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High Crown Chronicles #2
Queen of the Ruins
While the war between the kingdoms grows, the long-forgotten gods are beginning to take notice. And one of them has been waiting for this moment for a very long time…
Malory has survived betrayal, an assassination attempt, and the Battle of Allondale. But months later, with the Unified Kingdoms at war, she is a queen in name only. All she rules is in ruins and her enemies won’t stop until she and Jamis are dead and their lands claimed.
Hidden deep in the forested Argralands, Malory—along with Jamis, Kennard, Katherine, Josef, and Isobel—has been systematically raiding the resources of Roarke and his allies. As Malory and Jamis work to bolster their troops so they can finally conquer their enemies, a new threat emerges that leaves all the kingdoms at risk. But ever-shifting alliances and a broken unification leave Malory questioning loyalties—even among those closest to her. Can Malory build her armies before a devastating loss brings her to the brink of her own ruin?
Queen of the Ruins picks up seamlessly where The High Crown Chronicles left off and draws the reader more deeply into this world of stunning imagery, dynamic characters, and shifting political alliances. A blend of dark, vengeful tone and deeply emotional moments will draw readers through this action-packed novel and leave their hearts thundering until the final page.
The High Crown Chronicles by Jodi Gallegos
- The High Crown Chronicles, Book 1 (Now Available)
- Queen of Ruins, Book 2 (December 1, 2020)
- The War of Myths and Mortals (Summer of 2021)
Malory has survived betrayal, an assassination attempt, and the Battle of Allondale. But months later, with the Unified Kingdoms at war, she is a queen in name only. All she rules is in ruins and her enemies won’t stop until she and Jamis are dead and their lands claimed.
Hidden deep in the forested Argralands, Malory—along with Jamis, Kennard, Katherine, Josef, and Isobel—has been systematically raiding the resources of Roarke and his allies. As Malory and Jamis work to bolster their troops so they can finally conquer their enemies, a new threat emerges that leaves all the kingdoms at risk. But ever-shifting alliances and a broken unification leave Malory questioning loyalties—even among those closest to her. Can Malory build her armies before a devastating loss brings her to the brink of her own ruin?
Queen of the Ruins picks up seamlessly where The High Crown Chronicles left off and draws the reader more deeply into this world of stunning imagery, dynamic characters, and shifting political alliances. A blend of dark, vengeful tone and deeply emotional moments will draw readers through this action-packed novel and leave their hearts thundering until the final page.
The High Crown Chronicles by Jodi Gallegos
- The High Crown Chronicles, Book 1 (Now Available)
- Queen of Ruins, Book 2 (December 1, 2020)
- The War of Myths and Mortals (Summer of 2021)
- GenresFantasy
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2020
36 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Gallegos
7 books175 followersJodi is an author of Young Adult fantasy and historical romances, as well as being a black belt, and registered nurse. She lives with her husband, three sons and an evolving herd of undisciplined animals in Colorado. She has a well-earned fear of bears, but tolerates the Teddy and Gummy variety. She's been obsessed with books, both reading and writing them, for most of her life and prefers the written word to having actual conversations. The most current projected completion date of her To Be Read book collection is May 17, 2176.
She is the author of The High Crown Chronicles (coming 9/7/2020 from Clean Teen Publishing) and the Rum Runners series: A Shine That Defies the Dark (Rum Runners, Book 1) and The Light At Finnigan's End (Rum Runners, Book 2) from Changing Tides Publishing.
She is the author of The High Crown Chronicles (coming 9/7/2020 from Clean Teen Publishing) and the Rum Runners series: A Shine That Defies the Dark (Rum Runners, Book 1) and The Light At Finnigan's End (Rum Runners, Book 2) from Changing Tides Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 29, 2024
Queen of the Ruins (The High Crown Chronicles Book 2) is coming along, just some final touchups still to come before release.
Again due to Covid and print delays across the industry, the ebook is slated for a 12/1/20 release, with print copies coming 4/26/21.
You can preorder Queen of the Ruins on Amazon
Again due to Covid and print delays across the industry, the ebook is slated for a 12/1/20 release, with print copies coming 4/26/21.
You can preorder Queen of the Ruins on Amazon
December 28, 2020
Pivoting in a slightly different direction and with even more secrets and action then the first novel , this book opens up the doors to an entirely new threat and tons of excitement.
Malory is the High Queen, but the treason and lies run deeper than she ever expected. Now, on the run with her High King at her side and their thrones destroyed, both vow to stop the evil plots of the greedy kingdoms, bring unity and peace back to the seven kingdoms, and execute revenge for those who died. They are outnumbered but have the people of the forest on their side. Together with five new friends, they war against their enemies, attacking where they can. It's not only brutal, but their chances of success aren't guaranteed. Malory finds herself not only winding through past secrets, trying to figure out who to trust, and how to fit into her new life, but hears whispers inside her head, which hint that there's more at play.
I was eager to get my hands on this one after completing the first book in the series. And it didn't disappoint. Malory is stronger and forced to take more control of her life, but yet, she needs to work with others. Instead of acting as a queen, her new allies and friends need to be treated as equals despite their backgrounds. But this isn't the greatest challenge she faces, by any means. Secrets of her past are beginning to come to light, and with each one, the lies her life have been built on unfold. It's a horribly difficult web and while some things are easy to guess, others come out of the blue. It kept me on my toes until the very end.
Still, this book also takes a slightly different turn than the first book did. Malory hears voices in her head, and it soon becomes clear that the kings and kingdoms aren't the only war being fought. The forgotten gods and goddesses are involved and might be pulling the strings for their own purposes. But what these are is anyone's guess, and whether or not she can trust any of them, is even more doubtful. Malory is being sucked into a new position and her character is growing right along with it. The settings change to rougher ones outdoors, and the physical dangers are clearer than they were in book one. There's much more action, and a darker tone to the tale.
The romance takes a super interesting twist in this second book. While it's strong and sweet, there's a surprise which throws everything upside down. It works...so well that it's hard not to like Malory even more, and adore her hero. For those romantics out there, this one does require tissues because it might draw a few tears and leave some heart-ache. Also, it's impossible to tell where the author is heading on this front. I have some suspicions, but there's also reason to believe that my thoughts are completely off base. So, thumbs up on this front, since I have no idea where things are headed but can't wait to find out.
Summed up... I wish I didn't have to wait until this next summer to see what will happen next. The war is upping in stakes and danger, and it will be interesting to see where it will all go from here. Especially since there promises to be more dangerous and unknown actors at play.
Malory is the High Queen, but the treason and lies run deeper than she ever expected. Now, on the run with her High King at her side and their thrones destroyed, both vow to stop the evil plots of the greedy kingdoms, bring unity and peace back to the seven kingdoms, and execute revenge for those who died. They are outnumbered but have the people of the forest on their side. Together with five new friends, they war against their enemies, attacking where they can. It's not only brutal, but their chances of success aren't guaranteed. Malory finds herself not only winding through past secrets, trying to figure out who to trust, and how to fit into her new life, but hears whispers inside her head, which hint that there's more at play.
I was eager to get my hands on this one after completing the first book in the series. And it didn't disappoint. Malory is stronger and forced to take more control of her life, but yet, she needs to work with others. Instead of acting as a queen, her new allies and friends need to be treated as equals despite their backgrounds. But this isn't the greatest challenge she faces, by any means. Secrets of her past are beginning to come to light, and with each one, the lies her life have been built on unfold. It's a horribly difficult web and while some things are easy to guess, others come out of the blue. It kept me on my toes until the very end.
Still, this book also takes a slightly different turn than the first book did. Malory hears voices in her head, and it soon becomes clear that the kings and kingdoms aren't the only war being fought. The forgotten gods and goddesses are involved and might be pulling the strings for their own purposes. But what these are is anyone's guess, and whether or not she can trust any of them, is even more doubtful. Malory is being sucked into a new position and her character is growing right along with it. The settings change to rougher ones outdoors, and the physical dangers are clearer than they were in book one. There's much more action, and a darker tone to the tale.
The romance takes a super interesting twist in this second book. While it's strong and sweet, there's a surprise which throws everything upside down. It works...so well that it's hard not to like Malory even more, and adore her hero. For those romantics out there, this one does require tissues because it might draw a few tears and leave some heart-ache. Also, it's impossible to tell where the author is heading on this front. I have some suspicions, but there's also reason to believe that my thoughts are completely off base. So, thumbs up on this front, since I have no idea where things are headed but can't wait to find out.
Summed up... I wish I didn't have to wait until this next summer to see what will happen next. The war is upping in stakes and danger, and it will be interesting to see where it will all go from here. Especially since there promises to be more dangerous and unknown actors at play.
December 4, 2020
Picking up shortly after book one left off this one doesn't disappoint. It's just as action packed and beautifully described as the first.
Fueled by rage, grief, and the thoughts of sweet revenge our beloved characters do one of things they are beat at, the kick butt and take names so you better be on the right side.
Some secrets and plots are revealed that made my mind wander to the endless possibilities on what might happen next.
Fueled by rage, grief, and the thoughts of sweet revenge our beloved characters do one of things they are beat at, the kick butt and take names so you better be on the right side.
Some secrets and plots are revealed that made my mind wander to the endless possibilities on what might happen next.
January 6, 2021
Ugh!!! I want to say 4 stars because something happened that I didn’t like. But. That’s unfair because the story was a 5 star rating. I have to admit after that “bad thing” happened I couldn’t get into reading the rest of the book. The rest of the book was good. But my heart was broken and I didn’t want to move on. But I did. And it was worth it!
January 17, 2024
Eager to read the next one 👀 this series went in a totally different direction than I expected
March 4, 2021
As a sequel it did not disappoint! Nothing entices you more to relate to a strong female lead than a hearty dose of mutual hatred, for Roarke and a few others. Honestly I felt hollow and unsatisfied when Mallory executed her revenge upon Roarke, especially when it came so far from the end of the novel. However, with more plot twists and enticing new developments I'm left craving more. I cannot wait for the third installment!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2021
Lyn Lea
Very well written and easy to follow most of the time. All the kings and realms get a little tricky as the books continues I enjoyed both of the books and hope to see more being written!
Very well written and easy to follow most of the time. All the kings and realms get a little tricky as the books continues I enjoyed both of the books and hope to see more being written!
March 25, 2024
huge bummer but you go girl i guess?
February 8, 2024
What a cliffhanger at the end! This book was even more action packed than the first and was a great sequel. I do however, wish Jamis had not died. I have very mixed feelings about Josef, at some parts of the book thinking he may be more enemy than ally but towards the end I realized he seems to be by Mal’s side for good purposes. Before Jamis died and he was upset about the tattoo Josef gave Mal, I feel like either Jamis knew Josef had been interested in her all along or maybe he was trying to warn her not to trust Josef. Also curious about why Jamis and Josef had what seemed to be a falling out. I think that Roarke’s death was too easy for Mal and it didn’t make much sense his knights did not step in and stop her. I also feel that the Queen of Carling is going to become a problem for Mal and hope she doesn’t begin to trust her more in the next book. Hoping that we will meet Mal’s lost brother in the book and that Kennard will return!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2021
Amazing sequel
This book picked up right where the first left off. There are LOTS of twists and turns in this book. I was expecting some but there were a few complete curveballs in this one I didn't see coming.
Malory is still fighting for vengeance. Her husband and many others remain by her side. Alliances are built while others are broken. More deaths occur, some of which were NOT expected, at all.
Some information you learn isn't necessarily a shock so to speak but it does add another layer of betrayal to the series. Goals are accomplished while others are not and then more goals pop up. More enemies are made while some are stricken down. Empires fall and rise.
Definitely read the 1st book in the series before reading this one. While you can get the gest of everything, it's better to know what all happened before reading this one.
This book picked up right where the first left off. There are LOTS of twists and turns in this book. I was expecting some but there were a few complete curveballs in this one I didn't see coming.
Malory is still fighting for vengeance. Her husband and many others remain by her side. Alliances are built while others are broken. More deaths occur, some of which were NOT expected, at all.
Some information you learn isn't necessarily a shock so to speak but it does add another layer of betrayal to the series. Goals are accomplished while others are not and then more goals pop up. More enemies are made while some are stricken down. Empires fall and rise.
Definitely read the 1st book in the series before reading this one. While you can get the gest of everything, it's better to know what all happened before reading this one.
August 9, 2024
Malory and her army go through the land to destroy the kings of the unified kingdom who betrayed her injured husband. He was at death's door but she had to leave him to fight a war to get revenge on people she loved who had died.
June 30, 2025
I finished book one and couldn't wait to pick up book two. I loved the character devolvement, the moral decisions the heroine faces, and how she never backs down. Gallegos's knows how to write. Defiantly worth the read!
July 2, 2021
Gallegos does it again! If you haven't read the first High Crown Chronicles book do it now. Then grab this one! You won't be disappointed!
October 12, 2022
What the cliffhanger. When's the third book?!
October 20, 2025
Malory just got to be annoying. It felt drawn out.
I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 but after this book I have no inclination to continue to book 3.
I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 but after this book I have no inclination to continue to book 3.
February 8, 2024
Great book! Looking forward to the 3rd book! The ending had me in tears. Looking forward to how the characters are going to grow.
July 6, 2024
We pick up the story right where the last book left off. We get more twists & the story turns in a direction that was only hinted at in the first book. I think this twist adds another layer to the story & makes me want to read on.
Overall I did enjoy the first book more but with the new added layer to the story it kept my interest wondering how this twist will tie into the rest of the story.
Overall I did enjoy the first book more but with the new added layer to the story it kept my interest wondering how this twist will tie into the rest of the story.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews