The Reluctant Queen: Book Two of the Queens of Renthia

In The Queen of Blood, Daleina used her strength and skill to survive the malevolent nature spirits of Renthia and claim the throne. Since then, she has kept the peace and protected the humans of her land. But now for all her power, she is hiding a terrible secret: she is dying. And if she leaves the world before a new heir is ready, the spirits that inhabit her beloved realm will once again run wild, destroying her cities and slaughtering her people. Naelin has the raw power necessary to become an heir, but she couldn't be further removed from the Queen -- and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her world is her two children and her husband, and that's all she needs. But when Ven, the Queen's champion, passes through her village, Naelin's ambitious husband proudly tells him of his wife's ability to control spirits -- magic that Naelin fervently denies. She knows embracing her power will bring only death and separation from those she loves. But Ven has a single task: to find the best possible candidate to protect the people of Aratay. And as the Queen's power begins to wane and the spirits become emboldened -- and ominous rumors trickle down from the north -- Naelin realizes that the only way to keep her son and daughter safe is to risk everything.