Genre: Fantasy, YA, LGBTQ
Reviewer: Estora
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About The Book
The epic LGBTQ fantasy continues in a world on the brink of war.
King Anden of Vindra is the last of his line. His lords demand he take a wife and secure the future of the realm – but where does that leave Sir River Fox? As their romance is tested like never before, an enemy stirs across the sea, threatening everything they hold dear.
Meanwhile, in the city of Corsi, the Berossian Quarter teeters on the edge of catastrophe. Xenophobia and religious zealotry are at a breaking point, and when the simmering hatred finally erupts, the consequences will shake the continent.
From the sacred peaks of Oracle Mountain to the pirate isles of Jorva, from the shipyard of Tideford to the opulent Jade Citadel, book two of the CELESTIA trilogy is a sweeping tale of love, loyalty, and the cost of power.
The Review
This review contains spoilers for the first book in the Celestia Trilogy, Prince of Dawn – so make sure to read my review for it before diving in to this one!
Anden is now King of Vindra, but winning a throne isn’t the same as keeping it. Half of the battle is in keeping the tenuous support of his lords; the other half of the battle is that he is aware now, more than ever, that his romance with River is under scrutiny from all angles. Under pressure to marry and produce an heir, rule strongly, and keep the loyalty of his people, Anden has started to act rashly and out of desperation – the consequences of which will affect everyone he holds dear.
Lord of Dust, the second book in the Celestia Trilogy by Nicola Zhang, does everything a good sequel should. It expands the world, complicates the political machinations at play, and puts our favourite characters through the wringer. Anden and River love each other, but their duties and the political tensions are driving a wedge between them – and Anden’s rashness in the heat of battle has devastating consequences.
Colleen, the princess of Flavia, has already been through more than a young woman her age should have to go through, and yet her trials continue – which she faces with steel and resolve, even when her heart is battered from all sides.
And Mara. Oh, Mara. Anden’s cousin, the daughter of the murdered regent, is tested beyond the furthest reaches of her faith in the gods. The sequence in Corsi when a spark ignites the tinderbox of tensions and fury in the city at the Berossian refugees and immigrants was quite possibly the most haunting and horrifyingly visceral scenes I’ve ever read.
This was a difficult story, and the characters have many more challenges to overcome. War is looming, and blood is owed to the gods. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait long – the third book in the trilogy, Queen of Blood, is coming out soon, and I can’t wait to read it.
The Reviewer
Estora is a long-time reader and writer of LGBT+ speculative fiction.
