The Blood King

This second book in a cycle was as irresistible as the first. I think I talked myself out of spending the money on it four times before I walked out of the bookstore with The Blood King in a bag. Every page drew me onward in the continuing adventures of Tris and his friends. I also liked how there was more from other perspectives than just around Tris in this book. I enjoyed when the group started to split up and there were several chapters detailing the specific adventures of Soterius and Mikhail, Tris and Carina, Vahanian and Kiara...and Jared and Arontala. Those were a bit...gruesome and grim, but they really did add to the story.

The Blood King, by Gail Martin, is the second installment in the Chronicles of the Necromancer.

Following the events in The Summoner, Tris has been training his magical skills and has tried to remain hidden from his brother, Jared, the usurper of his father’s throne. Tris and his growing number of friends and supporters devise a plan to stand against Jared and his dark mage Arontala. But Tris must make sure he’s strong enough to overcome Arontala, for the dark mage plans to release the Obsidian King. And if the Obsidian King were to take control of Tris, a summoner, the evil king would be unstoppable.

The Blood King is an exciting sequel. Most of the novel revolves around the adventures of Tris and his party gathering more support show more and just staying alive. With colorful characters (alive, dead, and undead) and truly evil bad guys, Martin has created a wonderful world of magic and wonder. At a daunting, 624 pages, I was surprised how quickly I read this riveting story. And I was truly disappointed that it had to end. show less

This book actually concludes a story arc started in the previous book. Prince Martris "Tris" Drayke has to learn how to control his abilities with the dead, raise an army and try to wrest control from his brother, Jared, and his co-conspirator Foor Arontala, a dark mage.

I found myself drawn in by the story and eagerly awaiting time I could read more of it, there were times when it lagged a bit and sometimes it was a bit predictable but I cared about the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next. Knowing that there were more books in the sequence I was surprised that this arc concluded fairly quickly, now I'm curious as to what is going to happen next with the characters and their lives.

Tris is a good character, but I show more really loved Kiara, who kicked ass and took names very successfully throughout, and has a miniature dragon, how cool is that?

I'm looking forward to more in this series, it isn't earth-shatteringly good but it's very readable. show less

Pros: quick read, variety of action, good pay off, complex plans

Cons: some unnecessary repetition

Tris and his friends have made it to Principality City and gained several powerful allies, but if Tris wants to claim the Margolan throne and right his half-brother’s wrongs, he’ll have to assemble an army and master his summoner abilities.

As with the first book, there’s a good variety to the action: fight scenes, mage training, diplomacy, and a touch of romance. It keeps things feeling fresh and helps with the quick turning of pages.

The plan for taking back Margolan has an appropriate complexity that relies on more than just Tris and his training. I appreciated that the efforts of displaced farmers and deserting soldiers helped with show more the overthrow.

You learn more about the vayash moru (vampires), and how they operate and survive. I also liked the introduction of new blood magic formed ‘creatures’, though wished they had been given more page time as they’re quite terrifying.

There were some times when the author repeated herself in giving information but it wasn’t as distracting as in the first book.

It’s a great conclusion to Martin’s duology, with a pay off that feels hard earned for the characters. show less

All fantasy stories come in three books right? The Blood King sure felt like middle chapter material with the extended character development that results of army building, journey making and companion saving antics. The group splits in to two, offering parallel plots which are expected to merge at the final fight. However, as the final third of the book opened it was clear that the second book in the series was to include the conclusion to the Necromancer Chronicles. Ultimately the finale almost seemed rushed, quite odd since the rest of the book is so slow. It's not tedious at any point, just not offering any sustained excitement until the final chapters. The Blood King is an unremarkable, easy going and light fantasy read. Rainy day show more material. show less

The second entry in the series was a bit better than the first book.

In this one we get to see the team go through some serious training and coming up with a battle plan to take back the throne & defeat the evil sorcerer. The growth of Tris and his powers was well done, and for once it wasn't something that happened overnight, which was a great touch.

The author continues with some amazing world building, and the final battle, while rushed, was something else.

Second in the trilogy. The drama and anticipation built up nicely, but I thought the conclusion itself was kind of abrupt. We'll see if the third book picks up speed or meanders... Even with the pacing, I enjoyed the story and new plot entanglements.