Ranita Glasswright is taken hostage by King Hal's traitor brother and dragged across the ocean to his mother's kingdom, now ruled by his uncle. King Sin Hazar has plans for war, plans that include gathering the children of Amanth into his "Little Army." Ranita, along with her Touched friend, Mair, attempt escape, hoping to tell their king of Sin Hazar's plan, only to be captured when Rani must heal an injury she received during the attempt. Meanwhile, King Hal must watch his back as he fights his council and attempts to save Rani and Mair.
Impression: It took a little time for this book to really capture my interest for some reason. The writing wasn't much different than the previous novel in the series, but I just couldn’t seem to get caught up in the story. The opening was okay, but the middle seemed to drag for me. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't a good payoff for muddling through the middle either -- it gets good and intense, then is over in a flash. In fact, the resolution was too easy. I did enjoy the writing itself, but the story needed something more. So, for me, not a bad book, per se, but not the best, and not as good as the first in the series. Hopefully the third in the series will be better.
