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The Empress Graves
Two years have passed since the battle for the Kingdom of Malinas, Sorrel has left the Vale to train as a warrior while her best friend Cloud learns to become a seer.
Meanwhile, the Empress Graves has taken an empire of Grey Men and is travelling across Aldenland to wreak havoc. She seeks power and knows she can find it at the Kingdom of Malinas.
Can Sorrel stop her and save the Kingdom? Or will she succumb to the darkness that lurks inside herself...
Meanwhile, the Empress Graves has taken an empire of Grey Men and is travelling across Aldenland to wreak havoc. She seeks power and knows she can find it at the Kingdom of Malinas.
Can Sorrel stop her and save the Kingdom? Or will she succumb to the darkness that lurks inside herself...
210 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2010
1 person want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 16, 2019
The Empress Graves(The Power of Malinas Book 2) by E.J. Tett
When I read the first novel of this series, The Kingdom of Malinas, I didn't have that many of the strict fantasy genre, from which this comes, under my belt. Since then I've been trying to get in a few and now I've returned to the world of Sorrel, Little Cloud, Millicent and others with a bit more understanding. This book is every bit as much as good and readable as the first.
I now have somewhat the ability to compare and I would easily compare this series with that of The Healers of Meligna-series by K.J. Colt. Though there is a certain polished quality behind the Healers that isn't quite here in the The Emperess Graves and Kingdom of Malinas I still found similar depth of world building and great writing style. Though E.J. Tett's characters are well defined and developed they lack a certain dimensionality that I see in other author's work. By this I mean that there where times, such as when someone close to Sorrel is ruthlessly murdered before her eyes, that though she has a somewhat appropriate response in seeking revenge, there is never much time spent with any inner struggle she might have with the loss of someone so close. It's as though she compartmentalizes it while she seeks revenge, but the reader never gets a full sense that that is really what she's doing. It's as though the rush to the plot has no regard for some precious character details and its hard to feel the true impact of the loss of this character.
Admit-ably I had to return to the first book to recall much of what happened previously since it has been a while since I last read that. This is important because the main antagonist--the Empress--is a figure from out of the first novel and it took me a while to realize this. And though this novel might easily stand alone, it is enhanced with some knowledge from the previous novel. It is at the end of the first novel that Millicent makes it clear that there is a power hidden in the Kingdom of Malinas and that that power draws evil.
This novel concerns a quest for that power. On the surface throughout the novel we see Sorrel struggling, but it is hard to tell if she is struggling with her own quest for revenge or if she might be influenced by this power. As we get closer to the end, the power itself is a major turning point and it remained unclear to me whether that power would have a negative influence on Sorrel and though we see her struggle greatly near the end it's not all that clear if its only a struggle with her quest for vengeance or it might be something more tied to this power drawing evil.
The Empress Graves is well paced and keeps the readers attention throughout and for me it was easy to finish in one sitting. As it gets closer to the end the tension mounts and as is with novels of this nature death takes no favorites.
This is good SFF for the young and old and should stand well with those who love the epic fantasies. I would recommend to anyone who hasn't read the first book to read that before reading this one though it's not absolutely mandatory.
J.L. Dobias
When I read the first novel of this series, The Kingdom of Malinas, I didn't have that many of the strict fantasy genre, from which this comes, under my belt. Since then I've been trying to get in a few and now I've returned to the world of Sorrel, Little Cloud, Millicent and others with a bit more understanding. This book is every bit as much as good and readable as the first.
I now have somewhat the ability to compare and I would easily compare this series with that of The Healers of Meligna-series by K.J. Colt. Though there is a certain polished quality behind the Healers that isn't quite here in the The Emperess Graves and Kingdom of Malinas I still found similar depth of world building and great writing style. Though E.J. Tett's characters are well defined and developed they lack a certain dimensionality that I see in other author's work. By this I mean that there where times, such as when someone close to Sorrel is ruthlessly murdered before her eyes, that though she has a somewhat appropriate response in seeking revenge, there is never much time spent with any inner struggle she might have with the loss of someone so close. It's as though she compartmentalizes it while she seeks revenge, but the reader never gets a full sense that that is really what she's doing. It's as though the rush to the plot has no regard for some precious character details and its hard to feel the true impact of the loss of this character.
Admit-ably I had to return to the first book to recall much of what happened previously since it has been a while since I last read that. This is important because the main antagonist--the Empress--is a figure from out of the first novel and it took me a while to realize this. And though this novel might easily stand alone, it is enhanced with some knowledge from the previous novel. It is at the end of the first novel that Millicent makes it clear that there is a power hidden in the Kingdom of Malinas and that that power draws evil.
This novel concerns a quest for that power. On the surface throughout the novel we see Sorrel struggling, but it is hard to tell if she is struggling with her own quest for revenge or if she might be influenced by this power. As we get closer to the end, the power itself is a major turning point and it remained unclear to me whether that power would have a negative influence on Sorrel and though we see her struggle greatly near the end it's not all that clear if its only a struggle with her quest for vengeance or it might be something more tied to this power drawing evil.
The Empress Graves is well paced and keeps the readers attention throughout and for me it was easy to finish in one sitting. As it gets closer to the end the tension mounts and as is with novels of this nature death takes no favorites.
This is good SFF for the young and old and should stand well with those who love the epic fantasies. I would recommend to anyone who hasn't read the first book to read that before reading this one though it's not absolutely mandatory.
J.L. Dobias
March 11, 2014
This book is the second part of a young adult trilogy collectively known as the Malinas trilogy, written by E J Tett. The books were self published a few years ago and are currently undergoing a little rewrite, so it is hard to comment on something that is in a state of flux.
Here we have the second story that is centred around Sorrel a young girl that is the chosen one of her people. Having already won a decisive battle for the kingdom in the first book, this one sees her facing a new threat, in the form of the deliciously named Millicent Graves, a former follower, now styling herself Empress.
Here she and her army of Grey Men, seemingly undead creatures, swarm across the country determined to take the kingdom and find the secret power at its heart. It appears that she has one other surprise, Sorrel might have a dragon on her side, but so too does the self styled Empress - and when there is a vision in play that shows Sorrel dead things get really interesting.
The book is simply written, as one would expect for a young adult book, and there are places where you recognise that Tett herself has grown and might do things differently today. But as a whole the book works beautifully. For me it felt a little relaxed at the beginning, but it delivers on the climax with a seemingly unstoppable army swarming over overwhelmed defenders.
And this is not a book that makes sure the good guys win and live happily ever after, there is genuine loss along the way, including some major characters, which gives the feeling that no one is safe, and anyone might die.
By the time you reach the end, the story has become a real page turner, and really well executed, with a final line that leaves you no option but to read the final book in the series.
Here we have the second story that is centred around Sorrel a young girl that is the chosen one of her people. Having already won a decisive battle for the kingdom in the first book, this one sees her facing a new threat, in the form of the deliciously named Millicent Graves, a former follower, now styling herself Empress.
Here she and her army of Grey Men, seemingly undead creatures, swarm across the country determined to take the kingdom and find the secret power at its heart. It appears that she has one other surprise, Sorrel might have a dragon on her side, but so too does the self styled Empress - and when there is a vision in play that shows Sorrel dead things get really interesting.
The book is simply written, as one would expect for a young adult book, and there are places where you recognise that Tett herself has grown and might do things differently today. But as a whole the book works beautifully. For me it felt a little relaxed at the beginning, but it delivers on the climax with a seemingly unstoppable army swarming over overwhelmed defenders.
And this is not a book that makes sure the good guys win and live happily ever after, there is genuine loss along the way, including some major characters, which gives the feeling that no one is safe, and anyone might die.
By the time you reach the end, the story has become a real page turner, and really well executed, with a final line that leaves you no option but to read the final book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews