Hidden Warrior (Tamír Triad #2) by Lynn Flewelling

[gilda_elise]

The line of Skala's ruling queens was established in accordance with prophecy. But now King Erius reigns, and he is ruthless in his determination to rid of Skala of any threat to his grip on power.

As the only living child of Erius's dead sister, Prince Tobin is second in line to the throne. But he is not what he seems. To protect him from the paranoid assassinations ordered by his uncle, Tobin's identity was disguised shortly after birth. But now, with the onset of puberty, Tobin has discovered his true self -- she is the rightful heir to the throne.

At court, Tobin and his loyal squire Ki form part of Crown Prince Korin's inner circle. Tobin is forced to live a lie, deceiving not only his potential enemies but also his closest friends. But soon the time will come when Skala will have need of her true Queen.

And as plague ravages the land, ancient enemies threaten war and the wizards who have traditionally protected Skala are mercilessly persecuted, it seems that day may be drawing near. Tobin must be ready to reveal her true identity and serve her country, whatever the personal cost.

Much time is spent setting up Tobin’s new situation, and the new characters that entails, so I thought that the first half of the book was rather slow. Not crawling slow, but slower than the first book. It wasn’t until the actual character of some of the characters starts to become apparent that the action starts to pick up.

On the plus side, Flewelling does an excellent job of showing Tobin’s growing anxiety over his gender identity, and the changes that he fears will start to show on the outside. He doesn’t want to be who he really is. But though he’s now barely a teenager, he’s starting to show the man (really, woman,) he will one day become.

And Brother! I’m very much looking forward to finding out his fate. It’s one of the many threads whose ends are yet to be resolved. The third book should be interesting!






Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

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