Jeff Wheeler

King Severn Argentine's fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles...and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king's hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life. Seeking allies and eluding Severn's spies, Owen learns to survive in the court of Kingfountain. But when new evidence of his father's betrayal threatens to seal his fate, Owen must win the vengeful king's favor by proving his worth--through extraordinary means. And only one person can aid his desperate cause: a mysterious woman, dwelling in secrecy, who truly wields power over life, death, and destiny.

The Queen's Poisoner

--◈ 4.00 STARS 
A very promising first book to a series. 

I am very much determined to finish this book as soon as possible despite having so much to do for the past few days. Even though it took a few days more than my usual reading pace to finish this, I absolutely enjoyed this book. From the characters to the flow of the story and even the way the story was narrated by the author. Those factors absolutely grabbed my interest. A very easy read, indeed. I loved how, despite his young age and innocence, little Owen Kiskaddon managed to survived inside the Kingfountain. Undelying his timid personality, he has such a growing intelligence and pronounced observation. I loved how his maturity grew beyond his age. Aside from Owen, I also definitely, wholeheartedly loved the chatterbox, fearless Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer, Evie as what Owen caller her, and how bright, free-spirited and adventurous this little girl is. I am looking forward to the next books of this series as I am excited with Owen and Evie's friendship, their growing romance and even the next events and troubles that they will definitely face. I totally recommend this book to everyone.

Lacy W

For my first fantasy book (that I remember besides  Harry Potter ) this was incredible. It had just the right amount of fantasy that it wasn't completely overwhelming. It was set in medieval times so I think that aspect really helped me enjoy this book. The names were a little difficult to promise but I just kind of glossed over them. Perhaps I will get an audiobook of this series in order for me to understand pronunciations. 

This is the story of Owen. His family had to give up a child to be held hostage by King Severn to prove their loyalty. They already had to give up one but the king wasn't happy with that. So they send little Owen in the hopes that he would be protected. Poor little Owen. He is such a shy and timid little boy. He can't speak to strangers and he cries so very easily. My heart broke for him. He is only 8. He shouldn't have had to live in such fear. 

I loved seeing his character grow. He becomes more and more brave. With the help of some friends of course. He meets little Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer, who is a granddaughter of a duke that is serving the king. I can't get over the spelling of her name. It's gorgeous! I wasn't really sure about her at first. She seemed to just be one of those annoying little characters that wasn't going to have a lot to do with the story. Boy, did my mind change quickly! She helped Owen discover his voice and helped him to be brave. I adored this little girl. Her nickname that Owen gives her is adorable. Evie. Isn't that just the cutest?? I hope I get to learn more about her in the next book. 

My favorite character had to be Ankarette Twynneowe. Don't even ask me how to pronounce that. She is the queen's poisoner. She helps Owen and attempts to save his life along with his family's life. I can't even begin to describe what an incredible character she was. She was motherly and intelligent. She helped Owen but also didn't coddle him. He had been coddled most of his life so it was refreshing to see him grow under her care. She knew that her job was dangerous and it required killing people but she had no qualms about it. She knew what she had to do. It was refreshing to see her be honest with Owen as well. She did not hide things from him because he was a child. 

My favorite concept of this book was the Fountain. In this world, those that had special gifts such as seeing into the future or persuasion, they were considered Fountain blessed. Often times, people found out that they were blessed if they were thrown off the cliff and survived. The Fountain is like their God. They praise the Fountain. Those that are blessed are looked upon with the greatest amount of respect. I thought this was such a cool thing. I don't know how original it is, but it's original to me. This and Ankarette is what really pushed the book to 5 stars for me. 

I was just super nervous about this book. Besides  Harry Potter and  Septimus Heap , fantasty is not my genre. I essentially downloaded this book because of the absolutely  beautiful cover. I don't really know how to explain it. Fantasy was just never my thing. But this year, I made myself a promise to read more classics (which I have been) and read more fantasy. I feel like I have done that. This book has shown me that fantasy is a really fun. I'm going to continue with this series and continue reading this fun genre.

Tess

Another 4 star book made into 5 stars by Kate Rudd's amazing narration. 
And it's also another great series that's "read and listen for free" if you have kindle unlimited.

Livia

3.75 rounded up to 4 🌟

I read this book not knowing that it's full of political intrigue. And honestly, it is intriguing as hell. Dunsdworth can go choke and die, I do not tolerate bullies who use the terrible treatment he get as an excuse to bully younger kids. Evie, goddamn, I don't like her blabbering at all, and she's always mentioned as brave, but honestly, she's just reckless and stupid for not knowing when to speak and when to hold her tongue. But other than that, I honestly think this is a solid first book and it left off very interestingly.

Becky

3.5 to 4 stars depending on my mood

This was an unexpected read for me. I began reading it because I was craving a fantasy read that was a bit more high fantasy than anything else and decided upon this as it had been gathering dust on my Kindle for a while. I ended up enjoying it but not for the reasons I expected.

I will begin by saying I was annoyed that the book ended up being written for the perspective of an 8 year old. I am not a huge fan of youthful POVs as they can come across as immature and it's not possible to write them with the same depth and portray the same intrigue as children are not likely to see he duplicitous actions of others that adults do as they just don't have the same level of distrust. That being said I do think it was very well written and the character of Owen was written in such a way that he demonstrated maturity beyond his years at times without it appearing out of character for him to do so. You can tell a lot of thought went in so the intrigue and deception could still be included in the story and I liked that.

I liked the story and concept a lot. it was an intriguing idea and I loved the originality of he book. it was impressive. I do feel I may have enjoyed it a touch more if it was written from an older perspective it was still done well enough you got a sample of the political intrigue which is sure to come in later books.

It was a well written and entertaining book and I really enjoyed it. It had its faults but I think it's setting up for an excellent series I will definitely be continuing.

Judy McClure

Enjoyable traditional fantasy with hints of "our world" history as the basis for the story. Looking forward to book two etc

laura

I picked this book up on whim and I adored it from page one. I am not always the used to adult fantasy but this book captured me from page one. It was such a easy book to digest and that is largely thanks to young lead only 8 years old. Owen was the prefect point of view to explore this new world and i loved it. Jeff was also able to find ways to develop this world throughout this read and I grew to love this world and these characters. It was such a special read, I loved it. I found this read to be so charming an I also loved the world that was built that book had so many unexpected twists and turn that kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to read book 2 soon. This is a great read for someone is hoping to dive into more adult fantsay reads but they scare them. I found owen POV to be so easy to read from.

Anastaciya

2017 - 2.5 ⭐
2020 - it took me three years to realise that I understood little the first time I read it 🙈
The writing is brilliant. The intrigue is crazy. The only thing I didn't love was how old the kids acted for their age (Owen and Evie are some very smart 8 year olds...) but it's doesn't ruin the story

Chantale

I loved this book. It kept me reading to the end and now I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

The Queen's Poisoner

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