Fans of Morgan Rice, are you ready for another action packed adventure? If you are, then buckle your seat belts and hold on tight, because her newest novel in the Kings and Sorcerers series Rise of the Valiant is a wild ride. Filled with non-stop action, this sequel is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover, as you continue to follow Kyra and her friends through Escalon, fighting for their freedom. If you haven’t read the first novel in the series yet, check out my review here, but if you have and you’ve read the first book, keep reading to find out more about this exhilarating sequel. To read my review on the first novel of the Kings and Sorcerers series, go here.
It begins by thrusting the reader into the story with Kyra and her father, minutes after the first novel. The enemy soldiers are burned to a crisp by Theo’s on the battlefield and Kyra is among the victorious. As Theo’s turns Kyra away and leaves her behind, Kyra and her father Duncan are faced with the reality that this means war, and they can either hide and wait to be killed by the Pandesian King, or they can fight before he has time to gather his armies. Choosing to fight, the two separate, with Kyra and Diedre headed to the tower of Ur and Duncan heading towards Kos, where the legendary men of Kos are. Duncan hopes to gain their help in the battle to come. Meanwhile, Merk is finding his own way to the Tower of Ur, while Alec and Marco are headed to Ur themselves.
Rice leaves no time to sit back and relax with her newest novel, it dives straight into the action, with Duncan going south to fight another battle and seize another fort and with Kyra fighting to get to her Uncle at the Tower of Ur with Diedre, Leo, and Andor, her new and mighty steed. Immediately our protagonists are faced with conflicts, both from enemies they face and their own inner turmoil. Such as Theos’ inner conflict of whether to help Kyra and be by her side, or find his hatchling, which is lost in Escalon. And the very big conflict to come, but not just from Pandesia in the south, for something looms from the north, making it’s way past The Flames.
With all the conflict and turmoil, you might wonder, where is there time for characterization? Where is the time for us to really learn who these characters are as people? But Rice achieves the goal of making her characters realistic and personable, while facing conflict along their journeys. For Kyra, it’s the sadness of losing a traveling companion and the elation she feels when he finds his way back to her. For Diedre and Kyra, it’s the choice of whether to save others or leave them to their fate. For Duncan, it’s the choice of his men or his country, and whether to leave a man behind or not and for Kyra’s little brother Aidan faces his challenges in the woods with a mutt at his side.
Full of excitement and thrills, Rise of the Valiant is a fun read, that keeps the readers engaged from beginning to end. Rice is setting up for an amazing series to rival series such as Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness, with her strong female protagonist making waves in her world and building the confidence of young women in ours.
Morgan Rice is the USA Today bestselling author of three #1 bestselling series, with her newest series quickly rising to the top. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter to discover the newest updates from Morgan herself. Three of her books are currently available for free on Amazon kindle, including Rise of the Dragons, which precedes Rise of the Valiant. Check out her website for more details. http://www.morganricebooks.com
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