A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

Turner, Megan Whalen. A Conspiracy of Kings (Thief of Eddis series, book 4), 312 pgs. Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins), 2010.

Taking up the story of a character introduced earlier, Turner returns to the classical-esque world of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia with the story of Sophos, a reluctant heir to the throne of Sounis, who was the magus' apprentice in the first book of this series, The Thief. When his villa is attacked, Sophos enacts a plan that was devised as an academic exercise under his previous tutor and old war veteran Terve. It appears to be succeeding, but in the end, he has been severely disfigured and disguised as a slave and is being sneaked out of port right under the noses of the nobility who should recognize him. The rest of the book tells how Sophos reluctantly gives up this newly found and surprisingly appealing anonymity to rescue his kingdom from the traitors and the Medes who seem to be pursuing their own secret agenda. The delightfully clever yet sullen Eugenides has only a small role in this book, and his strength of character is missed. I would recommend this book to schools who already own the previous three books in this series, or wish to buy the entire series. It will not stand alone very well, but will satisfactorily transport fans of the series further into this intriguing political saga touched by the gods.

MS : ADVISABLE. Reviewed by PKFoster, MS teacher-librarian