Book Review: The Second Stone by L.L. Stephens

Genre(s): Epic Fantasy

Book Synopsis:

Long live the king… if only they can find him.

The Kheld King, Stefan Stauberg-Randolph, is dead. He leaves behind a land in chaos.

His brother Handurin is rightful heir to once-mighty Essera… only Handurin is missing. Safely ensconced in another reality, he doesn’t remember who he is, or why he was sent away, until the day an immortal wizard named Marenthro shows up on his doorstep.

Handurin isn’t too happy about having his world turned upside down. But he’s even less thrilled about Marenthro’s plans for his safe return to Essera—namely by seeking the protection of the one man who was Stefan’s most hated enemy: Dorilian Sordaneon.

Review:

The Second Stone is the third book in the Triempery Revelations series, and another excellent continuation of the storyline.

While my personal favorite character from the previous two books took a back seat to this one’s primary character, he was still very present throughout. It was interesting change to see Dorillian through the perspective of someone else for most of the book, a viewpoint we haven’t really seen much of previously.

This book was centered around Handurin (Hans), and we finally learn where he’s been and what he’s been doing for so long. I liked him much more than I did his brother, Stefan. He’s so much more open-minded and willing to give people a chance, and despite his ignorance of the turbulent politics of the Triempery, he’s willing to try fixing the situation as he can. It will be very interesting to see if he succeeds in later books, or if his relative naivete will become his downfall. He has a lot to learn and not much time to learn it in.

What really draws me into this series is the worldbuilding and the intricacies between the characters and their various factions. There is so much depth captured in the pages that it’s impossible not to become immersed.

I’m eagerly awaiting book four.

Author website: triempery.com

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