Review of The Boy Who Would Be King

Nonso Samuelson · Post by **Nonso Samuelson** » 17 Feb 2022, 02:28

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Boy Who Would Be King" by Tayma Tameem.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Defeated by an infant— Prince Sorren—the Imperial forces returned to their base, and Queen Salarin, her friend Bosco, and the surviving advisors started making decisions to rebuild their planet. With the loss of her memories, Queen Salarin relies on Bosco’s counsel, and this is visible in her decision to let him, an outsider, sit in on the council's meetings. At this time, the king and his sisters were missing, and the king’s brothers had died in battle.

Queen Salarin receives news of the whereabouts of the three princesses, so she sends an emissary to negotiate with their captors. When she recovers her sisters-in-law from the clutches of The Lawless Ones, all three—Keela, Gerre, and Kara—express their distrust of Bosco, and it was at this point that they discover the existence of a murderer on their planet. Not totally in control of her memories, Salarin seeks methods to regain them, which leads to her use of the thirteen scrolls, and fortunately, it helps to reveal Bosco’s betrayal and secrets. What is Bosco hiding? How does Salarin handle the revelation? Is King Somae found? Find out more in this exhilarating tale.

Tayma Tameem gives an exciting and action-packed storyline in The Boy Who Would Be King. This is the second book in the Rulers of the Galaxy series. The story of this book can be sufficiently understood without having to read the prior installation. Having read it myself, though, I would recommend any reader to start from the first book; this should give a better appreciation for the characters and the development of the series as a whole. Through the personalities and actions of the major characters and the events that unfolded in this story, I could see elements of bravery, love, betrayal, patriotism, megalomania, and war in varying measures.

I enjoyed Tayma's descriptions of this fictional intergalactic universe where the story was set. I especially appreciated her descriptions of Salarin and her people, the Elementals, and the efforts they made to recover from a devastating war. In many ways, Salarin was the light that stood against General Daaken's darkness. I was impressed by how the author described the general's efforts to take over the universe.

There was enough unpredictability in the plot to keep me interested. One example of this was in the case of Bosco. I was surprised by Bosco's secret—a piece of information I would have had already if I'd read the prior installment first. I guess not reading it had its benefits where my enjoyment of this book is concerned. Another instance was the coincidence that happened on Tri-Lunar.

I didn't find anything objective to dislike in this book's 25 chapters. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to lovers of sci-fi and stories with magic and fictional worlds.

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The Boy Who Would Be King
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Post by **Becca Olsson** » 18 Feb 2022, 11:01

It’s so difficult to make a fictional system seem real but it sounds like this author does a good job at bringing it to life. Thanks for the great review!

mogomotsi m 5 · Post by **mogomotsi m 5** » 18 Feb 2022, 11:30

I think the story is broad enough to make more the plot to be brought to life

Ruth Frances A · Post by **Ruth Frances A** » 18 Feb 2022, 11:49

Sci- fi stories are a big test of one’s imaginative mind and the author does this very well. I have not read the book but the story is innovative and mysterious. There is a lot to decipher and I like that. It encourages one to read more about other Galaxy’s and be informed accordingly. I am glad it’s a series so that one grasps the essence of the story.

Amy Luman · Post by **Amy Luman** » 18 Feb 2022, 12:31

I hope that any problems that Bosch has created can be remedied by Saladin and the princesses. Thanks for the review!

Pauls_ · Post by **Pauls_** » 18 Feb 2022, 16:09

Action packed novels are so interesting. Bosco is such a sly. Seems like a good book to explore.

Mildred Echesa · Post by **Mildred Echesa** » 19 Feb 2022, 02:24

It seems to be interesting and villains are always revealed

Francis Aderogbin · Post by **Francis Aderogbin** » 19 Feb 2022, 05:16

This storyline is quite interesting and I like that it can be read alone.

Aisha Yakub · Post by **Aisha Yakub** » 26 Feb 2022, 04:43

I like that this book can be read with reading the previous installation. Thank you for the review.

Blessing Odii · Post by **Blessing Odii** » 10 Mar 2022, 10:25

The storyline is intriguing. I love the book.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 30 Mar 2022, 03:48

I'm reading a lot of praises for Tayma Tameem's novels, so I'm not surprised by reading your positive review. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!