The War Queen by J. M. Robison

​Author J. M. Robison introduces The War Queen:
Altarn is the first woman to hold the position of State Head in Blindvar. When Lord Kaelin, State Head of Ruidenthall, propositions her to merger with their states, Altarn believes it’s his subtle way of taking her kingdom for his own, making himself king. On the cusp of war, she rides in disguise to her last ally, Luthsinia, to ask for help.

During her journey, Altarn is ambushed but rescued by a man called Torren who offers her protection. Quickly they realize they share a mutual attraction. Upon their arrival to Luthsinia, Altarn receives news that an army has invaded Blindvar in her absence and blames Kaelin. Except it’s not Kaelin’s army, because she discovers Kaelin is in Luthsinia for the purpose of spying on her to take her land. And Torren is not who she thought he was.

Taking advantage of the unraveling situation, Kaelin kidnaps Altarn so he can take her land without her in the way and brings her to Ruidenthall. There’s a war ship on the horizon, led by a fallen angel craving mortal worship. Kaelin realizes he needs Altarn’s help to fight this army if he’s to save his kingdom. She’s forced to agree, but how will she react when he’s wounded in battle? If she lets him die, can she fight the enemy on her own? Or if she saves his life, will he still try claiming her kingdom, or try claiming her heart?

​Altarn is a strong-willed woman, she knows what she wants. I like her. I enjoyed reading The War Queen a great deal.
This book has a nice balance of dialog, action, and head time. The author does a very good job of avoiding head hopping, something I appreciate a great deal. Having to stop and figure out who is saying what, really spoils the mood and flow. There was only a couple of moments like that in the entire book.
I liked the length of the book also; it offered plenty of time to develop characters and scenes. The action sequences were quite memorable and well displayed. The alternate weapons and use of music to communicate on the battlefield was fascinating. The sub-plots provided a depth that you don’t always find.
I award The War Queen 4.6 of 5 Stars! You are going to enjoy this book.

You can buy The War Queen at:
https://www.amazon.com/War-Queen-J-M-Robison-ebook
https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Queen-J-M-Robison-ebook/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32321773-the-war-queen
 
You can follow J. M. Robison at:
https://twitter.com/JMRobison
https://www.facebook.com/JMRobisonAuthor
http://jmrobison.wixsite.com/jmrobison

​Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction