A Drowned Kingdom by P.L. Stuart follows the story of Othrun, Second Prince of Atalantyx. Having ambitions of becoming king himself one day but resigning himself to the fate of faithfully serving his brother and first in line to the crown, First Prince Erthal, Othrun is thrust into the position of king after the island kingdom of Atalantyx meets with an unprecedented catastrophe. Othrun, now tasked with building a new kingdom on foreign lands and keeping the last of his people safe from extinction, discovers that being king is far more challenging and fraught with peril than he first anticipated. He is faced with fulfilling prophecies, new foes, forging alliances from unexpected sources, and overcoming his personal demons - all this lies in Othrun’s path to ascending to his role as king. The lore and world-building of P.L. Stuart’s A Drowned Kingdom is some of the finest writing I’ve had the joy of reading in a long time. Whether characters, weapons, mountains, or grounds in the kingdom, everything has a rich cultural significance within A Drowned Kingdom. Othrun is a compelling character that juggles his own ascension to kingship with a predetermined destiny and faces challenges of betrayal, loyalty, religion, and duty head-on. I especially admired P.L. Stuart’s focus and emphasis on Othrun’s conflict with religion, and religion being Othrun’s main motivation to push forward, often making me wonder how Othrun will react once the cracks in his faith start showing. A Drowned Kingdom is an epic in the making and I can’t wait to see how the series unfolds.
