Luckily, the series opener is a strong start, so readers will be grateful for the short wait before Book 2. Kozloff’s debut is the first of four Nine Realms books, and Tor plans to publish them over just four months. Thinking Cerúlia will be safer away from her mother, Cressa takes the girl to a kind peasant family and adjusts their memories so they believe Cerúlia is their adopted daughter. Fearing for her daughter’s life and her own, Cressa takes Cerúlia and flees. Cressa uses her Talent, which actually extends to forcing anyone to tell her the truth, to root out traitors among the aristocracy, led by the power-hungry Lord Matwyck.
When Cerúlia’s many pets warn her about assassins creeping into the royal chambers, the girl is able to save herself and her mother. Cerúlia, however, appears to have none, because surely her insistence that she can talk to animals is only her young imagination running wild. Cressa herself is able to meddle with memories, for example, and her mother possessed supernatural strategic abilities that served her well in battle. The people of Weirandale worship a water spirit, Nargis, who grants each queen a special gift called a Talent. Queen Cressa of Weirandale is worried about her 8-year-old daughter, the “princella” Cerúlia. It's amazing that the voice for each character (no matter how minor) can evoke so much of their personality, background, and emotion.A queen and her young daughter are forced to separate and go into hiding when a corrupt politician tries to take over the kingdom. As discussed in my previous reviews of books 1 and 2, the narrator has massive theatrical talent and acting chops. Bravo! I didn't lose interest for a moment! At the end of book 3, my anticipation for this tale's conclusion has ratcheted to new heights!! I really like the overall pace of this series, and feel that each portion of the MC's life and the political climate/events of the world around her were presented in such a way that was both easily followed/understood and kept a listener riveted. Luckily, such was not the case here! I was surprised at how well Sarah Kozloff handled these events and pushed the story forward at a comfortable, reasonable, and believable pace.
Initially, as we get into the meat of the MC's journey in this book, I was dreading a long, drawn-out recovery like that in Book 2 of Megan Whalen Turner's "The Queen's Thief" series. Not really "new" MC, but one that has to overcome harsh trials and build herself back up again, which can be gathered both from the third installment's title, and where book 2 left us.
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