Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead!!

Hello everyone!!

I'm starting the week and Mark This Book Monday with an ARC review, one that I was extremely happy to be approved for via Edelweiss, which is also quite a rare exception! As such it is also counted for my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge!

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I got my ARC of Gameboard of the Gods last year, it was my first Richelle Mead book, and I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I loved her adult new series. It was quite obvious that I was going to try and get my hands on the second book as soon as possible, so when I got approved for an ARC of The Immortal Crown on Edelweiss I did a lil celebratory jig!

As always with sequels, I'll try to keep my review spoiler free, but you can expect spoilers for the first book's happenings. We start more or less where we were left on Gameboard of the Gods, with Mae and Justin on an uncertain truce and the new very confusing situation of gods existing and trying to regain power and followers.

Since the bulk of the world building was done in the first book, here the focus is more on plot progression, but there's still more world building since they go visit Arcadia, the neighbouring and not too friendly country down south. As with the first book, nothing and no one is exactly what it seems, and all players on the board are mere pawns on a higher game played by the gods, even those who think they are in a position of power.

As the previous book we have 3 main POVs, Justin, Mae and Tessa, and as before all of them are important to the main overall plot line, but this time it's even more obvious how important Tessa's POV is to the story. Justin and Mae make a fantastic team and I love them both as flawed and genuine characters, their interactions show how much they've progressed despite all their false starts to turn their partnership into a fully involved love relationship.

Mae kicked the influence of a goddess off in the previous book but seems that another one is trying to get her attention and alliance by sending her visions about something dear to her. Justin is trying to avoid fully committing himself to Odin's service and worship because despite all the advantages that the ravens keep on insisting he'd gain, he's still has plenty of reservations.

Mae and Justin get involved with a diplomatic mission to Arcadia, which Mae is very interested in making for reasons of her own. The differences between the RUNA and Arcadia are clear and the backwards ways of Arcadia, with its theocracy and its mistreat of women, are a challenge for the women of the RUNA delegation. And it was very hard on me too, it kept on making my blood boil time and again, it seemed like the religion of Arcadia is the biggest mix of women-hating-patriarchy-bullshit possible... it certainly reminded me of other theocracies out there in the real world. Cloistered women, burkas anyone?

Justin finds himself being an advocate of Odin and using the god's gifts to try and navigate the unexpected challenges that a place with a strongly worshipped god presents, even more when some machinations against the RUNA are discovered. In the meantime Mae, following her goddess visions, strikes on her own trying to acomplish a mission of her own, causing quite a bit of trepidation on the delegation and Justin.

The ending was quite a whirlwind of emotions, surprises and some twists that left me with my mouth hanging! The final curve ball that was thrown at us in the last page was not exactly a cliffhange, but wow, talk about unexpected!! I cannot wait for book 3 now!! LOKI! Someone else *spoilers*!!

Very well deserved 4 stars, and I'm gonna be adding a half star one only for that final page!!




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