The Two-Faced Queen is the second book in Nick Martell's epic fantasy series*, "Legacy of the Mercenary King" which began last year with The Kingdom of Liars (Reviewed by me HERE). I had mixed feelings honestly about The Kingdom of Liars - on one hand, its protagonist was a genuinely compelling voice, torn between his ambitions of restoring his blood family and heritage and the found family he had discovered in their place, the setting of court intrigue was fairly solid, and the hints of a more epic scope were intriguing. On the other hand, the book barely touched some of the issues it presented, like class conflict and a corrupt nobility, with some characters who are basically just blatant archetypes, and the sheer amount of long-term mysteries it was juggling was a bit much.

*I could've swore I first saw this series advertised as a trilogy, but now I only see it listed as a "series".

The Two-Faced Queen.....is very similar to the first book in many regards, with the story still juggling a LOT of long-term plot mysteries in the background of a single book-long plot. In a way, it's a weird second novel, as its central plot features characters and character-arcs that feel like they should have played a more prominent role in the first novel, and nearly all of the long term plot arcs of this series barely move forward at all. The series' central protagonist remains decently compelling in his oft-reckless crazy nature (and yet definitely a little more mature) as he tries to navigate it all....but I'd hoped for more through 2 installments this long.

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A lot has happened to Michael Kingman since he set out to clear his father's name and the Kingman family heritage: he found out the truth behind his father's alleged killing of the prince, he discovered the source of his magic and that his memories had been hidden from him, and....he found himself accused of killing the King himself after the King committed suicide in front of him. The only thing that saved him from the executioner's axe was the intercession of the mysterious Mercenary known as "Dark", who somehow possesses two fabrication magics, Ice and Darkness....and is the son of the man Michael now knows is his true enemy.

Now, Michael is hated throughout the City of Hollow, especially by the Princess to whom he was once bound - a Princess whom is expected to soon be crowned Queen...and will do anything to avenge her father on him. The Rebel Emperor, with ties to his old family, is right outside the city gates with her forces pressing on...and she has her own plans for Michael. Dark's tutelage of Michael is incredibly frustrating, as the Mercenary refuses to tell him anything. And the man who Michael once trusted as much as his own father, the one who took everything from him, remains at large and in power.....

But all of that may not matter soon, as Michael soon finds himself involved in an influx of refugees who are suddenly targeted by not one but two deadly murderers...including one with ties to the City's past and a habit of playing games with his targets...and taking their hearts when he's done with them.
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With the exception of interlude periods, The Two-Faced Queen is told entirely from Michael Kingman's first person perspective. Michael is in many ways still the same type of guy as in the last book - he often doesn't look before he leaps, desperately seeks answers in dangerous ways, and often has to be reminded that he can't let his individual ambition come ahead of the wellbeing of the city. And yet, he's also a bit more mature as a result of the first book, understanding how he's driven away the lower-class friends that made up his old found family even as he's regained more of his actual family after the first book, and desperately wants to make amends to prove himself. There's even a really nice sequence where Michael actually goes to apologize to one of those former allies, not because he needs them for something, but because he knows he did them wrong. Michael will always be driven by his family legacy of being history-changing dogooders, interceding everywhere in the world, but this version of Michael is a bit more aware of what such actions will cost him.

Which is key here, because things have only gotten worse in the City - the rebellion has gotten closer to the City Gates, Michael's childhood friend (and really, his childhood love) wants him dead and Michael really doesn't want her to keep thinking of that, the city now hates him since they think him a king-killer, and the city now has a new refugee problem led by his previously unknown grandfather. And of course there's the Immortal who took him under his wing, who Michael pissed off the last time he saw him by destroying his most precious shrine. And then there's the two killers that have come to the city for some purposes - a serial killer from the city's past who toys with his victims & kills by tearing out hearts and an assassin from a legendary order of assassins who might be targeting Michael.

Dealing with those two killers forms the basis for this book's plot which is the start of where this book feels very frustrating. The Heartbreaker Serial Killer has such a significant presence in not only the City of Hollow but many of the characters we already knew from the last book, and we really should've known more about him in book one. And he - and the assassin Famine (whose part in this plot feels really underbaked) - feel like clear side quests to the major plot-long arcs that we were primed for in the prior book, which move forward a little bit here but otherwise don't progress that much. Which is just tremendously frustrating, since it basically was one of the major cliffhangers of the last book. Instead this book just greatly increases the mysteries and long term plot arcs, and things move a bit too slowly for my taste.

And again the characters outside of Michael sometimes work and sometimes feel like bare archetypes. Two major characters from the last book take forever to reappear, and one only shows up for small moments despite being one of the biggest in the series. Serena - the titular Two-Faced Queen - never really feels at all like the character who cameos in the first book, and her relationship with Michael in the past and Michael's possible romance with her...didn't really work for me? And again issues of class and corruption are clearer here than in book 1 but still often get lost in everything else. The book is so concerned with expanding an already too big world, that it just doesn't seem to focus on what's already there which just made me more frustrating than everything. And these are not short books!

Like, I usually complain when books in series do not have satisfying book-long plot arcs, and this book definitely does, so that's not the problem here. But I also expect to have some movement on the long term plots in each book, especially when one such arc is setup by the major reveal in the last book. If this is a longer than three book series, I'm not sure I'll continue. If it is a trilogy, I'll probably check in to get some payoff. Because I AM intrigued, even if the series continues to be unfulfilling so far.

I liked this volume a but better than book one and I liked that one quite a bit.
The magic makes you lose memories does work well to keep the mystery in this story a mystery. Characters simply don’t know what happened... The main character has matured since book one and is more sympathetic. It did feel for a little while like it might be a two book series as the story lines started wrapping up but there is going to be at least one more book. After finishing this one I’ll be happy to read this. This is an enjoyable series!

“History is defined by moments. Moments of bravery. Moments of foolishness. Moments of compassion. Moments of hate. These moments are impossible to identify when they happen, and usually only seen in hindsight.”

3.5 ⭐️ This was such a wonderfully thought out plot. So many little details that the author wove together to tell an epic story. The story and the intricate details enthralled me and had me eager to keep reading one.

Personally I didn’t care for the tempo of the writing. While the story and characters were wonderful and I was fully invested in the story I found my mind wondering at times due to slow moments that lasted a bit too long.

Overall a wonderful story that shows off the talents of Nick Martell

I found parts of The Two Faced Queen hard to follow. The main character failed to grasp my interest and if found them to be annoying at times, making it very difficult for me to get into this.
Due to the length of the book I was not motivated to continue reading in hopes I would start to like it more. I finished about half the book before deciding this was not for me.

The second installment in the Legend of the Mercenary Kings series did not disappoint. Just as thrilling and exciting as the first although we do learn a bit more about the backgrounds of more characters which does, at times, feel overwhelming. It appears that several alternate and somewhat conflicting plot lines are occurring at once but overall the story continues being interesting and engaging. We, the readers, become fully invested in the characters (if we weren’t so already) and personally, I can’t wait for the next book!

This book was fabulous, a thrilling continuation from the first book and I can't wait for more. As with his first book, Nick Martell sends twists and turns that you frankly do not see coming, leaving you with a truly OMG did that just happen reaction that you experience almost continuously throughout the entire book. A must read!!

I was given a free copy of Two-Faced Queen by Nick Martell (author), Gallery/Saga Press(publisher), and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Two-Faced Queen is the second in the Legacy of Mercenary Kings trilogy. Kingdom of Liars is the first in the trilogy and was published in 2020.

Two-Faced Queen is the first novel that I have read by Mr. Martell.

I would characterize Two-Face Queen as fantasy based in an urban setting. I might even consider the novel to be new adult or college age due to the age of the main character and some of the minor characters.

This review will not contain any spoilers.

The world building is this novel’s greatest strength. The story takes place, for the most part, in a city that is developed and interesting. Mr. Martell creates interesting backstories for the main character’s ancestors and that of the princess, a minor character, and her family that rule. I would have preferred if the histories of the families and the city were featured more in this story.

The magic system is not as clearly defined as I would like which made it difficult for me to understand. Dragons are mentioned a little bit in this story, but I would have like to see more of them. The bits and pieces of the magic system that I understood were interesting, but I would have like to have seen more in this story.

Mr. Martell wrote this novel in first-person point-of-view of the main character.

Mr. Martell created a main character that I found to be not interesting nor compelling, but annoying and somewhat boring. The main character is a twenty-something man who is trying to decide if he should walk away from his family, convince the princess – who he is supposed to have a future with – that he did not kill her father who was the emperor, deal with a brewing rebellion, find a serial killer, find an assassin who is killing nobles, and become a member of a mercenary company.

There are few side characters such as the main character’s sister, a woman who wanted to be the main character’s paramour, the princess, main character’s friend who is a daughter in a high noble family that I think are more interesting than the main character. I would have liked if Mr. Martell may have included point of views from some of these characters to get their perspectives of what happens in the story.

Mr. Martell features too many characters and several plot points that I could not keep straight who is doing what and why. I think if there were less characters and less plot points then I think the novel would be tighter and would improve the pacing of the story because this novel is too long.

Another aspect of the novel I had difficulty with is there is no foreshadowing, nuance, or subtlety. An example of this is when the identity of the serial killer is revealed it is when the main character encounters the serial killer for the first and only time, and, as a result, the reveal did not have an emotional impact. I think there is no opportunity to discover little plot nuggets or clues because everything is out in the open due to the characters saying what they are thinking or being revealed through the main character’s point of view. There is more telling than showing in this story.

I think story would have been more interesting and engaging if the main character had less to do, some of the other characters had more on-page time, and the novel included other characters’ point of views which would enable the reader to get a wider view of the events as they unfolded and the world in which this story takes place.

I rate Two-Faced Queen 2 stars.

I would like to thank Mr. Martell, Gallery/Saga Press, and Netgalley for the free ARC.

The Two-Faced Queen is a strong, powerful novel with wonderful characters. The cover is utterly gorgeous, which led me to request for the ARC. I wish I had known this was a sequel before but in other ways, it was a good read!

As expected the stakes are high in this sequel. We learn more about the magic system, and learn a bit more about the world. Seeing Michael navigate his relationships with the other characters is a joy, and the other character really shine through, as more reveal their motivations.

The book started somewhat slow for me, but quickly got me hooked once again, there are some really heartfelt moments in this one. More mysteries show up and I can't wait for them to be explored in the next especially with the prospect of seeing more of the world.

ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press & Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Overall, The Two-Faced Queen a good sequel. Similar to its predecessor, the first half was a bit of a struggle for me, but the second half was great.

“To be forgotten feels more like death than death.”



The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell was a debut that surprised me last year. If you’ve seen the reviews or receptions towards Martell’s debut, both positive and negative, I think I can assure you that the majority of them are valid. Personally, I found Martell’s debut thoroughly engaging, but I did find that the deliberately written-to-be-infuriating main character in the first half to be difficult to tolerate. The second half of the novel, however, was incredible. Now, what do I think about this sequel? It’s more or less the same as my overall feeling on the first book, with a few differences here and there.

“Some childhood traumas were like sunburns, other like broken bones, the most extreme like scars—faded but not forgotten.”



The Two-Faced Queen is the sequel The Kingdom of Liars, it is the second book in The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings series by Nick Martell. Although the story does takes place after The Kingdom of Liars, there’s a kind of standalone nature to the narrative that I think people who haven’t read the first book could actually understand what’s going on. Similar and at the same time different to my experience of reading The Kingdom of Liars, I did find the first half of The Two-Faced Queen to be a struggle to read. But this wasn’t caused by Michael Kingman’s annoying attitude; Michael has improved and matured a bit—note the word a bit—here. From my perspective, it felt like the plot was directionless, and to be honest, quite all over the place in the first half; some scenes and events, to me, actually felt like fillers. Sometimes, we can gauge how much we enjoy reading a book by how fast we’re able to finish it; it took me four days to read through the first half of the book, and it took me only one day to read through the second half. Now you see what I mean? In a similar way to Martell’s debut, the second half of The Two-Faced Queen provided a far more engaging narrative compared to the first half, and I won’t lie, it was even quite emotional at the end.

“Yeah, well, we can’t all be the perfect Michael Kingboy can we?”
“Kingman,” I said. “My last name is Kingman.”
“Then why do you act like a child? Kingboy makes more sense.”



There are, of course, more positive things to take from this sequel. One, after the events of the first book, Michael Kingman is more tolerable now as the main character; he’s still stupid, at times, but he has certainly matured a bit. I did, however, want more of Serena, though. I honestly thought she would have more appearances or roles in this book, but the majority of the book still revolves mainly around Michael. The second positive thing is the expansion of the world-building. I honestly thought The Kingdom of Liars would’ve worked well as a satisfying one-off standalone, and as it turns out, it seems that Martell truly still has several things in store for the series. The topics of legacies and families are still the most pivotal themes of the series; I highly enjoyed reading about them, and Martell’s prose continues to be accessible and engaging.

“I think, if possible, we deserve to hear about our parents’ flaws from themselves so they can teach us to be better than they were.”



Although there’s a bit of a middle book syndrome to it, I’ll say that I had a good time reading this sequel. The last 20% of the book, in particular, was just incredible. There are revelations, there are tensions, there are emotions; Martell has satisfyingly concluded The Two-Faced Queen by setting the stage nicely for the big showdown to come in the third—and I think the final—book of the series. I’m looking forward to finding out how the story ends.

Official release date: 25th March 2021 (UK) and 23rd March 2021 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

"The Two-Faced Queen" is the sophomore volume of the series, a fantasy series featuring a lead character whose legacy was loyalty to the Crown, but who has now been branded a traitor. Fabrications are the magical powers here, but their use leaves one with memory gaps. Perhaps a far more succinct novel would have focused better. This one lacked a focus and the characters lacked believability.

final rating: 4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5.

review.

WOW. okay. this is going to be very rambley because i just finished it and i have a LOT OF FEELINGS.

so, getting approved for this arc was a little scary - i hadn't read the first novel yet, so i decided to take a peek at chapter one and decide if i was gonna continue as-is or if i should purchase the first one beforehand. well, i'm happy to say this book does an excellent job of not losing its audience if you're to come into this one before the previous. i'm definitely bumping up the kingdom of liars on my tbr, anyway, just because this was excellent and i want to reread this with all of that first book's context in mind for further Excellence - but i never, at any point, felt lost or confused.

the first couple of chapters were teetering at a 3/5 for me, they were slow and lumbering and i felt like nothing was really... happening. i started to get worried i would be in the minority and absolutely dislike this book, but then i saw a review here mention a twist at around 11%. and just. wow. it's true. it picks up at 11% and from there on it grips you utterly and completely. i've never had a book start off where i thought, "i can't distinguish a single one of these characters" and end with me absolutely enthralled with all of them. these characters have so much life to them. you're rooting for so many of them, even if they're not particularly good people or their goals are flawed.

the first-person narrative caught me off guard at first, but it works here so well. the person michael is at the beginning of the book and who he becomes at the end are so different, and his character arc is one of my Personal Favorite Things an author can do with their protagonists. it just kept getting better and better for me as i read more and more and uncovered more of the worldbuilding and plot along with the main character.

the prose was excellent (particularly as we got closer to the end, i cannot wait until this is out to slather that ONE LINE everywhere), the characters were excellent, and the setup for what's to come next is excellent. i genuinely can't wait to see what's next for michael and for this world.

What an excellent follow up to the first book in the series! Michael Kingman, our protagonist, is a great narrator for this story. The storytelling itself is fantastic, with little bits of knowledge coming all throughout the book. One of the best things Nick Martell does well is writing characters who seem like real, multi dimensional characters. So many times in fantasy, I’ve read books with characters who are stereotypes which in turn makes a book boring - but there’s none of that here. I definitely think it’s worth reading the first book, Kingdom of Liars, since it adds a lot of depth to the story here.

Full review to come closer to publication date.

ARC from NetGalley

It's difficult to articulate my thoughts on this one. I did enjoy this book. It was good. The magic system is getting a bit more interesting. We now have some interesting beasts coming into play. There's a lot going on, a lot of mysteries.

There were a few things that turned me off though. This is going to be rambly. (I'm redacting the spoilers because I don't think the formatting works the same on NetGalley, and I'm C/Ping this from my Goodreads review.)

The Heartbreaker serial killer was kind of a shitty subplot. It felt like a distraction, filler, and only existed in order to help facilitate other subplots. <spoiler>I didn't like the reveal. It felt cheap. I did not like this subplot. It was one of the main reasons I dropped a star. When I was reading it, I had to stop and angry-type an angsty note-to-self:
36% and we've somehow come to be in an early 2000s horror film. A centipede crawled down her throat and it bulged as it went down? How big was this thing? Her gag reflex is so strong that she could let a fucking giant bug crawl down her throat without gagging, and she didn't bite it because she didn't want them to hear the crunch? Also this sing-song voice thing, it's bad.

Another round of BS is a significant spoiler, well two (this is another one of my notes, so it isn't particularly thoughtfully written): <spoiler>

So yeah. This was a good book. It was interesting. But it wasn't without flaw, and it could have been better. I still enjoyed it though, and I still want to read the next one.

Martell does it again!

The sequel to "Kindom of Liars" does not disappoint. Michael Kingman, saved from the block by the intervention of the Mercenary Dark, continues the attempt to clear his family's name.

As usual, there are...complications.

Both the prince and princess want him dead for different reasons. His mother works on integrating them back into a society that shuns them. Sister Gwen has a new job that no one knows about. Dark orders him about while keeping mind-altering secrets.

Did I mention there was a Fabricating serial killer that eviscerates their victims while pitting loved ones against each other?

All this and Michael can't even trust his own memories.

Fast-paced, mysterious, and well-done.

I want the next one now.

Although I was left longing for more of this book's titular character's presence, The Two-Faced Queen is a strong, wild follow up to the Kingdom of Liars expanding on what its author does well: compelling characters and narratives; and strong, evocative world-building that only continues to grow richer as it expands its scope.

Me gusta explorar los nuevos autores de fantasía que van publicando, porque aunque algunos pregonaran el estancamiento del género hay obras que se dedican a refutar estas afirmaciones de manera contundente. Ahí tenemos a Josiah Bancroft o Gareth Hanrahan, con otras voces y otras ideas para asombrarnos con sus mundos fantásticos. Quizá sea demasiado pronto para decirlo, pero me atrevería a afirmar que Nick Martell es otro más de esos autores a los que deberíamos seguir la pista sin dilación. Y es que si bien Kingdom of Liars fue un estupendo comienzo de saga, The Two-Faced Queen no hace si no confirmar nuestras sospechas.


Aunque de nuevo el ámbito de la novela está restringido a la ciudad de Hollow, esto es solo geográficamente, porque la ambición del autor ha ganado muchos enteros. Empezaremos a conocer otros lugares de este mundo y sobre todo, nuevos sistemas mágicos que harían pensar a cualquiera que ha escamoteado la libreta de ideas de Brandon Sanderson.

También hay que decir que los personajes siguen creciendo en la novela, tanto los antiguos como los nuevos, dotando de mucha más profundidad e interés a una historia un tanto alocada y que en algunas ocasiones nos obliga a suspender nuestra incredulidad, con momentos totalmente increíbles y algunas acciones que se resuelven casi recurriendo al deus ex machina. Pero creo que da igual, porque nos están ofreciendo emoción y divertimento a raudales, con revelaciones cada vez más epatantes y con apuestas tan altas que resulta muy difícil imaginar con qué nos sorprenderá en la siguiente entrega, porque ya os digo que en esta se ha sacado tantos trucos de la manga que haría palidecer a Juan Tamariz.

Es cierto que en ocasiones esta búsqueda de la revelación y la sorpresa hace que el entramado acabe resultando demasiado intrincado para el lector que pretenda encontrarle la lógica a toda la historia, pero también hay que decir que el autor en ningún momento se salta las reglas que se ha impuesto al principio, con soluciones muy originales a los problemas de pérdida de memoria ocasionados por el uso de la magia, como tatuajes y diarios. Me encanta cuando en una ocasión le preguntan algo a uno de estos fabricators y responde algo como que no se acuerda, pero que es lo suficientemente importante como para habérselo tatuado en un sitio accesible y encuentra la respuesta en su propio cuerpo. Pero esto es solo un ejemplo, ya que los otros tipos de magia que hacen una aparición fugaz en la novela tienen otros costes asociados también muy elevados.

A veces cansa la utilización de los apodos en lugar de los nombres propios de algunos personajes o de las referencias a su linaje en vez de aclarar a quién se refieren exactamente en vez de ir con alusiones, pero me parece que esto es una imposición más del autor para que el lector entre en el juego. Quizá no recuerdes el nombre a causa de la magia, pero puede que utilices el apodo para circunvalar este escollo.

Como ya digo, se trata de un libro muy pero que muy recomendable, que deseo que vea la luz en español, ya que creo que podría tener mucho éxito.

Whew! Martell did it again, with all of the tenants of strong writing. We are granted engrossing first-person narratives present in his first novel, Kingdom of Liars, thoroughly realized world-building, superb combat, and compelling story - not to forget the strong development of real, gritty well-considered characters, too.

I loved how, through the protagonist, we learn about the world and the unfolding story. We are intimately invited into his thoughts, perceptions (whether encompassing or limited by his realistic scope), and the views that shape his ideas. He sometimes stumbles and is uncertain and is more realistic for it.

The prose and details were so easy to set the reader for total immersion. I became lost in the character and couldn’t stop reading. Martell isn’t forgiving to the reader either. We are not omniscient entities; we, too, learn as the main character learns. Although frustrating at some points, I think it adds to the reader’s relationship with the story and connection to the protagonist. Michael Kingman, like the reader, is figuring out the world as he goes.

I enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to more of Martell’s writing. I think it’s a strong follow-up to his first novel and one that should grace everyone’s shelves. The only note: make sure to read his first book, not for a continuation of the story, but for context that will add depth to The Two-Faced Queen.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The worst part about The Two-Faced Queen is that it ended.

Years ago, I was out dining with family when it was commented on that I always order the same thing and I was made to order a Filet Mignon instead. The irony here is that whenever we went to a restaurant that had Crab Cakes on the menu, that would be what my Father ordered after going over the entire menu. Without a doubt. Every time. When the food came, I noticed that the Filet was small and of course it was gone in a flash. That cut is considered to be one of the best. The perfect, most tender slice. The Two-Faced Queen is that Filet Mignon. If the book had been a quarter as perfect, but double the size, I would still have gobbled it down like the mortal enemy of cows that I am.

I wish I had kept a log or filmed myself while reading this so that you could observe how many times I said "Jesus Christ!" or cursed. I can tell you that I read this on my Kindle and at 11% was my first Jesus Christ moment and around the 90% mark was a full-blown "What the ****?" This has shock, after shock, after shock, after shock.

The Two-Faced Queen continues the story of Michael Kingsman while leaving the comfort so many book series find themselves in. There's a level many books find themselves in. Mistborn, for instance, even though the stakes get higher and the world expands has a constant feel to it. What Nick Martell does here is "I've already done that, this is where we are, and it's about to explode." Michael's redemption is prevalent but everyone comes up to bat in this book. Trey & Naomi have wonderful storylines. I was beyond excited to have the Princess be in the spotlight this time around as her brother was a force in the first book. Every scene she had in Kingdom of Liars always got my attention. Martell even threw in an appearance by Em, the Baker's daughter. He's smart enough to take us on a different adventure while reminding us we are still in the same world. Talented, damn it.

And these people feel real. They aren't cardboard cutouts of generic fantasy characters. They curse and they **** and they tease and they hurt and they bleed just like the rest of us. Without having to kneel to the Grimdark side of things to have personalities. This is something newer writers should take note of. There's a way to express people without being a caricature. Evan Winter is another writer who is good with this.

What was really badass this time around was that the plot includes both an assassin and a serial killer on the loose. They contribute to the craziness but there is no escaping the situation surrounding the Princess, Michael, and Dark. The mystery surrounding Dark is a huge focal point. You could easily argue for him to be on the cover of this book. Speaking of which, both covers are absolutely beautiful.

God, so much happens in this book that it's hard to talk about without giving out other key information. As I'm rewinding it in my head I'm remembering other details that conveniently slipped away and must most likely be waiting for us in book three. I'm still stunned at some reveals. I even was so caught off guard at one point that I threw my Kindle down and had to get up from the couch and shake it off.

Minor Spoilers: A few passing thoughts to close this out. Naomi this time around definitely gave me Maya Hawke-in-Stranger-Things vibes. You'll understand. There also must be something agreed upon by most writers putting out secondary books in 2020 (or early 2021) that all sequels must have more dragons.

Overall, this is a solid book from a solid writer. The type of book we read for. I'm honored to have been able to read it early.

I'll leave off with one of my favorite quotes from the book because I absolutely loved it. Spoilers only because it's wonderful to come across these things on your own as you read. It doesn't affect the story at all.

There were two kinds of people in Symon's mind: Those who respected books and those who didn't. And anyone who fell in the second category would be lucky if they were erased by history rather than dehumanized.

For what it's worth, as I can't have milk or eat Chocolate without suffering, the cows truly have the upper hand in our rivalry.

Martell has followed up The Kingdom of Liars by expanding upon his strengths in The Two-Faced Queen - fantastic first-person narratives, strong and evocative world building, and thrilling combat. His protagonist, Michael Kingman, continues to be a great narrator, with his thoughts and feelings intertwined with his understanding and views of the world around him. At no point can you be positive that Kingman knows everything that is happening around him, and Martell is willing to let him be confused and uncertain, a refreshing take on the epic fantasy genre which can sometimes feel overwhelmed with omniscient heroes and villains, sure in their words and actions. Martell continues to drip-feed the world to the reader, with little and little bits of knowledge gained throughout the book; any time exposition is used, it's due to conversations Kingman is having, cleverly allowing the reader to learn as he does. Finally, the combat throughout the story is raw and brutal; there isn't a lot of waving of swords around and waiting for your opponent to make a mistake. Martell is willing to explore the fact that combat is quick, bloody and painful, and his characters take the brunt of his honesty. All in all, The Two-Faced Queen is a great sequel to a strong novel; the story drives forward, the characters grow and you're left wishing the next one was already written. A note - if you haven't read The Kingdom of Liars, you need to do so - while this is a strong stand-alone novel, most of the motivations and overarching themes emanate from the first book, so you'll likely miss out on a fair amount without it as the foundation.