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The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler

Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
A ruthless King keeps his subjects in line by fear- fear of his magical ability and fear of being thrown into the river, over a waterfall. A Duke in his kingdom has committed treason, so the King holds his youngest son, Owen, as a hostage. Owen must learn to navigate the treacherous waters of court by himself, because his parents are in danger of being executed for their crimes. He quickly meets allies, but can they be trusted?

Category
YA fiction, Fantasy

Why I chose this book
Kindle First

My personal opinion (the review)
This book is excellent! I am really looking forward to more of the series being released, later this year. The plot is interesting, the details of the fantasy world are clear and believable, and Owen is a marvelous character. The content is completely clean, but it's not so sanitized as to become boring. There's intrigue and a love story and spies and plots within plots. Well done! I plan to purchase subsequent books in the series.

Warnings
Language: None
Violence: Some, but not graphic
"Adult" situations: None
Death: Yes, and of major character(s)

Movie rating equivalent
PG

Protagonist description
Owen is cripplingly shy. But he draws on the strength of those around him that care about him, and on his own budding magic.

Point of view of story
Third, focused on Owen

Book length
Medium

Story flow
A little slow at first, but just the first handful of chapters

Grammar and spelling issues
None

Character connection (no spoilers)
I'd love to learn more about Ankarette, the Queen, and Mancini

For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
Unknown- first in the series

Series review as a whole
Great so far (one book in)!

If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
Start at the beginning: The Queen's Poisoner

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