Eidolon (The Wraith Kings #2) by Grace Draven (2016)

Fiction | Fantasy | Romance | (TV-MA)
Blurb:

“In a bid for more power, the Shadow Queen of Haradis has unleashed a malignant force into the world. Her son Brishen, younger prince of the Kai royal house, suddenly finds himself ruler of a kingdom blighted by a diseased darkness and on the brink of war. His human wife Ildiko must decide if she will give up the man she loves in order to secure his throne. 

Three enemy kingdoms must unite to save each other, and a one-eyed, reluctant king must raise an army of the dead to defeat an army of the damned.

A tale of alliance and sacrifice.”
–Goodreads 

Book One: RADIANCE

pooled ink Review:

Ahhhhh ♥ I swoon for happy endings and true love and I’m not ashamed! Haha 😊💕

If you read the first book, Radiance, and ignore the final chapter/epilogue then you can enjoy it as a standalone (which is lovely and convenient because I don’t always feel like slogging through an entire series) however if you do choose to read that dark twist at the end then this book will not disappoint as a sequel. While Radiance was largely focused on the slow blossoming relationship between Ildiko and Brishen’s arranged marriage, Eidolon takes a step away from the romance and instead turns its sights on duty. While the first book showed love springing from duty, this sequel bears the weight of duty despite love.

It’s full of dark magic, politics, and twisted fates, all of which had me worried and wondering how it could all possibly work out (well, okay, the author doesn’t actually torture her readers much in that department, but Brishen and Ildiko don’t know what we know and to watch their struggle with choosing either love or duty is quite the difficult ride) but thankfully it ends in happiness like a proper fantasy romance fairytale haha (And I don’t consider telling you that there is a happy ending to be a spoiler because if you’re here for the love story of Brishen and Ildiko then it’s simply a relief plus the author sets it up mercifully so that despite the dramatic obstacles, you know that in the end everything will work out. She knows her readers aren’t here for dramatic tragedy, but for true love conquering all haha).

I love getting to see how Brishen and Ildiko have developed since we last saw them in book one, and I also love the new POV we get to read adding chapters that show survivors fleeing the attack on Haradis. I really think Draven did a great job with adding darkness and tension to the plot without sacrificing the fantasy and romance that her readers subscribe for. It’s definitely important to know one’s audience. But as a person who doesn’t read romance novels often I find that these books (Radiance and Eidolon) are a couple who also don’t sacrifice plot for just romance. To me a romance novel with nothing but romance is dull. There’s simply got to be more going on! But I know there’s tons of other readers who disagree and in fact feel that too much plot ruins the romance for them. So, like what you like and read what you want. These books are definitely romance novels but they don’t totally toss aside plot which I appreciate.

I also appreciate that they deliver a happy ending. When I ship characters I need them to get a happily ever after haha 😉

I’ll also add that there is to be a third book in The Wraith Kings series however it doesn’t feature Ildiko and Brishen as the main characters but instead it will tell Anhuset and Serovek’s story. So it’s up to you whether you choose to read Radiance as a standalone, The Wraith Kings as a duology, or The Wraith Kings as a series with several more books to come.

If you enjoyed Radiance then you will surely enjoy this as a sequel however I do love how it’s an optional continuation. Radiance is my favorite between the two but I did enjoy this as a good sequel to their story. Definitely check out Grace Draven’s books if you’re in the mood to swoon over a romance in the fantasy genre!

Cheers.

 Purchase Here: Eidolon

Check out the rest of the series: Radiance (book 1)