It was refreshing to read a book that felt based in historical accuracy (even if it wasn't) that didn't feel the need to dive deep into the history of each topic it mentioned, and kept a storyline moving at a comfortable pace.  Jeff Wheeler's proise is quick and clear, with the interludes between the chapters almost as much fun as the rest of the book.  His combat feels frantic and heavy, which fits the setting perfectly.  It was also great to read a book that didn't dive headfirst into high fantastical worldbuilding and magical systems; Knight's Ransom reminded me of discovering the Arthurian legends and Robin Hood stories when I was younger.  This was an easy read, and one that I'm excited will continue within the same vein.

A great start to a new series set in the Kingfountain world! Wheeler's writing has improved significantly. This book stepped away from the formula that book 4 through 6 from The Kingfountain series fell into, making it less predictable, and I was very happy to see that! The Kingfountain series suffered from reusing the same plot and even though I felt like that was the point (history repeating itself was an important aspect of the story), it became a bit tiring after a while. Knight's Ransom started off in the same manner but towards the end, it ventured out and I really hope that the next installments continue to explore the new plot line. I love the political intrigue in his books and this new addition to the Kingfountain world definitely continues to deliver that. 

Thank you to 47North for an early copy.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a really good first book in a new, exciting fantasy series. We're back in Kingfountain, and I'm so excited! This story revolves around a young man nicknamed Ransom. As a young second son, he is given to the King by his father as hostage to ensure his father behaves and does not side with rival Devon Argentine, who is intent on taking the crown for himself.

When the old King dies and Devon is crowned King, Ransom is told he is free to leave. Ransom goes home, but gets no warm welcome by his father. Forced to make his way in the world on his own, Ransom finds a place in his uncle's house training to become a knight. He dreams of a life loyally serving an honorable lord, preferably with his boyhood crush Lady Claire by his side. Ransom finally becomes a knight, but suffers setbacks along the way. When he grabs the notice of the Queen of Ceredigion, she asks him to join the service of her eldest son, the heir to the King. Ransom must learn to navigate the treachery and conflict surrounding the noble family, while also trying to learn about the mysterious powers he may have that aid his fighting abilities.

I really enjoyed this book. Ransom is a great new lead character. He had to grow up quick and figure out who he is. He is a strong and capable knight, but still has the naivete of the young boy he is. He is clearly fountain-blessed, but since that is considered just an old-time legend and not real, there is no one he can talk with about it or train him. He is a skilled and feared fighter. Therefore, people like him to be on their side, but also fear to be around him. He is used by the nobility for their own purposes, and hasn't had a lot of choice in his own fate. This is obviously frustrating for him.

The budding romance between him and Lady Claire is sweet, but they are kept apart so much that it's a bit frustrating. I would like to see them able to have a little bit of happiness together in the next book. Lady Claire is a fierce, strong-willed young woman that definitely knows her own mind. She is very capable and I hope she gets a bigger part to play in the next book. She's not the shy, retiring type and the fact that she was sidelined so much in the first book is frustrating. It seemed like she would have been a bit more daring.

This is a strong first book and I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and 47North. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Jeff Wheeler is the author that got me into reading Fantasy.

Knight's Ransom is the first book in The First Argentines series and let me tell you what a ride!!!    I just couldn't put this one down and now I am impatiently waiting for the next book.

I do highly recommend it.

Recently I have been pulled towards honor as I have binged my way through the "Stormlight Archives" by Brandon Sanderson. When a new series by Jeff Wheeler popped up on Netgalley, I had to click. His new series was going to be framed around the myths of chivalry from the days of yore. This is also an opportunity to see into the realm of Kingfountain without having to read any of his previous series.

I found it difficult to get into this story at first. There was something that just wasn't setting up right for me. Something disjointed that I just couldn't put my finger on. Then something magical happened, I couldn't put the book down. I'm not positive at what point in the story I had become entrenched in the world of Ransom and Claire. It was such a subtle transition, before I knew it the book was ending and I needed to know what happened. Now I look forward to the rest of the series.

I'm still not entirely sure if I'm impressed with the writing, but the story ended up being fantastic. The struggles of Ransom during the age of knights and courtiers really resonated. He desperately wants to be loyal to a good man and serve his life in loyalty. However, he is a man that never seems to make it down his own path. The cast of characters were also necessary for the whole plot to hold together. Each plot twist kept the pages turning, but I really want to know what happens to Ransom. I am completely invested in his quest.

Having read fantasy author Jeff Wheeler’s two previous Kingfountain series, I was excited to hear that he had decided to delve deeper into the roots of the ruling Argentine family. Again, we see the kingdom through the eyes of one of its knights, but Marshall “Ransom” Barton in “Knight’s Ransom – The First Argentine Series” takes a different path than Owen Kiskaddon of the original Kingfountain trilogy.
And full disclosure, I was given a free copy of the book to read in advance. But the only promise I made was to review the book, with no strings attached about what my review would say.
Some of what we see in the first of this four-part series, which Booklist notes “adds elements of Arthurian legend,” is familiar. As with Owen Kiskaddon at the beginning of “The Queen’s Poisoner,” Ransom, just a boy, is held hostage by a king who has usurped the throne of Ceredigion, to secure his father’s loyalty. 
Over time, we also see Ransom’s budding understanding of his Fountain-blessed abilities, which in some ways mirror Owen Kiskaddon’s. But whereas Owen had poisoner Ankarette Tryneowy to guide him, Ransom struggles to understand what it all means.
We follow Ransom’s quest to become a knight, learn more details about that world than we did with Owen. Ransom’s struggles with a bully, Sir James, in some ways mirror Owen’s with Dundsworth, King Severn’s nephew. Ransom also ages more quickly in the first book than Owen did in “The Queen’s Poisoner.”
And while Owen spent much of the first book in the company of his good friend, feisty Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer, Ransom only gets fleeting moments with fellow hostage and love interest feisty Claire du Murrow. Wheeler employs Claire’s humorous point of view through epigrams at the start of every chapter to summarize action and move the plot along.
Like the original Kingfountain series, “Knight’s Ransom” also has a poisoner. But it’s not until the end of the book that we learn a bit more about her. 
In a note at the end of “Knight’s Ransom,” Wheeler acknowledges that readers of his previous series will likely see “archetypes and shadows of previous Kingfountain characters in this story.” But then he adds this: “If you think you know what’s going to happen, think again. I never tell the same story twice.”
That note is an encouragement to readers looking for a new tale. Though I have to admit there is something nice about finding some familiar elements in this new saga of the Argentine family. Flawed characters find redemption. Some characters can’t be redeemed. Known locations are populated by new faces. And we get to go back to a time when little was known about what it meant to be Fountain-blessed. 
Wheeler is also great about dropping in easter eggs, which he frequently does to reward returning readers. This one brought a smile: “King Andrew was given a sword and a scabbard. Yet the Wizr Myrddin told him the scabbard was more powerful than the sword.”
By the end of the book, I am left eager to plunge into Book 2, which won’t be published until May 18, with the third book set to be released in September. I look forward to seeing where Wheeler and Ransom take me next.

I was gifted an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I was so pleased to start reading Knight’s Ransom and discover it is set in the world of Kingfountain. I loved the previous series which was set here and this book is a brilliant addition/follow on. There is a new set of characters to learn to love and hope the best for. As always Jeff gets straight into the story, making it easy to become hooked and no opportunity to become bored. One of the first chapters I literally held my breathe whilst I read through! I cannot wait to see where Ransom and Claire end up and other characters which may join along the way.

Jeff Wheeler crafts a masterful tale of war, succession and intrigue in his latest book, Knight's Ransom.

The story follows the tale of Marshall Barton, a hostage of King Gervase of Kingfountain. In a bid to bring Marshall’s father to heel, King Gervase is advised that in order to make him toe the line is to kill his child. However, things don’t go according to plan. Firstly, Marshall’s father refuses to acknowledge his son, thus making the death worthless, and King Gervase is not the type of king to callously kill a child.

When we get to the first chapter, we learn that Marshall has earned the name Ransom due to him being held as such.  We learn that Ransom has been kept for years as a hostage and he has developed relationships at court with another child Claire de Murrow.

However, as with everything in Kingfountain, things change. The death of King Gervase signals change for Ransom and he is sent out into the world to make his own way. However, his father, a cold and frigid hearted man has cut Ransom out of the family and tells him that he has no place at his family home. His mother takes pity on him and gives him a letter of recommendation to take up a position with family member Lord Kinghorn. Thus starts Ransom's journey through the tumultuous waters of courtly politics and life as a knight.

Wheeler tells the story of Ransom extremely well. The character of Ransom is likeable, charming, sometimes a little annoying in his absolute goodness. He goes through life just wanting to make his way in the world and serve someone who is as loyal to him as he is to them. However, he goes through life being tested, having temptation put in his way and at times being out in the wilderness. 

The plot moves at a decent pace. There were times when I did think that the courtly intrigue did become a little sluggish and you could see that certain situations weren’t going to go that well and you wanted to shout at Ransom that he shouldn’t go there because we know it is going to go bad. However, Ransom refused to listen and did it anyway. 

Additionally, Wheeler gives us a pretty solid retinue of supporting characters, both good and bad. Sir James is a good character. I like how he is not as straightforward and when certain events happen with him, I thought I didn’t expect that. There are some surprising events that blindsided me that I didn't see coming. 

I liked that there is a reference to David Gemmell in there by calling the horse Gemmell.

Now, there is one thing that I did have a little difficulty with and that was the place names that are used in the world. Wheeler uses a number of English place names, like Folkestone, Connaught, North Cumbria, which on the whole did not bother me. However, when he uses Blackpool as a place name this jarred me a little, as this means something a little different to readers from the UK and I had a little difficulty picturing Blackpool in a medieval way. I know it must have been at some point.

The magic system was intriguing. I certainly want to know more about what a fountain blessed and what it means and what they can do. 

I liked the structure of the book with the diary entries at the end of the chapters. It is a good device to expand the world and give us another point of view and to detail wider world events

This is my first time reading Jeff Wheeler and I enjoyed this book. I will definitely reading the next part of the series

With the newest book from Jeff Wheeler we are whisked back to the world of King Fountain. If you have never read a book in this series have no fear this is a great place to start. The book begins with commentary from a historian. He begins to set up the time frame of the story so that you know when this happens. At the end of his commentary we are left at the line “I was immediately struck by how the events from the past mirror so closely our own days”.    We’re then graced with a sense of familiarity of a story about a young boy and a young girl both being held ransom for their father's loyalty in King Fountain. 

We read a diary entry from Lady Claire. She is 8 years old and introduces us to another ward of the king, the son of Lord Burton young Marshall which she nicknames Ransom. The story follows ransom as he is thrown into the world and forced to grow up and find his way. He wants to be a knight and be everything they stand for. But he is constantly tested.  Through the story lady Claire continues to be brought back into his life which results in confused feelings from both. Don't forget we are in the world of King Fountain. So we start to hear whispers from the fountain and questions arise of being fountain blessed. But those things are of legend from the time of King Andrew they can't possibly be real.    

This is a fabulous read and I could hardly put the book down. If you like good clean fantasy with swords, magic and little romance then you need to check out the newest book from Jeff Wheeler. I hope you enjoy it!

This was my first foray into Wheeler's writing, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. 

The prose is magical, not in the sense of being colored purple, but by drawing you into the story. It's to the point, yet meanders - a mighty odd combination, but for some reason it works.

Characterisation is also a great plus in the story. They are full, and developed well. I cannot wait to read more of this in the future to see how they all grow. 

Overall, a great story that kept me engaged. Highly recommended.

Whilst Knight’s Ransom returns to Kingfountain - so good to be back there - this new book on the Argentines feels different albeit with familiar, well loved, themes. 

The plot follows Ransom, a hostage of the Argentine King and Claire a feisty female from Legault.  Some of her phrases reminiscent of Scots/Irish slang still .used today - I’m Scottish so easily recognised words used by my Granny!    

There are the same mix of characters - some you love, some you hate.  The same themes of love, hatred, envy, greed, loyalty, despair, Hope, humiliation and tenderness are all there.  I was even moved to tears at one point. 

I devoured the book in two sittings and look forward to savoring it again over coming weeks.  Cannot wait for the sequel but meantime I am revisiting the Kingfountain series for 3rd time!!   Just love Jeff Wheeler’s books.  He made fantasy my favourite genre.   5 stars for me. 

Rosie Toal

This is the 1st book in a new series set in the world of Kingfountain set approximately 400 years before the events in "The Queen's Poisoner." This series focuses on how the Argentines gained and almost lost the Hollow Crown. This is based on European history, so except some similarities to "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. 

The knight is Marshall, a.k.a. Ransom, Barton, the 2nd son of Lord Barton, who is a hostage of King Gervase during the civil war. It is during this time of imprisonment where he meets Claire de Murrow, a princess from another region in the split kingdom. Together they experience the causes and the consequences of war, strife and tradition as they grow into the adults they need to become. 

The story follows Ransom as he leaves his hostage status and returns to his family only to be told he must become a knight in order to make his way in the world. Ransom's training and prowess captures the attention of the new Royal family (the Argentines), enemies, and Claire. It is when Ransom becomes a member of the Heir Apparent's Royal Guard that he learns about the political intrigue occurring within Kingfountain and beyond. Not to mention, he might be blessed by the Fountain's magic. Will this magic help Ransom to protect the Royal family from conspirators and murderers? 

The tournaments and the melees are the best parts of this book. That being said, you won't be ready for the HUGE twist at the end of this book! How long until we can read Book 2?! Jeff Wheeler has done it again!

Thank you so much to 47North via NetGalley for my digital arc of Knight's Ransom!!

Wheeler has finally done it!  It seems like he took every little bit of constructive criticism from the first Kingfountain trilogies, chewed it over while he wrote something different, then came back and wrote an absolutely amazing first novel in this new series!

I just freaking love the world of Kingfountain and it's lore and magic, and was so psyched to read this as an ARC (before obviously preordering it) heheh.  I have read them all, including the books following Ankorette, but don't think it's necessary to read them in order to start here, although you'll miss some Easter Eggs.

This is such a hard review to write because I just want to gush, I mean I had over a page of notes and highlights 😂

Ransom and Claire remind me so much of Owen and Evie, except they're more age appropriate and Claire is an absolute firecracker.  They are better childhood characters as well, because Wheeler finally admits that he can't write age appropriate kids so they grow up pretty quickly, with the book occuring mainly in Ransom's 20s.

So Polidoro Urbini is back, telling the history of the first Argentine kings.  He finds Claire de Murrow's journal and it becomes the framework of the story, then fleshed out by current events.

When Devon Argentine takes the throne of Ceredigion, the child hostages of the prior ruler get to go home.  For Ransom, that means trying to become a Knight in his uncle's household.  Training and warhorses and tournaments, poor choices and hard life lessons including naivety and betrayal mark Ransom's path to Knighthood.

Could he possibly be Fountain Blessed?  I found it shocking that he hadn't heard enough legends to put two and two together, but his fighting prowess in unbelievable and it makes him a target.

Without spending hours gushing about individual battles, defeats, more hard lessons, and Ransom's resilience ... He eventually ends up in the service of Argentine's heir, which is a mixed blessing and curse.

There is an absolutely absorbing plot to overthrow Devon the Elder, and more poor life choices which eventually leads Ransom to, I assume, in book 2 take the pilgrimage to find out if he is indeed blessed by the lady of the fountain.

There is a fountain blessed assassin out and about as well, and it's crazy because we have no idea who she is or who she is working for.  The line of poisoners is a pretty heavy storyline in the Kingfountain books so she'll have a bigger part in the coming books.

Pulling from Merlin and Arthur and the Lady of the Lake, Kingfountain takes some of it's magic and lore from those ancient tales.   Of course there is one magic Wizr board in the story, plus all the legends and lore of Kingfountain (and now Legault, thanks to Claire), that make Wheeler's world feel so real and immersive.

The characters make it feel real too, take the Argentines: yes they are the royal family but they love and bicker and break like anyone else.  Ransoms Uncle and all the wiser, older lords and commanders, I can't even list all the great characters.  It feels even realer too that Ransom has such a high standard of Knight's honor, so the courtship with Claire becomes a side story that he doesn't think is achievable.

But it's so sweet how he tiptoes.  Who knows if Wheeler will ever put them together or not, he is 50/50 with OTP pairings and Kingfountain never seems to work that way.

Layers upon layers of betrayals and intrigue and lore make Kingfountain what it is.  I have to mention the Queen's exile to her tower too, since it becomes such an important landmark in the later books and I loved seeing some of the origins.

Yes please sign me up for more riding alongside Ransom, now one of the richest men in the country after multiple knight's tournament wins.   I can't wait to jump into his pilgrimage next and then see where the world takes us ❤

Let me say one more time too - WHEELER WRITES CLEAN FANTASY!! Language and sexual situations (both rare in his books) are kept G-rated, with some sad deaths and some lightly battles but I would happily hand any one of his books to a reader of any age group

Out 1/26 from 47North, thank you again for my early read!

Blog: https://onereadingnurse.com/2021/01/22/arc-review-knights-ransom-by-jeff-wheeler/

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I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK! I fell in love with this story from the very beginning!! I mean that prologue? My heart was pounding for poor little Ransom. This is exactly what you expect when you read epic fantasy: the regency, the high-stakes, the unknown power/magic, the action and adventure, the chosen one, and throw in a dash of romance... and you have my WHOLE heart. 

The entire cast of characters were all mesmerizing, diverse, and intriguing as I hoped. Ransom was absolutely everything you could love in an MC. He was strong, yet vulnerable, kind but brave, and just everything you look for in a protagonist. I absolutely adored Claire, and really love how Wheeler gave us her letters of the events happening in the chapter prior in her own thoughts/POV. I thought that was very original and it gave another layer of depth to the story. 

The plot kept me engaged the entire book, I just kept thinking "what the heck is this rushing sound?? How does it turn him into such a badass?" That cliffhanger killed me a bit inside, but it just makes me that more excited for the next book! I'll definitely have to look into more of Wheeler's books, I believe he has another series in this same world as well.

I was super excited to get to read another book set in the world of Kingfountain. This book is a good addition to the world, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, though not as much as the books in the Kingfountain series, and here's why:

This book repeats the same type of plot pattern as Kingfountain, only it felt more rushed story-wise. Just like in The Queen's Poisoner, this book starts out with a young boy who is being held hostage by the current king. Several things happen that parallel the Kingfountain books, but I don't want to add any spoilers to my review so I won't mention what they are, but the downside of this book is that we don't get to spend any significant time in one place before the story moves on to another. This results in a lack of development for certain characters that I feel we should have spent more time with in the beginning in order to build a foundation for why these characters feel they way they do about each other. This is definitely a problem with the romantic aspect of the story, and causes the romance to feel a bit forced. Needless to say, I did not feel the same connection between Ransom and his love interest that I felt between Owen and Evie in The Queen's Poisoner.

All that being said, I do like other aspects of the book. Ranson is likable, and easy to root for. While I would have liked more time spent on building up the story, the characters are multilayered personality-wise in that they are never black and white and are personally conflicted about the dilemmas they face, and have both good and bad traits. There is still a bit too much telling and not enough showing in this book, just like his others, and I feel like this one was worse in that aspect, but and I am still looking forward to reading the rest of the series as it's published so I can find out what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book is a journey. Clear your calender as this book is intricately complex and well written. 
At times, the details seem over excessive and there are many characters to keep up with. 
On the whole, a good book.

Honestly, this review pains me to write.  I've struggled with it, delayed it, written it, deleted it, rewritten it, deleted it again, and...  I'm still not perfectly happy with it.  Sadly, I feel the same with Knight's Ransom, the First Argentine.  and disclosure, I received an Advance Copy in exchange for an honest review.

My fault.

Yes, almost entirely my fault.

I consumed this book, and loved it, only an undeniable need for sleep preventing me from reading the whole thing in a single sitting.  Of course, I tend to love Jeff's books, so my initial reaction isn't surprising.  Ransom's character comes alive on the pages in believable ways.  We feel for him, empathize with his plight, as he finds himself time and again in situations, facing outcomes, that he doesn't "deserve" for his actions.  Here is a being, flawed and full of self doubt, whose good character and laudable behaviors have him holding the proverbial bag when those he serves prove to be lesser men.  Indeed, the story carries overtones of Job, yet absent the comforting explanation of some test or tests known to the reader.

Structurally, King's Ransom is hung on a familiar framework, but with some inspired choices.  By placing the novel, chronologically, prior to earlier works, Jeff avoids the pitfalls of some of his earlier crossover works.  Dedicated and experienced readers can rediscover the magic of the world all over again, without passages of explanations for readers new to the world.  It also obviates the need for particular reading order, whether chronologically in world, or chronologically by order of writing.  This is another choice I strongly applaud.

That brings me to Claire, and the reason for a four star rating, after the praise above.  In the first book of the series, Claire is one of many background characters, but a clearly important one to future works.  Knowing Jeff's style and themes, I expect certain things of her character, her story arc to raise to the fore in future works.  In short, I bring baggage to the story, baggage this work failed to satisfy.  Scenes where Claire was present were fine - not exceptional - but fine.  Too brief to show the kind of development I was seeking, but enough to lay groundwork for future novels.

Jeff Wheeler also, quite effectively, makes use of epigraphs in prior works.  Some of which contain profound quotes which remain with me long after the last page is turned, the novel done.  Here, however, many epigraphs are given over to letters or diary entries attributed to Claire.  I absolutely hated these.  They captured almost nothing of the character for me, and did little to advance the story line.  Mostly, they consisted of brief reporting of events happening to her, and her response at times, but little enough of her struggles to comprise those responses.  I believe the book would have been better had they been entirely stricken from the work.

For that reason, a book I loved is rated just four star.  I'm eagerly looking forward to Claire getting the pages she deserves in a future work.

Thanks to 47North and NetGalley for letting me have the opportunity to read and review this intriguing and enjoyable story. If you don't know already, I'm a big fan of Jeff Wheeler and all his stories. He's an amazing author and I love that he writes such great, engaging, and amazing stories that are clean without any language, violence, sex, or the like in them.
This is an exciting and thrilling first book in a new series by Jeff Wheeler that brings us back to the world of Kingfountain, in the past from the Kingfountain series so now this gives us a glimpse into a story and the history of Kingfountain with this series focusing more on the time back when the Argentine family rules/comes to power and how this knight Ransom plays his part in everything. This story really is about Ransom and Claire, their love story, adventures, knights, sword fights, wars/battles, how Ransom has to find his way in the world and make a name for himself and find his place and where he fits in with everything. We discover Ransom has talents that make him a desirable knight/servant to have in a person's employ or as a person's bodyguard. He has to learn to use his talents to protect and serve and do his best to do what is right.
During the story, Ransom discovers a plan to take the Queen and then ends up in her service as a bodyguard to her son who is the firstborn of the new Argentine dynasty. There's, of course, personal and more conflict that presents itself though and Ransom has to learn how to hone his talents and skills to better serve and help others as well as himself as he figures out what to do. It's another intense rollercoaster ride of emotion like most of the stories I read by this author that always seem to apply to life in general and me on a personal level, which makes the betrayal, turmoil, and other adventures with finding oneself and figuring things out and such as well as events throughout the story that much more meaningful to me as the reader and gets me right in the feels that much more.
I did think when I first went to read this book that since I've read so much of his books and all the Kingfountain series that I kind of knew or had some sort of inkling what was going to happen, what story pattern this would follow, but, let me tell you, I had no idea what was going to happen until I read it and while there are a few similarities in some aspects, most of this story is completely new and I have no idea what's going to happen next. The end of this book left me hanging with no clue and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. If you haven't heard or checked out this book yet, then get on it - go pre-order, put it on your list, and get ready for a thrilling beginning to another awesome series by a master storyteller.

This book grabbed me from the beginning.  Between sassy Claire and the medieval surroundings I was hooked.  The battle scenes were suspenseful and gripping.  I loved how the pov switched back and forth from Ransom to Claire.  Ransom was such an easy character to root for.  With his true journey just beginning I cannot wait for the next book.

This is a tale of knights and ladies. A story of the growing pains of a young boy, born the second son of a Lord of a lower house, with no worth except being a ransom to a king. It is also a story of a young lady, who found herself in care of the king, but could never forget her childhood friend. 

The young boy grew up to be Knight Ransom, and the young girl Lady Claire. Even though the death of a king separated them, fate would always bring them together. 

The tone of the story is a romantic medieval with a young adult overlay. Meaning, it's not brutal, and a very endearing tale. 

This is my first Jeff Wheeler novel and I was very impressed with his writing. The flow was easy and addicting. I enjoyed it so much that I had to run out a buy more of his Kingfountain tales.