Book Review: Second Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

Second Daughter (The Dharian Affairs, Book Two)


Regular readers will remember my review for the first book in this series, Third Daughter. I really enjoyed it, and I know some of my readers did as well. Well yesterday saw the release of the second in the trilogy and to celebrate I helped with the launch and shared a giveaway. Make sure to visit that post and enter to win!

 Second Daughter takes up right where Third Daughter left off. Aniri, Third Daughter of the Queen of Dharia, is preparing to marry the Prince of Jungali after a whirlwind romance and swashbuckling adventure. Meanwhile she's also afraid the country of Samir is preparing to launch a war against both Dharia and Jungali.

 Her fears for her family and her country combine with her cold feet about her wedding to make her uncertain of everything. She doubts whether she is truly ready to marry and the strength of her feelings for the Prince. When word reaches her that her sister, the Second Daughter and wife to the heir of Samir, has been attacked, she acts against all advice and takes off in a skyship to save her sister. What ensues is an adventure of political intrigue and harrowing attempts to escape the capital city of Samir. 

I'll admit to feeling a bit annoyed at Aniri for much of this book due to her uncertainty and waffling over her feelings for her husband-to-be, though ultimately I think the book makes the case that her doubts were reasonable. This does feel like a middle book, and doesn't quite have the punch of the first one. While there's a lot of action and excitement, some of it feels a bit like padding. I found I missed the active presence of Ash, the Prince, since he was offscreen for most of the book. There is a lot of miscommunication and false assumptions made between the characters throughout the story, and that always frustrates me because I WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY DAMMIT.

 Ultimately, though I did really enjoy this book and devoured it quickly. It's fun to see more of this world, including the more industrial (and therefore steampunk) country of Samir. It ends on a rather cruel cliffhanger, and I want the next book NOW PLEASE.

Note: The first book in the series is currently on sale for $0.99 to celebrate the launch of the sequel.