and they are all solid entries as side characters that can become favorites to many. They all find the important parts to play as the story progresses and I enjoyed their moments as they came about. I have already mentioned the pacing and I do believe that this is because of the political focus of the novel. It is hard to maintain such a breakneck pace as was experienced through the majority of the first novel without it feeling like a carbon copy. I do wish that I had learned more of the political nature of the Queendom from the first novel so that I could understand more of the twists and turns of the political machinations that happen within the pages. This is probably more that I was such a fan of the heist and action that I didn’t place the focus where I should have.
Alex C. Pierce is a wizard with his words, easily transforming his characters from his mind to living beings that readers will care deeply about. I am still excited to read the rest of this series as it has such potential to “WOW” so many readers with the twists and turns that seem to flow effortlessly in the narrative. This story is beautiful, fun, and just brilliantly engaging. The magic is not just part of the characters, but also as part of the series that will pull you in. I know that I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment to this series as it left me emotionally hyped for some of the things that I cannot mention as it would lead into too many spoilers. I invite you to impatiently wait with me by reading this series!!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/revi...
Following on the heels of The Blood of Crows, I jumped right into this sequel. Once again I did admire the cover, but overall the biggest hype that I had was to continue the incredible story that I experienced in the first. It picks up shortly after the first one, with just a little bit of time that had passed in between them. I was excited to be back with Ren and his group of friends, while navigating the twist that had ended the first book. It was different as this one is much more political than the first, as the characters are now fully involved with the main leaders of the kingdom. There are still elements of the heist feeling that are scattered between the new elements of being in charge of the Queen’s guard. The political elements are essential and are the driving factor to what has happened in the story so far. I will say that it is a much slower pace from the first novel that may not be to the liking of all readers. It did not bother me and it feels like the first one as it comes closer to the ending of the novel.
The strength of the novel is most definitely the main character of Ren. He still has the roguish feel and the skills that he has learned from the streets. The reveals of who he truly is weigh heavy on his mind and it was refreshing to see the mental stress from the responsibility he now has. It felt realistic and the choices were made with a thought to how the consequences could be felt by all those around him. I did like how he was able to interact with a group that did not have the page time in the first novel and they are all solid entries as side characters that can become favorites to many. They all find the important parts to play as the story progresses and I enjoyed their moments as they came about. I have already mentioned the pacing and I do believe that this is because of the political focus of the novel. It is hard to maintain such a breakneck pace as was experienced through the majority of the first novel without it feeling like a carbon copy. I do wish that I had learned more of the political nature of the Queendom from the first novel so that I could understand more of the twists and turns of the political machinations that happen within the pages. This is probably more that I was such a fan of the heist and action that I didn’t place the focus where I should have.
Alex C. Pierce is a wizard with his words, easily transforming his characters from his mind to living beings that readers will care deeply about. I am still excited to read the rest of this series as it has such potential to “WOW” so many readers with the twists and turns that seem to flow effortlessly in the narrative. This story is beautiful, fun, and just brilliantly engaging. The magic is not just part of the characters, but also as part of the series that will pull you in. I know that I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment to this series as it left me emotionally hyped for some of the things that I cannot mention as it would lead into too many spoilers. I invite you to impatiently wait with me by reading this series!!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
October 4, 2025
3.5 stars
This was a pretty decent read, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first book. There’s a bit of a tonal shift necessitated by the events of book one, and that didn’t work for me as well as it might have, which was certainly part of the reason book two didn’t quite land for me.
I think the main thing though, was that I found the book got a little bogged down in the details, particularly in the second half and ramping up towards the end. I felt that as the core group of characters was formulating a plan, we went into too much detail with getting all the components in place and testing strategies, etc. Then, after the plan was executed, I felt like I was getting a step-by-step walkthrough of what had happened to lead to a different outcome to the one we were initially led to believe we had. It just didn’t quite work for me, and I often quite like a heist-type scenario in fantasy.
The knacks (magic) that everyone has can be interesting, but it’s difficult in a world (or at least a city) where literally everyone has a knack, for it not to be overdone. Here I did feel at times like I was swimming in magic a bit. The characters were good, and it’s good that you are sometimes left wondering if someone is who they say they are, or if they’re being truthful about who they’re fighting for.
This was a pretty decent read, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first book. There’s a bit of a tonal shift necessitated by the events of book one, and that didn’t work for me as well as it might have, which was certainly part of the reason book two didn’t quite land for me.
I think the main thing though, was that I found the book got a little bogged down in the details, particularly in the second half and ramping up towards the end. I felt that as the core group of characters was formulating a plan, we went into too much detail with getting all the components in place and testing strategies, etc. Then, after the plan was executed, I felt like I was getting a step-by-step walkthrough of what had happened to lead to a different outcome to the one we were initially led to believe we had. It just didn’t quite work for me, and I often quite like a heist-type scenario in fantasy.
The knacks (magic) that everyone has can be interesting, but it’s difficult in a world (or at least a city) where literally everyone has a knack, for it not to be overdone. Here I did feel at times like I was swimming in magic a bit. The characters were good, and it’s good that you are sometimes left wondering if someone is who they say they are, or if they’re being truthful about who they’re fighting for.
May 4, 2024
This review was originally published on Before We Go Blog
In The Blood of Queens, Alex C. Pierce takes all the best elements from The Blood of Crows and implements them in new exciting ways to deliver an unexpected yet incredibly strong sequel full of steampunk/flintlock aesthetics, found family vibes, magical mayhem, and thrilling schemes and revelations.
Whereas book 1 falls comfortably in the heist fantasy category, The Blood of Queens would more aptly be described as a political fantasy unlike you have ever seen before, which then ends with the most ambitious and high-stakes heist yet. Our beloved street thief Ren has now been pulled out of the gutter and thrown into higher society, where he’s desperately trying to keep his head above water while fulfilling his role as Warden to the Queen. But soon, he discovers that he will need to use his most cutthroat street skills to survive life in the Crystal Palace, where danger, deceit, and death is lurking around every corner.
Now, even though I read book 1 right before diving into this sequel, I will admit that it took me about 20% of this novel to get settled into the story and world again. The story picks up only a few weeks/months later, but the twists and revelations at the end of book 1 have rocked their worlds so much that I personally had some trouble catching up to the shifts in these characters’ lives, motivations, and relationships.
That said, once the inciting incident happened, I was fully hooked again. The Blood of Queens might not have the enticing murder mystery element that made book 1 such a page turner, but that doesn’t make the story any less suspenseful. Once again, Pierce makes excellent use of short mystifying interludes breaking up Ren’s story to create a sense of looming dread that will keep you glued to the page. I’ll admit that I didn’t really see why I should care about this new perspective at first, but I came to really enjoy it and I thought everything got interwoven so masterfully in the end.
So while the start might be a bit of a rocky slow-burn, the tension just keeps building and building, leading up to another absolute marvel of a climax sequence that kept me on my toes until the very final page. Schemes upon schemes, new unlikely alliances, brutal back stabbings and betrayals, devastating revelations about the hidden truths of this world; every single twist and turn thrilled me to my core.
In The Blood of Queens, we get a deeper look into the Order, the Inquisitors, the Children and the frightening uses of the magical elemental knacks. Some of the revelations were more disturbing than I was anticipating, but they also filled me with a sense of morbid fascination and curiosity. Themes of humanity, othering, morality, and loyalty are explored in surprisingly deep ways, providing a level of nuance and complexity that I was not expecting, but welcomed with open arms.
This sequel also somehow has even more heart than its predecessor, counterbalancing all the darkness and chaos with so much love, humour and wit. Ren is once again just an absolute joy to follow, especially because he is somehow both extremely cunning and also just the most loveable soft cinnamon roll. He will stop at nothing to fight for what he believes is right and to protect the people who he has let into his heart, which is exactly what makes him such a rootable character, even if he is a bit of a stumbling idiot at times.
Though as much as I love Ren, I also really appreciate that his strong personality never overshadows the development of the diverse cast of side characters. Especially Ren’s ‘adopted sister’ Molly really stole the show for me with all her cool inventions and snarky banter, as well as the guard Owen, whose journey offered some beautiful messages of self-discovery, autonomy, and gender identity. The found family vibes in this series are truly off the charts, and I really enjoyed seeing both old bonds get strengthened and new tentative friendships slowly develop.
Each of these books has such a strong contained arc, and then leaves off with a tantalising tease that will make you hunger for the sequel in the best way possible. If you are looking for an engaging flintlock/steampunk political fantasy with endearing characters, riveting mystery and intrigue, cutthroat schemes and conspiracies, and a ton of heart, love and wit, then you have to check out The Crow’s Gambit series!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
In The Blood of Queens, Alex C. Pierce takes all the best elements from The Blood of Crows and implements them in new exciting ways to deliver an unexpected yet incredibly strong sequel full of steampunk/flintlock aesthetics, found family vibes, magical mayhem, and thrilling schemes and revelations.
Whereas book 1 falls comfortably in the heist fantasy category, The Blood of Queens would more aptly be described as a political fantasy unlike you have ever seen before, which then ends with the most ambitious and high-stakes heist yet. Our beloved street thief Ren has now been pulled out of the gutter and thrown into higher society, where he’s desperately trying to keep his head above water while fulfilling his role as Warden to the Queen. But soon, he discovers that he will need to use his most cutthroat street skills to survive life in the Crystal Palace, where danger, deceit, and death is lurking around every corner.
Now, even though I read book 1 right before diving into this sequel, I will admit that it took me about 20% of this novel to get settled into the story and world again. The story picks up only a few weeks/months later, but the twists and revelations at the end of book 1 have rocked their worlds so much that I personally had some trouble catching up to the shifts in these characters’ lives, motivations, and relationships.
That said, once the inciting incident happened, I was fully hooked again. The Blood of Queens might not have the enticing murder mystery element that made book 1 such a page turner, but that doesn’t make the story any less suspenseful. Once again, Pierce makes excellent use of short mystifying interludes breaking up Ren’s story to create a sense of looming dread that will keep you glued to the page. I’ll admit that I didn’t really see why I should care about this new perspective at first, but I came to really enjoy it and I thought everything got interwoven so masterfully in the end.
So while the start might be a bit of a rocky slow-burn, the tension just keeps building and building, leading up to another absolute marvel of a climax sequence that kept me on my toes until the very final page. Schemes upon schemes, new unlikely alliances, brutal back stabbings and betrayals, devastating revelations about the hidden truths of this world; every single twist and turn thrilled me to my core.
In The Blood of Queens, we get a deeper look into the Order, the Inquisitors, the Children and the frightening uses of the magical elemental knacks. Some of the revelations were more disturbing than I was anticipating, but they also filled me with a sense of morbid fascination and curiosity. Themes of humanity, othering, morality, and loyalty are explored in surprisingly deep ways, providing a level of nuance and complexity that I was not expecting, but welcomed with open arms.
This sequel also somehow has even more heart than its predecessor, counterbalancing all the darkness and chaos with so much love, humour and wit. Ren is once again just an absolute joy to follow, especially because he is somehow both extremely cunning and also just the most loveable soft cinnamon roll. He will stop at nothing to fight for what he believes is right and to protect the people who he has let into his heart, which is exactly what makes him such a rootable character, even if he is a bit of a stumbling idiot at times.
Though as much as I love Ren, I also really appreciate that his strong personality never overshadows the development of the diverse cast of side characters. Especially Ren’s ‘adopted sister’ Molly really stole the show for me with all her cool inventions and snarky banter, as well as the guard Owen, whose journey offered some beautiful messages of self-discovery, autonomy, and gender identity. The found family vibes in this series are truly off the charts, and I really enjoyed seeing both old bonds get strengthened and new tentative friendships slowly develop.
Each of these books has such a strong contained arc, and then leaves off with a tantalising tease that will make you hunger for the sequel in the best way possible. If you are looking for an engaging flintlock/steampunk political fantasy with endearing characters, riveting mystery and intrigue, cutthroat schemes and conspiracies, and a ton of heart, love and wit, then you have to check out The Crow’s Gambit series!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 8, 2024
It's very rare that I think the second book is just as good if not better than the first and this one was definitely it!
The character development, the fight scenes, the magic system and how we got to have more steampunk vibes? I loved it all. Ren is still my favorite character obviously and Molly is definitely what every person needs as a friend! I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much! I am so sad I have to wait now for the next one because geeze that ending? (I don't wanna say I knew it, but I knew it a little bit) I need physical copies of these books now for my trophy shelf!
The character development, the fight scenes, the magic system and how we got to have more steampunk vibes? I loved it all. Ren is still my favorite character obviously and Molly is definitely what every person needs as a friend! I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much! I am so sad I have to wait now for the next one because geeze that ending? (I don't wanna say I knew it, but I knew it a little bit) I need physical copies of these books now for my trophy shelf!
June 8, 2026
3.5/5 a good follow up to book 1. I’m still processing how I feel about this one.
November 23, 2025
This sequel, despite its similar storytelling style, disappointed where its predecessor delivered. I have a policy never to reveal spoilers of any kind unless an author truly betrays the reader from what they’ve promised; this book does not fit that mold, so I will not reveal everything that disappointed me. However, the careful threads of a powerful story from the first book looked as if they would continue to grow here, yet the author reduced the reader to a hapless outsider instead of a dear companion who shares in this journey, once near the beginning and again near the end. There were also two hefty plot twists near the end of this second novel, both of which I can understand, but one of which includes some actions that seem out of character for the people involved.
The first book in this series invited the reader along for the ride, keeping the POV close; it almost made us feel like participants more than observers. But the sequel here shoved us out of the frame more than once in a poor attempt at shock and awe. While we can all appreciate a good surprise, especially in a fantasy world, I was disappointed by the cheap tricks the author utilized, especially near the end of this installment. One of the twists was highly unexpected and did not resolve as I thought it would, and the other was foreshadowed well but was presented in an unbelievable fashion. I can’t say more without spoilers, so I’ll stop there, but where the first book had a maximum rating in my view, this one barely passed the mark for “okay”.
I am highly disappointed in the author's choice to upend their excellent storytelling model from book one in favor of annoying gimmicks, losing this reader for good.
The first book in this series invited the reader along for the ride, keeping the POV close; it almost made us feel like participants more than observers. But the sequel here shoved us out of the frame more than once in a poor attempt at shock and awe. While we can all appreciate a good surprise, especially in a fantasy world, I was disappointed by the cheap tricks the author utilized, especially near the end of this installment. One of the twists was highly unexpected and did not resolve as I thought it would, and the other was foreshadowed well but was presented in an unbelievable fashion. I can’t say more without spoilers, so I’ll stop there, but where the first book had a maximum rating in my view, this one barely passed the mark for “okay”.
I am highly disappointed in the author's choice to upend their excellent storytelling model from book one in favor of annoying gimmicks, losing this reader for good.
July 29, 2024
I received a courtesy audio copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this follow-up to The Blood of Crows, and while I'll still give it 5 stars, it's more of a 4.5 then a 5 for me (which is still great!).
There are two reasons it's a slight step down, one of which is my fault (and is why I'm rounding up):
1) It's been a while since I read book 1, and without a recap, it took me some time to get back into the swing of things and there were certain aspects of book 1 I didn't recall.
2) as noted below, book 2 is more of a political fantasy vs. book 1 being more of a heist fantasy. Therefore, book 1 was just more fun.
Ren has moved from being a thief/lower tier soldier to a leader in the royal guard. We learn more about the politics of the realm, the schemes and machinations that go along with that, along with teases of themes of love, friendship, acceptance, fitting in. I was hooked from the beginning, and once the triggering plot event takes place, I couldn't wait to find out what was next.
In short, this sequel provides detail for the universe, the cast of characters expands, and the ending will absolutely leave your chin on the floor.
I cannot wait for book 3!
I really enjoyed this follow-up to The Blood of Crows, and while I'll still give it 5 stars, it's more of a 4.5 then a 5 for me (which is still great!).
There are two reasons it's a slight step down, one of which is my fault (and is why I'm rounding up):
1) It's been a while since I read book 1, and without a recap, it took me some time to get back into the swing of things and there were certain aspects of book 1 I didn't recall.
2) as noted below, book 2 is more of a political fantasy vs. book 1 being more of a heist fantasy. Therefore, book 1 was just more fun.
Ren has moved from being a thief/lower tier soldier to a leader in the royal guard. We learn more about the politics of the realm, the schemes and machinations that go along with that, along with teases of themes of love, friendship, acceptance, fitting in. I was hooked from the beginning, and once the triggering plot event takes place, I couldn't wait to find out what was next.
In short, this sequel provides detail for the universe, the cast of characters expands, and the ending will absolutely leave your chin on the floor.
I cannot wait for book 3!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews