The Queen of Raiders: The Nine Realms #2    by Sarah Kozloff Order:  USA  Can Tor, 2020 (2020) Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson The Queen of Raiders follows A Queen in Hiding as the second in Sarah Kozloff's fantasy quartet, The Nine Realms. The Free States have been devastated by the invasion of soldiers of Oromondo. Princess Cerulia of Weirandale was orphaned and went into hiding. Magic is her birthright but she's untrained in its use. In this second episode, she travels to Slagos, where she finds work as Kestrel, exploiting her talent with animals, most of whom she can command to do her will. Young scholar Thalen survived the invasion of the Free States and is in Yosta, where he selects and trains a guerilla unit to travel to the enemy's heartland, Oromondo. Thalen is no warrior but is a skilled strategist. He does not expect to survive. Others play significant roles as well. In the Free States, Gustie has been forced to become the mistress of a high-ranking Oro, but uses her position to work for the Resistance. In Cascada, Marcot hates his father, Lord Regent Matwyck, and seeks to find his own path. After many adventures, Kestrel (now calling herself Skylark) joins Thelan's Raiders, whose early successes bring an army against their small force. Many die. Feelings develop between Thelan and Skylark before they go into a battle impossible to win. This exciting episode ends on a cliffhanger that will leaves fans anxious for more. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Fantasy books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews