Once Second Prince of the mightiest kingdom in the known world, Othrun now leads the last survivors of his exiled people into an uncertain future far across the Shimmering Sea from their ancestral home, now lost beneath the waves. With his Single God binding his knights to chivalric oaths, intent on wiping out idolatry and pagan worship, they will have to carve out a new kingdom on this mysterious continent―a continent that has for centuries been ravaged by warlords competing for supremacy and mages channeling the mystic powers of the elements―and unite the continent under godly rule.
With a troubled past, a cursed sword, and a mysterious spirit guiding him, Othrun means to be that ruler, and conquer all. But with kingdoms fated on the edge of spears, alliances and pagan magic, betrayal, doubt, and dangers await him at every turn. Othrun will be forced to confront the truths of all he believes in on his journey to become a king, and a legend.
When one kingdom drowns, a new one must rise in its place. So begins the saga of that kingdom, and the man who would rule it all.
Jared Leys –
A Drowned Kingdom by P.L. Stuart is a phenomenal tale. I was impressed by how well this story of religious wars and political machinations held and rewarded my attention.
Though the prologue grabs your attention with a stunning revelation about the upcoming plot, I was worried I might lose as the opening pages started with a nearly historical account of two princes’ activities.
And yet I found myself going on to the next chapter, and the next, and the next. I often wanted to pick the book back up whenever I had to set it down. This sense of a historical account may be what drew me to it in the end.
This book also contains unapologetic worldbuilding. Half or even full chapters are dedicated to describing the geography or other aspects of the world. While this might be dry in parts, it also works.
And while I’ve read books of this length that cover a lot more plot, everything that happens in this one feels important as the intrigue and character motivations are described in great detail.
A Drowned Kingdom is both epic and brief in scope. I look forward to digging into the ongoing saga of these characters and their kingdom’s fight for survival.
If you enjoy deep worldbuilding and methodical storytelling, I highly recommend this book.