Mmm. Yummy. This was one I stayed up late at night to
finish, and unlike so many of the series books I preview, I am eagerly awaiting a chance to
read the next installment. Classified as a
fantasy, it is fairly un-fantasy-like.
Neither a wizard nor a dragon graces these pages … no magic or mythical
beasts here. Instead, count on palace
intrigue, action, mystery and a twist or two you may or may not see coming (I
did, but it didn’t ruin the story). Sage
is one of four orphans taken by a nobleman to train for a ruse that could
topple this medieval kingdom (yeah, it’s not hard to guess at, given the
title). Told heavily in first person,
internal narrative, the story is dark but not too dark. Sage has serious attitude but it isn’t
off-putting. He is clever and quick – I
enjoyed his efforts to “play” the adults around him and his refusal to bend to
the will of others. His iron will, not
unlike my own, made him a very strong, real character. The tale moves slowly, but not too slowly,
making me ache to read the next chapter.
The writing is good without being overly literary. Yes, I'm using a lot of qualifiers here -- to be honest it is
hard to say exactly why I liked it so much (many student readers do, too). Showing
up on a good number of “recommended” booklists this year, I think the the
characters are engaging and the story well-told. It’s simply “good” with only one flaw in the entire book (IMHO). The ending, both wrapping up threads from this round and preparing for the
next in the series, seemed a little rushed and slightly convenient … but there
were lots of hints along the way, so readers shouldn't be surprised. “Runaway King,” book two of this series, is
already out. I may have to use the
public library to get it – I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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