Queen of Reckoning by Jill Williamson and Kelly Fernlake is a thrilling adventure that echoes the excitement of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The book’s rapid pacing and dialogue-heavy nature immediately captivated me, thanks to its outstanding world-building. As someone who has visited Er’retz in prior books, I appreciated this new story on Jaelport’s happenings during the queen’s current rule.

I found her playful exchanges with Lovell to be both amusing and charged with an undeniable romantic energy. Mandzee and Lovell were a wonderfully frustrating and entertaining pair, perfectly suited for each other. I was most captivated by the evolution of their relationship, a journey that started in an earlier narrative. Lovell’s dry wit and sarcasm added to his charm only because of his hidden heroic streak. (Don’t get me started on his ‘friendship’ with the queen’s eunuch!) The male characters in this woman-dominant world were great.

I fully enjoyed the suspense inherent in the competition aspect of the story and the undercurrent of betrayal between the mages. The mystery kept me guessing, leaving me with questions until the final moments. The element of surprise in the form of a who-dun-it turned out to be a welcome and pleasant change. At first, I found the story’s spiritual warfare element chillingly vivid in a disturbing way. Yet, it was artfully restrained and enhanced the redemption arc with a powerful literary punch. The concluding part of the story added beautiful, layered takeaways to the Armor of God scriptures. This book can be read on its own, but readers who have been immersed in this fantasy world will definitely get more out of it.

I received a complimentary copy from the author but was not required to leave a review. All opinions expressed are my own. Click on the book cover for the synopsis and purchase link.

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