Book Review: The Leopard Stratagem (Leopard King Saga #2) by T.A. Uner

Title: The Leopard Stratagem
Author: T.A. Uner
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Rating: 4,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Camus Scorpio, the vicious criminal overlord, who for years tormented the good merchants of Rome, is dead. His ruthless army of thugs and bloodthirsty killers wiped out by the avenging force of Tullus the Leopard King, the Leopardess Celestra, and their Troupe.

But the victory is a costly one. Anna, Tullus’ lover, is dead, and her departure serves as an open wound to all her friends in the Troupe. Needing time to collect himself and continue developing his magical abilities, Tullus decides to seek out the wisdom of a reclusive wizard named Hradack, also known as the Leopard Master and a product of the Age of Paladins.

In Rome Eliana becomes involved in political intrigue and finds herself caught up in a conspiracy involving a persecuted race called the Dryads.

Decimus, now a prominent Centurion in the Praetorian Guard, is assigned to a new Roman Legion in Switzerland, where he faces the biggest challenge of his military career.

As Tullus’ power in Elemence grows, he foresees a hideous plot by an unknown enemy called Serpentus, who has kidnapped his Troupe friends and is holding them hostage on the island of Capri.

Unbeknownst to Tullus, Serpentus seeks revenge against the Leopard King and Celestra, and has armed himself with arcane powers. Under the tutelage of a fanatical cleric, Serpentus harbors plans of destroying the Leopard King and Celestra before embarking on a destructive path of conquest.

It’s no secret that I lliked the first book in this series, The Leopard Vanguard. I said so much in my review a couple of days ago. However, The Leopard Stratagem goes above and beyond its predecessor. We learn more about the world of Tullus the Leopard King, some sort of alternative version of Rome, there’s plenty of character development, even the writing has improved.

When we meet Tullus again, he’s on a search to become stronger in his magical abilities, and to overcome his grief of what happened at the end of the first book. While training his power in Elemence, he stumbles upon a plot by an enemy called Serpentus who is holding his Troupe friends hostage, and who wants to destroy Tullus and Celestra. It’s up to Tullus to once again find the strength within himself to fight and save his friends.

We learn more about Elemence, something which I thought was lacking from the previous book, but it’s certainly made up for here. As the book progresses, Tullus grows in strength, not just in terms of his control of Elemence, but also he grows into a stronger, more capable person. It leaves the route open for more character development in the next book, and I already look forward to that.

The book once again manages to combine an engaging plot and characters with impressive historical details, ending up with a riveting story that will appeal to all fans of historical fantasy.