mattries37315

In The Exiled Queen, Cinda Williams Chima takes her two main protagonists and the readers away from all they had known before and sent to the neutral city of Oden's Ford.  However, the journeys there and their experiences are not without hazard or excitement which keeps the reader very much engaged.  Chima continues the growth of her main characters as well as several secondary ones which helps develop the story, nor do Raisa (aka Rebecca) and Han really meet once again until over halfway through the book giving their story arcs independence from one another even as they interact.  Through both character's stories, the world and history of the Seven Realms is further explored without taking away from the narrative flow of the book and putting in building blocks for later in the series.  Although a few things aren't exactly explained to satisfaction given their importance or revelation in this book, I can't really complain.  The events of the last 100 pages not only were a pay off of what developed since page 1, but also left me wanting to see what happens in The Gray Wolf Throne.