To Bind the Court
Information
Title:
(Book two of the Empire of Ash and Song series)
Author:
Genre:
Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult
Recommended Age:
15+
Book Blurb:
When you play the games of emperors,
you’ll pay an emperor’s ransom.
Iris is destined to destroy the Fire Empire’s hold on the world. In the Fire City—the very beating heart of the Fire Empire—lies one final hope, but to seek it is to draw near to the one who hunts her, and her greatest hope becomes her worst nightmare.
If she plays her enemy’s game, she may lose.
Prince Besaun has lost everything. Betrayed by the girl he loves, he languishes in a prison of his own making while his mother holds her tortured and captive to ensure he cooperates in her schemes. The bars of his prison grow ever tighter-until the arrival of someone unexpected into his life.
Can he doom an empire to save one girl?
Review:
To Bind the Court is as brilliantly written as the first book in this series. The story is easy to follow and keeps you wanting to read more; there is action, mystery, and suspense, and I loved all of it. I loved the continuation of the story, and how I got to meet new characters and also be able to follow characters that were introduced in book one.
I like how far Iris has come as a character from the first book to this one. She struggles with good and evil and finds the strength to resist the fire emperor’s schemes.
My favorite parts were those with Besaun and Casandra. I love their story and how far they’ve come. I think their romance is so sweet!
Trying to figure out Allsander’s plan was intriguing, he was very mysterious and mischievous. I didn’t care for his romance ploy with Iris but it was interesting to see how it all played out in the end. I’m interested to see what happens with him in the next book!
I can’t wait for the next book! If you haven’t read this series yet you should! I love both books and would recommend them and the author to anyone because they are that good! Just be aware that there is violence and I recommend that readers be at the very least 15.
Summary:
(contains minimal spoilers)
Iris has left the caravan of traders, thinking it would be best if she found her own way. She sets out to find the other keeper of the Book of EL. Instead, she meets a blacksmith who feels responsible for taking care of her, but she knows it’s not safe for her to stay with him and his family.
Later Iris is taken to the palace and introduced as princess Iris. Here she finds out how the fire empire has been treating the other people. She realizes how power-hungry they are and that they’d do anything to be in control. She is torn between playing the part of the princess and trying to do the right thing even if it means her life will be in danger.
Now that Iris is a princess, Besaun is not being forced into taking the throne. He is made a lieutenant and expected to take care of New Valley’s little resistance. However, they are not as weak as he thought.
He realizes the truth of the Fire Empire. They are destroying people’s lives and bringing destruction to the land. He is curious about El and wants to learn more about him, realizing that he needs to change and leave the Fire Empire
The Emperor knows how powerful Iris is and will do anything to make Iris choose him, let him in to control her fire, and make her more powerful. However, Iris resists him, her strength is more than the Emperor thought. Iris plays the Emperor’s and Allsander’s games until she devastatingly finds out that the Emperor wants her to destroy an entire village. He is forcing her to take the innocent lives of these people and she doesn’t know how much longer she can resist him.
Besaun leaves and goes to warn New Valley of the coming army, but he is surprised to find out that they plan to stay and fight. He soon sees that they will do what is necessary to fight for their freedom and he stays to help them against the Fire Empire’s army.
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Content
Beliefs/Other Content:
This is a subtle but powerful Christian-based book. God is represented as El who is the creator. Besaun and others have accepted him and they “commune” with him as it is called when they experience him in the books.
The Fire Emperor is possessed by the demon who is called a fallen prince of the stars. He was blessed by the stars with power. I believe he is a representation of satan. He is described as being blessed by the stars.
There is a brief mention of strong drinks during a party. There is also a scene where some courtiers seem tipsy to Iris and there is a mention of a scene from book one when one character was drunk and acting like a fool
Violence:
There is a lot of violence just as in the first book. The fire emperor’s demon is scheming and conniving, he has taken the lives of people in iris’s life. There of course are many mentions of fire burning people, lands, etc. Iris is put through training that pushes her to her limits where she acquires burn scars and wounds.
There is a form of torture mentioned but not very descriptive. As well as mentions of war, death, blood, wounds, and fighting with weapons.
In my opinion, the violence isn’t very descriptive and I still consider this a clean read.
Romance:
There is romance between Besaun and Casandra, they kiss and hug occasionally but everything is clean. This is a clean romance book.
Allsander has a plot to make Iris fall for him (even though they are cousins) but nothing happens between them as Iris realizes he’s only doing it for the throne. Allsander also has a group of people who adore and worship the ground he walks on. Some of the girls want his attention and there is a part where his hands are being kissed.
There is a scene or two where a man and wife kiss but that’s all and it’s brief.
Other Important Things
Disclaimer:
I aim to be as accurate as possible and may notice details that others might overlook, so please keep that in mind. This review is honest and reflects my sincere effort to provide a true assessment. This review is intended for informational purposes only and should be considered subjective.
Links:
This page contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you.
You can find the author’s website HERE.
You can find this book on AMAZON.
Find the author’s Instagram HERE.
Extras:
If you haven’t already, go read my blog post review on To Bind Fire, book 1 in this series. This series is one of my favorites, so check out the reviews!
Check out the reels I made for these books on my Instagram! Click Here.