Phantom and Front Sight and Edged-Weapons Training;
Jekyll and Hyde.
Eugenides complaining.
Anthony Warlow, the way that he sings -
These are a few of my favorite things.
Visiting
B&N, going to
Scheels;
Looking for
knives, testing how each one feels...
Avatar, Crossing Lines, 24 too.
I can make Pinkie Pie.
How about you?
Emailing agents for representation...
Going on Pinterest to ease agitation.
Polishing queries and
drawing a king...These are a few of my interesting things.
Matthew Murdock! The Winchesters!
Grimm makes me feel sad. :'(
I simply put on something Josh Groban sings,
and then I don't feel so bad!
GOD BLESS!
~Cat
A Conspiracy of Kings
by Megan Whalen Turner. Greenwillow Books, an imprint of Harper Collins. April 2010. Young Adult. Fourth in The Queen's Thief (aka Attolia) series. Reviewed from ARC from publisher.
The Plot: Sophos is the unlikely heir to the King of Sounis. He knows he's not really fit to be heir; he actually hopes his uncle marries and has a child so that Sophos no longer has to worry about disappointing his family, his country, his friends.
Unfortunately, other people have plans for Sophos. Wars have made the country and and its governance unstable, so rebels plot to kidnap Sophis and make him a puppet king. Things don't go quite as planned and Sophos finds himself somewhere he never thought he'd be. Can he ever be more than a pawn in a conspiracy of kings?
The Good: You all know how much I adore this series; I've reviewed all three of the first books in this series, and yes, spoilers: The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia.
To those who have not yet read this series: please do. You will not be disappointed. The characters are rich and fully drawn; the plotting is exquisite; the themes are serious; there is humor, adventure, love, and serious questions about politics, war, loyalty.
And, also? There will be spoilers in this review for the prior three books. So if you haven't read those three books and not being spoiled matters to you (and it doesn't to some readers), stop reading. And seriously, folks, I've been asking you for months to read the first three. So no excuses.
Turner continues to both deliver what fans expect (Eugenides, plot twists, Gen, characters who are three steps ahead of everyone, Gen) and also to do what is unexpected, keeping the series and her writing fresh. Here, after giving us a glimpse of what we want (Gen! Gen! Gen!) we are instead given Sophos. It's his story; and half the time he tells it, directly, first person; and part of the time, it's third person. The switch affects the reading, from automatic sympathy with Sophos to being a bit more removed, a bit more objective.
Remember how in The King of Attolia
we were told that Sophos had disappeared after having been abducted by rebels? In A Conspiracy of Kings, we find out what happened to Sophos and why it takes him so long to reappear.
And reappe
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner. Greenwillow Books, an imprint of Harper Collins. April 2010. Young Adult. Reviewed from ARC from publisher.
My reviews of the first three books in this sequence of titles, and yes, spoilers: The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia.
My nonspoiler teaser. Which, really, is just me telling you: these books are fabulous on every level: plotting, characterization, setting, theme, writing. I say "sequence" because I will argue until hoarse that A Conspiracy of Kings sufficiently stands alone to be considered for those prizes and awards that demand a book not be dependent on other media, including previous books. Yet, while arguing that, I would advise those who have not yet read these books that they are best read in order. It is a deeper, richer, reading experience.
Turner's sequence of books is set in a fantasy world, influenced by Greek mythology, landscapes, and history and set during a time where battles are with swords, pikes, crossbows; guns and cannon exist, but do not really rule the battlefield. Gods exist; but in an almost magical realism, in your dreams type of way. In other words, "but I don't like fantasy" doesn't really work as an excuse here -- no dragons, no spells, no Mary Sues. It's more of a historical fiction series set in an alternate Greece.
Three countries are at the forefront of these books: Sounis, Attolia, Eddis. In the first, a thief in one country (Sounis) is recruited to steal something of political importance from a second country (Attolia) to help the king of the first force the ruler of a third (Eddis) into an alliance. The second, third, and now fourth book continues to look at the politics and machinations as three independent countries compete for power and dominance while at the same time fighting against a third country, the Mede Empire.
Nothing in politics or war is straightforward or easy; and so, too, nothing in these books is simple or to be taken at face value. Part of the joy of the later books is trying to anticipate the intrigue, the plotting, the machinations, and Turner being such a gifted author that she is always one (or two or three) steps ahead of you.
The fourth book, A Conspiracy of Kings, comes to bookstores and libraries in April. More than enough time for you to read (or reread) the first three books.
What age group is this for? It's marketed for young adults; the first one was a Newbery Honor book. The complex story telling, full of shades of gray and no easy answers, will appeal to adults making this an idea "crossover" title. The main chara
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Oh, I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to read this book! Loved your review, it has pumped me up even more!
I skimmed your review after you said how well done the characters are-I will see if my library has this series.
Sigh. It's finally almost out. I can't wait for everyone to be able to read it!
Sigh. Still waiting impatiently for this one. Of course, I'm also still waiting to reread it right before it comes out. That would be now.
i really, really, REALLY want that on a shirt!