The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Exiled Queen
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Published: September 2010
Pages: 586
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: You can't always run from danger...

Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean danger isn’t far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

The Exiled Queen is an epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

Review: Han Alister has to go to Oden's Ford to begin learning everything he needs to survive. Along with is Dancer who is also required to go. As they move through kingdoms at war they must be careful to not get tangled in the mess and not reach their destination. Meanwhile Raisa is also traveling to Oden's Ford but for different reasons and like Alister she must be careful while traveling there and while being there.

Han has had to go through many hard things to get to the place where he is. He wants to make those that caused him to suffer to pay for what they did and to be able to do that he must learn to use the magic he has. Alister was always trying to learn new things from school and from those outside school. I was glad to see him in an environment different from the one he was used to but that he still managed to stay true to his beliefs.

Raisa had to learn that living a life of a princess is much different from the one she has to live now. She always had to be careful about not being recognized by those that knew her. Like Alister she was in a different environment and had to learn how to adjust to it. She learned how others saw the Fells and especially how they truly see the queen and the princess.

Once Alister and Raisa met each other in Oden's Ford I always looked forward to see them together. In the first book we only got a little tease but in the second book Cinda takes way farther. They are both learning from each other and entering worlds that they don't really know.

All the other characters played a part. Alister had to have those that would always be there for him in this journey while Raisa needed to have Amon as her guardian. Even if Alister wasn't around much he need to talk to someone else who knew what he felt.

I love how The Exiled Queen took place in another place but was just as awesome as the first one. The reader gets to see the characters, especially Han and Raisa in a different environment and how they react to different things. I absolutely loved it! I can't wait to read the third book!