Apparently, despite the fact it is a woman who currently holds the prestigious office of Sorcerer Royal, attitudes towards women wielding magic have not changed that much since we last visited this world in Sorcerer to the Crown. Similar to the first book, The True Queen explores the themes of racism and oppression. But unfortunately, the quickest way to their destination is through the dangerous realm of faerie, and while two girls departed Janda Baik, only Muna emerges safely on the other side in London and Sakti is feared lost forever. There, they will present themselves as a pair of international students, but also search for more clues as to who cursed them.
To smooth things over, Mak Genggang decides to send Sakti and Muna abroad to meet with Prunella Wythe, Britain’s new Sorcerer Royal, who has also opened a magical school for girls.
Desperate, the sisters take it upon themselves to identify who cast the curse, but instead they wind up nearly causing a diplomatic crisis. However, one day Sakti approaches Muna with irrefutable evidence that they have been cursed-in the middle of the former girl’s torso is a void that will keep spreading as she fades away. Muna, meanwhile, is magic-less, but has a much more favorable opinion of Mak Genggang. Sakti, endowed with magic, immediately came under the witch’s tutelage, although that relationship remained strained. The powerful witch and protector of the island, Mak Genggang, found them and took them in. The girls’ journey together first began off the coast of the island of Janda Baik, after a storm washed the two of them ashore with no memory of who they were. Indeed, while a few familiar names from the first book will crop up every now and again, indubitably the stars of the show here are a pair of sisters named Muna and Sakti. Happily, when the blurb to The True Queen became available, it appeared that the focus would be on a new set of characters. It has been three and a half years since I read Sorcerer to the Crown and I was initially a bit worried about how much I remembered of the story and whether it would impact my experience with this sequel. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
I received a review copy from the publisher.
0 kommentar(er)
