Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Der
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Margaret K. McElderry Books (2013), Edition: Reprint, 368 pages
Description
Seventeen-year-old Charlaina "Charlie" Hart has defeated the tyrant Queen Sabara and taken control of Ludania, only to have Sabara's soul fuse itself with her own.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member MissAliGirl
In the sequel to The Pledge, we find the newly queened Charlie still struggling with the soul of her predecessor. She can't shake her, dreaming of the old queen's past life. And this is just the smallest of her problems, it seems at first.
Citizens are rising against her rule and the changes she is
All the aspects that I loved in The Pledge return full force in The Essence. The world is wonderfully fantastical and as the story moved outside of Ludania it became more so. There is a glamor to this part of the story where The Pledge was grittier. I loved the drama of it.
There is the introduction of a handful of new characters, many I adored and hope to learn more of in round three. It is so hard to know who can be trusted in this epic tale of murder and betrayal that I constantly found myself debating every word spoken by some of these newcomers.
It's one of these newcomers that will bring the presence of the old queen to the forefront of Charlie's problems. What he and Sabara will kindle inside of Charlie is a power and longing that will change everything in her world including her carefully protected and most needed relationships.
The twists and turns and action of The Essence I found more enjoyable than in the Pledge, which seemed to move at a slower pace. However, one of the things I adored in the first book was hardly present in this one. Max. Max has a much smaller role and I missed him. But I am a bit of a sap for a good love story. Don't misunderstand, there is still a love story. Two rather, but it isn't Max and Charlies that takes the center stage here. Though I found each of them endearing in their own right, I craved more of what had already developed.
For that I say, "kudos, Ms. Derting". For I will anxiously be counting the days for more of these characters!
Citizens are rising against her rule and the changes she is
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so determined to make. The Queens of all other nations expect her at a summit where she will no nothing of politic and protocol, she is expected to learn things she has no desire to and quell things she has every desire to keep. Her life is not what it was and she must forge a new one for herself with or without the Essence buried inside her.All the aspects that I loved in The Pledge return full force in The Essence. The world is wonderfully fantastical and as the story moved outside of Ludania it became more so. There is a glamor to this part of the story where The Pledge was grittier. I loved the drama of it.
There is the introduction of a handful of new characters, many I adored and hope to learn more of in round three. It is so hard to know who can be trusted in this epic tale of murder and betrayal that I constantly found myself debating every word spoken by some of these newcomers.
It's one of these newcomers that will bring the presence of the old queen to the forefront of Charlie's problems. What he and Sabara will kindle inside of Charlie is a power and longing that will change everything in her world including her carefully protected and most needed relationships.
The twists and turns and action of The Essence I found more enjoyable than in the Pledge, which seemed to move at a slower pace. However, one of the things I adored in the first book was hardly present in this one. Max. Max has a much smaller role and I missed him. But I am a bit of a sap for a good love story. Don't misunderstand, there is still a love story. Two rather, but it isn't Max and Charlies that takes the center stage here. Though I found each of them endearing in their own right, I craved more of what had already developed.
For that I say, "kudos, Ms. Derting". For I will anxiously be counting the days for more of these characters!
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LibraryThing member A_Reader_of_Fictions
As anyone who has read my review of The Pledge knows, I was not a big fan. I had absolutely no intention of reading the sequel, but such are the joys of the Sadie Hawkins feature. Blythe wanted me to read this, so here we are. On the plus side, I didn't dislike The Essence the way I did The Pledge,
One part of The Essence is super cool, and that is Charlie's relationship to the queen she displaced. At the end of The Pledge, Charlie took over from Sabara, but, in so doing, Sabara's essence became part of Charlie. Now, Charlie can here Sabara's voice in her head, and dreams Sabara's memories. In moments of weakness, Sabara can even assume control of Charlie's body for brief periods of time and sway Charlie's emotions.
The interplay between Charlie and Sabara is fascinating, and it's the sort of mindfuckery that I appreciate greatly. Charlie can never be entirely trusted, and her feelings can be hard to separate from Sabara's. I like, too, that Sabara becomes a bit more complex and sympathetic here than she was before, as Charlie dives into her memories. Similarly, Charlie becomes more interesting as Sabara's presence in her mind starts pushing her into a crazy, evil direction. Charlie's character arc reminds me of Anakin slowly sliding into Darth Vader, which is awesome.
What made me dislike The Pledge so was the pathetic, illogical world building (which is still weak) and the romance, which is nauseating. Thankfully, Sabara messes with some of the fairy tale perfection of Charlie's relationship with Max. Even better, they're hardly together during the course of the book. The few romance scenes that do transpire are pretty cheesy and eyeroll-inducing, but are kept to a minimum.
For the most part, though, the awesome mind stuff aside, there's really not a whole lot that happens in this book, other than Charlie being an utterly crap queen. Though I admire Charlie's goal of removing the punishing social hierarchy, she does so in a really stupid way: all at once. Nor does she have the infrastructure prepared to deal with backlash. Surprise, things don't go well. She spends the whole book ineffectually running from an assassin and trying to avoid having to go to her queen lessons. Despite skipping her lessons and remembering the few she attended, she is praised by everyone, except the ones who want to kill her, for her marvelous queenship. She's just speshul that way.
The perspective largely follows Charlie in first person, but does switch to a couple of other characters in third person limited. I'm rarely a fan of this technique, and this is no exception. The reason she's done this is because Brooklynn, Charlie's friend and the head of her guard, split up for much of the novel. Still, I find some of the perspective-hopping entirely needless. For example, there was one scene from the perspective of the mole in the guard, intended to add tension, but that could have been conveyed just as effectively by someone finding the body. I'm a firm believer in not hopping into a perspective just once, and, if she needed both Brooklyn's and Charlie's, going with first person on both would seem a wiser choice.
All told, I wouldn't say this was a terrible book, but I still really can't personally recommend this series, because there's so much better out there to be read. A resounding meh to The Essence.
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largely due to the decrease in romance, but I still don't think this series is particularly impressive.One part of The Essence is super cool, and that is Charlie's relationship to the queen she displaced. At the end of The Pledge, Charlie took over from Sabara, but, in so doing, Sabara's essence became part of Charlie. Now, Charlie can here Sabara's voice in her head, and dreams Sabara's memories. In moments of weakness, Sabara can even assume control of Charlie's body for brief periods of time and sway Charlie's emotions.
The interplay between Charlie and Sabara is fascinating, and it's the sort of mindfuckery that I appreciate greatly. Charlie can never be entirely trusted, and her feelings can be hard to separate from Sabara's. I like, too, that Sabara becomes a bit more complex and sympathetic here than she was before, as Charlie dives into her memories. Similarly, Charlie becomes more interesting as Sabara's presence in her mind starts pushing her into a crazy, evil direction. Charlie's character arc reminds me of Anakin slowly sliding into Darth Vader, which is awesome.
What made me dislike The Pledge so was the pathetic, illogical world building (which is still weak) and the romance, which is nauseating. Thankfully, Sabara messes with some of the fairy tale perfection of Charlie's relationship with Max. Even better, they're hardly together during the course of the book. The few romance scenes that do transpire are pretty cheesy and eyeroll-inducing, but are kept to a minimum.
For the most part, though, the awesome mind stuff aside, there's really not a whole lot that happens in this book, other than Charlie being an utterly crap queen. Though I admire Charlie's goal of removing the punishing social hierarchy, she does so in a really stupid way: all at once. Nor does she have the infrastructure prepared to deal with backlash. Surprise, things don't go well. She spends the whole book ineffectually running from an assassin and trying to avoid having to go to her queen lessons. Despite skipping her lessons and remembering the few she attended, she is praised by everyone, except the ones who want to kill her, for her marvelous queenship. She's just speshul that way.
The perspective largely follows Charlie in first person, but does switch to a couple of other characters in third person limited. I'm rarely a fan of this technique, and this is no exception. The reason she's done this is because Brooklynn, Charlie's friend and the head of her guard, split up for much of the novel. Still, I find some of the perspective-hopping entirely needless. For example, there was one scene from the perspective of the mole in the guard, intended to add tension, but that could have been conveyed just as effectively by someone finding the body. I'm a firm believer in not hopping into a perspective just once, and, if she needed both Brooklyn's and Charlie's, going with first person on both would seem a wiser choice.
All told, I wouldn't say this was a terrible book, but I still really can't personally recommend this series, because there's so much better out there to be read. A resounding meh to The Essence.
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LibraryThing member SamanthaKR
Wow is nearly all I can say after reading this outstanding sequel to The Pledge. I recieved The Essence free through Goodreads FirstReads, and I was ecstatic when I got it in the mail. After reading The Pledge, I couldn't wait to see what happened to Charlie and her queendom. As much as I enjoyed
The Pledge left off with Charlie taking the throne of a cautious and weary queendom, while ex-Queen Sabara still lurks in the back of her mind. The Essence picks up only a small time later, with matters good and bad. While most people are welcoming the changes Charlie is making, a small, but deadly and potentially crazy force of rebels are becoming bold with Brooklynn's own father leading them. While dealing with threats at home, Charlie also faces the uncertainty with the other Queens she has yet to meet. When she is invited to attend the summit, nerves are high, and they discover a traitor lurks among them. The plot twists and turns, and you can't be sure what will come next, but you know it will be exciting.
I enjoyed seeing more of the minor characters come to life in this book. Brooklynn's true personality takes more of a hold, and Max becomes even more lovable. Also, new characters emerge. The Queens all have interesting personalities, making Charlie unsure who is an ally or an enemy, and a strange man from Sabara's past makes a large appearance. All in all, excellent book, excellent plot, excellent dialouge and characters. Five stars all the way.
Fans of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books, Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games, and anyone who just adores a good read should give this series a try.
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the first book, The Essence is ten times better. If you haven't read this series, start. If you have, be prepared to laugh, cry, and throw the book across the room in frustration when you read.The Pledge left off with Charlie taking the throne of a cautious and weary queendom, while ex-Queen Sabara still lurks in the back of her mind. The Essence picks up only a small time later, with matters good and bad. While most people are welcoming the changes Charlie is making, a small, but deadly and potentially crazy force of rebels are becoming bold with Brooklynn's own father leading them. While dealing with threats at home, Charlie also faces the uncertainty with the other Queens she has yet to meet. When she is invited to attend the summit, nerves are high, and they discover a traitor lurks among them. The plot twists and turns, and you can't be sure what will come next, but you know it will be exciting.
I enjoyed seeing more of the minor characters come to life in this book. Brooklynn's true personality takes more of a hold, and Max becomes even more lovable. Also, new characters emerge. The Queens all have interesting personalities, making Charlie unsure who is an ally or an enemy, and a strange man from Sabara's past makes a large appearance. All in all, excellent book, excellent plot, excellent dialouge and characters. Five stars all the way.
Fans of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books, Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games, and anyone who just adores a good read should give this series a try.
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LibraryThing member basia9018
Awesome continuation to the Pledge. I loved how the story evolved and from being just a Vendor's daughter now Charlie is the new queen of Ludania trying to find herself on the throne. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the pages. Anxiously awaiting book #3 :)
LibraryThing member jeneaw
The Essence is the second installment in The Pledge series. Picking up where The Pledge left off, we are thrust back in Ludania.
Charlie has taken her place as Queen, and is learning to handle her new duties and the influence of Sabara as well. This is no easy feat either. She isn’t safe there is
A handful a new characters were introduced and they definitely brought a lot to the story. The world building was fascinating and engaging and left me wanting more. Citizens are rebelling against Charlie’s ruling and with the threat to her safety, it was acton packed. There were betrayals and twists along the way and the pace of the story moves at fairly consistent pace. One that keeps your attention and makes you want to keep reading for fear you might miss something. Derting’s writing brings the world and the characters to life with such a vivid description and it just sucks you in.
Overall, I was very please with this. It was heart stopping, and suspenseful and with a touch of romance, I am looking forward to the next book in this series, but wow, it won’t be out till 2014 sometime. Ugh… This is one that I would definitely recommend picking up for sure.
Charlie has taken her place as Queen, and is learning to handle her new duties and the influence of Sabara as well. This is no easy feat either. She isn’t safe there is
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trouble brewing and she is the target. But Charlies is strong and determined as ever. She is a great character all the way around She is smart and has a quirky side to her. I enjoyed her growth as I followed her story and I hope to see more of it too. Her romance with Max this time around was a little thin, but none the less just as sweet.A handful a new characters were introduced and they definitely brought a lot to the story. The world building was fascinating and engaging and left me wanting more. Citizens are rebelling against Charlie’s ruling and with the threat to her safety, it was acton packed. There were betrayals and twists along the way and the pace of the story moves at fairly consistent pace. One that keeps your attention and makes you want to keep reading for fear you might miss something. Derting’s writing brings the world and the characters to life with such a vivid description and it just sucks you in.
Overall, I was very please with this. It was heart stopping, and suspenseful and with a touch of romance, I am looking forward to the next book in this series, but wow, it won’t be out till 2014 sometime. Ugh… This is one that I would definitely recommend picking up for sure.
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LibraryThing member LoftyIslanders
This is the 2nd in the Pledge series. Charlie, our lead character, really goes through a trial. She must keep the fact that the queen she replaced inhabits her body with her. As they fight for control, Charlie begins to find out secrets that the former queen had, as well as feeling like she is
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losing herself in the process. Not only does she fight Sabara, but she has been targeted for assassination...can she and her loyal friends find out who the culprit is before it is too late. Will Sabara finally gain the upper hand and control Charlie? I look forward to the finale in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Charlaina is seventeen and now sovereign of Ludania, and honestly shouldn't be surprised that the other powers in the area want her dead, she has weakened her government by populating it with her friends. On top of everything Sabara is lurking in her psyche and not fighting fair.
It's not bad, it's
It's not bad, it's
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a bridging novel so you're finding more about people and the situations but I just wasn't really caught by it. Readable but it just didn't engage me that much. Show Less
Pages
368