From Goodreads: 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.
My Rating: 4.5 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: Whereas
the previous books in The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner starred
Eugenides, A Conspiracy of Kings is from the perspective of Sophos. This was
unexpected; and meant that at least early on, I missed Eugenides.
But, I think Turner knew exactly
what was necessary to broaden the scope of political intrigue in her series. Unlike Eugenides
who you know would definitely have something up his sleeve, Sophos is a more
vulnerable character; and so the series shifts its focus from the sly Eugenides’
ascent to power to the growing possibility of an invasion from the Mede Empire.
Since reading The Thief, I had liked the shy and scholarly
Sophos. In A Conspiracy of Kings, you get to witness the
suffering he endures – being kidnapped and sold into slavery – transform him
from a naïve and idealistic character to one who is worthy of being a king.
Although Sophos does his best to remain true to himself and to avoid bloodshed,
he comes to realize that violence is sometimes unavoidable as a monarch. Some
things are just worth fighting for!
And it’s not as if Eugenides isn’t
around to help. While he can’t do anything outright because of his position,
you know he’s machinating in the background with Attolia and Eddis.
The problem now is having an
excruciatingly long wait for the next book in the series as there is still no
date for when the fifth book is to be released. If only Turner would write
faster!
A Conspiracy of Kings was released in
March 2010 by Greenwillow Books.
Comments
About the Cover: I love the older look of all the covers in The Queen’s
Thief series.
