Monday 9 July 2012

Review: Casket of Souls

More than the dissolute noblemen they appear to be, Alec and Seregil are skillful spies, dedicated to serving queen and country. But when they stumble across evidence of a plot pitting Queen Phoria against Princess Klia, the two Nightrunners will find their loyalties torn as never before. Even at the best of times, the royal court at Rhíminee is a serpents’ nest of intrigue, but with the war against Plenimar going badly, treason simmers just below the surface.

And that’s not all that poses a threat: A mysterious plague is spreading through the crowded streets of the city, striking young and old alike. Now, as panic mounts and the body count rises, hidden secrets emerge. And as Seregil and Alec are about to learn, conspiracies and plagues have one thing in common: The cure can be as deadly as the disease.



When I first picked up the first book in the Nightrunner series, I was captured into a world of adventure, mystery and humour. After reading the first 5 books in this series, I have waited as patiently as possible for this book. The first 3 in this series were some of the best fantasy books I've read, to me they were like a grown up version of the Tamora Pierce books which I had adored as a child. The 4th and 5th book were a little disappointing, but Casket of Souls makes me extremely glad that I stuck to this series.

Like every other book in this series, Casket of Souls is full of mystery and humour, Seregil is still the 'party all night' noble that secretly becomes a Nightrunner when the sun is down. His relationship with Alec is still a little rocky and not quite perfect, however they are still adorable and can make you laugh at every turn. This book has a similar air to the first one, where Seregil and Alec charm the nobles and work their way in the social circles to try and obtain information. 

This adventure of their's is set inside the city, with two opposing forces trying to put two different princesses on the throne. While they try to uncover who is doing what and who is on whose side, a 'sleeping death' is spreading around the lower city. With some questionable deaths in the noble families, Seregil and Alec can't fathom if the deaths were natural or a cause of the internal war of power and thrones.

Things get desperate as the ones close to them start to fall ill to this new disease and they are pressured by two sides to solve the mystery of the disease and to find evidence of who is plotting against who, trying to start a civil war. This book is full of unanswered questions and mysteries that are begging to be solved, Flewelling worked several mysteries into this one book and in the end, they came together to a stunning conclusion. I loved this book very much, the game of politics Seregil and Alec played was very enjoyable to read and the ending was very good, although a bit short.

I would love to read more of Alec and Seregil's adventures however it seems Flewelling won't be writing another book for this series any time soon. Perhaps it is my love for spies and thieves set in the time of kings and queens, or my passion for reading about court intrigue and the dance of politics, that I found this book so enjoyable and fun to read. I would recommend this book to those that have read the previous 5 and really enjoyed the first 3. I would also recommend this whole series to those that love books set in times of queens in glamorous dresses and magicians in great robes, also to those that love spies among nobles with excellent swordplay and archery scenes.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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