Queenslayer

Whilst I like this series, this was the weakest instalment so far.

It felt a little out of place in the greater story arc, as if it was it's own mini-story with little connection to the previous books. It also felt repetitive after reading 4 books with very similar plot points and actions.

Although I didn't enjoy this as much as the others, I will finish the series to see how this ends, and as always Joe Jamison was amazing on audio.

My big issues with this series are that Reichis is the only one with humour (de Castell is a HILARIOUS author, it's a shame it's hidden here) and that as much as there is supposedly an overarching story, we just have episodic stuff with whole new nondescript characters in every single book.
Right now I'm just really bored of it. Maybe I will try again? I don't know. But really, they books are nowhere near as connected to each other as I would like, which is good if you have 15 books to go. But this is just boring at this point.

As nice as this saga has been I do wish to see its conclusion now. It's been woven over the 5 books so well that I can't wait to see how Sebastien is going to resolve the conflicts. But it should not take away from how well written this series continues to be. This story line appears to be a detour but a good one. The continued development of his relationship with his sister and his new relationship with the queen make a nice sub context. But lets cut to the chase shall we!

In the last few years, Sebastien de Castell has become one of my favorite authors. His Greatcoats series is a masterpiece. His Spellslinger series up there, too. Geared more toward a YA crowd, the adventures of Kellen Argos is a fun romp, well worthy of reading. With the penultimate installment of this series, you can see the plane is landing, but you don't want the flight to be over.

Kellen finds himself in Darome, a country that exists inside of an intricate series of royal court machinations. Who is lying? Who is your friend? Who is your enemy? In Darome, the answer to those questions are Everyone, No One, and Everyone.

One of the things that de Castell does better than almost any author I've ever read is torture the protagonist. In almost every book he's written, de Castell invents some new method to lower his protagonist to a breaking point, and then somehow get him out of it in a clever and heroic method. Falcio Val Mond in the Greatcoats started this habit of his, but Kellen carries the torch of enduring abuse from the author quite well. At one point in QUEENSLAYER, I remember putting the book down and trying to think my way out of the predicament that Kellen found himself in, and I figured he was done. He was defeated, totally and utterly. In my mind, there was no way out of the trap that de Castell had thrown him in, but somehow Kellen figured out a way to beat the odds and punish the people who needed to be punished.

I love this series. I'll be sad to see it end. However, when it does when the sixth book comes out, it will be a series that will stand the test of time. This book is well worth your attentions.