4.5/5

For fans of: Sarah J. Maas, ACOTAR, TOG, fantasy, NA fantasy, political marriage, arranged marriage, enemies-to-lovers, assassins, spies, political intrigue, island settings, sea settings, desert settings, fugitives

Synopsis: Ithacana has fallen, their king is being held captive, and their traitor queen is on the run. What remains of their people are holed up in the only island left to them and their supplies are running out. Lara is determined to do what she can to save the people from her mistakes. But first, she must free the one man who would rather kill her before accepting her help: her husband.

Review: Right now for me, Danielle L. Jensen is probably the saving grace of the romantic fantasy genre. Jensen is able to balance political intrigue, war, romance, character growth, and redemption almost perfectly. Sequels are such a tricky thing with expanding the world building, character arcs, new characters, and furthering plot points to their conclusion and she does it all with aplomb. Lara and Aren’s journeys are so well done and so hard fought. I like that she made their relationship more complex and real. Both characters had to fight incredibly hard to earn their conclusions, which was quite satisfying. Plot-wise, I was never bored. Exhilarating escapes through stunning cities, soul-crushing journeys through relentless deserts, island hopping towards war, and of course lots of awkward conversations between our broken characters. Usually in stories like this, the plot or the character development has to take a back seat to the other, but she intricately weaves both. I am so looking forward to where the story goes next in The Inadequate Heir.