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Stoneways Trilogy #2
Queen Ferris
Reiffen, true heir to the kingdoms of Banking and Wayland, had lived his entire life quietly with his mother and best friends, Ferris and Avender. His days were filled with sailing, fishing with the talking seals, and trying to swipe as many extra maple candies as he could.
All that changed when the three Wizards snatched Reiffen away to their fortress in the north. There they offered Reiffen the twin gifts of power and immortality--if he helped them wrest control of Banking and Wayland away from his uncle, the usurper.
Although Reiffen's friends rescue him at great peril, Reiffen now decides to return to the Wizards knowing that he would never again be trusted in this old life--even his best friends would fear that the Wizards had "turned" him. He intends to fool the Wizards--gain their knowledge, find their weaknesses, and defeat them with their own weapons and regain the throne that is rightfully his. But Reiffen is forced to do terrible things to gain the Wizards' trust. Has he become as greedy, ambitious, and avaricious as the three Wizard brothers?
All that changed when the three Wizards snatched Reiffen away to their fortress in the north. There they offered Reiffen the twin gifts of power and immortality--if he helped them wrest control of Banking and Wayland away from his uncle, the usurper.
Although Reiffen's friends rescue him at great peril, Reiffen now decides to return to the Wizards knowing that he would never again be trusted in this old life--even his best friends would fear that the Wizards had "turned" him. He intends to fool the Wizards--gain their knowledge, find their weaknesses, and defeat them with their own weapons and regain the throne that is rightfully his. But Reiffen is forced to do terrible things to gain the Wizards' trust. Has he become as greedy, ambitious, and avaricious as the three Wizard brothers?
- GenresFantasy
496 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2007
60 people want to read
About the author
S.C. Butler
20 books7 followersS. C. Butler was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the middle of the last century, which really isn’t so very long ago. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, with no dogs, no cats, and certainly no shape-shifting bears.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 31, 2022
Good novel, with great characters. The only two things I did not enjoy was the fast pacing of this novel and how the magic and how it worked wasn’t very well defined, such as in most other magic-dealing novels. I liked the characters a lot though, and how Butler added that last twist (a good one, bettering a character) near the end. I am exited to read Butler’s last book in this series, the Magician’s Daughter.
September 25, 2023
I couldn't finish it was so boring and jumbled and uninteresting. I quit.
January 1, 2009
Queen Ferris is the second book in friend and fellow author S.C. Butler's "The Stoneways Trilogy". In the first book, Reiffen's Choice, Reiffen is stolen by the Wizards in a plot to teach him magic and make him their puppet, since he is one of the (contested) heirs to the throne. Reiffen's two friends, Avender and Ferris, head off to rescue him . . . and succeed. But they weren't counting on Reiffen's choice.
Queen Ferris picks up almost immediately after the end of Reiffen's Choice. It's the story of how Reiffen learns how to use magic, while Avender and Ferris struggle to understand why he chose magic over them. It's also a story about the attempt by the Wizards to use Reiffen to seize control of the lands. If I say anything more than that, I'll end up spoiling some aspect of the plot of the book, so I'll stop there.
What I like about S.C. Butler's books is that he takes some of the tropes of the genre, sets you up to believe that the book is going to follow those tropes, and then at the end he turns those tropes on their head and does something completely different. For example (and because I know Sam, I know I'm not spoiling anything he hasn't tried to spoil himself numerous times), most people when reading that summary will think that Reiffen will eventually take back the contested throne and become King. That never happens. (I've read the third book already, and trust me, it never happens.) That's one of the minor tropes you might expect that gets turned on its head by Butler.
I thought that Queen Ferris was a strong book. I wanted to know how it was going to end, and couldn't predict where it was going at any stage of the reading. All three characters--Reiffen, Avender, and Ferris--play crucial rolls in the plot, and all of them have issues that they need to deal with, such as Reiffen's betrayal at the end of the first book. They all deal with their problems and responsibilities in different and believable--and sometimes not nice--ways.
And in the end, that's why these books work. The three main characters, friends at the beginning, are tested and they react like children and young adults would. These are being marketed as YA novels, and they are, but like the Harry Potter books, I think that the adult market will love them as well. I think the entire series is a nice bridge from the Harry Potter novels to Tolkein, covering the rough and tumble years in between the two age groups. I highly recommend them to all YA and adult fantasy readers.
Queen Ferris picks up almost immediately after the end of Reiffen's Choice. It's the story of how Reiffen learns how to use magic, while Avender and Ferris struggle to understand why he chose magic over them. It's also a story about the attempt by the Wizards to use Reiffen to seize control of the lands. If I say anything more than that, I'll end up spoiling some aspect of the plot of the book, so I'll stop there.
What I like about S.C. Butler's books is that he takes some of the tropes of the genre, sets you up to believe that the book is going to follow those tropes, and then at the end he turns those tropes on their head and does something completely different. For example (and because I know Sam, I know I'm not spoiling anything he hasn't tried to spoil himself numerous times), most people when reading that summary will think that Reiffen will eventually take back the contested throne and become King. That never happens. (I've read the third book already, and trust me, it never happens.) That's one of the minor tropes you might expect that gets turned on its head by Butler.
I thought that Queen Ferris was a strong book. I wanted to know how it was going to end, and couldn't predict where it was going at any stage of the reading. All three characters--Reiffen, Avender, and Ferris--play crucial rolls in the plot, and all of them have issues that they need to deal with, such as Reiffen's betrayal at the end of the first book. They all deal with their problems and responsibilities in different and believable--and sometimes not nice--ways.
And in the end, that's why these books work. The three main characters, friends at the beginning, are tested and they react like children and young adults would. These are being marketed as YA novels, and they are, but like the Harry Potter books, I think that the adult market will love them as well. I think the entire series is a nice bridge from the Harry Potter novels to Tolkein, covering the rough and tumble years in between the two age groups. I highly recommend them to all YA and adult fantasy readers.
September 7, 2012
I read the first book of the Stoneways Trilogy through an ebook promotion a few years ago and really enjoyed it, and when I finally decided to add books not currently in my possession to my book rotation, I decided to start with this sequel. It picks up immediately where Reiffen's Choice left off, which is about all I can say without giving away anything of the first book.
I found Reiffen's Choice to be an engaging, classic adventure fantasy, and this second book continued in that tradition. It was a wonderful escapist story, yet some of the character development was very realistic, in a way that wasn't always pleasant. What resulted was a dark story that at times made me think of Sam's speech in The Two Towers - that sometimes, you don't want to know the end, because how can it be happy when there's so much evil? It was gripping and surprising and I really felt for the characters, all of them.
What surprised me was how much was resolved at the end of this second book, but if anything, it only makes me more curious to know what's left for the third book. As with the first, I really enjoyed the world and the story of this book, and I'm quite interested in reading the last.
I found Reiffen's Choice to be an engaging, classic adventure fantasy, and this second book continued in that tradition. It was a wonderful escapist story, yet some of the character development was very realistic, in a way that wasn't always pleasant. What resulted was a dark story that at times made me think of Sam's speech in The Two Towers - that sometimes, you don't want to know the end, because how can it be happy when there's so much evil? It was gripping and surprising and I really felt for the characters, all of them.
What surprised me was how much was resolved at the end of this second book, but if anything, it only makes me more curious to know what's left for the third book. As with the first, I really enjoyed the world and the story of this book, and I'm quite interested in reading the last.
April 12, 2011
A good second book, that follows closely to the previous. I like the fact that each book takes a different person's perspective without losing the tone of the story. By shifting the focus the author makes the second book stand on its own in many ways and I like that it has a conclusion of its own. I will say about this book what I said about the first, however. I cannot recommend that you buy the series due to the poor final effort.
January 14, 2010
A very good follow-up book. It kept you guessing for quite a good time of the book and made very believable characters. Good read!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews