4.5 stars

In this second book in the The Chronicles of Dasnaria series by Jeffe Kennedy, we continue on the journey of Princess Jenna who is hiding from her abusive husband, which takes her out of the only land she’s ever know, Dasnaria.

This book picks up right where the first book, Prisoner of the Crown, ends. Jenna is aboard Valeria. This is the first time she’s really alone. So far, on her trip, she’s at least had her brother, Harlan. But he stayed back to buy her time to get away. All she knows, is that she needs to get out of Dasnaria before she is found and returned to her husband.

While on the Valeria, Jenna meets up with Kaja. Kaja is a priestess of Danu, one of the three goddesses that are worshipped in the Twelve Kingdoms (again there are a few Easter Eggs hidden for readers of the Twelve Kingdoms series). Kaja helps Jenna hide and starts to teach her. Jenna quickly learns that she really doesn’t know much of anything. She can’t read or write. She can only speak Dasnarian.

Kaja also helps to teach Jenna to fight. Kaja takes the dance that Jenna spent most of her life learning, mostly so she could impress her betrothed, and turns it into a forms with weapons.

All those years I practiced the traditional dances, particularly the ducerse, which required utmost skill to keep the many bells from making sound until the precisely timed moment. I’d thought I was preparing to dazzle my husband and make my emperor proud. Not teaching myself stealth.
But stealth had turned out to be far more useful.

The plan becomes that Jenna will become a priestess of Danu, too. She will take a vow of silence, so as not to giveaway how little she knows of the area, and a vow of chastity, which she does because the idea of being with a man after the abuse of her husband scares her. She also changes her name. She eventually chooses, Ivariel, which is an anagram for Valeria, which changed her life.

When she boards her next ship, Robin, she meets Ochieng. He is a very nice and talkative person. He isn’t at all cowed by the fact that Priestess Ivariel is silent. He talks to her all the time anyway and is very good at reading her face to get responses. Once they land in his homeland, Chiyajua, Ochieng invites Priestess Ivariel to accompany him back to his family’s place.

A lot happens to Priestess Ivariel in this book. She learns quite a bit (she has a lot to learn, still). I don’t want to go into any more detail, so as to avoid spoilers. I will say, it was great to see more of the Twelve Kingdoms. I also liked seeing the world through both Princess Jenna’s and Priestess Ivariel’s eyes. They are two different people, as Princess Jenna was a sheltered girl and Priestess Ivariel is a much less sheltered, but still learning woman and warrior.

I feel like this quote here, sums up this story really well. I can’t wait to see where Priestess Ivariel goes from here.

“I’d like to tell you about a young girl who grew up in paradise,” I said. “She had everything she wanted and nothing demanded of her—until everything was taken.”

Jeffe Kennedy writes an engaging fantasy in Exile of the Seas. Ivariel, priestess of Danu, is fleeing an abusive imperial husband and restrictive Drasnarian society where women have no power. She meets Ochieng on her pilgrimage and visits his home. Her love of elephants is rewarded by training in riding and working with them. However she must confront her past. Charming story about a woman who finds herself.

The Twelve Kingdom series captured my imagination and while I've continue to read some of the stories that are set in this world. Jenna's story has been hinted at since it impacted her family so deeply and now in this new trilogy we get to read Jenna's complete story for ourselves.
In this next chapter Jenna now transformed into Ivariel a warrior priestess sets off to find her own destiny. She must use her dancing skills to wield a blade and dance a different dance. Her escort of a merchant's caravan takes her to the interior where she realizes one of her child hood dreams to see an elephant. Not only does she see and elephant but she's befriended by the matriarch who rules the herd. Her relationship and bonding with Violet is one of the highlights of this chapter.
When she finds that her worst nightmare has come true and Dasnarian soldiers have been spotted at the port, she determines to leave the peace loving family where she has found love and solace. My only complaint is that this is a short and seems like and incomplete chapter and we now have to wait six months for Jenna to come of age. Will she find her brothers? I can't wait to find out.

Exile of the Seas is a middle book that absolutely does not have even a trace of middle-book syndrome. And that’s marvelous.

The Chronicles of Dasnaria are a prequel/sidequel to the author’s absolutely awesomesauce Twelve Kingdoms series. As a prequel it is not required to have read the Twelve Kingdoms before beginning this series As the Chronicles of Dasnaria have continued we have met some of the characters who will be major players in the Twelve Kingdoms, but it hasn’t happened yet, as they are all still children, or at least teenagers, at this point in their stories.

However, it is crucial – albeit heartrending, that one read the first book in the Chronicles of Dasnaria, Prisoner of the Crown, before essaying into Exile of the Seas. The Chronicles of Dasnaria, are the story of former Crown Princess Jenna of Dasnaria. In order to appreciate where she finds herself at the beginning of Exile of the Seas, and why she begins her transformation from Princess Jenna to Priestess Ivariel, it is necessary to see where she came from and why she fled. And definitely what she is fleeing from.

Her courage often feels of the one step forward, two steps back variety, but considering the events of Prisoner of the Crown, one is constantly amazed that she found that courage AT ALL, let alone enough of it to not merely leave but to defy every expectation that her society has of women in general or herself in particular.

Like Prisoner of the Crown, this feels like a story about becoming. In the first book, Jenna was mostly a victim, over and over and over. What saved the whole book from being merely a litany of despair and disaster was the ending, where Jenna escapes with the help of her brother Harlan.

But escape is not enough. The women of the seraglio are hothouse flowers, pets and playthings, with no tools or experience to allow them to live outside its walls. Jenna may be physically out, but mentally she has not yet begun to escape its confines. A free woman anywhere else in her world has many more options than she ever believed were possible. This is the story of her learning to grasp for at least some of those options.

The story begins with a fortuitous meeting. Or possibly a goddess-ordained one. Aboard the ship Robin, bound for anywhere away from Dasnaria, the frightened and ignorant Jenna crosses paths with Kaja, a priestess of Danu. In a bit of foreshadowing, Kaja is on her way to the court of the Twelve Kingdoms to guard the Queen and train her daughter Ursula in the way of the warrior. But Kaja feels that her goddess has led her to Jenna, to provide Jenna with aid in her quest to escape Dasnaria – or to at least be ready for it to return and attempt to reclaim her.

Under Kaja’s brief but extremely effective tutelage, Jenna becomes Ivariel, and takes the first steps on the road to becoming a warrior priestess of Danu. She takes vows of both silence and chastity – to cover both her accent and her complete unwillingness – or inability – to cope with anyone’s sexuality, including her own.

As Kaja makes her way to her destiny, Jenna, now Ivariel, lets the goddess guide her steps. Steps that take her far, far, away from Dasnaria, to a place where “seeing the elephant” is not just a metaphor.

But in keeping with that metaphor, Ivariel gains experience of her world at significant cost – but not only to herself.

Escape Rating A-: I didn’t pick up on that resonance, between seeing the elephants and “seeing the elephant” until just now. Jenna has always had a dream of seeing elephants – its a dream she was even punished for in the seraglio. Women in Dasnaria don’t get to see much of anything, and certainly not the elephants that live in far away places.

“Seeing the elephant” is a 19th century Americanism that refers to gaining experience at great cost, and was often used in conjunction with serving in the Mexican-American War or the Civil War, or heading west on one of the great stagecoach drives, or of participating in the Gold Rush.

All times and places where a lot of people got a whole lot of experience through a whole lot of hardship, peril and pain. As does Jenna/Ivariel in her own way.

For followers of the Twelve Kingdoms series, it is fascinating to see a completely different part of this world. But it IS a completely different place, so new readers get to see it for the first time along with the rest of us.

This is Jenna’s story as she transforms into Ivariel. We see her grow and stretch and reach out – and sometimes pull back. This is a story of her healing and becoming – even though some of that process is painful, bloody and violent. It feels necessary for her to get past what she lived, and the way that she accomplishes that feels right for her – if not for the faint of heart.

Because the arc of this book is on a constant rise, it does not have any of the feel of a middle book. This is overall a positive story, something that middle-books seldom are. She grows, she changes, she gets better, she takes a step backward and then she reaches forward again. She stumbles, she falls, she doubts, she gets up and tries again.

And after the pain she experienced in the first book, it is not merely good but downright cathartic to see her begin to come into her own.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this series, Warrior of the World, coming this winter. A trip to hot Nyambura should warm at least one chilly January night.

The Chronicles of Dasnaria series continues to be character driven with EXILE OF THE SEAS.

I loved the addition of a few new big characters in EXILE OF THE SEAS. Kaja was a big part of the story although she wasn't really present for a majority of it. Her influence and belief in Jenna set Jenna on a course that not only changed her future, but made her so much stronger than she was before and allowed her to really expand as a character. Ochieng kinda snuck up on my heart. I didn't think much of him when we met him, but he ended up having so much depth and character as a person that by the end of the story, I couldn't imagine the story without him in it. We also get a little bit of romance. It snuck up in the background, but it was still a nice addition to the story.

A lot of big things happens in book two, but surprisingly, the most powerful part of EXILE OF THE SEAS for me was when Ivariel met Violet the elephant. What a beautiful moment all around. Violet isn't the only elephant that steals hearts though. Their addition to the story was beautifully done.

I think the author could have ended the story with EXILE OF THE SEAS, but I admit I'm interested to see what will happen next for Ivariel and her new friends.


* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first volume and I was curious to discover what happened to Jenna after so many events! But now, even if she managed to escape, the problems do not stop there and even far from it.

Discovering a culture that is not hers, Jenna will befriend a priestess who will help her escape her husband. This is how she will discover new lands, things she did not think she would see one day, and the animals she craved to discover one. So many new things for her during this trip. But now, this journey will not be so easy, and her husband did not wait long before looking for her. And this time Jenna will have to choose between running away again or confronting him.

It was a nice second volume even if I have to admit that I have a preference for the first one but also because the action was more present too. It was however very interesting to see the evolution of the young woman, to see her become more assertive and above all more determined in her choices even if her past is still there to pursue her.

New possibilities and a different future are proposed to Jenna who now lives under another identity and I can not wait to discover what the author has in store for the future!

This book is much better than the first. The story moved much better, and there were lessons learned and action throughout. Considering how short and repetitive the first book was, with a bit of editing that should have been combined with this and it would’ve made a much better overall story. Jenna learns so much, travels so much, and grows so much throughout this book. Friends are made and lost, and she truly does come into her own. I’m looking forward to the next book.

To be honest, from this titles I expected more sea time and maybe pirates, I mean sea is in the title too.



Anyway, Jenna is fleeing her evil husband and she knows she needs to learn tot take care of herself. Not easy for a woman who do not know what money is, or anything else.



She meets a friend (ohh name dropping, nice!).



And moves further and further away. She learns to fight, and I am certain she will learn to love again too. Gosh, I sure hope so!



But, it is a novella, and I do feel like book 1 and 2 could have been one book. I haaaaaaate waiting, and now i have to wait again!! Luckily the blurb for book 3 was up so I could get an inkling to what was happening. Of course I always want to move forward in time to where the other books take place and see how it all turned out. Aarghh, I haaaate waiting!



Conclusion:

Truly a book of finding yourself and raising above everything you were taught.

Exile of the Seas is the second installment of the Chronicles of Dasnaria series, featuring our lost princess, Jenna, the Imperial Princess of Dasnaria, and runaway wife of Rodolf, the vile and sadistic lord with eyes to the throne. The first book, Prisoner of the Crown, was a good, but heartwrenching read. But Jeffe really hit it out of the park with this second installment, I was totally captivated by Jenna's journey. So much so, that I found myself stretching this read out because I didn't want it to end!

I have to admit that, based on the blurb, I thought Jenna was going to end up somewhere else in her journey. Somewhere more familiar to those of us who have read the Twelve Kingdoms series. But I couldn't have been happier to be wrong. All of the stops along Jenna's journey added a special part to the story, but Chiyajua was just something special. The Endiviunts! I loved them! I loved their majesty, personalities, and fierceness. And I loved Jenna's response to them, and their special meaning to her life.

I thought Jenna's disguise as a warrior priestess of Danu was inspired, and liked that the disguise becomes more reality than Jenna realizes. The practicing and prayers helps to center and focus Jenna, and even when she isn't speaking, we see Jenna becoming her own person away from the seraglio and cruelty of the Dasnarian court. While she has had help along the way, it is really impressive that Jenna has ventured out into the wide world by herself. This isn't a coming-of-age story, but it's similar in that Jenna's naivete has been falling away bit by bit as she has learned the ways of the world, men, and politics... then beyond as her eyes have been opened to the outside world. I can't wait to see what her story holds next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the author.

When I tackled the first installment of this trilogy, I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it. All of the other books I’d read from Jeffe Kennedy were fantasy romance and Prisoner of the Crown was… not. It chronicled the Princess Jenna’s early life and descent into an hellacious marriage to a sadist who reveled in abusing her. Then it followed her as she made her escape and sailed away from the only life she ever knew. It was the first act of her story and it was very difficult to read.

This second act is something different altogether. It is Jenna’s journey as she reinvents herself and becomes stronger. It was extremely well-done and perhaps the best thing I have ever read by this author.

The book picks up right where the last one stopped, with Jenna on the ship, a bundle of fear and ignorance. Women in Dasnaria are purposely uneducated about the world, forced to stay in the little boxes where they’re kept. But then Jenna meets Kaja, a priestess of Danu, who changes everything. She teaches Jenna the most basic skills… how to understand the Common Tongue, how to count, and how to hold a knife. And she helps her adopt a new identity, a priestess with a new name –Iveriel— with vows of both silence and celibacy.

Fans of the 12 Kingdoms will recognize Kaja’s name and the name of her daughter… and the character is a pivotal one, even if she doesn’t stay through the entire book. She does, though, set Jenna’s course to find a new home, a new family, and a new hope.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but I will say that this book uplifted me every bit as much as it’s predecessor disturbed me. Though she definitely has help, Jenna changes her life with her own determination and grit. It’s a hard path, but she puts her faith in the possibilities and that is just lovely.

I’m also happy to report that there is a man who gently and thoroughly falls in love with her. Ochieng is everything her husband was not and hats off to Kennedy for making me believe in their connection, even as Jenna never said a word. –Oh and when she finally speaks…. My heart was in my throat.

Thankfully, this romance is whatever you consider slower than a slow burn. And that is so necessary after what Jenna’s been through, but as this installment draws to a close, I’m left believing Jenna has every chance for a full and happy future, despite the horrors of her past.

Worth the trials of book one to get the good feels here. Can’t want to see Jenna get her happy ending.

Rating: A

The world is rich and lush, so beautifully described. The different cultures are complex. I wish I had the same love for the heroine. I admire how hard she fights to be in a new world but the transition and her growth was too slow for me.

Saying that, I am still more than willing to keep going to see where the story goes. Jeffe Kennedy doesn’t let me down.

I enjoyed the first book of the series, and this second installment was even better. The pace picks up as Jenna becomes a part of the wider world. I loved Ochieng, Violet and Efe. They are wonderful characters. I am now anxiously awaiting the third book!

I've been saving this book as a treat for finishing a difficult project. So when I cracked it open I was ready to gorge-- and I did. This book was very difficult to put down,so budget some time and find a quiet place to hole up.

I LOVED it. There was some discussion about whether this was better than the first, Prisoner of the Crown. I really feel like there is no point in comparing them because they are so different.. This is along the lines of a classic quest fantasy, but it is a quest for self rather than a ring or something external.

Jenna's character develops so subtly and believably. She has everything in the world to learn at the end of Prisoner of the Crown and there were many ways Kennedy could have gone wrong with her. I worried Jenna would either do a lot of stupid things or become an instant bad ass--neither happens. Instead the journey from pampered princess to Danu priestess is nuanced and thoughtful and gut-wrenching.

Because she is alone for the first time in her life I would have been skeptical if she wasn't afraid and didn't question herself. But I also didn't want to read about a self-pity fest. Her internal monologue is brilliant and I felt like I was traveling with her.

Without spoiling the story, the friends she make both compliment her and bring the best out in her. I thought Jenna's friendships were the most magical parts of the book.

I loved Kaja. She was the perfect blend of toughness without being annoying. Her attitude toward men is hilarious and it made my heart ache the way she helped Jenna in a way that gave her time to heal without isolating her. Becoming a priestess was a perfect idea in so many ways.

And then there is Ochieng. I can't remember when I last encountered a character who surprised me so much with their depth and texture. He has strength without being oppressive and is wise without coming off hectoring or like a know-it-all.. The romance--which is very understated-- kind of developed without me even realizing it. I really can't say enough about Ochieng--I think he's a masterpiece.

I can't wait for book 3 and I have NO idea what is going to happen.

I hesitated before reading this book because I didn't like that much book 1, but I'm glad I did because Exile of the Seas was way better than Prisoner of the Crown. I loved seeing Jenna becoming more and more confident in herself, growing and all. And I'm lucky I did since it was such a big part of the book. She is on a journey to leave Dasnaria behind physically, but also mentally. Watching her grow stronger was my favorite part. But it was really a BIG part of the book, I feel like nothing much happened except for her growing stronger? She traveled and discovered many new things but there wasn't much about the plot. But we can see the Jenna at the beginning of the book and the Jenna at the end are really different, I'm proud of her.

When we left Jenna, Imperial Princess of Dasnaria at the end of Prisoner of the Crown she had made her escape and had no idea of the future since she pretty much did not know anything about anything (women being purposely left ignorant of most things not concerned with marriage in Dasnaria).

In my review of Prisoner of the Crown I said "we seriously need Mr. Miyagi to help her" and guess what , we got one who teaches her the basics of how to fight and be someone more than herself and sets her on a path to achieve more.

Things are not all rainbows and unicorns, she is constantly on guard for her sadistic "husband" and can never be totally at ease. I loved the way she kept improving using things she DID know about to make her into more of the warrior princess she wished to be.

This is a story of slow redemption and growth (which usually means boring but not in this case) and I can't impart too much without giving away a superb ending that lets the reader and our princess get a bit of a breather (and thankfully NOT a cliffhanger) before the action picks back up in the next book Warrior of the World a title which already has me wanting to grab a copy as soon as possible.

5 Stars and maybe it is because her story was so horribly brutal in Prisoner of the Crown that this story was so uplifting in comparison that I overcompensate but I really don't have much to complain about so 5 Stars it is and can't wait until the next book.

I have enjoyed almost all of Jeffe Kennedy's novels in the past, particularly her 'Twelve Kingdoms Series' and the 'Uncharted realms series'. However I have struggled to read and enjoy the 'Chronicles of Dasnaria'.

While I enjoy Jenna's character and seeing her break away and recover from her cloistered and abusive childhood, I find the series very dry.

After reading the first book in the series, 'Prisoner Of The Crown', earlier this year I had hoped the next book, 'Exile of the Seas' would offer a bit more than just Jenna and her story.

I loved the world building and Kennedys writing but unfortunately I don't think I will be continuing this series.

Jenna, former Imperial Princess of Dasnaria, has escaped her cold homeland and abusive husband. She encounters a warrior woman on board her ship, who offers to teach her how to fight and survive. Jenna sheds her old identity and adopts a new one. She travels to a far off land under the guise of Danu’s fighter-priestesses. Eventually, Jenna’s past catches up with her. What sacrifices will Jenna make to maintain her hard-won freedom?
Jenna has come a long way since the first book. Of course, she feels set adrift after fleeing her homeland and family, yet she never once regrets her decision to leave. I admire the inner strength and fortitude it took Jenna to leave behind everything she knew for the uncertainty of the future. Jenna knows, to survive, she must adapt to her new circumstances. To survive, Jenna knows she must adapt to her new circumstances. I admire how she dissuades her warrior friend from seeking vengeance in her stead. She rather keep her new friend safe from her people and their bigoted views.I also like how Jenna’s new life shows her facets of herself that she never knew about.
EXILE OF THE SEAS is book two in Jeffe Kennedy’s fantasy series, THE CHRONICLES OF DASNARIA. This story picks up right on the heels of the first book, PRISONER OF THE CROWN. I adore Jenna’s link to Jesperanda, the heroine from THE EDGE OF THE BLADE, book two in THE UNCHARTED REALMS series.
There is a “promise” of romance. Jenna is still healing mentally, along with discovering her true self. But, I like how Ochieng and his people are helping Jenna move past that part of her former life.
EXILE OF THE SEA lives up to my expectation. I cannot wait to read the next chapter in Jenna’s story.
I received this book courtesy of Netgalley.

A story of loss, redemption and recovery from the pen of Jeffe Kennedy. A princess flees from the grip of her husband and finds herself along the way in new and unexpected ways.

I have decided not to read this as I was not aware that this was the sequel to another book and also significantly later in an overarching series. The blurb reads as a standalone or the beginning of a series and that is the only reason I requested it.

Exile Of The Seas pretty much picked up where the first book ended and it's a mix of things I'd hoped would happen and others that I didn't see coming. I loved that Jenna came into her own more or less in this book, shedding her naive skin and growing a fiercer, warrior-like covering. I cannot wait to see what book three brings, there are a few things I hope happen one of them is that Jenna becomes more confident in herself and her abilities. I definitely recommend this series.