A Tyranny of Queens is the second and final book in the Manifold Worlds duology, written by Foz Meadows, and published by Angry Robot Books. A great follow up to An Accident of Stars, more plot-driven as it builds in the foundations put by the previous book, a sequel that puts together many of the loose ropes to create a compelling story that touches themes such as heroism, resilience and how to survive after abuse.

Saffron returned from Kena scarred and changed, but now has to return to normal life; if she doesn't fit back into what people expect from her, she would be interned into a psychiatric ward. That would mean being against all she learnt and forgetting about those she loved; and we soon will see a Saffi that rebels against authority, and more importantly, fighting for what she considers fair, even if that means putting herself in a difficult spot: one that would put her in her way back to Kena, a journey that won't be easy as she will need to traverse the Nexus.
Meanwhile in Kena, things are still in shambles. After the disappearing of Leoden, Gwen must find what were his plans for the worldwalkers he kept captive; Yena needs to confront her sister's murderer, but also needs to exert and recover her rights as a Queen's sister. The wheels are turning, and they will need to move carefully.

In comparison with the first instalment, we have a faster and tighter-plot novel; alternating between Saffi's journey and the people in Kena. Particularly, I found Saffi's return to Earth to be a quite compelling storyline, especially when she's dealing with bullying and rejecting to not confront them; Saffi grew so much in Kena, and that is reflected in this particular aspect. While I didn't connect as much with Gwen on this occasion, Yena's arc is also excellent, intense, but which also depicts how to be brave against adversity. As said, Meadows has a great touch at writing well-fleshed characters, and that is shown in this novel.

Using a faster pacing doesn't affect the quality of the worldbuilding, as Meadows takes the foundations layered in the first instalment to continue developing Kena's folklore and traditions; we even have the opportunity to learn much more about the origins of this world and how the Nexus works. There were some points that could have been not clear in the first instalment that are made sense in this second part.

A Tyranny of Queens is the cherry on the top of the Manifold Worlds duology, an excellent sequel that gives us the ending we needed. If you want a great portal fantasy, well-fleshed characters and an incredible worldbuilding, be sure to pick the full series, you won't regret it.