The Rightful Queen by author Isabelle Steiger is the second book in her epic fantasy series Paths of Lantistyne, following book one entitled The Empire's Ghost. For fans that are enamored of the Dungeons and Dragons game, viewers of the TV series Game of Thrones TV, and readers of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings anthology, this novel will equally enthrall them. Traits from each of these bodies of works can be relatable to parts in Steiger's book from the otherworldly names of territories to the magical qualities of many of the characters and the political games that ensue.

It takes a particular type of reader who finds enjoyment in Steiger's tome. The labyrinth that she weaves for the characters is intense and highly intricate, stimulating the reader's imagination to keep up with the fictional figures who each serve a purpose, pursue an agenda, and have a destiny to fulfill.

At the gist of the narration is the struggle between those who are privileged and those who are not privileged. The latter must depend on the crumbs of the privileged in society for any comforts in life. This theme is relatable to modern life and certainly attracts readers who are fascinated by this concept. Even tertiary characters serve a purpose in this novel, deepening its complexity. The plot focuses on sinister plans orchestrated by several of its characters, making political struggles the primary force driving the story, which often becomes overwhelming and may cause the reader to pause and re-read passages in order to fully grasp the series of events.

This is not a light read but rather a story that requires the reader's full attention, challenging the reader's abilities to grasp the complex natures of the characters and the game playing motives of their actions. Readers can appreciate the epic fantasy series by Steiger on several levels, whether they are stirred by the themes of the plot or not.

I read and reviewed the first book in the series before reading this book. I found that first book, The Empire's Ghost, to be a bit tedious, but still interesting. This second book, The Rightful Queen, is unfortunately just tedious.
While I don't normally get lost with a cast of many characters, I found myself stretched to the limit with the first book. This second book just piles on, adding more characters! While I wasn't entirely sure of the plot of the first book, this book continues in the same vein, although to its credit some of the remaining questions from book 1 are answered. Book 1 was at least clean, where this book contained more adult themes. Overall, the care I had for the characters was gone by this book. I just wanted to know what happened to Prince Landon (and it wasn't what I thought).

Thanks NetGalley & publishers for the free e-ARC. I wish I liked this book more.

Honestly, this was such a behemoth of a book, with the many plot lines and characters, I honestly think I need to re-read it to write an accurate review since there was so much going on!

That being said, I definitely liked this second book in the series better than the first. I thought the actual plot in this one flowed better. So even if you were kind of meh on the first book, it’s worth reading this one!

Full review to come!