by Kimberly Derting
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published January 1st 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry
ISBN 1442445599 (ISBN13: 9781442445598)


Blurb

“Danger, dread, mystery, and romance” (Booklist) continue in the second book of The Pledge trilogy, as Charlie’s reign is under siege from the most unusual of enemies.

At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within.

The Good

  1. Sabara.  I love the internal struggle Charlie has with Sabara. Sabara’s past is wildly interesting, but I wish there was more focus on her. I am hoping the final book will give more insight into the evil queen’s past.

  2. The terrorists.  Equality seems all well and good to most people, but every time huge changes happen in a government you are going to have at least a small group of people who don’t want change and like things the way they are. The presence of terrorists in the book fighting against what most people would consider wonderful, moral changes being made to a corrupt, oppressive government made the book feel more realistic. I wish there had been more from the terrorist point of view, however. I think that would have been really interesting.

  3. The queens.  I just loved all the quirky queens and empresses Charlie meets at the summit. I hope we see more of them, hopefully even their countries, in the final book.


The Bad

  1. The pace.  The book started and ended well, but the middle felt like it took forever.

  2. Max.  I know Charlie and Max are supposed to be cute and in love, but am I the only person who finds it weird that he kisses a girl who is carrying his grandmother’s soul inside her? Way too creepy.


Overall Rating

This book was about a thousand times better than its predecessor, mostly because it was a lot more interesting and significantly less confusing. There are still some pace issues in the middle of the story, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. I hope the last book contains more appearances from the various other queens and empresses and more about Sabara, though!