In this epic fantasy sequel, Heloise stands tall against overwhelming odds―crippling injuries, religious tyrants―and continues her journey from obscurity to greatness with the help of alchemically-empowered armor and an unbreakable spirit.

No longer just a shell-shocked girl, she is now a figure of revolution whose cause grows ever stronger. But the time for hiding underground is over. Heloise must face the tyrannical Order and win freedom for her people. 

Well, fuck. Just…oof. The Armored Saint was a book that managed to do in just over 200 pages what some fantasy novels take 600+ pages to accomplish. It was dark & beautiful & gut-wrenching & violent & hopeful…Myke Cole painted such a vivid picture of this world & its inhabitants. That book completely stunned me, and The Queen of Crows is every bit as good, if not better. This book completely cements The Sacred Throne trilogy as one of my all-time favorites, and the third book isn’t even out yet!

The Queen of Crows picks up very shortly after The Armored Saint, with Heloise and the villagers of Lutet once again facing the relentless threat of the Order. Heloise has gained a bit more confidence inside the war machine she controls, and her small village now looks to her to protect them. 

But apparently Myke Cole is a goddamn monster, because things go horribly, horribly wrong. Honestly, the first two chapters of this book are as nightmarishly brutal as anything I’ve ever read. The violence is cringe-inducing, an so utterly heartbreaking. As I was reading, there was just a constant stream of “No, no, no, oh no, fuck, oh my fucking god, NOOOOOO, why, stop it, no, NO!!!” running through my head.

Forced to flee & desperate for allies, the villagers spend time with the Traveling People, a  nomadic matriarchal society. Heloise is such a charismatic & honest character, and it’s great to see her interacting with folks from cultures different from her own.

As always, reviewing the second book in a series and keeping it spoiler-free remains a challenge for me. What I can say is that The Queen of Crows is masterfully written, emotional as hell, and compulsively readable. This is the type of book you don’t want to put down at the end of the night! I really have no doubt that when The Sacred Throne is complete, it will sit beside The First Law, The Broken Empire, and The Book of the Ancestor as one of my very favorite fantasy series. All the fucking stars in the world for The Queen of Crows!! 

Massive thanks to TOR.COM Publishing for sending me a copy!! The Queen of Crows releases September 18th!!