Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes - ESSENTIAL

Rhodes, Morgan  Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms, #2), 401 pgs.  Razor Bill (Penguin), 2013.  $18.99  Content: Language: PG-13 (26 swears); Violence: PG-13 (war violence and unmerciful deaths); Mature Content: PG-13.  

King Gaius has overtaken Auranos and has forced Princess Cleo to wed his son, Prince Magnus.  Gaius has obtained control over all of Mytica, but now he seeks more power through elemental magic and believes he can awaken the magic by building a blood road throughout the land.  Many people are enslaved to work on the road, but the rebel Jonas is fighting against the king and although Cleo may have been forced to marry Magnus, she is starting to see that Magnus is different than his father and she is looking for the opportunity to take back her throne.   

This series is engrossing and I cannot put it down.  Usually the second book in a series is slow and uneventful, but this book is as good as the first.  I love all the characters and the book changes between the different viewpoints which helps the reader understand the different motives.  There are a lot of deaths, even among minor characters that I like, and the deaths help fuel the dislike of King Gaius.  There is a kiss between two men, and the amount of deaths makes the violence PG-13 as well as Gaius’ detailed threats of torture.  I wish the whole series was written because I can’t get enough.   

MS, HS-ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.