The Uncrowned King (The Blood Prince Series) by Ayla Marie – Review by Ayla Phipps

The Uncrowned King by Ayla Marie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Illena is nothing without its people. I have eagerly awaited book two in this unique world for over a year and it’s finally here. The author, Ayla Marie, does not disappoint with book two of the Blood Prince series. Yes, this is a book that reading book one first is a must as this is a continuation of the first book. Three perspectives as the previous book did Leo, Cael, and Elana.
Leo, Cael, Byrne, and the kids have fled Wate with great loss, but they did it they found the bay. Arkezo, Leo’s place of origin, or at least where his father is from. He’s found his Bloodline and the family that comes with it. Cael always at Leo’s side shares in the unease of the change from the shadows to the finery of royalty and holding on to who they are and not letting their values be influenced. Elana is still in Wate, suffering still under fear of her father, Cassien. But she’s only remained for a purpose a life thought lost to Leo, Cael, and their siblings. Elana can’t leave until the timing is right to get him out too. Leo and Elana hold each other in a sacred place in the others’ souls a light to keep going until they can be reunited. Leo finds several new titles amongst the people of Illena, that make him feel inhuman and uncomfortable as he fights against the rigid lifestyle he’s forced into. Discovering he has a cousin, Ares, that helps them understand this new lifestyle, Leo refuses to turn his back on the people of Illena as the other bloodlines do. After he and Cael save a family from a house fire in the Riv, the slums of Arkezo, things begin to take a more rapid shift. Leo proves that his blood is not more important to him than the blood of the people. A country is made of its people not the other way around. Everyone is listening, and when the truth is revealed, Leo is left with a dark choice.
Will Leo succeed in finding peace for his family to live in? Can Ares and the other Bloodlines be trusted? The world grows and seems to come full circle for the Heal siblings as they find themselves in similar situations as before. While the world grows darker and the people more twisted, Leo and his siblings find small moments to steal smiles and giggle with each other, to share an unspoken hope of peace. Left speechless by the events and yet not surprised as Leo seeps into your soul and you know what his decisions will be before they happen. He lives to protect those that he loves. Now it’s Elana’s turn to go in search of who she loves. I am already waiting for book three for the grand finale of this unique and all-consuming series that is The Blood Prince.

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