Thorn Queen (Dark Swan)

Richelle Mead is an amazing storyteller. She has a talent for weaving together a story in such a way that she drops hints while still being able to surprise you. She has a thorough knowledge of the subject matter she writes about (she has the college degrees to prove it) and is able to bring it to her readers in a seamless and relatable way.
Thorn Queen is the second book of the Dark Swan series. Eugenie is being torn in a lot of different directions about a lot of different things. It's enough to bring a lesser person to their knees. Eugenie, however, is no ordinary woman- she is the Thorn Queen. One of her main issues is trying to balance the life she's grown up with and likes with the life and responsiblity that's been thrust upon her. And that's just the beginning of her woes.
If you haven't started reading this series, or any of Mead's other series, I suggest you put it at the top of your To Be Read pile now.

There will be no spoilers in this review.

This book was even better than Storm Born. What I liked about it was that the characters were allowed to grow and change. Richelle Mead didn't pidgeon hold them into being a certain way and not let them grow up and change. (I hate it when authors do that.)

Eugenie is a flawed main character, and as this series has progressed, you can see her character begin to soften and make smarter choices. She has some real problems that she needs to work out on her own. And by the end of this book, she has made her choices and set her future in motion.

Eugenie is not kept within a bubble of protection that other authors tend to do. Her "situation" at the end of the book was handled tactfully and with respect. You can tell that this is something that will be affecting her choices in upcoming books. And because of this, her character has been given the opportunity to evolve.

I gave this book 5/5 stars. There was character growth, plot development, interesting action, and overall good writing. I can't wait to see what the next book will bring our way!

In Thorn Queen, Eugenie Markham finds she must straddle the two worlds of her new life with even greater difficulty than before. And what awaits at the end is the ultimate question, the decision: will she embrace or abandon the prophesied destiny that is to be her future? Who will be at her side?

Mead punctuates this ever-present conflict by weaving back and forth from the Otherworld to Eugenie's human life back in Tucson. Her not-so-humble beginnings that had begat the legacy of Odile Dark Swan may have taken a backseat to her newest duties. Fans will relish in this departure delving into the otherworldly realm, and the next stage of evolvement of this character.

And that is the focus of Mead's second installment. Eugenie's duties in Tucson, her old job seems to have faded in importance, a mere afterthought, with comparison to her new burden as Queen. Her lands, and her subjects need her. There is commerce, brigands and famine in which to deal with. There is a potential alliance with she and her sister. And the decision to make about two very real men in her life: Kiyo and Dorian. A decision that comes on the heels of a crucial event and changes her life forever.

There is also the portent, a foreshadowing, that Mead touches on. Is Eugenie more like her father or herself? Will she be the Storm Queen or the Thorn Queen? It is anyone's guess. Either way devoted readers (like myself) will be avidly rooting for the next book to come out and eagerly devouring it. Especially now that she's got the right guy at her side (not giving it away, though I so want to!) Hey I bet the next one will be called Storm Queen? Ya think?

** spoiler alert ** *SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!*

I absolutely loved this sequel to Storm Born. It takes place a few months after Eugenie has taken the throne of the Thornland. She's the Thorn Queen, her boyfriend Kiyo is running around in circles because his ex-girlfriend is pregnant/has a baby (hello angst!), girls vanish from the villages on Thornland, and Dorian.... Well, Dorian is being Dorian and doesn't that says it all?

I loved the action in this book, as well as the fact that we see Eugenie grow a lot--she has this new land to take care of, it is part of her, and the people living on it are dependable on her... Espcially now that she's turned it into a pretty version of Tucson, her hometown. She also has to learn to live with both her identities. She sees herself as a human, but more and more, she also sees herself as a gentry, the actual daughter of Storm King. And this part of her will slowly but surely become more important.

(There are SPOILERS in the following pa...more *SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!*

I absolutely loved this sequel to Storm Born. It takes place a few months after Eugenie has taken the throne of the Thornland. She's the Thorn Queen, her boyfriend Kiyo is running around in circles because his ex-girlfriend is pregnant/has a baby (hello angst!), girls vanish from the villages on Thornland, and Dorian.... Well, Dorian is being Dorian and doesn't that says it all?

I loved the action in this book, as well as the fact that we see Eugenie grow a lot--she has this new land to take care of, it is part of her, and the people living on it are dependable on her... Espcially now that she's turned it into a pretty version of Tucson, her hometown. She also has to learn to live with both her identities. She sees herself as a human, but more and more, she also sees herself as a gentry, the actual daughter of Storm King. And this part of her will slowly but surely become more important.

(There are SPOILERS in the following paragraph!)

I was glad that Eugenie ended up with Dorian (I liked him more than I did Kiyo, what can I say?) and while some might complain about how the ending was delt with (especially the speediness with which Eugenie deals with a week's worth of rapes), I thought Mead had paved the way for this ending, continuously showoing us how Eugenie is becoming more and more gentry, eg. led by her feelings instead of simply letting logic dictates her actions.

(End of SPOILERS)

I can't believe I have to wait another year to get my hands on the third book in this series but it'll definitely be worth it.

I really enjoyed "Thorn Queen" it was, in my opinion even more enjoyable than "Storm Born". The first few chapters started a bit slow and I am not the biggest fan of the whole lets recap the last book, or act like the readers didn't read the last book kind of filler. I would rather the author assume we actually read and remember the previous books. ANYWAY, I thought there was a lot more sex than I had expected but other than that I liked the story arc. I am in the Dorian ship so I always am crossing my fingers that things will work out between them. I like that Eugenie is starting to accept who she is and bringing all of who she is into her character. I liked how Dorian handled her `situation' it kind of proved that he cares for her. I look forward to Iron Crowned and the following book.

I'm a huge fan of Richelle Mead so I may be somewhat biased in my review of her work. That being said - I loved Thorn Queen and would definitely recommend it. You need to read Strom Born first though or you will be pretty lost just picking up Thorn Queen on its own. This book picked up right where Storm Born left off and not wanting to give any spoilers away let's just there was lots of action, romance and humor. Lives changed in my opinion for the better (depending on your opinion of whom you think Eugenie should end up with) and the book leaves you ready for the next installment. I can't wait for Iron Crowned in 2010! As I said before I'm a huge fan of RM and would also recommend her other books - the Georgina Kincaid Series (hands down my absolute favorite!) and the Vampire Academy Series.

I love this author, as a huge fan of the Vampire Academy series, I am familiar with this authors wonderful ability to write a novel that her readers and main character and find their selves in a vicious love triangle. Eugenie is an awesome character that I love following, not all of the hard core personality, but also a carefully crafted realistic personality that allows readers to really feel a connection. I must admit that the storyline in this particular novel, while enjoyable, was not as flowing as the first novel. I had a few points of struggle when I was pushing myself through the pages. This aside, Mead is a killer with emotional roller coasters and this book just goes to prove the point further. No one can pass up the chance to read a love affair by this author, but I can honestly say that I was a HUGE fan of Dorian after the first novel. I leaned more toward wanting a relationship with this character, and my prayers were answered in Thorn Queen. I have never read a novel that I wanted to push the character into power, especially that which she was being warned away from. I found myself all through this story wanting to shove her into her power. The ending was a bit astonishing to me that once they had found her Kiyo was still the safe contender, and struggling to safe the enemy. Hence, why I was loudly cheering when Dorian stepped up and killed him in honor of the one he loves. GO DORIAN! I am sure that their is much more to the future of the Dark Swan series, and I am anxious to continue reading. Here's to waiting until early 2011.

Like everyone else, I'm Team Dorian all the way! I love this character so much I think I want to name my first born after him. ;) I liked him for his charm and kindness in Book 1 and in this book I like him for his charm and ruthlessness. I only wished there had been more scenes with him and Eugenie (and maybe fewer demon/gentry fight scenes. Yawn). Plus, the last chapter felt like a last minute "tide me over" chapter where we were thrown a bone until the next book. Nothing wrong with that, except for me, the execution felt rushed, out-of-the-blue and unsatisfying.

Still, though, this book (and the one before it) are FANTASTIC -steamy and with interesting plots! I'm so glad I found this author. If you like this book, I would also recommend Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series (starts with Darkfever) if you haven't read it.

Unlike the previous book in the series (STORM BORN), THORN QUEEN manages to pick up the pace of the story and is far more entertaining than its predecessor.

To begin, the back story of the two worlds and what protagonist Eugenie does has already been explained, so thankfully there is not much explaining and a lot more action and character interaction. The story of Eugenie being split between two worlds, two men, two destinies really starts to take shape here. As Eugenie finds herself spending more time in the otherworld and her kingdom, she encounters a lot more problems. Foremost of all is how she is now in charge of her own kingdom. For once, Eugenie must stop being selfish and realize that many other peoples lives depend on her. While she still annoyingly can't stop whining about her kingdom, she at least has started taking more responsibility for it, which is a relief. No one likes a whiny heroine, Eugenie. Secondly, Eugenie's relationship with Kiyo is still a bore. Why women put themselves through these terrible relationships is a mystery to me, and while the ending of the book made me hope Eugenie would find more of a backbone when it comes to men, I doubt Eugenie will stop being ridiculous about the men in her life. That being said, I enjoyed seeing Dorian more in the series: he is what truly kept me reading.

The ending is very shocking, something I did not see coming, and was very difficult to read. However, I applaud Mead for painstakingly writing it to be as accurate and emotional as possible. Any spoilers would take away from the shock of it, so I'll just wrap it up by saying this installment of the Dark Swan series has made me invested in the story, and here's to hoping the next book will continue the richness of the story.

LOVED this book. Got it as a freebie on Kindle and had to read the first book after I got a few chapters in ( good price, by the way ) and then reread book 2. It was worth it. I liked Eugenie eeven more in this one, aside from all the angst about being divided between two worlds. We should be so lucky. I hope she continues in both worlds - they each have things to offer her - thngs that I think she needs to keep her grounded. This book was funny, endearing, sexy and exciting, and a little sobering at the end. Eugenie has grown since the first book, and her problems in this book are more adult too. I still think book 1 and 2 should have been combined, and I hope the next book will be a little meatier. Can't wait!
Renee S. N.Y.C.

Life hasn't been kind to shaman Eugenie Markham recently: a more or less ordinary-seeming case - to enter the otherworld of faerie and retrieve a kidnapped girl - has led to her discovering a number of unpalatable facts about her heritage. It turns out that she's the daughter of a faerie king, who abducted and raped her mother before his own death, leaving behind a prophecy that the son of his daughter would rule faerie, and conquer the human world into the bargain, meaning that every otherworldly male is pursuing her in the hopes of fathering the future ruler. As if that weren't enough, the kidnapped girl she was seeking has turned out to be her own half-sister - the product of another rape - who has few qualms about becoming the mother of a future emperor, and in the process of rescuing her, and killing her faerie captor, Eugenie managed to take control of his kingdom and remake it according to her own desires, into an arid desert land.

Now, she finds herself responsible for population of faerie subjects facing starvation as they don't know how to survive in her new Thorn Land; her lover, Kiyo the kitsune seems to be spending more time with his former paramour - who is about to bear his child - than he is with her, while also wanting her to stay away from the otherworld; Dorian, the seductive faerie king, continues to confuse her; and, she has brigands on the borders of her kingdom who appear to be abducting young women themselves. No wonder she's finding it difficult to keep her mind on her usual business as a shaman and continue to banish otherworldly creatures from the human world!

While there's still plenty of Richelle Mead's usual combination of action and sex in Thorn Queen, the second in her Dark Swan sequence, more interesting is how Eugenie deals with everything, as she is faced with the consequences of her earlier actions, struggles with her emotions, and eventually discovers that not all the villains she must face are fae ones. Mead keeps events moving, though, and ends the book on a note which certainly left this reader eager to read the next volume in the series. I would rate it as a definite improvement on its predecessor, Storm Born , and I wasn't left wishing that Mead would focus all her energies on her Georgina Kincaid series - instead, I'll have to remain on tenterhooks for two books, not just the one, and if you're an urban fantasy fan, I thin you will, too.

I loved Eugenie in Storm Born -- what wasn't there to love? She was tough, funny, and didn't succumb to the tendency to whine. Unlike what another reviewer complained about in Thorn Queen, the sex scenes did not fall short; the tension is well built with both Kiyo and Dorian. Meanwhile, the central mysteries -- who is trying to kill her, and why -- were surprising and well written.

None of this goodness, sadly, was the case with Thorn Queen. Because Mead has a good ear for humor, there are several fun moments, but the central mystery here (who is kidnapping girls from her kingdom?) is not built up well.

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS:
Fun moments happen a lot in character reversals -- when, for example, Eugenie's out-to-kill-her sister volunteers to help her with some vengeance. The reaction is well captured. Or, with Mead's typical flair for silly dialogue, when Vosuvian, the dangerous spirit she's bound to her, teases Eugenie.

Overall, though, these small moments don't disguise the fact that the book needed to be about a hundred pages longer. The book needed a lot more balance in the personal life/character development vs. the outer conflict -- what ends up happening is that neither gets the front seat, and both end up suffering.

Personal life/ character development falls short because there isn't enough buildup hinting Eugenie's shift in her favoring a different boyfriend. Neither is there a Timmy-down-the-well moment that really illustrates when Eugenie starts to care more about her kingdom. Instead, you get pages and pages of endless angsting from Eugenie about whether she wants to actually rule the Thorn Kingdom. This ends up overshadowing the so-called central mystery of the plot -- girls who are disappearing in her kingdom.

To be fair, we're just as caught by surprise as Eugenie is when her hunches about who is kidnapping the girls actually turns out right; this is good. But the revelation falls flat, because the buildup wasn't really there. The side character who ends up stabbing her in the back is almost play-by-play the retake of another scene in the Georgina series -- scorned, overlooked weasely character who ends up rapist-like. It was done better there, and sadly, I felt like it was telegraphed the same way. Hmm.

I guess it's because my expectations were so high for this book -- it is fine for a book I'd borrow from the library, but I wouldn't buy it and reread it. I am disappointed by the unexpectedly poor balance in this. So I'm glad the books is free on the Kindle.

I loved this book. It's an unusual setting with a heroine who travels between dimensions. I found that the book was well written and as much a thriller as a romance novel. I have read a lot of Richeller Mead books and all the series are very different from each other but all are exciting in their own way. This Sequel is a great follow-up to the first "Storm Born." There is magic, there are gentry, lands that overlap each other, and of course a kick-ass heroine!! the story unfolds at a great pace and though it leaves you wanting for more, it doesn't leave you hanging. This is important because each book in a series should be able to stand on its own and the books in Mead's series do. I recommend this to those readers who enjoy sic-fi, romance, thrillers, urban fiction, paranormal fiction.

"Thorn Queen" is action packed from the start. Being 400 pages, I figured this book would take a week or so to finish, but I completed it in 3 days. Most of the book is spent in the Otherworld since Eugenie is now the Thorn Queen; she is learning what is means to be a queen. Roland & Kiyo would have her stay away from Otherworld, but Eugenie seems to be drawn back time after time. She is also gaining more power, & she may or may not use it wisely in the future. All in all, another winner from Richelle Mead.

This book really didn't catch my interest until it was half way to 2/3 done. Then the plot really picked up and I couldn't wait to turn the page and see what happens next. I'm not sure if the main character grows or simply falls further down the rabbit hole. Kiyo is a big let down and hypocritical when it comes to the Eugenie and her involvement in the other world. By the end of this book, Eugenie's life once again is forever changed and there's no going back. Overall, it wasn't a bad book And I would have rated it higher if it wasn't for how slow it was during the first half of the book.

I must confess, after reading Storm Born, Richelle Mead has left me wanting more. And I am glad there's Thorn Queen to accompany me. Owh wow!! Amazing story telling. The story continues from where Storm Born left us, and with that we could see how great Eugenie's character has developed. Her relationship with the Oak King is still very explosive, and always left me wanting more of these two. Kiyo has become more annoying in this second installment but he too has his own issues to deal with. Lots of drama, action, conflicts, comedy, romance, this book is hard to put down. Definitely a page turner you would want to keep. I highly recommend it.

I had hoped after reading 'Storm Born' that 'Thorn Queen' would be just as good. It definitely was. No spoilers here, just know that if you liked book one, definitely pick up book two in paperback or kindle.

Great book :]

This is so far definitely my favorite book series that I have read to date. And I am no teenibopper (I know this is an adult book but its fantasy). IMO Thorn Queen and Storm Born are both the best books out there in this genre, and Richelle Mead is one of the best writers in this area also. If you like science fiction, fantasy, and strong female characters who are also funny and quirky, you will love this. HIGHLY recommended. I cant wait for the next one to come out.

I bought this for summer vacation reading on my Kindle. Fantasy and sci-fi are my fun trash reading, the stuff I stretch out with while basking in the luxury of free time. It's rare that I come across a fantasy book that I truly dislike, but sadly Thorn Queen fell into this category. The writing was lackluster, the overall plot was predictable and rather tedious. I could see the so-called twists pages before they were sprung on the ready. I disliked the heroine. (How bloody self-absorbed could a human being be?) I disliked the subplot about the tension between being "ruler" vs "regular joe normal". (Really contrived.) I disliked the "Oh I'm torn between two men" dilemma that the heroine was supposed to work through. (It was decided, ultimately, by who she liked to sleep with more. Not particularly introspective, this one.)

I regret buying this title -- one of the few books that I have ever wished I could un-read when I got to the last page.

I was so looking forward to this book after storm born but I kind of felt that Thorn Queen wasn't an attention grabber as the first one. This second book felt more like a waste of pages on a relationship with kiyo & euginie. Sorry guys but I really didn't like kiyo. I felt that euginie lost her spunk her hard ass persona. I mean she's supposed to be touch as nails shaman right? This book is slow in my opinion on the first couple of chapters until it gets to freaking almost done that's when the real action starts. But still I'll be reading the next installment only to satisfy my craving to see euginie and dorian together. Their relationship was always a short incounter. Can't wait to see what those two will do.

After Eugenie's plights with Storm Born, Thorn Queen delivers an awesome sequel. I love how she becomes more powerful and a threat to the men in her life. Dorian is hot as usual and Kiyo's behavior makes you feel for Eugenie. Great sequel.

Thorn Queen was such a good read, I had a hard time putting it down. Such a unique story line, with very interesting characters. I personally could do with less of the descriptive sex, but still a good book. Better than the 1st one.

Richelle Mead is such a fantastic writer. The first book Storm Born was great and this book is even better. If you like Richelle's other books you will also enjoy this book. Lots of action and romance. Richelle is really good at getting you attached to her main characters.

Richelle Mead has yet to disappoint me with any of her series. The Thorn Queen follow-up to Storm Born was action packed, a great story line and finishes strong with an ending that was a bit surprising to me. My only complaint is that these books do not come out fast enough!

Fair warning - There is a lot of adult content in this book

amazing book by mead. great climax and very unexpected action. and finnally! a hero tha kills! way too often how a hero/heroine doesn't because of some moral reason even though it benfits the entire world greatly.

I always try the freebies and this book was a real surprise. Well-written and highly entertaining, including some LOL moments.
The only problem I had with this book was the "sex as a spectator sport" moments, but I just click "next page" (several times). I don't feel this added to the story since the first couple of episodes of sex were not in depth descriptions and were just as effective.

All together and enjoyable and fun read.

Boring plot, terrible writing, flat characters. Nothing interesting happens until page 289 and even that was disappointing. The author breezes lightly over a terrifying, violent stream of events then has the heroine recover within days. Unbelievably ridiculous.

The author "tells" and doesn't "show", dialogue lacks snap, characters lack spark. I didn't think much of Storm Born until the end, so I stuck this one out to see if it improved, but seriously, I can't see how this crap gets by an agent, an editor and publisher.

Save your hard earned cash. I know I won't spend a cent on another book by this author.