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Thursday, April 15, 2010

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner 5 of 5 stars.

Sophos, under the guidance of yet another tutor, practices his swordplay and strategizes escape scenarios should his father's villa come under attack. How would he save his mother? His sisters? Himself? Could he reach the horses in time? Where would he go? But nothing prepares him for the day armed men, silent as thieves, swarm the villa courtyard ready to kill, to capture, to kidnap. Sophos, the heir to the throne of Sounis, disappears without a trace.

In Attolia, Eugenides, the new and unlikely king, has never stopped wondering what happened to Sophos. Nor has the Queen of Eddis. They send spies. They pay informants. They appeal to the gods. But as time goes by, it becomes less and less certain that they will ever see their friend alive again.

Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the magus--and Eddis--sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever. (Book blurb)

A Conspiracy of Kings is a fast paced, eloquently written novel about the political upheaval in the mythical lands of Sounis, Attolia, and Eddis. The narrator's switch seamlessly from time to time, by our main orator is Sophos, the young man who is the heir of Sounis, who has always--or so he though--disappointed everyone who knew him. But here we see a young man with his nose forever in a book of poetry grow into a rightful king. But whether or not he can secure his throne is the biggest question of all.

I greatly enjoyed A Conspiracy of Kings, though at the beginning I had some trouble keeping up with the political intrigue. This is probably my own fault for not having read the previous three books, but by the end of the novel I had a pretty good understanding of what was going on. Megan Whalen Turner is a wonderful writer who always keeps you guessing. The plot line was so full of twists and turns that knotted back around before being lost again, I never could find the end of it, and I don't believe this story is over yet.

The characters were all well rounded and alive. My favorite was probably Attolis, though at first he got on my nerves. He was funny in his dialog with Sounis and seemed like a good man, but at the same time he was that one ally you can never really trust. Eddis was a bit the same way, whilst Sounis was wholesome and outright. Watching his character develop was my absolutely favorite part of the story. I was truly in love with him by the end.

If you're looking for a faced-paced adventure, I would definitely suggest you check this out. Or if you haven't read the first three, try them. I know I will!

To order A Conspiracy of Kings from Amazon.com please click here.

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