Kingshold: #bookreview

Kingshold by D.P. Woolliscroft is set in the city of Kingshold, which is on the island of Edland. There’s not a specified year but I would say it probably takes place during medieval times. In this book, magic is a real thing that people accept.

There’s not one main character. It’s told from the point of view of a bard, a sorcerer, the sorcerer’s adopted daughter, and a servant at the palace.

The last king and queen have been dispatched by the sorcerer due to their greed and ineptitude at running the kingdom. The sorcerer, Jyuth, has proclaimed that there will not be any other kings and the people must choose a different way of doing things. The privy council decides that there will be an election. Whoever pays the price can have a vote.

Mareth, the bard, has taken a job from a wealthy candidate. His main job is to write songs about what’s happening with the election. The sorcerer’s daughter, Neenahwi, is a powerful sorceress in her own right. When her father retires, she will be taking his place and she isn’t looking forward to it. Alana, the servant girl, is responsible for taking care of Jyuth. He sees that she’s smart and includes her in his plans.

It took until I was at about the 20 % point before things started to click for me. So I would recommend sticking it out because the story really gets pretty good by the 45% mark.

Recommendation

If you are a fan of stories with magic and intrigue, then you will probably enjoy Kingshold.

If you are a troll, orc, or a greedy politician, then this book is too complicated for you anyway.

• I received this book for participating in The Write Reads Blog Tour. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

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