Series: Ruined #2
Author: Amy Tintera
Published May 2nd 2017 by HarperTeen
Goodreads Synopsis
A war that will fuel her. A bond that will destroy her.
Emelina Flores has come home to Ruina. After rescuing her sister, Olivia, from imprisonment in rival kingdom Lera, Em and Olivia together vow to rebuild Ruina to its former glory.
But just because Em and Olivia are out of Lera doesn’t mean they are safe. Their actions over the past year have had consequences, and they are now targets of retaliation. Olivia will destroy everyone who acts against Ruina. Em isn’t as sure.
Ever since Em posed as Prince Casimir’s betrothed in Lera, she’s started to see another side to this war. Lera may have destroyed the Ruined for decades, but Em knows that Cas is different. And now that he’s taken the throne, Em believes a truce is within reach. But Olivia suspects that Em’s romantic feelings for Cas are just coloring her judgement.
Em is determined to bring peace to her home. But when winning the war could mean betraying her family, she faces an impossible choice between loyalty and love. Em must stay one step ahead of her enemies—and her blood—before she’s the next victim in this battle for sovereignty.
Goodreads
Review
I adored the first book in this series, so when my copy of Avenged arrived, I dove right in. Now that Emelina has saved her sister, and returned her people to Ruina, she finds herself somewhat regretting her actions. Olivia is nothing like she remembered - she's cruel, and wants nothing more than to punish the Lerans, and anyone who is against Ruina, or at least, who Olivia thinks is against them. Em is conflicted, because her time in Lera, pretending to be Cas's fiancee has shown her that not all of the Lerans are evil, but she has to hide that from her sister, because Olivia thinks it's Em's romantic feelings clouding her judgement, and anyway, she won't let anything get in her way. Olivia is the rightful queen, and though Em has done what she can to help recover Ruina, and it's people, the fact remains that Em has no power, and is basically a second class citizen, at least in the eyes of some of the hardcore Ruined.
I really enjoyed this book, and Em just endeared herself to me even more. After the diarchy - dual monarchy - was announced, we saw Em use her diplomacy and tact that she had developed over the years, to counterbalance Olivia's hate and ruthlessness. Cas has been trying to keep a hold on Lera, but when his vindictive cousin, Jovita, starts to plot against him, and he is poisoned, he has to flee, and is found by Em, who saves him. They start to plan a peace treaty, between their two nations, but Olivia is actively against it, and the Ruined force Cas to have to flee again. The action is fast paced, and on every single page, and Em has to use everything she has to survive and protect those she cares about the most.
In this book, I think I loved Em even more than I had in Ruined. She has matured and developed just like I thought she would, and because of her being treated as useless to the Ruined, and especially when compared with Olivia, she can't rely on her own power. She constantly has to prove to people why she deserves to be one of the Queens, and though she is the better monarch, a lot of people don't agree with her. Cas is fantastic too, facing nearly as much pressure as Em is, and their love and affection for each other is there as much as it was in book 1, but developing into something stronger and more tangible.
Olivia is just a crazy, ticking time bomb, and this book definitely starts setting the ground work for the final book, Allied. She is someone we need to keep and eye on, and I hope Em is able to stop her before it's too late.
Dates Read:
Rating
5 Stars
