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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
This series gets better and better and I only hope Hilari Bell continues writing it. The characters of Michael and Fisk are so easy to like and their adventures are full of humor, action, and friendship. A quick and charming read!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
(More reviews on my site at http://wellreadviking.blogspot.com/)
A year and a half after the events of Rogue's Home we find that the duo have been keeping a fairly low profile and have set themselves up in a small town. This all changes when the object of Michael's unrequited love comes calling for help. As noble men are wont to do (especially ones in love), he promises her that they will help her in her quest. As they arrive at their destination a bizarre twist of fate forces them into a small group of travelling players. They go about their duties the best they can, but it soon becomes apparent that someone means them ill.
Once again the two friends have found themselves caught in the middle of a mystery/adventure. The knight errant would have it no other way since it is what his duty demands of him (much like a young Frederic from Pirates of Penzance). They race to find out who is involved in the plot before any more life is lost, especially their own.
I really enjoyed this young adult novel. I felt that the banter between the two was closer to the level in the first book. I felt that the plot of this book was more engaging than that of the second book (even though the plot of the second one wasn't bad). It introduces some new interesting characters and it works on showing the growth of the two leads. I thought that this novel was well done and I look forward to continuing this series when the next book comes out.
A year and a half after the events of Rogue's Home we find that the duo have been keeping a fairly low profile and have set themselves up in a small town. This all changes when the object of Michael's unrequited love comes calling for help. As noble men are wont to do (especially ones in love), he promises her that they will help her in her quest. As they arrive at their destination a bizarre twist of fate forces them into a small group of travelling players. They go about their duties the best they can, but it soon becomes apparent that someone means them ill.
Once again the two friends have found themselves caught in the middle of a mystery/adventure. The knight errant would have it no other way since it is what his duty demands of him (much like a young Frederic from Pirates of Penzance). They race to find out who is involved in the plot before any more life is lost, especially their own.
I really enjoyed this young adult novel. I felt that the banter between the two was closer to the level in the first book. I felt that the plot of this book was more engaging than that of the second book (even though the plot of the second one wasn't bad). It introduces some new interesting characters and it works on showing the growth of the two leads. I thought that this novel was well done and I look forward to continuing this series when the next book comes out.
I am so torn between giving this book three or four stars. I truly did "really lik it" and though calling it amazing might be a bit ambiguous, the plot was really good. I love Michael and Fisks's characters in so many ways, and bringing in certain characters (like Rosamund) was clever and fun. The characters are static, with plenty of issues, though at times Michael's 'honor' as a 'knight errant' and Fisk's 'criminal past' are played on a bit to heavily.
But overall, I really liked the book!
And that is the problem. Because for every scene/funny line/buddy-experience...everything I liked....there was a questionable scene to make me pause. Fisk has always used language more than I liked, while not entirley obnoxious, it can be distracting. The problem with this book is they like to use a word, the crude term for an illegitimate child, frequently. Of the 3 Knight and Rouge books, Player's Ruse has proved to be the most uncouth. Things like Michael chasing after a "villan" while riding bareback on a horse without any pants on...or one of the players sneeking off to see her lover tend to make awkward scenes kind of uneeded.
While I look forward to more Knight and Rogue novels, I will be much more hesitant to reccomend them.
But overall, I really liked the book!
And that is the problem. Because for every scene/funny line/buddy-experience...everything I liked....there was a questionable scene to make me pause. Fisk has always used language more than I liked, while not entirley obnoxious, it can be distracting. The problem with this book is they like to use a word, the crude term for an illegitimate child, frequently. Of the 3 Knight and Rouge books, Player's Ruse has proved to be the most uncouth. Things like Michael chasing after a "villan" while riding bareback on a horse without any pants on...or one of the players sneeking off to see her lover tend to make awkward scenes kind of uneeded.
While I look forward to more Knight and Rogue novels, I will be much more hesitant to reccomend them.
Parts of this were very good, but, sadly the sexism has gotten worse again, not just from one of the characters, but from the author. I'm not keen on books where none of the female characters feel real. It's a pity, as the rest of the story is pretty good.
This book has been my favorite of the series so far, for two reasons.
The first, because the introduction of Rosamund, even if she does seem flippant at times, breaks up the monotony of maleness between Michael and Fisk. Plus, I love that Rosamund proves the boys wrong about what they speculate will happen if she's left to her own devices - which made me realize just how dependent I am on Michael and Fisk's perceptions in order to even see this world.
The second reason, the mystery in a book geared for kids is difficult enough to give adults a hard time figuring everything out. One of the things I love about Bell's writing is her ability to lead readers down a stereotypical fantasy/mystery road that makes us expect a cliche ending, only to find a twist or two thrown in the works that deviates the plot from what we expect. That's why I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
The first, because the introduction of Rosamund, even if she does seem flippant at times, breaks up the monotony of maleness between Michael and Fisk. Plus, I love that Rosamund proves the boys wrong about what they speculate will happen if she's left to her own devices - which made me realize just how dependent I am on Michael and Fisk's perceptions in order to even see this world.
The second reason, the mystery in a book geared for kids is difficult enough to give adults a hard time figuring everything out. One of the things I love about Bell's writing is her ability to lead readers down a stereotypical fantasy/mystery road that makes us expect a cliche ending, only to find a twist or two thrown in the works that deviates the plot from what we expect. That's why I look forward to reading the next book in this series.