The King Commands

by Meg Burden

Summary: In this rousing, romantic sequel to Northlander, Southling Ellin Fisher is adjusting well to life in the Northlands palace. The new king Alaric and his brothers have welcomed her as a sister and changed the cruel laws that once oppressed the Southlings. Life is full of swordplay, stables, and budding romances, until the nightmares begin that reconnect Ellin to fellow Southling Lev, imprisoned for killing the king a year earlier. Ellin is a Healer, and shares mental connections with some people, so Lev’s nightmares are also hers. She is drawn to the prison in a dangerous effort to help Lev recover from a terrible illness and stop the dreams, which angers Alaric (with whom she is hopelessly in love), and gets her temporarily exiled. Ellin’s adventures are engaging, and there are enough twists and turns to keep readers hooked. However, the real gem is seeing Ellin mature as a character as she faces competition from a beautiful foreign princess, which eventually turns to friendship. Lots of romance intrigues (the princes are a hot-blooded bunch), but the final outcome is impossible to predict. Book Two of the Tales of the Borderlands successfully continues the series and sets up for the next installment, but easily stands alone as plenty of background information is seamlessly integrated into this new tale.

My thoughts: This is another book that I reviewed for School Library Journal. When I opened the package, I groaned. Not only is the cover really cheesy, the plot not really my thing, and it's a sequel to a book I haven't read! But this is actually a really great story! If you liked Graceling, try the Tales of the Borderlands series! (Just do your best to ignore the weird cover!)