Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce

The problem with reading a book in series literature, for me at least, is that once I begin I feel impelled to pick up the next one and the next one until I run out of extant books in the series or the series concludes. I get really frustrated actually when I have to wait for the next installment because the writer hasn't written it yet. This is why I tend to wait for series to conclude and then read them all in one big marathon. I do T.V. the same way.  It's a character flaw.

Luckily, "The Lioness's Daughter" series is a duet. Also luckily, I managed to finish it before having to go back to school.

Trickster's Queen picks up about six months after the end of of Trickster's Choice. Aly has earned her place as spymaster and has spent the winter building and training a network of spies. The old king is dead and the Balitang family is going back to the capitol city. This sounds like a good thing. But it's not. With all the deaths, the youngest child Elsren is now the presumed heir to the throne and that's not a very safe position to be in.

The court intrigue deepens and the pressure from Kyprioth increases as fears drawing the notice of two of his god siblings. Despite her youth, Aly has earned the respect of her raka conspirators, but can she keep track of all moving pieces and keep her prospective queen alive?

This is an excellent continuation from the first book even though the feel is much different. Trickester's Queen is less action oriented. It is more focused on the plotting and intrigue. While there is plenty of action still, the narrative is more driven by following Aly's complex schemes which provides a very different reading experience.