The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

You can't always run from danger...

-

Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean danger isn’t far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs o succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

Whatever I said about the first book in this series, The Demon King, forget it. You HAVE TO read these books. I still think that The Demon King was slow-moving but I loved this book, the second in the series. You get to know some of the other charcters more in this book and they all interact more with each other.

I am still so in love with Amon but my heart is broken for him and Raisa. I won't give away what happens, but I really hope for a happy ending for everyone. I just can't figure how that's possible. At first I had mixed feelings about Raisa aka "Rebecca" and Han's relationship because I really just couldn't see them as friends. But I think Raisa tutoring him was the perfect way to throw them together and stir things up.

Also, I WANT TO KNOW WHO CROW IS! I knew there was something...off...about it, but now I'm really curious. I have my guesses but I will just have to wait and see. And since this just came out, it's likely that I'll have to wait another year, at least, for some answers. STUPID SERIES! :) I think stand-alone books went out around the same time as stand-alone movies. I hate that everything has sequels!

Anyway, read these, read these, read these. They are long and wordy and sometimes a bit slow, but so worth every minute. :)

Happy Reading!!