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The Crown of Tremontane #2.5
Exile of the Crown
Zara North, former Queen of Tremontane, left her throne and her family behind to keep her secret: she cannot be killed, she cannot age, and her magic could topple the North family from the throne. As an exile in her own country, Zara finds love, sorrow, and new purpose as the years pass and the world changes around her. This novella contains four short stories, episodes in Zara's life, and covers the time between the end of SERVANT OF THE CROWN and the beginning of the third Tremontane novel, AGENT OF THE CROWN.
58 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2015
28 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Melissa McShane
94 books861 followersMelissa grew up a nomad, following her family all over the United States, and ended up living in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three very needy cats. Her love of reading was always a constant during those uncertain years, and her love of writing grew out of that. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, and was surprised at how much she liked it. She loves the fantasy genre and how it stretches the imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 12, 2017
Full review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Note: this review contains a few spoilers for Servant of the Crown and many spoilers for the bonus short story “Long Live the Queen” at the end of that novel, which sets up this book.
In “Long Live the Queen,” a “five years later” short story that appears at the end of Servant of the Crown, the first book in Melissa McShane‘s CROWN OF TREMONTANE series, Queen Zara North of Tremontane comes to terms with the realization that she has inherent magical power, a type that rapidly heals her from any injury, poison, or illness and will make her nearly ageless. Magical powers are viewed as a taint in Tremontane, particularly for a ruler, and in any case Zara can foresee that her endless reign would be a disaster for her beloved country and for the reigning North family. Zara is a firm-minded woman with an acerbic personality and an incisive manner, and she takes matters into her own hands. With the reluctant help of her brother Anthony and his wife, Zara fakes her death and leaves her throne and relatives far behind, secretly heading to a distant, rural part of the kingdom.
Exile of the Crown (2015) is the story of what happens to Zara after she leaves the throne. It’s an interim novella between Servant of the Crown and Agent of the Crown (2016), skimming over the time period and events in Rider of the Crown. It consists of four intertwined stories from different times in Zara North’s life as an “exile” of sorts. Although she still lives in her own country, she’s far from the life and people she knew, feeling forever cut off from them. Zara now lives under the name of Agatha Weaver in small towns, moving from time to time when she feels like she’s spent long enough in one town that eyebrows will start to raise at the fact that she never looks any older.
Exile of the Crown skips through 44 years of Zara’s life, relating some of the interesting events in her life:
♦ A beckoning romance, even though Zara has determined that she should never get involved with someone because of her agelessness and inability to have a child.
♦ A surprise visit from a North relative, who wasn’t even aware that the former Queen Zara was still alive.
♦ Her life as a successful small businesswoman, owner of a weaving business, which comes under threat from an unscrupulous competitor who plans to open a weaving factory. This was my favorite, the most complex and thoughtful episode in the set.
♦ A long-distance argument with the current North ruler about a rather demanding request he’s making of her. This brief final episode is a teaser for Agent of the Crown, the next book in this series.
If you enjoy fantasies that mix romance and adventure, I recommend the CROWN OF TREMONTANE series. The romance element in the series overall is fairly strong, especially in the first book, but it’s far from being the sole focus. These books are more thoughtful than most in this genre. You should definitely read Servant of the Crown first, not just because it’s a delightful novel, but also because it sets up this steampunk-flavored fantasy world so well, and introduces you to the determined force of nature that is Zara. She’s a fantastic, strong female character, and there are frequent flashes of humor:
I received this ebook free from the author. Thank you!!
Note: this review contains a few spoilers for Servant of the Crown and many spoilers for the bonus short story “Long Live the Queen” at the end of that novel, which sets up this book.
In “Long Live the Queen,” a “five years later” short story that appears at the end of Servant of the Crown, the first book in Melissa McShane‘s CROWN OF TREMONTANE series, Queen Zara North of Tremontane comes to terms with the realization that she has inherent magical power, a type that rapidly heals her from any injury, poison, or illness and will make her nearly ageless. Magical powers are viewed as a taint in Tremontane, particularly for a ruler, and in any case Zara can foresee that her endless reign would be a disaster for her beloved country and for the reigning North family. Zara is a firm-minded woman with an acerbic personality and an incisive manner, and she takes matters into her own hands. With the reluctant help of her brother Anthony and his wife, Zara fakes her death and leaves her throne and relatives far behind, secretly heading to a distant, rural part of the kingdom.
Exile of the Crown (2015) is the story of what happens to Zara after she leaves the throne. It’s an interim novella between Servant of the Crown and Agent of the Crown (2016), skimming over the time period and events in Rider of the Crown. It consists of four intertwined stories from different times in Zara North’s life as an “exile” of sorts. Although she still lives in her own country, she’s far from the life and people she knew, feeling forever cut off from them. Zara now lives under the name of Agatha Weaver in small towns, moving from time to time when she feels like she’s spent long enough in one town that eyebrows will start to raise at the fact that she never looks any older.
Exile of the Crown skips through 44 years of Zara’s life, relating some of the interesting events in her life:
♦ A beckoning romance, even though Zara has determined that she should never get involved with someone because of her agelessness and inability to have a child.
♦ A surprise visit from a North relative, who wasn’t even aware that the former Queen Zara was still alive.
♦ Her life as a successful small businesswoman, owner of a weaving business, which comes under threat from an unscrupulous competitor who plans to open a weaving factory. This was my favorite, the most complex and thoughtful episode in the set.
♦ A long-distance argument with the current North ruler about a rather demanding request he’s making of her. This brief final episode is a teaser for Agent of the Crown, the next book in this series.
If you enjoy fantasies that mix romance and adventure, I recommend the CROWN OF TREMONTANE series. The romance element in the series overall is fairly strong, especially in the first book, but it’s far from being the sole focus. These books are more thoughtful than most in this genre. You should definitely read Servant of the Crown first, not just because it’s a delightful novel, but also because it sets up this steampunk-flavored fantasy world so well, and introduces you to the determined force of nature that is Zara. She’s a fantastic, strong female character, and there are frequent flashes of humor:
“You’re more like … what’s that knife Dr. Green uses?”Melissa McShane pays attention to the personalities of their characters and how they deal with their problems and pains. Despite her stubbornness and determination, Zara gradually comes to realize that she doesn’t need to cut herself off from relationships and friendships.
“A scalpel.”
“That’s it. You cut where it’s needed and you strike clean. And everyone can hear the truth in what you say. … It just makes me wonder why you’re a weaver and not … I don’t know … ruling a County.”
We live, and we love, and we mourn, and we rejoice, and none of that was possible without roots that ran deep.3.5 stars, rounding up. But 4+ stars for the third story, the longest one.
I received this ebook free from the author. Thank you!!
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January 5, 2016I really didn't anticipate Queen Zara being such a popular character. I'm not even sure where she came from; in the original version, Prince Anthony didn't have a sister, and it was his father who was king. And yet...there she was. And suddenly people wanted to know what happened to her after Servant of the Crown. Since there was a whole entire book between that and her next appearance, I thought it might be fun to explore some of the things that happened to her during that time, and set up things for the third Tremontane book, Agent of the Crown. And that's where Exile came from.
December 30, 2015
This is four short stories (the last very short indeed, more of a lead into Agent of the Crown than its own story) that follow Zara North during the period of the other books in the series. It has love, loss, and Zara being herself. I loved reading it and getting to know Zara better. Plus, it means Zara shows up in the next book and that's going to be a delight!
January 8, 2016
Exile of the Crown is a novella lengthen piece, though it's really four shorter pieces all pulled together to show what happened to Queen Zara after the events of Servant of the Crown, bringing her timeline up to speed.
I was a big fan of Zara in Servant of the Crown and wanted her to get more 'screen' time, so it was really fun to get these glimpses of what came next for the character and how she built herself a new life. I like seeing the deep emotions she's capable of, all while never giving up her innate bossy Zaraness. She may not be Queen of Tremontane anymore, but she is still Lady of all she surveys.
You definitely do NOT want to start reading the Tremontane books here. This one really needs to be read after Servant of the Crown and Rider of the Crown and before Agent of the Crown. There are secrets revealed which will really mess up reading the other books if you start here.
* I received Exile as an ARC. Lucky me. :)
I was a big fan of Zara in Servant of the Crown and wanted her to get more 'screen' time, so it was really fun to get these glimpses of what came next for the character and how she built herself a new life. I like seeing the deep emotions she's capable of, all while never giving up her innate bossy Zaraness. She may not be Queen of Tremontane anymore, but she is still Lady of all she surveys.
You definitely do NOT want to start reading the Tremontane books here. This one really needs to be read after Servant of the Crown and Rider of the Crown and before Agent of the Crown. There are secrets revealed which will really mess up reading the other books if you start here.
* I received Exile as an ARC. Lucky me. :)
September 13, 2018
Novella and glad I read it after Agent of the Crown despite it being a prequel of that story.v
December 19, 2015
Just Okay...
I was hoping this would be a story, not 4 short stories... I'm. Looking forward to the next full length book.
I was hoping this would be a story, not 4 short stories... I'm. Looking forward to the next full length book.
September 15, 2019
Please note: this review has plenty of spoilers, both for this short story collection and from "Long Live the Queen," the short story included at the end of Servant of the Crown, book one of the Crown of Tremontane series. While most of the books in the series more or less stand alone, Exile of the Crown should definitely be read only after reading Servant/"Long Live the Queen" first.
Zara North was once the Queen of Tremontane, but when she learned she had inherent magic that made her practically immortal, she staged her own death. Society is still at least wary, if not outright frightened, of people with inherent magic and Zara knew that an everlasting reign would do much more harm than good. So, she hid from the world, taking on new identities and moving to new places whenever she determined that others would soon start to wonder why she never seemed to age.
Exile of the Crown is a series of short stories that cover what she has been up to since we last saw her in Servant and before we meet her again in book three, Agent of the Crown, a span of about forty years. There is a story for each of the four seasons.
In the winter story, Zara is feeling lonely and sad. Her secret power makes it so that she does not want to let anyone become close to her, and she misses her family deeply for they will never see each other again. One of the villagers in her new home is trying to court her, but Zara does not want to have a romance because she has so many secrets she cannot share and she will outlive him by a long time. In the end, however, she decides to allow herself some happiness even though she knows it will be temporary.
In the spring story, Zara is grieving the loss of her husband, who was taken from her even sooner than she had anticipated. She is still in mourning when a very unexpected visitor arrives - her nephew Jeffrey North. Jeffrey has magic of his own and he is able to sense the presence of every member of the North family. He has decided to find out who is living so far away from the rest of their kin and why.
In the autumn story, Zara has started over once again in a new place. She has made a new life for herself as a weaver, but learns that an overeager businessman plans to create a factory in town that will put her out of a job in the new village where she has just settled. She takes it upon herself to challenge the businessman and ends up rallying the townspeople to her cause. She is also able to share her secret safely with the dying woman whose house she has purchased, and being able to tell someone at last eases some of the burden she has been carrying for so long.
And finally, the summer story, which is the shortest by far. It serves as a setup for Agent of the Crown, with Zara receiving the news that her grandniece, Telaine, will be coming to stay with her while spying on the baron of the district where she lives. However, Zara does not want anyone meddling in the affairs of her friends and neighbors, so she is not exactly thrilled with the news.
The nature of Zara's magic allows these short stories to explore some interesting ideas about life and mortality. Zara's life is tragic but she is also a determined woman with a strong spirit who can weather all that her very long years will throw at her. I personally think the reveal of who Telaine's "Aunt Weaver" really is in Agent would have more of an impact if you do not read these stories first, but they do provide readers with more of Zara, which is something many people want after her fantastic introduction in Servant. It's a short collection - I read all four stories in a day. Recommended for fans of the series, but newbies should start elsewhere.
Disclaimer: I do know the author, if only through Goodreads, and while that is the reason I was aware of and decided to read this book, it has not influenced my rating. She did not contact me to ask me to read or review this book.
Zara North was once the Queen of Tremontane, but when she learned she had inherent magic that made her practically immortal, she staged her own death. Society is still at least wary, if not outright frightened, of people with inherent magic and Zara knew that an everlasting reign would do much more harm than good. So, she hid from the world, taking on new identities and moving to new places whenever she determined that others would soon start to wonder why she never seemed to age.
Exile of the Crown is a series of short stories that cover what she has been up to since we last saw her in Servant and before we meet her again in book three, Agent of the Crown, a span of about forty years. There is a story for each of the four seasons.
In the winter story, Zara is feeling lonely and sad. Her secret power makes it so that she does not want to let anyone become close to her, and she misses her family deeply for they will never see each other again. One of the villagers in her new home is trying to court her, but Zara does not want to have a romance because she has so many secrets she cannot share and she will outlive him by a long time. In the end, however, she decides to allow herself some happiness even though she knows it will be temporary.
In the spring story, Zara is grieving the loss of her husband, who was taken from her even sooner than she had anticipated. She is still in mourning when a very unexpected visitor arrives - her nephew Jeffrey North. Jeffrey has magic of his own and he is able to sense the presence of every member of the North family. He has decided to find out who is living so far away from the rest of their kin and why.
In the autumn story, Zara has started over once again in a new place. She has made a new life for herself as a weaver, but learns that an overeager businessman plans to create a factory in town that will put her out of a job in the new village where she has just settled. She takes it upon herself to challenge the businessman and ends up rallying the townspeople to her cause. She is also able to share her secret safely with the dying woman whose house she has purchased, and being able to tell someone at last eases some of the burden she has been carrying for so long.
And finally, the summer story, which is the shortest by far. It serves as a setup for Agent of the Crown, with Zara receiving the news that her grandniece, Telaine, will be coming to stay with her while spying on the baron of the district where she lives. However, Zara does not want anyone meddling in the affairs of her friends and neighbors, so she is not exactly thrilled with the news.
The nature of Zara's magic allows these short stories to explore some interesting ideas about life and mortality. Zara's life is tragic but she is also a determined woman with a strong spirit who can weather all that her very long years will throw at her. I personally think the reveal of who Telaine's "Aunt Weaver" really is in Agent would have more of an impact if you do not read these stories first, but they do provide readers with more of Zara, which is something many people want after her fantastic introduction in Servant. It's a short collection - I read all four stories in a day. Recommended for fans of the series, but newbies should start elsewhere.
Disclaimer: I do know the author, if only through Goodreads, and while that is the reason I was aware of and decided to read this book, it has not influenced my rating. She did not contact me to ask me to read or review this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2017
I handicap my ratings on short stories because my natural inclination is to hate their innately unsatisfyingly short nature. This story narrowly missed being a two because of said handicapping. I feel as though Zara deserved more for her grand sacrifice than a rushed doomed passion and settling for a life in which she is basically the town's Granny Weatherwax without the wrinkles.
I know this is meant to be a bridge between the second and third books, but.... Bleh, this should probably have just been the first part of the third book. I hope there is a magical coming out of the closet and Zara gets to go home.
Writing this review because I felt it was unfair for this to get the same score as the other books in the series without an explanation.
I know this is meant to be a bridge between the second and third books, but.... Bleh, this should probably have just been the first part of the third book. I hope there is a magical coming out of the closet and Zara gets to go home.
Writing this review because I felt it was unfair for this to get the same score as the other books in the series without an explanation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2017
Disappointing. I don't really feel like this added any value. I was so intrigued and excited by the snippet of a story introducing Zara's predicament at the end of Servant of the Crown, that I immediately bought this book of short stories. However, after reading it, I feel like it didn't need to be its own stand-alone book; it was almost boring.
This really could have been a prologue or exposition for the final book in the trilogy, Agent of the Crown. Don't bother.
This really could have been a prologue or exposition for the final book in the trilogy, Agent of the Crown. Don't bother.
June 1, 2021
Wonderful series! I read all 10 books in chronological order.
Saga of Willow North, Heirs of Willow North, Crown of Tremontane with the novella Exile if the Crown.
The whole series covers over 200 years of Tremontane history. Strong, interesting heroines and the men (royal or not) they love. Lots of adventure and romance.
Highly recommend them all!
Saga of Willow North, Heirs of Willow North, Crown of Tremontane with the novella Exile if the Crown.
The whole series covers over 200 years of Tremontane history. Strong, interesting heroines and the men (royal or not) they love. Lots of adventure and romance.
Highly recommend them all!
June 3, 2018
I didn't really understand the point of this one, it seemed to go from nowhere to nowhere. Originally, I was excited to see a little bit of Zara's story, but the way it was done just didn't convince me.
June 21, 2017
LOVED!!!
It may only be a novella, but it is perfect to get me interested in the next book. Absolutely loved this little gem!
It may only be a novella, but it is perfect to get me interested in the next book. Absolutely loved this little gem!
April 7, 2018
An enjoyable set of stories taking you to the next book
July 18, 2018
A quick fifty page story following Zara. I did like it but as a story arc I didn't feel it long enough for me to fully engage with the story.
September 30, 2018
OK, but seemed pointless
October 2, 2018
Really good story and a bit sad!!! Recommended!!
June 19, 2019
Several short stories. Filled in a few missing pieces in the series.
Clean
Clean
September 15, 2020
Too short! I need more Zara, she is awesome. I hope she’s a main character in the next book.
November 17, 2021
As a novella, it felt unfinished in the storytelling. I imagine that means we’ll see Zara again in later stories?
November 22, 2021
A slightly romantic novella squeezed into the series. Certainly skippable IMHO.
March 7, 2017
7/10: Good solid read, something to get your teeth into.
Nice to be back with Queen Zara and a good prelude to the next book.
The romance, though, was short and sweet, and over way too soon.
Nice to be back with Queen Zara and a good prelude to the next book.
The romance, though, was short and sweet, and over way too soon.
January 16, 2016
Good but I want more!
I want more about Zara! Now! Ugh. I can't wait for the next book in the series and another few novellas also. Yes? Please! I love hearing about her life after everything, but I want to know what happens with her next. I hope the next one will be about her and who is coming into her life next (spoilers!)
I want more about Zara! Now! Ugh. I can't wait for the next book in the series and another few novellas also. Yes? Please! I love hearing about her life after everything, but I want to know what happens with her next. I hope the next one will be about her and who is coming into her life next (spoilers!)
December 15, 2023
Firstly - the additional short story at the end had me in tears.
The story of Owen and Elspeth's orphaned daughter is a role well played out. Some predictably but mostly a great and dramatic with a hint of emotion in it.
The story of Owen and Elspeth's orphaned daughter is a role well played out. Some predictably but mostly a great and dramatic with a hint of emotion in it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2016
Good but jumpy
I'm not sure about this book. I know this one was the background to the other books but it w as hard to read and didn't catch my attention until close to the end. There was a lot of jumping around which made it hard to track.
I'm not sure about this book. I know this one was the background to the other books but it w as hard to read and didn't catch my attention until close to the end. There was a lot of jumping around which made it hard to track.
July 26, 2019
My favorite of this series. This is 4 short stories connecting the first 2 books and the last 2 books of the series by explaining what happened to Zara North in between.....she is a feisty "young" woman who is dealing with her unique circumstances as best she can...........Great stories!
January 2, 2016
not my favorite in the series
December 19, 2015
It was a great little book to show the window of time that the second book jumped
February 11, 2016
You away Hank!? Why are you so cruel to Zara?
And Elpeth too?
And Elpeth too?
December 31, 2015
Though quite short, even for a novella, it was interesting to see what Zara did after her discovery of magic.
January 15, 2016
For some reason it made me so sad for her... and intrigued where it will go now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews