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Chosen King #2
The Trials of Boy Kings
The young kings stand oceans apart. Old truths have been discovered, putting them both in grave danger. Held captive by their fate, the two sworn enemies that chose their king will come crashing together, but in ways neither side could see coming. A new threat rises as the distant leader known as the Father steps out of the shadows, threatening his enemies with a deadly new weapon. Facing destiny-altering choices, both kings must hold on to the allies that will bring down their true enemies. But can they set right the history that has been stolen? This is the large print edition of The Trials of Boy Kings, with a larger font / typeface for easier reading.
- GenresFantasy
418 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2015
17 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Sewall
13 books23 followersI am a lifelong writer in many genres.
My novels and non-fiction work share the theme of exploring dark, unexplored places. That sounds pretentious, I know.
Mostly I make up stories and write them down. There is a special sub-conscious alchemy that is happening, but don’t look at me; I have no idea how it works.
Whether it’s boys chosen to be king, giant monsters attacking, kids with seemingly magical powers or just an unraveling of deeply held assumptions, I write to explore.
My only rule: It must be a great story.
Want to learn more?
http://www.mjsewall.com/
My novels and non-fiction work share the theme of exploring dark, unexplored places. That sounds pretentious, I know.
Mostly I make up stories and write them down. There is a special sub-conscious alchemy that is happening, but don’t look at me; I have no idea how it works.
Whether it’s boys chosen to be king, giant monsters attacking, kids with seemingly magical powers or just an unraveling of deeply held assumptions, I write to explore.
My only rule: It must be a great story.
Want to learn more?
http://www.mjsewall.com/
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 5, 2019
As other reviews have commented, the sequel continues right where the first book ended, where several key characters are trying to form new political alliances, and both Gordon and Asa are trying to understand the complexities of their world.
I would not like to spoil much of the plot, because it would reveal too many hints about key points of the first book. One thing that will strike very boldly in this book is that we get a (fairytale) glimpse of the secretive country of Extatumn. TrTorrin conquered those lands around 20 years ago and has converted it into a highly secretive socialist country where only those in the highest rings of power enjoy any true privileges, as long as they fully align with their Dear Father's twisted vision.
The book has a lot of very good merits (especially the ending where everything seems to nicely wrap itself), but there are things that they let me down a bit. This is no "The Empire Strikes Back", where the heros suffer great catastrophes such as Han Solo being imprisoned in carbonite to be taken to Jabba as a gift and Luke losing his right hand the moment he discovers Darth Vader's true identity. The struggles and serious sense of danger from the first book were toned down in this sequel. Gordon is more of a meek passerby listening to TrTorrin's rants and doesn't really grow much as a character in the book. There are few true dangers for the two boy kings, and they always seem to get saved in the nick of time by their respective allies. This is furthermore drained by text that still needed a few rounds of edits to remove excessive description (such as scenes where you know that they are referring to Brenddel's ship will mention this is his ship several times even though it is quite obvious from the context), and scenes that could have been more dramatic lost some of that emotion by too much telling. There are also some typos in the text that confuse similar sounding words: were and where, your and you're, to and too, check and cheek.
I would have wanted Gordon to have faced far greater danger, maybe give Lantovas a bit more of a prominent role given he was unwillingly tossed into this adventure in the first book, and then ultimately reveal the identity of Ellice and her relationship with Loren and Gordon until the final third of the novel. Or maybe have Gordon not accept the truth about Ellice and act more like a rowdy 13 year old teenage boy would be expected to react.
Brenddel continues to be my favorite character in the novel, and I really enjoyed the brief scenes he spends with sweet Asa. Quite frankly, I kind of like Asa's character more than Gordon. He knew full-hand that his life was under constant danger because he was just a few steps away from Thurndulin, and despite the risks, he quietly took advantage of being in front of the nation's citizens to openly conteract Thurndulinn's authority. He has grown very much from the first book indeed!
All in all, while the sequel was unable to exceed the very high expectations of the first book, it was a fun easygoing read with a lot of very fun scenes and with many things that could possibly happen in the third book.
I would not like to spoil much of the plot, because it would reveal too many hints about key points of the first book. One thing that will strike very boldly in this book is that we get a (fairytale) glimpse of the secretive country of Extatumn. TrTorrin conquered those lands around 20 years ago and has converted it into a highly secretive socialist country where only those in the highest rings of power enjoy any true privileges, as long as they fully align with their Dear Father's twisted vision.
The book has a lot of very good merits (especially the ending where everything seems to nicely wrap itself), but there are things that they let me down a bit. This is no "The Empire Strikes Back", where the heros suffer great catastrophes such as Han Solo being imprisoned in carbonite to be taken to Jabba as a gift and Luke losing his right hand the moment he discovers Darth Vader's true identity. The struggles and serious sense of danger from the first book were toned down in this sequel. Gordon is more of a meek passerby listening to TrTorrin's rants and doesn't really grow much as a character in the book. There are few true dangers for the two boy kings, and they always seem to get saved in the nick of time by their respective allies. This is furthermore drained by text that still needed a few rounds of edits to remove excessive description (such as scenes where you know that they are referring to Brenddel's ship will mention this is his ship several times even though it is quite obvious from the context), and scenes that could have been more dramatic lost some of that emotion by too much telling. There are also some typos in the text that confuse similar sounding words: were and where, your and you're, to and too, check and cheek.
I would have wanted Gordon to have faced far greater danger, maybe give Lantovas a bit more of a prominent role given he was unwillingly tossed into this adventure in the first book, and then ultimately reveal the identity of Ellice and her relationship with Loren and Gordon until the final third of the novel. Or maybe have Gordon not accept the truth about Ellice and act more like a rowdy 13 year old teenage boy would be expected to react.
Brenddel continues to be my favorite character in the novel, and I really enjoyed the brief scenes he spends with sweet Asa. Quite frankly, I kind of like Asa's character more than Gordon. He knew full-hand that his life was under constant danger because he was just a few steps away from Thurndulin, and despite the risks, he quietly took advantage of being in front of the nation's citizens to openly conteract Thurndulinn's authority. He has grown very much from the first book indeed!
All in all, while the sequel was unable to exceed the very high expectations of the first book, it was a fun easygoing read with a lot of very fun scenes and with many things that could possibly happen in the third book.
June 22, 2018
This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:
The second book in the series brings us solutions to all the intrigues, plots and mysteries of book one. And it leaves us with satisfaction that the good guys receive their rewards and the bad guys get what they deserve (however unlikely it often is in real life - when it comes to politics, at least...)
Gordon and Asa, the two boy kings, discover and learn even more about the world of power; they form new alliances, they find and lose friends, they prove to themselves that they are stronger than they thought they were... And they finally make mature decisions and get justice - for everyone.
The pace of the book is even faster than in part one; we jump from one corner of the world to the other as the chapters cover events going on simultaneously in several different places. We also see growth in Gordon's and Asa's political awareness as they witness and are part of deceptions, traps and false alliances...
One of the strenghts of the book, I think, is the way it discusses and tries to explain to young people what democracy and dictatorship are and how they differ - the scenes in which Gordon is shown around and fed all the propaganda the Father wants him to swallow and the way Gordon seems to be almost mesmerised by what he is told are great, but also really scary (at least for adults who know history quite well). I felt great relief when he expressed his doubts, still not fully convinced to the ideas the Father wanted him to believe were irrefutable. Listening to what the Father was saying felt like listening to Lenin or Stalin or any one of the communist leaders of the USSR right after the Revolution talking about how prosperous and caring their country was... And a shiver went down my spine when I realized there were still peopple and countries that followed in those steps... This particular plot line shows to young people how easily even the greatest ideas can be contorted when they are realized by corrupted men who only want power... That's a great lesson, I think, that says "Trust your leaders but never hesitate to check what they're doing with that trust..."
The only weakness I can think of is that with so many characters and so many things happening in the book there is not much room for deep character development. Yes, we see that Asa and Gordon grow a little in their awareness of the responsibilities of a ruler, but most of the other characters generally stay the same throughout the whole story. Still, as that doesn't really stop you from relating to them emotionally, I can forgive it this time and give the story 4.5 stars:)
As with book one, the interpretation by Mr Mayer is wonderful. The pace is adequate, the voices match the personalities of individual characters and emotions are clear and convincingly conveyed.
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
The second book in the series brings us solutions to all the intrigues, plots and mysteries of book one. And it leaves us with satisfaction that the good guys receive their rewards and the bad guys get what they deserve (however unlikely it often is in real life - when it comes to politics, at least...)
Gordon and Asa, the two boy kings, discover and learn even more about the world of power; they form new alliances, they find and lose friends, they prove to themselves that they are stronger than they thought they were... And they finally make mature decisions and get justice - for everyone.
The pace of the book is even faster than in part one; we jump from one corner of the world to the other as the chapters cover events going on simultaneously in several different places. We also see growth in Gordon's and Asa's political awareness as they witness and are part of deceptions, traps and false alliances...
One of the strenghts of the book, I think, is the way it discusses and tries to explain to young people what democracy and dictatorship are and how they differ - the scenes in which Gordon is shown around and fed all the propaganda the Father wants him to swallow and the way Gordon seems to be almost mesmerised by what he is told are great, but also really scary (at least for adults who know history quite well). I felt great relief when he expressed his doubts, still not fully convinced to the ideas the Father wanted him to believe were irrefutable. Listening to what the Father was saying felt like listening to Lenin or Stalin or any one of the communist leaders of the USSR right after the Revolution talking about how prosperous and caring their country was... And a shiver went down my spine when I realized there were still peopple and countries that followed in those steps... This particular plot line shows to young people how easily even the greatest ideas can be contorted when they are realized by corrupted men who only want power... That's a great lesson, I think, that says "Trust your leaders but never hesitate to check what they're doing with that trust..."
The only weakness I can think of is that with so many characters and so many things happening in the book there is not much room for deep character development. Yes, we see that Asa and Gordon grow a little in their awareness of the responsibilities of a ruler, but most of the other characters generally stay the same throughout the whole story. Still, as that doesn't really stop you from relating to them emotionally, I can forgive it this time and give the story 4.5 stars:)
As with book one, the interpretation by Mr Mayer is wonderful. The pace is adequate, the voices match the personalities of individual characters and emotions are clear and convincingly conveyed.
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
December 13, 2017
Great story. Takes off from right where the first book ended. The story in both books flows well enough that this is an easy read. It does seem like the story went by a little too quickly though. As if there wasn't enough back story or filler to give it more substance. All in all I did enjoy it and will be continuing the story in book three.
December 26, 2015
As expected, this book was full of adventure and intrigue. Gordon and Asa battle out a whole plethora of challenges as they each quest to find out the truth about the kingdom, and their rolls in it.
Continuing the trend of the first book for political intrigue and action, this does not disappoint, further deepening our understanding of the Kingdom of the Thirteen, while constantly introducing new mysteries to ponder.
I really enjoyed following the adventures of Gordon and Asa and am excited to see where they go next!
Continuing the trend of the first book for political intrigue and action, this does not disappoint, further deepening our understanding of the Kingdom of the Thirteen, while constantly introducing new mysteries to ponder.
I really enjoyed following the adventures of Gordon and Asa and am excited to see where they go next!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews