Unforgiven

The Birthright Series, Book Two

By: Bridget E. Baker

Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya

There are two sides to every story, but they can’t both be true, can they? In the second book of the Birthright Series, Bridget E. Baker weaves a tale of bad things done for very good reasons and an unexpected chance at redemption.

To be feared is lonely...

As heir to the evian throne, Judica must be perfect every moment of every day. If she slips up, even once, her mother will replace her. Impossible standards, horrifying decisions, terrible truths - none of these stop Judica from doing what needs to be done. She becomes what her mother demands, what her people need, what she never wanted for herself. But it isn’t enough.

But to be weak is death.

Judica’s worst nightmare becomes a reality when her twin sister Chancery steals the throne. Her life is over, all her efforts a waste. Judica should be furious, but strangely, she’s relieved. The freedom from her former responsibilities leaves her time to pursue her mother’s killer. But as she unravels the clues, the truth slips further away. When her investigation leads to a common enemy, Judica must decide whether she's willing to mend the deep and painful fractures between her and Chancery, or whether she’s too far gone. Once a villain, always a villain?

©2019 Bridget E. Baker (P)2024 Bridget E. Baker

Poignant and thought provoking!

Poignant and thought provoking. What if you were forced to be the worst version of yourself. What if you couldn’t show that you longed to be loved.
Judica is a daughter who is looking for faith. As the youngest daughter of the direct descendants of Eve, the Evians, she has been raised to believe that being falsely accused of brutality is better than being suspected of weakness.
The women who rule her society rule without mercy, even killing their own children when the child doesn’t fit with their social norms. Judica was born a twin, who was raised enduring brutality to make her strong for leadership, but being treated as unloved and expendable.
When her twin, Chancery, is given Judica’s rightful place, Judica must find her place in the world, while fighting to preserve her life.
The narrator evokes the emotions of this story, beautifully.

a rare treat

You almost never get to see the villains side of the story having that ability was pretty amazing!

Soooooooo good

This entire dearies is amazing! I couldn’t stop listening. Loved the narration. The story line is amazing. It’s rare to find such captivating stories that are clean of language and such. I love the series so much that I bought the actual books as well.

Baker triumphs again

I have been a follower of Baker since she started writing and love getting swept away by her stories. I especially enjoyed this book because I think Baker has a talent for creating characters that you love, even if they are the "villain" of the story. Getting to spend time in Judica's world is enlightening and enjoyable. You walk away with not just empathy and understanding for her and her life, but as her cheerleader and a yearning to see her come off conquerer of her situation. And now I'm really excited to get to Melina's book.

I often think about re-reading Baker's books but have little time for sitting down to read. I'm super pumped to collect all of her audiobooks so I can listen any time I feel like it. Baker's magical storytelling is only amplified by her terrific reader (who still sounds great at 1.5x speed, which you can't say for all readers).

2nd book just as good

I loved the 2nd book. I'm not a fan of jumping from past to present in books so this bothered me a little but not enough that I didn't completely enjoy the story. I can't wait for the next book to come out! The narrator did not disappoint in this story either. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The Most Unexpected Sequel

I never would have imagined the series taking this turn. But this book is told from Judica's point of view and actually manages to not just make her a sympathetic character, but downright beloved. I am now Judica's biggest cheerleader. This book is so well written and so we'll put together, I can't believe it. A++

A great sequel

I loved that this sequel was centered around Judica! She’s such a complex person, and hearing her side of the story is so exciting and interesting! I loved how the author played with the tenses, shifting between past and present, which kept us super engaged. The listener learns so much more in this book, about Judica’s upbringing, which explains why she ticks the way she does. Bridget is an amazing writer, and completely transport the reader into this world. Her writing is well organized and thought out, and truly embraces so many of our daily problems and concerns in a really compelling way. The audio version allows listeners to relax into the story and honestly just enjoy all the twists and turns. Absolutely can’t wait for book three!

Great story and narration

Love this series. In this book you really get to know Judica. She plays a huge role in the first book as the unrelenting villain. Here we are shown the other side of the story.

The narration is captivating and makes the story come to life.

A great second book

I could see in book 1 that the author was gearing us up to like Judica. But I was surprised by how much I could change my opinion about her throughout this book. So many characters are on my suspicion list. No one is what they appear to be.
I am going to be anxiously awaiting the next book to come out in Audible. This is a good narrator. I like her voice and it makes the experience that much better.
As for characters I wasn’t sure what I thought of Roman. After this story I like him better but I am not 100% in favor of him. Unlike Edem who I just loved in book 1 despite the few suspicious things he did.
If your looking for a bit of romance along with an adventure and a mystery this is the book for you. Bridget captivates the reader throughout the story. I am not sure I liked the flip flop between the future and the past but I can’t fault the story telling technique either. Anyway, I look forward to book 3.

Unforgiven

It’s the other side of the story... after the first book in The Birthright series, I thought I had a good understanding of things. Now I realize there’s so much more to the story. Hearing Judica’s story really opened my eyes and left me wanting more.

What and incredible storyline by Bridget E. Baker. The twists and turns that the characters endure really kept me on my toes. Just when I thought I knew where things were headed everything changed. Great character relationships.

Jennifer Jill Araya delivered a fantastic performance. She really brought the story to life.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.