Reverse Spoiler Alert (is that like Reliops Alert? (Get it? becoz the spelling is inver- ya nevermind)) – I haven’t spoiled anything.
Hulloo!! I’m back! <insert excuse for not posting for 2 months>
Here’s a life update tho – I went to Europe a couple of weeks ago! Checked visiting the Louvre off my bucket list, it was so cool seeing art that I had read about in Dan Brown’s work. Interestingly enough, I still remember some of the symbology taught by Professor Langdon and had a lot of fun seeing it in actuality and pointing it out. However, now that I’m back, no less with summer vacations going on, there are gonna be some changes around here. For better or for worse (?).
As you read in the title, this post is going to be about a book review! A book revie of ‘The Queen’s Poisoner’ the first book in the six-part Kingfountain Series, one that I normally wouldn’t read, or even post about, but surprisingly enough I actually liked this one. Now, it definitely isn’t one of my favourites (maybe because I haven’t finished the whole series) but it is definitely a good starting point if you want to get into fantasy featuring court intrigue. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of books containing much of politics and intrigue but the Art of the Adept Series prepared me for this plot. Now, let’s get straight into the review.
The plot basically revolves around our 8-year old main character – Owen. The son of a duke, but not just any duke, he’s the son of the duke that committed treason against the current king. The king demands the duke to hand over his son to him as a ward (another word for hostage) to ensure his cooperation going forward. Owen is then sent to the capital to live the King’s castle and learn to survive amongst the manipulations and politics at the royal court. He must learn to survive in this new world and find people to support him.
This plot isn’t something I have come across in my past dealings with fantasy. This book also contains a rudimentary (based on the first book) magic system, which for some reason isn’t that important to the overall story of this book. Maybe because the main character still hasn’t learnt to use it. This magic system is however one that I liked a lot, mainly because it isn’t overpowered like most other ones in fantasy novels, instead it’s subtle and creative (unlike my blog, I mean I literally put an advertisement 2 paragraphs in after coming back from a 2 month hiatus).
The bureaucracy showed in this book also is very…realistic, for lack of a better term. So are the relationships amongst the characters, and the characters themselves aren’t inherently good or bad. Overall this book seemed much like reading a history book narrated by a 8-year old rather than a fictional fantasy. I found this quite interesting so after digging up a bit more I found that the author is a big history fan. Meaning a lot of the characters and events are based on actual history! But unlike most history, this book won’t aid you in your sleep pursuits.
Overall, I liked this book quite a lot, and who knows, maybe after finishing the rest fo the 5 books in the Kingfountain series, I will probably love it. The interesting characters, original plot and unique magic system are definitely pluses. One thing that I was a bit disappointed in however was the pace. It is an extremely slow plot which I felt could have been covered a lot faster. Most books don’t need this long for character development but I understand from the author’s point of view, he had to turn a 8-year old into a mature diplomat. Would I reccomend this book to new fantasy readers? Definitely! This book could help you figure out what you like and dislike when it comes to fantasy-fiction much faster compared to reading several series and then deciding. Alhough this book is certainly complex with all the world-building and character arcs, I am confident that even new readers can keep track because of the slow pace. Basically, read the book! You can get it on Amazon whether its for kindle or a paperback. It certainly won’t dissappoint.
That was it for today’s post…see you again in a couple years! Or weeks, at this point I don’t even know. BYEEE ✌️
