Book Review: The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer

One knight without horse or armour.  One boy, known as a pickpocket.  One girl, deaf and mute.  And Thomas, the fourteen-year-old boy who saved them from the gallows and has one mission: conquer Magnus, the unconquerable castle.  As they journey across the English moors together, it soon becomes apparent that only the pickpocket is what he seems; the rest carry secrets about themselves and their destination—secrets they will die to protect as they wait to see what happens to Thomas.

In The Orphan King, Sigmund Brouwer takes readers back to Medieval England, to the time of knights and castles, gallows and superstitions, monks and druids.  With his flair for suspense and impeccable attention to historical detail, Brouwer spins a story that keeps the reader turning pages to find out whether Thomas succeeds at his impossible mission.  And while that question is answered for us, the end of the book leaves readers with as many questions as Thomas has—who is the deaf and mute girl?  Who is the knight?  And most importantly, who can Thomas trust?



For me, this book was a fun journey down memory lane.  I first met Thomas in the pages of Wings of an Angel, the first book in Brouwer's young adult Winds of Light series.  In an Author's Note, Brouwer explains that "much of that original story from twenty years earlier remained untold.  I'm grateful with The Orphan King to have the chance to return and begin exploring all that happened in the intricate battle of two great forces, each facing the necessity to remain hidden from the society around it."  I'm equally happy to have the chance to return and explore this story again and looking forward to finding out what happens to Thomas next in Fortress of the Mist.

Enter a medieval world of love and chivalry,

of ancient secrets,

an evil conspiracy, noble knights

and a mysterious castle called

Magnus...

I received this book for review courtesy of Blogging for Books; all opinions expressed are my own.