The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

The Immortal Crown (Age of X, #2)

by Richelle Mead

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodline series returns with the second installment in her acclaimed Age of X series.

Religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen—the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him—have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.

Reviewed by Angie on

3 of 5 stars

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I received an ARC through NetGalley.

The Immortal Crown is a vast improvement over Gameboard of the Gods, but it still didn't wow me. This time, Mae and Justin were off to Arcadia, which use to be what we currently know as the southern US. The trip is suppose to help build peace between the two regions, but of course, something has to go wrong (or right, depending on how you look at it). Justin and Mae are each being directed by their own god to carry out separate missions, but these gods may be more connected than these two know.

I really enjoyed the main plot of The Immortal Crown. Arcadia is a fascinating and disturbing place. Women are second class citizens, who are sold as wives and concubines as soon as they turn thirteen and have started puberty. They have to stay fully covered in order to not tempt the men, which is punishable by beatings and "Cloistering" all in the name of their god, Nehitimar. Unfortunately, Mae and the other women in their party have to follow this culture during their stay, but Mae finds opportunities to sneak away. Especially when she learns that her niece is in one of the "brothels" nearby. Exciting rescue mission, ahoy!

While I loved all of the Arcadian stuff, it was occasionally interrupted by Tessa back in RUNA. I still find her POV completely pointless. She is not an interesting character at all. She just seems to serve the role of sweet foreign girl trying to make a name for herself in the big city, which was exactly what her plot was. She gets an internship with a news station, and gets caught up in all of the unethical story chasing business. Of course, she sees the error of her ways. Tessa does uncover some important facts for the overarching plot, but her story wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention.

In the end, I did really like The Immortal Crown. It was less overwhelming than the first book since we already know the basics of the society, so the terms weren't confusing anymore. I'm still not the biggest fan of the characters, although I am warming up to Justin and Mae. The romance hasn't sold me either, but at least I'm becoming invested in the plot. Hopefully this is a series that continues to build momentum as it goes along.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 28 March, 2014: Finished reading
  • 28 March, 2014: Reviewed