The first book in the million-copy, Wall Street Journal bestselling Kingfountain series from Jeff Wheeler.King Severn Argentine’s fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles…and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king’s hostage. And … the king’s hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life.
Seeking allies and eluding Severn’s spies, Owen learns to survive in the court of Kingfountain. But when new evidence of his father’s betrayal threatens to seal his fate, Owen must win the vengeful king’s favor by proving his worth—through extraordinary means. And only one person can aid his desperate cause: a mysterious woman, dwelling in secrecy, who truly wields power over life, death, and destiny.
more
One of the best series I have read in a while (still need to read the last two books). Character and setting development was awesome; he really developed people you cared about. The story was fast paced and exciting
A great coming-of-age story!
This is a fascinating story – the entirely original characters, locations and magical elements make it fantasy, yet it is overlaid on a foundation of elements of history in The Wars of the Roses and the life story of the English king Richard III. The way in which those historical elements are drawn upon and interwoven throughout the story and rich layers of complexity and interest to the story. The reader becomes deeply engaged in the story as it unfolds, particularly when the key characters are faced with danger or discovery.
The characters are vividly portrayed, crafted to engage the reader’s empathy for the protagonist, a young boy named Owen, and those who prove themselves his friends. There is also a good range of characters for whom the reader enjoys contempt and significant distrust— indeed, disliking them is actually a pleasurable experience.
This was an amazing series, each book was captivating. A mix of magic, love, prophecies, and war. The characters are a delight and the story intriguing. Treat yourself to these books, you’ll love them.
The story is told from the pov of a young boy. What a well crafted narrative.
Loved this book! Jeff Wheeler is an amazing story teller. Reading this entire series.
Loosely—and in many places obviously—based on the War of the Roses and historical Europe, this story is a fun, clean read with unexpected depths.
A young boy is torn from his loving parents and sent to live as a hostage to the king—a king with a disturbing reputation and a personality to match it. The child, Owen, must learn to survive in a court filled with back-stabbing politicians, spies, and unexpected allies. This novel boasts some lovely character descriptions and development; they are well-built with their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and habits.
Owen is painfully, even debilitatingly, shy, but smart and courageous. I will have to say that he and his friend Evie act more mature and wise than any 8-year-olds I’ve ever known, but it didn’t bother me enough to make me put the book down. In fact, I read it in one sitting, which proves its easy-readability as well as the ability to hold one’s interest.
Evie (Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer) is a wonder. She talks non-stop, knows too much, is completely unafraid of anything, and… is occasionally dangerous. She is a friend with steadfast determination. How fun is that?
Tyrant King Severn has far more depth than his reputation indicates. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him as a “real” person with more than one shade of color to his personality.
Ankarette, the Queen’s Poisoner, is mysterious, complicated, and more generous and gentle than her role would suggest. Not all of her mysteries are revealed in this volume!
The magic is a firm foundation for the story but never overwhelms. Best of all, when Owen begins to come into his magic, he is not suddenly an expert. This—as well as his responsibilities and worldly knowledge—are something he must grow into. There are many hard choices for the characters to make, and what is right is not always easy to decide. Better, there are real consequences to all choices.
Best of all, the story is flinch-free: there is none of the crassness, graphic violence, sex, or language that litter so many other fantasy books. And it is STILL a good story with—as I mentioned before—unexpected depth.
(Review originally posted on my blog at robinlythgoe.com)
I’m pretty sure I tried once before to read the e-book version of this and stopped because I lost interest. This time I listened to the audio version, and it kept my interest the whole way through.
The story follows 8-year old Owen, but it’s not an early reader book–it reads more like YA, or middle grade at the very least. Owen’s parents betray the king of the realm, and as punishment they are made to part with one of their children. Owen is the youngest and a miraculous birth, but his parents believe he will be the safest of their children, so he goes to live as the “king’s ward,” but really as a hostage, at least at first. He spends his time at court plotting how he will escape–until he succeeds, and the king, who turns out to be Fountain Blessed (their way of saying endowed with supernatural gifts), uses his mind control to coax Owen to return with him. Shortly thereafter, Owen meets a playmate, Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer (who for some reason is always referred to by all three names until toward the end when Owen nicknames her Evie), and later meets the queen’s poisoner — whom I thought would be the person who killed the queen, but no, apparently Queen’s Poisoner is a court position, and Ankarette holds it, though everyone believes her to be dead.
It’s rather episodic, now that I think about it. Owen learns courage from Evie, and learns about the intrigues of the court and how to make himself indispensable to the king from Ankarette. The king also doesn’t turn out to be the heartless villain we’re led to believe he is at first–he’s been lied about and misunderstood, and doesn’t know who he can trust.
An original story that held my interest to the end, at least this time around, and had a happy ending. I might read on in the series.
Captivated my attention. Didn’t want to put it down. Such an interesting story with great characters.
My absolute favorite book! I’ve completely fallen in love wirh the characters and the plot. I would definitely recommend the entire series as well as Jeff Wheeler’s other titles. I read this series last year and re-read it recently and still enjoyed it very much. I found myself seeing small details that I had never noticed before. Wheeler creates a beautiful world that sticks with you after having read the story. I can’t wait for his next book!
Great series
Love all of Jeff Wheeler’s Books. Start with Muirwood if you are going to give him a try, but love all of his books!
Loved that this was from a young boy’s perspective, and in such an interesting setting. I always appreciate when world-building is subtle instead of bashing you over the head with constant descriptions.
Love these book
Nice, slow-paced fantasy with interesting characters (child and adult) and credible, underplayed magic.
This book carried me along in an exciting world of interesting characters and a story that keeps you guessing as to what has gone before and where it will go .
The main character is loveable and you find yourself sympathising and wishing magic will be with them .
I found this book to be fascinating. There is a good deal of English history intertwined, as the author indicated the book was partially written under the premise of what could have happened if Richard III had won the War of the Roses. The story centers around an 8-year-old boy, Owen Kiskaddian, who is being held by the king to guarantee Owen’s parents loyalty. Other characters in the books, including Owen’s friend Elizabeth, the couple in the kitchen, and his friend Ankarette Trenaway, really shine, along with a host of other lesser characters. The king is portrayed as a tortured soul, and the beginnings of his downward spiral are described with both compassion and horror.
The characters are well developed, and it is easy for the reader to become invested in their story and what happens to them.
This is the first in the 6-part Kingfountain series, along with 2 prequels. Highly recommended.
I like this whole series by Mr. Wheeler. I never wanted to put them down at the end of chapters. There is some sexual tension, but he doesn’t go overboard with explicit scenes like so many writers feel they need to do nowadays. I really appreciate that!
This was a fantastic book! Nothing like I expected! I was curious how it would read when the point of view is from an eight-year-old boy, but he is surrounded by so many adults, it made no difference. I read it in a day and the action kept me engaged, I didn’t want to stop. Incredibly well-written with so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming…
I’ve already bought the second book and can’t wait to dive into it!
First book of the Hollow Crown series, which is an imaginative reworking based on Richard III of England. It helps if you know about the War of the Roses and Richard III’s life, but not required. Characters are well developed and three dimensional. Parts are tragic, parts heart-warming, sometimes funny, sometimes scary. After you finish, bet you can’t wait to read Book II.