The Poison Prince

Hostage of Empire #2

by S.C. Emmett

"A masterful tale of court intrigues." ―Booklist (starred review)A woman's desire for revenge draws her deeper into a treacherous imperial court in this sweeping and richly detailed second book of an East Asian-inspired epic fantasy series. The crown princess has been assassinated, reigniting tensions between her native Khir and the great Zhaon empire. Now, Komor Yala, her lady-in-waiting, is alone in a foreign court, a pawn for imperial schemes.To survive and avenge her princess, Yala will have to rely on unlikely allies like the sly Third Prince and the war-hardened general who sacked her homeland. But as the Emperor lies upon his deathbed, the palace is more dangerous than ever before―for there are six princes and only one throne.The drums of war beat again in this epic tale of ambition, honor, and sacrifice, perfect for fans of The Tiger's Daughter and The Grace of Kings. Praise for the Hostage of "Intricate, elegant and sharp as a blade―The Throne of the Five Winds is sweeping political fantasy at its finest." ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne"Emmett’s worldbuilding is sophisticated and captivating." ―Publishers Weekly Hostage of EmpireThe Throne of the Five WindsThe Poison PrinceThe Bloody Throne 

Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Romance, Historical Fantasy

561 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2020

About the author

S. C. Emmett is a pseudonym for Lilith Saintcrow.

Reviews

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I’ll have to scream my feelings into the void..
(I'm really sorry for this rambling but I had to air my thoughts somewhere)


Thoughts on the book (massive spoilers):
- overall it was a solid sequel but i got that feeling that a lot happened while nothing much did (most likely because the pacing was super shonky)
- really nice political machinations - probably the strongest part of the novel same as its predecessor
- awkward pacing because a lot of the tension especially in high stakes moments were cut since we would switch povs
- I think another reviewer brought this up too but the large plot points and action sequences are kind of glossed over in favour of smaller details like conversations between characters and this is cool and all and while I never lost interest in these smaller moments I wished she also expanded on those major plot moments. The emperor Tamuron takes forever to die and then once he does a whole slew of characters also suddenly die as well and this all happens the last quarter of the book so it feels super rushed
- world building is also amazing and was trimmed down a bit compared to the 1st book but I still felt that we could’ve sacrificed some of it for the plot since the world was established so well in the first book
- there is major progression in the plot especially with the death of Tarumon and Takyeo and Kanbina and the grabbing of power by the princes and we have the hovering threats outside the palace walls with unrest and possible invasion but this stuff feels quite distant but it seems that it’s going to be the centre stage for the final book considering the ending we got
- another thing I really loved was all the hidden motivations of everyone and all the characters trying to manipulate everyone else. The author did a really great job and it’s one of the most compelling parts to me


Moving on to characters (this is messy):
Yala!!!!!!
- loved her subtle growth into a more independent and daring person.
- She’s definitely my favourite character and in the previous book she was the hyper competent lady-in-waiting who did nothing wrong but we all know that Mahara’s death and her guilt change her. But now her time in Zhaon has changed her especially with their less restrictive attitudes about women and she’s no longer happy to just go back to being the subservient and obedient noblewoman she once was which is compelling!! Especially since a lot of the men in her life expect her to (looking at you clowns Daoyan and Takshin, and Kai to an extent).
- It’s especially interesting to see her lose some of her unwavering composure and honestly good for her after everything that’s happened
- I adore her and I really hope she gets the happy ending she deserves

Kai!
- We don't get as much from Kai this time since he's relegated to the border while most of the action is in the palace which is sad since I do like him a lot but most of progression we see is with his relationship and romance with Yala (I have so much to say about this)
- he's still the same honourable, nice and deadly man as before but with all these deaths of important people to him hopefully we see a more ruthless and changed side in the next book
- he's so soft to Yala which I absolutely adore
- at this point I do think he's not as controlling as Yala's other love interests which I appreciate because it's nice to see that especially in a place where women are submissive to the men in their lives

Takshin!
- Takshin gets a lot more screen time (page time?) and growth
- he's still the same prickly prince with the massive chip off his shoulder but he learns to be more subtle in politicking and becomes more restrained esp around Yala
- I have some issues with Takshin esp in regards to his relationship with Yala
- would love to see him more with Kiron since their relationship is so interesting (love/hate vibes are strong)

Kurin
- very, very interesting character and although I don't love him like I do the trio he's probably the 2nd most interesting person apart from Yala
- We see all his carefully laid out plans and his full force manipulation to ensure that he becomes the next emperor while getting rid of his rivals and enemies
- he's very successful at court politics but I'd love to see how he handles the larger scale of running and protecting Zhaon bc personally I think he's overestimated himself
- on my reread of the first book I skipped a lot of his chapters bc they were boring but I can gladly say he is much more compelling this time round

Sabwone
- her pov is used for us to get a glimpse into Shan and Kiron but as a character she's dull and annoying
- She is very out of her depth and while I do feel sorry for her, her antics and personality are annoying to both me and the people around her
- I personally think Kiron would've been a better choice for insight into Shan.

Gamwone
- awesome character, she's the one you love to hate with major cersei vibes
- She's becoming more unhinged and her sense of self importance just doesn't match with her importance in reality
- Also she's not as slick and she thinks she is which will probably be her downfall bc she's lost all subtly and her hold on everyone she's been manipulating
- constantly outclassed by her son Kurin

Takyeo
- He gets so much depth and similar to Yala he is just completely over with meeting all the expectations thrust upon him
- He just breaks and says fuck it I am no longer a pushover to my shitty dad
- no longer a loyal laphound to his father and stands up to him (FINALLY)
- tragic character bc he just wants out but he can't bc of his sense of duty and honour and he deserves a peaceful, non toxic life with Mahara who he still loves and grieves
- RIP Takyeo you really were one of the most wholesome


Minor characters
Sensheo - thinks he's slick but isn't, honestly he's Very Dumb
Makar - he plots and plots and I hope we see some outcome
Kiron - more charismatic version of Takshin, hope he's still alive bc I would love to see more of him
Tarumon - This man ain't shit, sure you unified Zhaon but bro you can't even deal with your own toxic family, also kind of a shitty dad
Daoyan - his little rebellion against his dad (why does everyone have daddy issues) was interesting as first but have to say not a fan of him acting as if he owns Yala
Zlorih - trying to get his final hurrah and his world is crashing down around him
Kanbina - too sweet for this world, her love for Kai is lovely and her final vindication was satisfying


Now, finally the relationships and romance (even messier):

First of all, let me just scrEAMMMMM
Our main romance is our love triangle (low key square) between Yala, Kai, Takshin and Daoyan.
A disclaimer I am biased towards Kai but honestly they all suck and Yala deserves better.

We see that Yala clearly has romantic feelings for Kai and more brotherly feelings towards Takshin, although this slightly shifted, and Daoyan.

It's made clear that Yala understands that they're all romantically interested in her unlike the previous book so she's no longer a passive partipant thank god and there's less of that male gaze feeling.

Her romance with Kai is so sweet, all the barely repressed feelings and longing is exactly what I crave. I honestly do think he's the best fit for her since he actually considers her more of an equal and gives her more autonomy (I know the bar is so low) compared to the others and I do hope they are endgame somehow. Yala's feelings are strong as well since she even considers abandoning propriety for him.

But the fact is that he is the general that defeated her country and there are a lot of conqueror/coloniser overtones which makes their relationship unbalanced so I am a bit apprehensive, this also applies to Takshin.

Since I am biased towards Kai I will say I screamed and was devastated about Yala's impending marriage to Takshin which I have Issues with but the author did say she writes love stories and a lot of signs point to some resolution of their relationship. Here's to hoping they're endgame, I say as I put on my clown makeup


Takshin and Yala, where do I start.. It's clear that author angled Kai and Takshin as the Hero and the Dark Broody Guy and it is an oversimplification but god I have so many issues with Takshin's possessiveness and manipulation of Yala especially with the marriage contract.

I really do empathise with Takshin, he's never had anything go his way and anything he's ever wanted he never got so now he has no expectations of anything nice for himself and Yala is the ray of light in his life but this set up and putting her on a pedestal is not a healthy start to a romantic relationship.

He clearly idealises Yala and his possessiveness ain't cute and it's becoming clearer and clearer that he is very obsessive over her.

My BIGGEST PROBLEM is that marriage contract bc he obviously trapped her into it and I just want to scream bc he knew that it was manipulative but he didn't care and it makes me so mad. I genuinely liked their relationship in the first book and it's clearly platonic to Yala since she always parallels him to her brother Bai multiple times but I'm slowly starting to dislike it more and more since we get all these 'she can fix me' vibes. Absolutely not.

Takshin is controlling, he forbids her to do things that might be dangerous and would restrict her autonomy all for keeping her safe. I get that it's a dangerous environment but when you clearly don't even begin to understand why Yala needs closure with Mahara that's an issue and it's really telling when we end with Kai understanding that Yala won't stop her vengeance bc it's dangerous but warns her that she might not have a choice with Takshin.

It's funny to me how none of the men esp Kai and Tak acknowledge that Yala might have other men interested in her.

Finally, this brings me to Daoyan, the biggest clown of this circus.

He has the audacity to presume Yala is in love with him, is completely shaken when she isn't (and why would she, she hasn't seen you in years and is not some unchanging monolith), decides that even if she objects he will just kidnap her anyway (wtf !!), completely disregards his involvement in Mahara's assassination (tbh still a bit unclear on this) (gonna love it when this news comes out), willfully misinterprets that Yala chose to go with Mahara to Zhaon, and lastly expects that she will be docile and obedient once they're away like she's meant to 🤢🤢. I-

I'm not even going to touch on how stupid it is to go to Zhaon when you're the sole heir to Khir who is on the brink of war with Zhaon AGAIN. He just should put on a jester costume and jingle back home.

Honestly, Yala deserves so much better, she should've been allowed to live her dream life with Mahara in Khir playing kaibok and hawking. It's just what she deserves.


Sorry you had to read all that (🤡🤡) but excited for the final book of the trilogy!!

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kakvoća pisanja ostala je na nivou prvog romana. Lilit Sentkrou prvi je američki pisac koji mi je uverljivo predočio istočnjačku kulturu, ili ikakvu kulturu drugačiju od vanila američke, nakon Perl Bak a delimično i pokojnog Džordana kada govorimo o fantaziji.

Nažalost, radnja "Otrovnog princa" još je sporija nego u prvoj knjizi i odvija se brzinom odokativno narkoleptičnog puža. Štaviše, radnje nešto mnogo i nema. Čitav roman posvećen je nizu tragedija, kao da je spisateljicu ujeo radioaktivni Džordž Martin, pa je rešila da pobije koga stigne, a preživelima zagorča živote do šekspirovoskog nivoa.

Užitak čitanja je zato znatno manji nego ranije, ali iako roman dobija zvezdicu manje, stil, izraz, uopšte spisateljski kvaliteti i vrsna karakterizacija kao i worldbuilding garantuju "Otrovnom princu" mesto među najboljim fantazijama ove godine.

[Min · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book introduced us to the world of Zhaon and Khir, most through the eyes of Yala. With that established, this second book is a study of the personalities and motivations of the many characters in the book.

This book started off slow and heavy, with Yala in the depths of grieving her beloved princess. There was also much time given to Yala's love quadrangle (?) and we got to know Takshin so well in the pages. Something tells me that Yala and Kai are OTP but Takshin's devotion and willingness to do anything for Yala made me melt. Pace shifts into high gear with Tamuron's death around 50-60% in. I've been trying to figure out what exactly he died of - seems to be either kidney or liver disease based on the descriptions of rashes and weird coloured urine.

I loved Yala in this book. She had always been intelligent and dignified, though trapped in the confines of duty and tradition. We see how she has changed since arriving in Zhaon, being more willing to express her wants and needs. There's a scene in which she finally breaks down at the end of the book when Zakkar Kai promises to come to her if she ever required it; and it seemed to me that she had finally reached her emotional boiling point. I hope she reaches some sort of peaceful ending in book 3, she's suffered so many losses in such a short time :(

Takyeo's death hit me hard, why do all the good people die young? To be honest I felt like it was a fitting end, because he would have been unhappy being Emperor with all the scheming and plotting that comes with the position. That is more suited to Kurin, whom we got to know much better in this book. His plotting and interactions with his mother and uncle were fun to read.

Sabwone's story ends with her head being presented to Kurin by a Tabrak emissary. She is a terrible, vapid person and her chapters are painful (in a good way) to read. I found her bravery to hold the city in the face of invasion a little out of character but maybe I am biased. Currently, the Shan storyline seems to only serve the purpose of introducing the Tabrak invasion as an upcoming plot point for Book 3 and I am little disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Suon Kiron.

There's also the ongoing intrigue in Khir. Only 2-3 chapters about it but the implications are mindblowing. We knew from Book 1 that Ashani Zlorih had agreed to have his daughter assassinated to possibly provoke another war, but possibility that he did it with a second purpose of removing his own Chief Minister makes him truly Machiavellian. He wins the award for World's Shittiest Father, with Tamuron taking second place.

Overall, this book was excellent from start to finish. Writing is beautiful which I've come to expect from this author. Many of the storylines are coming together and I'm invested in the fate of even minor characters like Anh. Can't wait to start Book 3!!!

[Tamika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the first book and was super excited to read this one. However, the second one did not live up to its predecessor. I appreciate that the author wants to dig deep into the characters and their personal growth through their relationships with those around them but there is quite a bit of excess for a series that is meant to be a trilogy. I also admired the world-building and court drama in the first book as it was a great set up for an epic fantasy romance, but the second book shouldn’t follow the same structure. It’s great for a first book in a series to slowly build but the second one should carry the tension over to the third which this one did not. I am also a little disappointed that there are fairly long chapters about small conversations and very short chapters on important events-especially near the end. Although I found many chapters holding my attention (Yala’s Ride among them), I felt that the final events of the book could have been better explored and the excess POV chapters cut from the book while still maintaining the story.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find sometimes that the stories I most enjoy are the ones I have the hardest time describing, and this is one of those. I’ve loved this series. This second book follows directly from the first and interestingly shares some of its structure. It continues the deep level of court intrigue in the halls of an empire potentially about to fracture. I took my time reading this one as I just love spending time in the world, a fantasy without any apparent magic that feels more like an historical drama set in an alternate world. And, as with the first book, I found it increasingly difficult to pace myself the closer I got to the end, as the pace began picking up, the chapters shortening, and all the different elements coming together to something. Obviously it won’t be the ending climax as there’s another book in the series not yet out. But it does have a strong ending, as did the first, and it leaves me very much wanting to read the next chapter in the story. I can’t wait for the third book to be released. This is a series I could see myself rereading one day.

[Ash | Wild Heart Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yala's future is uncertain, alone in a foreign court and her princess gone, she doesn't know where she belongs. With the Emperor on his death bed those that would seize his power play endless, deadly games to ensure they'll be victorious. While Zhaon is distracted with internal turmoil forces gather outside it's borders.

I picked up The Poison Prince and was hit about the same time with a reading slump so it took me several months to finish this. But don't let that concern you because the slump was not remotely related to the book. I cannot tell you how overjoyed I was to finally get to finish this book. As soon as I turned the final page I was hit with that bone deep satisfaction that comes from finishing a great book.

All my favourite characters were in fine form in The Poison Prince, delving even deeper into their loyalties, their honour and the things they'll do for the ones they love or the power they seek. I have to say some of them surprised me, showing different sides we hadn't seen before. Some of these may or may not have had me wanting to throw the book across the room - WHAT DO THEY THINK THEY ARE DOING?! But at the same time I loved it because they are stagnant 2D characters, they keep you guessing.

The only things that stopped me giving The Poison Prince five stars is that it felt like the end was a tad rushed. There were certain storylines I would have loved to see expanded, if only so we could get more story.

I'm a little out of practice with my reviews and this definitely isn't one of my better ones because I mainly want to shake it and say read this book when people ask why they should pick something up (wanting to share my love of something and being unable to succinctly articulate why I love it is a curse I tell you).

...All you must do is send me word. Tell me, the Moon wishes it, and I shall come to for you no matter what. I will leave any battle, any station, and I will do whatever is required.

This review and more can be found at https://wildheartreads.wordpress.com/

[Jessica H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I really loved this book but I am having a hard time pinpointing what I liked about it. The plot was soooo slow to start. 150 pages in and nothing had happened yet. I had to pay close attention and still couldn't remember all of the pertinent players. The romance is so restrained and tame. All of the males are so respectful and reverent of the lady in waiting that everyone seems to want despite being told time and time again she is not beautiful. I would understand if you read this book and get annoyed.
Despite these flaws, I just wanted more and never wanted to put the book down! The plot does pick up and the most important characters are easy enough to sort out as you read. The romance is so angsty because it is so restrained (there has not even been a kiss!) I don't know what about it works so well, the time period, the story, the characters or the writing but I know it works for me. I can't wait for the next book and I will buy it when it comes out in March. I made myself some notes so that I can just jump right back into the world.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two of a rather complex series, extremely unwise to start here. Yala remains in a foreign country, with the princess she was sent to serve dead and the emperor dying. As the political situation (six and a half princes) becomes increasingly unstable, Yala remains in order to discover who ordered the assassination that killed the princess.

I think this book struggled with second book syndrome a bit. The first book was a court intrigue focused more on conversations and subtle maneuvers than on flashy action, which naturally causes a leisurely pace. The second book follows suit, but there’s no momentum; we seem to just be spinning fruitlessly in place. For instance, Yala’s central motivation is supposed to be searching for assassins, but she never actually does much about it except talk about how important it is. Plausible for someone in deep grief, but not very exciting as a plot.

Not as good as the first book, but still a cunningly designed intrigue plot with gorgeously detailed worldbuilding and a wide cast of interesting characters plotting against each other.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a great deal; in some ways it's even better than the first one (much stronger focus on the things that it's doing, rather than flitting all over the place to establish setting and character and dynamics) but I still found myself a little dissatisfied in some elements (such strong focus on the doing that it didn't indulge in the subtle tea-drinking poetry-quoting quite as much; plus Sabwone's storyline feels like it had to skip several key developments toward the end there, and I actually would have loved more balance). Still a magnificent piece of court-drama/political-intrigue fantasy, and what a heart-rend of an ending on the emotional arc for Yala! Love it, love the idea we're heading for a GGK-esque level of tragic stand-off there, but also love Yala starting to come into her own. (Team Takshin? Team Kai? Honestly, I love them both, but for half of the book I was seriously on Team Takyeo. The Khir twerp can obviously get in the bin.)

[Maša · Rating 4 out of 5]

6 princes. 1 throne.

500 pages of descriptions, glances, topknots and sleeve-holding and then we gallop to the dramatic ending. I am enjoying myself a lot, even though we have more of a good/bad guys and gals going going on than in the first book, which is a shame.
Quite refreshing book, I am looking forward to the next one, if there are going to be any characters left alive. For the book this slow, it sure has lots of death.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel, there's some really good exploration of the pov characters and more development of the slow burn romance. The worldbuilding details are exquisite and i recommend the series for people who love court intrigue in their fantasy, with a fresh feeling being set in an Asian inspired world.

[DemetraP · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to read book 1 before you read this book, book 2. You will be lost otherwise. The author makes it very clear that you have to read book 1.

There is a lot of developments with the Empire and Emperor in book 2. A lot of shocking character deaths, a lot of wars with different countries brewing on the horizon.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
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...........................I was hoping for more romance in book 2. In book 1 we discovered that Zakkar Kai (the general) and the Third Prince Takshin both wanted Yala to marry them. Yala only knew that Zakkar wanted to marry her and told him in this book she needed to ask her father but if she was free to choose, she would marry him.

We find out later in the book that Takshin DOES NOT KNOW his brother already asked Yala to marry him. Takshin loves her. In book 1 he stepped in front of a whip for her after she carried a knife to protect her princess. He has a permanent scar for protecting her. In book 1, Zakkar saved Yala from an assassin and after Yala killed him, disposed of the body for her. So both brothers have proven their worth.

Takshin got his dying elder brother, Mahara's widowed husband, Takyeo to write a permission of marriage for Yala. BUT HE LIED. Takshin never asked Takyeo before he died. Takyeo already knew that Zakkar wanted to marry Yala, but never knew about Takshin. So much drama.

Yala agrees to marry Takshin and signs her name on the marriage permission. Then she tells Zakkar she has to marry Takshin since it was Takyeo's dying wish. ONLY IT WASN'T.

Oh and the bastard prince from Khir, also wants to marry Yala. But she refuses to leave until she finds the murderer of her princess.

The book ends with Sabwone's severed head thrown at the feet of the new emperor, Kurin. Naturally he is upset his sister is dead.

[DebGaines · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a bit surprising, given that the emperor was dying at the end of book 1, that it took most of book 2 for him to breathe his last. The pacing is a bit off overall — slow and meandering at the beginning, speeding to breathlessly eventful in the last 50 pages. But Yala, Kai, and Takshin create a compelling triangle (the fourth, Khir side is so far just a cipher) and the writing, when it is good (Yala’s ride and the last ten pages, for instance), is very good. Imo more attention should have been paid to the new emperor and to the women in general; they are sketches that badly need fleshing out. Sabwone in particular comes to mind — I wish I cared about her even a little bit or found her anything but annoying. Still, the ending took my breath away, and the three main characters are compelling. I look forward to the final volume.

[Beth]

Dammit more kleenex needed.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the ending of book 1, I was excited to see what happens next in this series. This starts shortly after book 1, and follows our characters as they navigate an even more tense political situation within the court and empire. While book 1 has bursts of good action among all the political intrigue, this had very little action, and was all politics. The characters continue to shine in this series, and I have been so invested in the romance in this series. I enjoyed this book a lot, but not quite as much as book 1. Based off the endings of book 1 and 2, I'm not sure if this series can have any type of happy ending! If book 3 is just as good as the first two books, this will be a new favorite series.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Poison Prince didn't work as well for me as The Throne of the Five Winds, much to my frustration. The first half dragged, after the events of the last book. I can understand it since Yala and Takyeo are both immured in grief, and there is little to do but wait for the Emperor to die. It still took the wind from my sails as a reader. I appreciate that the narrative used Auntie Nijera (among other characters) to explore the tension between the injustice of forced marriage and the collective desire for Sabwone to bear it, though at least for my part, I didn't require a last stand, or a brutal death, to ennoble her. In general, I think the unlikeable characters are deftly drawn. I empathized with Dao and First Queen Gamwone, even as I found their behaviour repugnant. Much as I enjoy both the writing and the characters, the plot/structure hewed too closely to the first book's. It might function as a callback to have Takyeo die at more-or-less the same point that Mahara did, but it struck me as repetitive--another inevitability that does little except set the stage for the finale and frustrate our heroes. I realized that the series would likely remain focused on the characters' personal investments and relations, rather than the larger scope of political conflict. Despite rich world-building, there's comparatively little attention to the geopolitics and history and death--or the threat of death--is responsible for much of the action. It begins to feel like a blunt instrument as The Poison Prince wears on and even more so because there are other options, left just out of reach. The second instalment in S.C. Emmett's Hostage of Empire fell short of its potential, but it's worth a read.

[C. S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars is almost too much. Maybe 3.75? It was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be, definitely not as good as the first book in the series. Like other reviewers have said, the pacing was off. I completely agree that there was no need for more slow, leisurely chapters about people having tea and thinking, thinking, thinking. And then suddenly ACTION. Also, if I never see the term "head-meat" again, it'll be too soon.

Not entirely convinced the subplot with Sabwone worked. I think it would have been more of a shock if she had simply disappeared in this book, only to show up dead at the end. She was unlikeable, showed no real growth, and why did we have to get to know all those characters if they were all just going to die? Odd choice.

Yala/Kai/Takshin/Dao. I feel certain things will get resolved with Yala and Kai - I hope that's where she's headed because I'm a bit tired of Yala being ordered around by men who have no idea who she is. She's such a fantastic character, I can even forgive her Mary Sue-ness because it's not so overt, despite 3 men being in love with her.

And while I love the subtleties of the writing and was entranced by the first book, in this one something were maybe too subtle. I didn't connect that Takyeo "retiring to the country" = abdication until about 3/4 of the way through the book. It simply wasn't obvious.

Despite the roughness, I'll be reading the 3rd installment because I'm so curious as to what will happen next.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a terrific follow-up to the first. Looking forward to more to come.

One aspect of Emmett's style made the book harder for me to read. Emmett has a tendency to write a line of dialogue then several paragraphs of information (a character's thoughts about why they said what they did or how they reacted to what they heard) before the next line. The result was that I was frequently backtracking - sometimes at much as a page - to recall what it was I had just read was responding to.

The plotting and scheming for the throne is intriguing. The characters are fully drawn and their motives are understandable. This is a well-thought and fully-realized world. As complicated and interesting as Game of Thrones. I don't know why this isn't more popular than it is.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel to The Throne Of The Five Winds, which needs to be read first.

More fiendish plotting, misunderstanding and missed opportunities amongst the familiar cast of characters, with some unexpected twists, and a few heartbreaking reveals.

Book three is due in December 2021, it's going to be a long wait!

Recommended to fans of Guy Gavriel Kay.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had been awhile since I read the first book but I quickly picked up on the characters and the plot again. I absolutely love Komor Yala-strong, loyal and feminine. I feel like this book was a long set-up for the next book in terms of major events-the rise of the Horde, Yala's love conflict and the rise of the new Emperor. Definitely looking forward to the next in the series.

[Lauren Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agree with other reviewers, the pacing was really strange and some POVs felt redundant by the end but I'm keen to see where this goes and love the main characters.

[henri reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am in Pain and like 97% sure this won't end the way i want it to :)

[Magpie6493 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book pretty much the same as i did the first one. Oddly enough you'd think with the shorter length of this one that they'd be more room for action. Not that this is nessesarilly a problem I still immensely enjoyed the character moments its just a little odd that so much happened off screen.

On the subject of kai it felt a bit weird that he was so absent from this book when he held such province in the last one. I maybe would have even appreciated the book being a but longer so his storyline could be a bit better handled.

On the subject of Yala she was still awesome in this book. My one thing would be is that some of her flip flopping between kai and Takshin got a little confusing at the end esspecially considering the last scene she had with him. I still am kknd of rooting for yakshin but he did take a bit of a weirdly toxic turn in regards to his feelings at the end. Still I do absolutely love his character still and im very interested in the direction things are going to take in the next book.

Still no disclaimer or clear acknowledgment of the culture being used in this. Hopefully something will happen with the next one given how much this series is criticized.

Thankfully this time j was used to all of the characters and didn't get confused. I still would have realy appreciated there being a character list somewhere in the book itself.

My final negative thing to say with this book is that it almost feels as if the first princess was given a bit too much page time considering what her ending amounted to. I was expecting so much more or for something epic to happen and.... well I was a little disappointed on that regard. Her passages however were still quite enjoyable. I just feel they probably could have gone towards developing other characters or making some events a bit clearer.

That all being said I still enjoyed this book more than immensely and I've seen very few works actually pull of subtle political intrigue well. This book read like a historical drama and I was so here for it.

[Aija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me at that ending: what the f***??????

Enjoyment of this was easy 5 stars again, and the few things that bothered me were rather insignificant in the larger scale of the story. Mostly Yala's slightly smaller role bothered me, but not too much. I have questions about Kiron's choices and what happened to him, but I hope the last book answers those questions. Everything else though held my attention, though I must ask the author why she loves killing off my favorite characters so much. One of the deaths in this book made me so sad - he deserved so much more, but narratively it's such a good move to do that.

The political intrigue is still great, though I feel like the Shan perspective was a bit lacking what with the time skips near the end and the suddenness of the scenes. I still love Takshin and Makar, also; especially Takshin, who is so caring underneath his rough exterior. All in all, enjoyed this thoroughly, and the developing love "triangle" didn't bother me as much here as it did in the first book (which I also rated 5 stars).

[Volpot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I have really mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it is well written and the world building fantastic. On the other hand, the book is primarily focused on the political and social dynamics of a relatively small number of characters with little action occurring. Moreover, much of the conflict in the book stems from a story technique I detest: characters all keeping secrets, often for no reasonable purpose, which if they only revealed to their friends/family/love interests would make their lives much easier. But then the "conflict", upon which the book is focused, would vanish. I am going to read the last book in the trilogy, but I hope something improves.

[Tim McCanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I had to agree with another reviewer that this book (this series) is hard to describe. I started it soon after book 1 of the series. They are maybe part homage to Asian historical melodramas? The attention to certain details were criticized by a reviewer for the first book but, for me, seemed to be necessary to understand how one’s hair, hand positioning, etc., showed how honor and social position were displayed. These were like close-ups if watching a video of the story.
I found myself moved emotionally by a number of the characters as they work through tough situations and decisions.
Warning, though, they are over 500 pages each but still move quickly.

[Laverne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Everything done well in The Throne of the Five Winds is on even better display here - court politics and character intrigue. The plot, though slower in some ways, is a mix of clear cut decisions and uncertain machinations which left me guessing who was behind which assassination attempt. The inclusion of other POVs further built the world without the confusion of book 1. And now with a love triange/square?, any little act may have a butterfly effect that will change everything and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the second Hostage of Empire novel more than the first, although it still has some of the flaws I wrote about when I reviewed The Throne of the Five Winds. It takes a long time to get going, the first half was slow and mostly set up. There are fewer assassination attempts in this one (though there are still some), so that was an improvement on Book 1, at least.

I'll probably read the last book when it's out in December.

[Theresa Varney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED the first book and was so excited to read the second book, but this one just doesn’t live up to the first one.
It seems a whole lot of nothing happens in the first 3/4 of the book and everything happens in the last 1/4. It could have been WAY shorter, or the author could have made a majority of the book more entertaining.
All in all, it was ok.
I’ll definitely read the next one, because I want to know how it ends, but this book was definitely underwhelming :/

[asdfghl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series confirmed

Like one awesome asian drama at some court or another, I’m always in love with Yala and the genuine mess she got herself into this time. Truly a mess, but a juicy political one with an awesome cast, some sweet battles and lush descriptions. Book 3 when???