Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury, #2)

by Tracy Banghart

Sarah Mollo-christensen (Narrator) and Megan Tusing (Narrator)

The breathtaking sequel to Grace and Fury. A fierce tale of sisterhood, courtly intrigue, and heart pounding action, perfect for fans of Red Queen and The Selection.

Nomi and Malachi find themselves powerless and headed towards their all-but-certain deaths. Now that Asa sits on the throne, he will stop at nothing to make sure Malachi never sets foot in the palace again.

Nomi's sister, Serina, is far away on the prison island of Mount Ruin - but it is in the grip of revolution and Serina leads. The women there have their sights set on revenge beyond the confines of their island prison. They will stop at nothing to gain freedom for the entire kingdom. But first they'll have to get rid of Asa, and only Nomi knows how.

Separated once again, this time by choice, Nomi and Serina must forge their own paths as they aim to tear down the world they know, to build something better in its place.

• ISBN10: 1549181122
• ISBN13: 9781549181122
• Publish Date: 2 July 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Edition: Library Edition
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 8 hours and 50 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

The women of Mount Ruin have revolutionised the brutal island prison, their oppressors imprisoned although continue to threaten the now united female community with violent consequences of their insolence. In protecting her sister, Serina Tessaro was sentenced and ostracised from the Kingdom of Viridia, a disgraced Grace accused of literacy in a society in which women are denied an education. Although Serina pleads her innocence, sister Nomi is a rebellious young woman refusing to adhere to the male patriarchal society and with the knowledge of the slain Superior and Prince Malachi, is sentenced to Mount Ruin.

Although Serina and Nomi are contrasting siblings, they care and support one another profoundly. As children, Serina often believed that Nomi holding her rebellious morals were little more than dissent towards her role as handmaiden, her furtive education culminating in the Tessaro sisters both convicted and sentenced to the island mountain so Prince Asa can rule unopposed. The abhorrent Asa clearly underestimating the power of women, an island where women have been forced to fight to the death is revolting against the male dominated society and with Nomi's newfound knowledge of Viridia's history, the sisters are determined to take back what is rightfully theirs. Freedom, respect and power.

Serina and Nomi are formidable characters who have undergone an incredible amount of growth since arriving in the Viridia capital. Serina was a Grace who's beauty and poise is ingrained within her from an early age while Nomi rebelled against the oppression women faced. Now reunited, the sisters are about to part ways again, this time Serina will commandeer the prison transport vessel and guide the women of Mount Ruin to safety while Nomi will accompany Prince Malachi back to the mainland, in the hopes of finding her brother, parents and ending Asa's rein.

The duology challenges stereotypes with its subtle themes of feminism within the patriarchal society. That women are homemakers, concubines and uneducated simply because men fear them and what women are capable of. Seeing the women of Mount Ruin rise as one to fight back against their oppressors was inspirational and ignites conversations about women and women's rights, our bodies and our right to the same freedoms that men overwhelmingly enjoy.

The romance throughout is incredibly subtle with the focus on friendships and female empowerment. The male love interests barely rate a mention, they're simply supporting characters who both support the equality of women. Women are the main focus and drive the narrative through their fierceness and determination, I loved each and every moment.

Although Grace and Fury is a duology, the ending left me wanting more. What happens to a society where males now become displaced? Their power stripped and women given equal rights? There's so much more of the story to tell and I hope Tracey Banghart will revisit this amazing world she's created again sometime soon.

I live for books like the Grace and Fury duology, it's why I read young adult novels. Strong female characters within an oppressive world isn't too far from reality for so many teen girls, denied an education, denied the rights to their own bodies and denied the freedom that so many of us take for granted. It portrays women as fighters, the quiet rebellion of reading or a warriors call to arms to fight against the patriarchy, every female voice is important. It's entertaining, inspiration and just an incredible read. It's for every woman who has been told to sit down and be quiet... And who stood up anyway.

[liz089]

I find this one difficult to rate.. mostly because I had a lot of trouble with one of the MC's, which concluded in me disliking half of this book.
For Serina's part I would love to give this story a solid 4 rating. She has grown so much since the last novel and has gotten from a Grace/princess to a kick-ass warrior, she has survived a lot of hardship and became a true leader. I loved reading her side of the story and wished she did the whole book on multiple occassions. If not for her part I would have DNF'ed this novel.
Because her sister.... I really could not connect with Nomi at all. I found her naive, stupid and just... a whiny b*tch. She made such rash decisions and stupid choices... very frustrating, and well, she has been very lucky all of her idiotic actions did not backfire. Which made it also very unrealistic, because it should not go so easy for her...
But well, all in all I am happy to have finished it, I love all the kick-ass womens in this novel who fight for their rights en had fun. For half of it atleast XD

[Jo]

I received this eProof for by/free from Hachette Children's Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Rep: Secondary dark skinned character, secondary lesbian characters in f/f relationship.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features authorised abduction, violence: fighting, guns/shooting, knives/stabbing, death, murder, mentions of paedophilia and rape.

I absolutely adored Grace & Fury by Tracy Banghart, so I was so, so excited to read the sequel, Queen of Ruin - and oh my god, it was bloody incredible!

Queen of Ruin kicks off seconds after Grace & Fury ended. The women on Mount Ruin have won their rebellion and are no longer prisoners. A large number of the guards are dead, some are locked in the cells, and the rest of them are free. It was Serina who brought about the rebellion, and it's to her, now, that the women look on how to move forward.
Nomi is on a boat with Maris and Malachi, the Heir, heading towards Mount Ruin. Malachi has been stabbed by his brother Asa - who also killed his father, the Superior - and his survival is unsure. But at least, finally, Nomi will get to be with her sister again.
But when Serina and Nomi are reunited, everyone's plans change. If Malachi survives, the women can help him overthrow Asa, and put Malachi on the throne, and ensure rights for women. But not everyone wants the same things, and now the women of Mount Ruin have their freedom, they get to choose where their future lies.

Queen of Ruin is absolutely amazing! These women are such badasses, and it's just brilliant! Nomi and Serina have really come into their own. Serina is leading the women of Mount Ruin after inspiring a rebellion - a far cry from the quiet, graceful, beautiful girl who always played by the rules. Nomi is wracked full of guilt for the state of Viridia and her part in it. If she hadn't trusted Asa, things could have been different. She's full of rage at his manipulation, but determined to do whatever she can to bring him down.

The pace of Queen of Ruin is slightly slower than Grace & Fury, but it's a good kind of slow. The women are free now, and they get to choose what they do next. Serina isn't going to force them to fight, when fighting is all they have done. But whatever they choose to do, nothing can happen until they have a way off the island. So they must train until the next prison ship arrives. But things aren't as plain sailing as they expect, when their plans fall to the wayside due to a number of unexpected events. Nomi has to get Malachi back to Viridia, and see what they can do about trying to take back the throne. But even though it's been a short while, things have greatly changed. Everyone thought Malachi's father was bad, but Asa is even worse. He's so much crueler, and enjoys the pain of others.

A lot happens in this book, in regards to strategy and obstacles. I think some will find the slower build up, and the quieter aspects of the book disappointing, but I actually loved it. They can't just make their way to Viridia and storm the palace, where would be the story? And things are never that easy, anyway. There was absolutely enough to keep me completely hooked. As with Grace & Fury, every chapter ends on it's own cliffhanger - because it's not just waiting around for a boat to arrive, or trying to make it to Viridia - and mate, things are difficult, and dangerous, and complicated.

I've found this entire duology to be so, so empowering. Women who will not sit back and let the men decide their fates for them. Women who will fight back. Women who won't take no for an answer. I bookmarked so many quotes that had me shouting, "YES!" I just completely adore these books, full of action and danger, and women taking charge. I only wish there was another book in the series, because although there is a satisfying conclusion, nothing changes over night, and their are still men who have their opinions on women, and I would have loved to have seen how those kinds of things are dealt with. I just think politically, it could be very interesting, and there would still be conflict - and you could throw in an [redacted] for extra conflict, and it would totally work and be believable! But I loved Queen of Ruin - an incredible, action packed, high stakes finale to the Grace & Fury duology - and will definitely check out whatever Banghart writes in future!

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

Okay, this is how you finish a duology. I am two for two with sequels this week alone and wow. Just wow. This was everything I had hoped for, and then some! I really enjoyed Grace and Fury, and was obviously thrilled to read the sequel. But you know, sometimes sequels are scary! But this is how you wrap up a series! Here's the thing: This isn't the most unique premise out there. It can even be a little tropey at times. But honestly? When it's done right, there's a reason we enjoy certain tropes. And this book reminded me precisely of that. So now it is time to gush about the stuff I extra loved!

• •The characters are incredible. Truly, they make the whole book. Not just the main characters, though they're a big part of it which I will expand more on. But no, the author somehow made me care about every random side character she introduced. Everyone served a purpose in the story; everyone's life mattered. So if someone, anyone, died, it felt like a real gut punch, not like some rando bit it.



• •Speaking of the main characters, their sisterly relationship was unparalleled. Usually when I read about a sister relationship, it's kind of a Katniss-Prim dynamic: One is the heroine, and she generally needs to save the other in some way. Not so here! Nomi and Serina are both fierce and strong and capable. Sometimes it's in different ways, but neither sits around waiting to be rescued. They both have assumed charge of their destinies. And absolutely they want to protect each other, but not in a way that implies one of them is helpless. They want to protect each other because they love one another, simple as that.



• •And while we're talking about love and protection, every single one of the romantic partnerships in this book saw each other as equals. Didn't matter who the coupling was, they were complete partners in every sense. Even the side characters' relationships were viewed in this very equal and refreshing light. No one, man or woman, was a damsel waiting to be saved by their lover. The level of respect that the couples treated each other with was fabulous, and every single book should strive to portray relationships in this manner.



• •Holy high stakes!  I genuinely did not feel like anyone was safe during the whole book. It was a brutal and vicious world, and these women (and a few men) would stop at literally nothing until they were both safe and saw a change. So as you can imagine, there is room for a lot of bad junk to go down.



• •It had many feels and much excitement. I was so invested that I started the last 40% when I got a bubble bath (thanks, Kindle Paperwhite!) and literally could not stop. My hot water had long run out, I was straight up shivering (and fine maybe crying a little, shh) and I still couldn't even pause to go get warm. It was so compelling that I just needed to know how it ended. And it was perfectly satisfying and worth every minute!

Bottom Line: It was the perfect high-octane finale to a really great series. I cannot wait to read whatever the author writes next, for I have no doubt it'll be phenomenal!