A Wall Street Journal bestseller.Against all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain—and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will … yet loyally serves, will be toppled. Now, as Severn plots a campaign of conquest, the time has come to take action…and Owen’s destiny demands that he lead the strike.
Ordered to incite war with a neighboring kingdom, Owen discovers its beautiful, reclusive ruler, whose powerful magic might even exceed his own. Together they mount a daring plot to overthrow the corrupt monarch, crown the rightful heir, and defeat the prophesied curse threatening Kingfountain with wintry death. But Severn’s evil is as bottomless as the fabled Deep Fathoms. To keep his ill-gotten throne, he’ll gladly spill the blood of enemies and innocents alike.
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Every installment of this series just keeps getting better and better!
I was pretty distraught at the end of the second one, when (spoiler alert) Evie marries Iago and leaves Owen desolate. I admired them both for their determination to remain loyal to King Severn, but the king’s orders made no sense to me, and he was also becoming a tyrant. Eventually Owen gets fed up with this too, hence the title of Book 3 here.
The story opens with Owen still heartbroken over Evie, though she has clearly moved on, loves her new husband, and has two children with him. So, there went the idea of any sort of reconciliation between them. But I also no longer wanted there to be a reconciliation, because Evie was so cold in her choice to obey Severn and so harsh toward Owen in telling him that it was her choice to marry Iago instead of him. One who so easily changes allegiance is hardly worth having, or at least that’s how I felt.
Meanwhile, in his bitterness, Owen sees himself becoming more and more like the twisted Severn. Little by little, disappointment by disappointment, Severn had become that monster after all, and Owen fears that the same fate also awaits him. The theme of types and shadows repeating themselves throughout the ages echoes throughout the story, and it was one of my favorite parts: it made this feel so much bigger than just a story about these particular characters in this particular time. At Severn’s bidding, Owen goes to propose marriage to Sinia, the Duchess of Brythonica, never expecting her to accept: in fact, the whole point was to insult her to the point of provoking her to war. But she turns out to be nothing like Owen expects. She is so good, so wise, so powerful in Fountain magic, that she ends up winning him over. But not before he has the chance to betray her in the most intimate way–following the pattern of a story that has played out many times in history.
This sounds like the story is mostly about romantic dynamics, but it definitely isn’t. There is so much going on–so many Arthurian allusions, so many intricacies. I guessed a couple of the biggest plot points, but none of the details of how they would come to pass. And I love that Wheeler has set up the next book to follow King Drew, who is essentially the Arthur character. In the epilogue, King Drew, with Owen’s help, frees the Merlin character from his imprisonment. Can’t wait to see how this plays out!
My rating: *****
Language: none
Violence: fantasy only
Sexual content: none (despite many opportunities for it–I’m convinced the author omits it deliberately, and I like him all the more for it!)
Political content: none; in fact there are explicit positive values espoused, especially forgiveness of one’s enemies. Very family friendly
Third in the KingFountain series, this book continues the story of Owen Kiskaddon and his life as A duke and advisor to King Severn of Ceredigion. Once again, there is good continuity in the storyline and the central characters, with new complications and personalities entering the narrative as the plot develops.
The story is beautifully told. The world building and characterisation are rich and complex, bringing the kingdoms and settings to life and populating them with engaging, relatable characters who the reader comes to know intimately. Even those who belong to the upper echelons of society are shown to have very real concerns and inner conflicts with which they must wrestle. The ways in which different characters resolve those issues reflect the best and the worst of human nature, pitting good and evil against one another in a very personal way.
As with the previous books in the series, there are connections between this story and the popularised version of the life and personality of Richard III which are clearly discernible, although this story focuses far more on Owen than it does on King Severn. The story maintains an original and unique plot that sets it apart from those events and distinguishes it as as an outstanding work of fantasy rather than historical fiction.
This book and the series to which it belongs are most excellent, and will please all lovers of epic sword and sorcery fantasy books.
The best
This is the third book in the series and I am still enthralled. I not normally a fan of multiple book sets like this, but I am still hooked after book three. I will be disappointed when I have finished the last one.
Audiobook review: This series is not just for teens, in fact if you brush it off and choose not to read the series as such you will kick yourself in the rear later. Owen faces terrible trials, battles, and a mysterious woman. A great battle brings forth a new future. The ending will leave you wanting to pickup the next book in the series immediately. Such awesome writing! Kate Rudd does an excellent job narrating too!