Book Review: The Thief's Daughter By Jeff Wheeler

TITLE : The Thief’s Daughter (Kingfountain #2))

AUTHOR : Jeff Wheeler

GENRE : Fantasy, Young Adult, Epic Fantasy

FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐(3.5 Stars)

DATE OF PUBLISHING : May 31st 2016

FR REVIEW

The Theif’s Daughter by Jeff Wheeler is the second book in his Kingfountain series. Owen is older and is mentored by Duke Horwath to serve King Severn. His and Elyse’s friendships blossoms into young love, and the two are inseparable as always. Severn has plans for both Elyse and Owen, and things may not progress as they wish. With the news of a pretender to the throne spreading throughout the Kingdom, the fragile peace is once again threatened. King Severn tasks Elyse and Owen with spying on the usurper and his supporters. Owen has to make hard decisions and make sacrifices while being away from the Kingdom. With lies, deceptions, court politics, and drama unraveling, Owen and his group will have to make the difficult decision of following Severn and leading their Kingdom into chaos.

The story progresses with an older Owen who is trained in fights and court politics. We see his growth and development of his character having to make his own decisions without relying on his mentor. Each character has their good and bad, making them morally gray than straight-up villains. This makes it hard to figure out who exactly is the friend and the enemy. Owen is essentially the King’s right-hand man and a well-trusted strategist for the kingdom. All the newer characters were wonderful to explore.

I loved seeing the court politics, intrigue, and drama it brought about. There was the excellent world I got to see in The First Argentines Series, and things came into perspective as more and more elements started to line up to give us a clearer picture. The world-building and magic system is unique. This series kind of laid the foundation for the future series to continue forward and expand on.

Even though the story is simple in its storytelling style and relies heavily on court politics to move the plot forward with the magic system providing the hurdles, the book was engaging and engrossing in more ways than I imagined.

With each book, Jeff Wheeler manages to get his readers hooked onto the story, get invested in his characters. I loved reading the author’s notes at the end of the books and learning more about his inspiration for the story and his reasoning for the writing choices he makes.

Overall, this is an amazing series for YA fantasy lovers to read and explore. The expansive, and immersive world-building and unique magic system are the main highlights of this story. It is easily accessible and simple in its execution but still delivers intrigue and action while the plot progresses. It’s equally character-based and plot-driven, with each book having its own framework and the overall series following one main protagonist in their quest. There is also a coming-of-age aspect to it that I enjoyed seeing in this series and his newer series.

I gave the book 3.5 stars and progresses nicely after the first book. I am currently on the third book, and let’s see if it delivers. If you enjoy Arthurian legends, magic, warriors, court politics, treachery, and intrigue, then definitely pick this series up. It is geared towards a younger audience, but even as an adult I still enjoyed the story.

SYNOPSIS

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?

Source : Goodreads