The Prince's Son: The Five Kingdoms: Book Two Kindle Edition

The second book in a series, The Prince’s Son picks up where the first book left off. Rustam Chalice is once again in the thick of things as he leads a bridal caravan delivering the older of twins to her intended. Nessa, the younger twin, joins her sister for the journey, along with their maid and friend, Enya. What starts off as a simple journey soon twists into nightmarish proportions, especially for the girls when they are abducted by a vile clan chief.As in the first novel, I was enthralled by the deftness of the author’s writing, her ability to weave scenes that keep me on pins and needles, and a plot that leaves the reader eagerly flipping the pages. Whether Jay is writing a beautiful descriptive passage or one rife with danger and raw brutality, her talent places the reader in the heart of the scene. She did an excellent job of wringing emotion from me. I alternately cheered, recoiled, wept, and felt the same broken, joyous, or determined fortitude of the characters. Some are truly abhorrent, and the author didn’t shy from showing that side of them. Others, heroic, complex, resilient. The relationship between Rustam and Lady Risada will always be the heart of the story for me, but there are layers upon layers of plot threads in this deftly built world. There are several surprises in store, plus a wonderful “comeuppance” for one of the more loathsome characters. I’m looking forward to continuing the journey in book three!

I always worry a bit when starting book 2 of a trilogy because the middle book can sometimes 'sag'. The Prince's Son did /not/ sag.The action begins two years after the end of book 1, The Prince's Man, and Rustam Chalice is back, but this time he shares the story with twins Julin and Neesa. Julin is the older of the twins and is being escorted to an arranged marriage by Rusty when she and her twin are abducted by a band of Tylocians in the mountains. Because of the curse associated with younger twins, Neesa saves Julin from a forced 'marriage' to the Tylocian chieftain, Keavok, by pretending to be the older twin. Unfortunately, this mean she is the one forced to endure her wedding night as wife number 4.The story slips seamlessly between Rusty's perspective as he tries to rescue the twins, and Neesa's perspective as she grows from callow child to powerful woman in the mountains of Tyloc. As always, magic is part of the world they all inhabit, and magic manifests in many different ways.I can't say more without giving too much of the story away, but the politics, world-building and plot are just as solid as in book 1. The only reason I gave book 2 four stars is because I wished Neesa would not vacillate so much. Given how young she was at the start of the story, that is possibly a little unfair, but the author spoiled me with the Lady Risada who is a superb female character.I will definitely be reading book 3 and I recommend the entire series to anyone who loves grown up fantasy.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Prince's Man, Book 1 of this series, and enjoyed Book 2, The Prince's Son, even more. It expanded beautifully on Jay's already solid worldbuilding and excellent character development, and. I was totally immersed in the plot. I especially enjoyed the growth shown by the returning characters, as well as the fun of meeting some very appealing and interesting new ones.If you love fantasy with plenty of magic, characters you can root for, and others you can feel free to detest, The Prince's Son is right up your alley, but be sure to read Book 1 first. Even though The Prince's Son can probably stand alone, the foundation for the main characters, especially the hero, Rustam Chalice, is formed in that first book. Now that I've read both Books 1 and 2, I can hardly wait for Book 3! A solid 5 stars for The Prince's Son, and a fervent hope that Deborah Jay is writing the next book just as fast as she can!

Exciting and suspenseful, this book juxtaposes the beautiful and the horrific. A note: it does contain graphic violence against women (and men) and some sexual violence. Sooo, probably not for your 12 year old. This is the second in this series, and I've already purchased the third, so bye! Gotta go read it!

Rustam is conveying Nessa and Julin to a neighboring country for Julin's wedding. The twins are kidnapped by bandents from the hill tribes.Characterization and plotting are excellent.

This story is a strong continuation of The Prince's Man, by the same author, but can stand aloneAs with the first volume, the author has given us complex characters, a memorable story, and great world-building. I thought the first volume was a bit better, but that's no denigration of this one.This is a good, entertaining read with lots of originality. And THANK YOU to the author for the lack of errors and grammar that mar so many books these days!

This series is off to a great start with The Prince's Man and The Prince's son. Fantasy with spy thriller combo. While no fairies have yet appeared we have other magical and wizarding creatures, plus elves and their realm, elementals, assassins, deadly dancing masters and sorcerous nuns. Looking forward to the continuing saga.

Hard to put down! A mystical story of love, battles and humour with characters full of depth. Love Nessa, a strong and feisty gem! Great to read a book written by a knowledgeable writer. I now wait with baited breath for the next book.

I read the first in this series quite some time ago so found the first chapter or so a bit confusing while I worked out who was who and what was going on but by the time I was a third through I was hooked!There are so many imaginative twists and turns, not at all the usual "Happy ever after tale" I loved the "Gem Eye" characters as I think they are quite unique, I certainly had never come across them before. Definitely a five star fantasy tale with some pretty gritty but gripping story lines. Any reader though, if you haven't already, needs to read the first book in the series to get to know the characters.I am waiting "impatiently" for the next in the series

Deborah’s second book is where I started! Bit silly but I’ve now purchased 1 & 3 so that would reflect my interest in the characters. I loved the magical / fantasy side of it. I only read at bed time and struggled to put the book down and go to sleep. The main characters go through some harrowing incidents and discuss how they feel within their own situation and how to move on from them. Brilliant Read xx

I found the first book through a BookBub recommendation, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it – so much so that I immediately bought The Prince’s Son! I was not disappointed in any way – the plot continuation/development/extension gave me a real ‘page-turner with a plot and characters fitting for such a fantasy world, giving the books a very readable and almost believable quality. Is there another book in the pipeline? Please !!!!!!

Started reading this after finishing Book One and struggled to put it down. Brilliant how threads of the story came together leaving the reader wanting more. Great balance of loss and gain with heroic moments from so many characters.

Another great flight of fantasy. Enough references to first story to jog my memory but very much its own story too. Great imagination, can't wait to see how the series pans out. Roll on number 3!