I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Throne of a Thousand Lies by Rachel Higginson is the second book in the Nine Kingdoms Trilogy about a young princess destined to rule. Picking up just a few weeks after the events of book one, Tess is settling in to her new rule as the crowned princess. While she isn’t happy that she will not be queen yet, she also understands the council’s decision. However, danger lurks around every corner. Tess doesn’t know who to trust, and her family’s killer remains at large. With assassination attempts happening daily, Tess needs to find the person responsible before her own life is forfeit.

Please note that if you have not read book one, there may be minor spoilers to it in this review.

I adore Tess. She is such a fun character to follow. She’s cunning and brave, however also a bit naive. Learning that she arrived just in time before a new line could be named as heir to the kingdom and a new crown made, Tess finds herself in a precarious position. She’s ruler but not. Her heart belongs to someone that she can never be with. And her baby sister is alive and whole and on her way to the kingdom. Tess is doing her best, yet also being held at arm’s length by her uncle who has been ruling the kingdom since her family was killed. She feels lost in a world that used to be her own, but also falls back into routines easily. I admire how she meets each challenge, even with the pressure her uncle is placing on her to marry.

Taelon, our Rebel King and Tess’s former betrothed, is noticeably absent from this book. We have a few quick scenes with him and Tess, and then it is mostly her pining for him. I’ll admit I struggled with this a bit, mainly because I knew what it meant….a new love interest has entered the ring: a second son from a brutal kingdom. He grew on me