The Queen Of Rhodia by Effie CalvinThe Queen Of Rhodia by Effie Calvin is a delightful third book in the series. Princess Esofi is happily married to Adale and they now have a son (in the form of a baby dragon). Life seems blissful and on track until Esofi’s mother sends news of her imminent arrival in Ieflaria.

Esofi flees in an attempt to escape her mother but finds that she has underestimated the lengths to which her dominating parent will go.

The mere presence of her mother has Esofi doubting how much Adale could possibly love her. Her turmoil grows when she cannot figure out what her mother wants and why her mother seems to know things about her son that she does not. And to top off a less than delightful visit someone tries to poison her.

Can Esofi overcome her fear of her domineering mother when her son is on the line? Can she stop the Queen Of Rhodia from creating untold chaos in her wake and is she really strong enough to stand up to the woman who belittled Esofi at every turn?

The Characters

I LOVED the character work in this book.

Esofi comes to life as she tries to escape her mother and the terrible after effects of her childhood.

We also see just how much Adale has grown from the first book and I cheered her on from start to finish.

Orsina and Aelia played important roles in this story, even if we didn’t see much of them and Aelia is still one of my favourites characters ever written. Her insights, playful nature and one liners are the best.

The Writing Style

Effie Calvin makes me a happy reader. The world building is gorgeously done and yet she does it without sacrificing the characters and their growth.

The Pros

I loved this book so much that I am breaking my own rule about reviewing sequels that cannot stand alone.

You have to read the first two books to enjoy this one but oh my gosh is it worth it. Each book just gets  better and better.

The Cons

The only cons is that it’s not a stand alone. But then that isn’t really a con as you will want to read all three books because they are amazing.

sheena's favouriteThe Conclusion

If you love books about women overcoming the influence of overbearing mothers or books about fantasy worlds with dragons and magic or books about lesbians who happen to also be magic users, princesses, goddesses and paladins then this is your next read.

If you haven’t picked up the other two books in the series yet then do yourself a favour and go forth. I loved them all and wait in great anticipation at what adventure Effie Calvin is going to take me on next.

Excerpt from The Queen Of Rhodia by Effie Calvin

“I don’t have time for that.” Esofi fumbled in her pockets for a handkerchief. “I need to leave today.”

“If you’re going, I’m going too.” Adale paused. “Why are we going to Fenstell? There’s nothing interesting up there.”

Esofi blew her nose. “A dragon is at the defense camp, asking to speak with me.”

“Oh.” Adale was openly puzzled. “Well…I suppose that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“If it’s not a trick.”

“Well, even if it is, you can handle it. I’m sure he’s nowhere near as frightening as the Emperor was.” Adale gave an encouraging smile. “Is that all?”

Esofi shook her head. “I don’t care about the dragon. I know how to handle dragons.”

“Then what’s the matter?”

“My mother has come to Ieflaria.”

“What? How? ”

“By ship, I imagine.”

“But why?”

“I don’t know!” Tears were threatening to overwhelm her again. “And she’s going to be here tomorrow! I need to be gone by then. I can’t—I don’t—I don’t want to see her.”

“Esofi,” said Adale. “Listen to me. She can’t do anything to you. You’re not just a princess of Rhodia, you’re a princess of Ieflaria by marriage. There’s nothing she can do to you, and there’s not a single person in Birsgen who won’t stand between you if she tries. You’re not hers anymore. You’re ours. You’re mine.”

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Series

Tales Of Inthya

Queen Of Ieflaria

Daughter Of The Sun

The Queen Of Rhodia

The Empress of Xytae

Daughter Of The Moon

Bits and Bobs

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Note: I received a free review copy of The Queen Of Rhodia by Effie Calvin. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site