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brittney_tyler's review against another edition
4.0
Star Rating: 4 stars
Note: This is the 2nd book in the Kingfountain series so this will not be an in-depth review.
After being intrigued by book 1 in the Kingfountain series, The Queen’s Poisoner, I decided to pick up book 2, The Thief’s Daughter. This volume continues the story of Owen Kiskaddon as he struggles to survive and thrive in the court of King Severn Argentine, a man troubled by violent mood swings and paranoia. When a threat long thought faced resurfaces, Owen is thrust into conspiracies and intrigues that may change everything that he believes and may force him to do things that he never thought possible.
My favorite thing about this book is Owen’s connection to the Fountain and how it affects everything he says and does. The world that Owen is filled with sanctuaries, similar to churches, everywhere that there is fast-moving water, mostly due to the fact that the magic and religion of this world is deeply tied to water, especially moving water. There are some individuals that receive special abilities from the Fountain, and these individuals are called Fountain-blessed. Owen is one of these individuals, and has the ability to sense other’s weaknesses, but he also hears messages from the Fountain and sometimes receives visions as well. These days most of his visions and messages reverberate around the Dreadful Deadman prophecy- this world’s version of the King Arthur legend.
If you know me in real life, you will know that I have always been fascinated by the King Arthur legend itself and anything connected to it. (It is one of the main reasons that I chose to study the period of history that I did in college.) Bearing this in mind, it won’t surprise anyone in the slightest when I say that once the possible connection to King Arthur was established, I became immensely more interested in this book than I had been previously. I hope that this continues to be an integral part of the rest of the series as this will quickly make it one of my newest obsessions.
The final thing that made me love this book as much as I did was the addition of the character that the book is named for- Etayne. Etayne is supposedly the daughter of a thief that was trained in the art of espionage and assassination in order to relieve the king of his enemies in a less public way. (I say supposedly because I believe she may be much more than that, but I won’t spoil anyone with my theories.) She meets Owen by accident fairly early in the book and the friendship/possible relationship (I ship them!!!!☺) that develops between them was one of the main things that kept me reading. I hope that they continue to be the main characters of later volumes because I love each of them individually and even more when they are together.
All in all, I love the way that plot went in this volume and I sincerely hope that it continues in the direction that this book established as this will make this series one of my new favorites. 4 stars!!!!!!!
auora1484's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
wanderlustlover's review against another edition
4.0
Spring 2018, audiobook:
I follow the Goodreads deals of the day and finally could not pass it up when I saw that all six books in this series were on sale for one day at $1.99 a piece. I snatched up the whole set, praying I wasn't making a terrible mistake, and, thankfully, I definitely was not. I'm going to end up reviewing the trilogies as wholes as I've just been moving through them so quickly.
Book One - I loved baby Owen, and the prisoner, and the slow reveal on this being a King Arthur tale. I love the quotes between the sections, and how long it takes to meet the person speaking in all of them. I love the tiny playmates and how much they both get along, don't, and inspire who each other will become.
Book Two - A leap, but an understandable one at least. The straining-to-be love story we knew was coming has arrived, but I am confused because we are now steadfastly loyal to the king after undoing his ruses last time. I did love the reveal of all of Owen's actual powers. I thought the ending, and Evie's conversation about why she had to go was incredibly contrived compared to any of her earlier scenes.
Book - ...especially when Evie's first scene in this book is everything the other one wasn't. Which was a large problem I had in this book. Evie seemed very much not Evie anymore. Which I say while deeply loving The Lady of the Fountain (/Lake), and Owen's second love story. The reveal of the board, and the will or won't it happen takedown of the king winding gyre story is so intense.
I follow the Goodreads deals of the day and finally could not pass it up when I saw that all six books in this series were on sale for one day at $1.99 a piece. I snatched up the whole set, praying I wasn't making a terrible mistake, and, thankfully, I definitely was not. I'm going to end up reviewing the trilogies as wholes as I've just been moving through them so quickly.
Book One - I loved baby Owen, and the prisoner, and the slow reveal on this being a King Arthur tale. I love the quotes between the sections, and how long it takes to meet the person speaking in all of them. I love the tiny playmates and how much they both get along, don't, and inspire who each other will become.
Book Two - A leap, but an understandable one at least. The straining-to-be love story we knew was coming has arrived, but I am confused because we are now steadfastly loyal to the king after undoing his ruses last time. I did love the reveal of all of Owen's actual powers. I thought the ending, and Evie's conversation about why she had to go was incredibly contrived compared to any of her earlier scenes.
Book - ...especially when Evie's first scene in this book is everything the other one wasn't. Which was a large problem I had in this book. Evie seemed very much not Evie anymore. Which I say while deeply loving The Lady of the Fountain (/Lake), and Owen's second love story. The reveal of the board, and the will or won't it happen takedown of the king winding gyre story is so intense.
mirus_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
minb's review
1.0
What’s the point in getting us invested in a love interest when it doesn’t happen? Ridiculous. No payoff
writings_of_a_reader's review
4.0
Owen Kiskaddon first came to the court of the formidable King Severn as a prisoner, winning favor with the stormy monarch by masquerading as a boy truly blessed by the Fountain. Nine years hence, the once-fearful Owen has grown into a confident young man, mentored in battle and politics by Duke Horwath and deeply in love with his childhood friend, the duke’s granddaughter. But the blissful future Owen and Elysabeth Mortimer anticipate seems doomed by the king’s machinations.
A pretender to Severn’s throne has vowed to seize the crown of Kingfountain. But Severn means to combat the threat by using Elysabeth as bait to snare the imposter—and forcing Owen, as a pawn in the dangerous charade, to choose between duty and devotion. With poisoners and spies circling ominously, and war looming on the horizon, Owen must make painful sacrifices to beat back the advancing shadows of death and disaster. Will Owen’s conflicted heart follow the king’s path or will he risk everything for love?
This was a great follow up to The Queen's Poisoner. I think one thing that I find really appealing about this series is that it can be read by multiple ages and still enjoyed. I like how easy this author's book are to read. They are perfect for when I want to read fantasy, but not something too heavy. The only negative is that I think Wheeler tends to tell instead of show a little too much sometimes. However, I really do like the characters and the world building. The characters are all so easy to become invested in, and the villains are not so clear cut. There are multiple layers to these characters. It will be interesting to see how the different relationships develop in future books. Overall this was really good. The ending broke my heart, but it also made me want to read more.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
A pretender to Severn’s throne has vowed to seize the crown of Kingfountain. But Severn means to combat the threat by using Elysabeth as bait to snare the imposter—and forcing Owen, as a pawn in the dangerous charade, to choose between duty and devotion. With poisoners and spies circling ominously, and war looming on the horizon, Owen must make painful sacrifices to beat back the advancing shadows of death and disaster. Will Owen’s conflicted heart follow the king’s path or will he risk everything for love?
This was a great follow up to The Queen's Poisoner. I think one thing that I find really appealing about this series is that it can be read by multiple ages and still enjoyed. I like how easy this author's book are to read. They are perfect for when I want to read fantasy, but not something too heavy. The only negative is that I think Wheeler tends to tell instead of show a little too much sometimes. However, I really do like the characters and the world building. The characters are all so easy to become invested in, and the villains are not so clear cut. There are multiple layers to these characters. It will be interesting to see how the different relationships develop in future books. Overall this was really good. The ending broke my heart, but it also made me want to read more.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
stressiex's review
5.0
I would have finished this days ago but I got sick and reading was not my top priority at the time. (KISS HER)
asl4u's review against another edition
The kingfountain series is a methodical plod - for lack of a better word. Its not in a hurry and its not slow to the point - its just like breathing.. it happens automatically and in its own time. It does keep my interest(and I'm immediately off to book 3)- it just doesnt move as fast as the muirwood series.
I'm enjoying the story - and the people and the world... Its good.
I'm enjoying the story - and the people and the world... Its good.