A Kingdom for a Stage: 11/02/19

A Kingdom for a Stage by Heidi Heilig is the sequel to For a Muse of Fire (2018). Jetta is now a prisoner, forced to work for Theodora. Though she knows not to trust him, she finds herself forced to work with Le Trépas, the necromancer.

Jetta and her family are again fleeing, but this time in the company of Theodora, Le Trépas and others. In desperate times she's called upon to use her powers in extraordinary and questionable ways. She can power the remains of a ship, make planes fly like birds, and raise the dead.

Like the first book, A Kingdom for a Stage is fleshed out with the ephemera of the world. It has more sheet music, which I'm tempted to try on my keyboard. It has more correspondence. More of the play. All of this helps to broaden the scope of the world.

In terms of theme and general atmosphere, Hellig's series is a good companion piece to Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger (2019). Both have characters who can work with the spirits of the dead. Both are set in worlds the draw on the history and culture of various Asian countries. Both have young would be regents in the fight for their lives while the nations around them suffer under civil unrest and/or occupation.

Five stars

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