For my first fantasy book (that I remember besides Harry Potter ) this was incredible. It had just the right amount of fantasy that it wasn't completely overwhelming. It was set in medieval times so I think that aspect really helped me enjoy this book. The names were a little difficult to promise but I just kind of glossed over them. Perhaps I will get an audiobook of this series in order for me to understand pronunciations.

This is the story of Owen. His family had to give up a child to be held hostage by King Severn to prove their loyalty. They already had to give up one but the king wasn't happy with that. So they send little Owen in the hopes that he would be protected. Poor little Owen. He is such a shy and timid little boy. He can't speak to strangers and he cries so very easily. My heart broke for him. He is only 8. He shouldn't have had to live in such fear.

I loved seeing his character grow. He becomes more and more brave. With the help of some friends of course. He meets little Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer, who is a granddaughter of a duke that is serving the king. I can't get over the spelling of her name. It's gorgeous! I wasn't really sure about her at first. She seemed to just be one of those annoying little characters that wasn't going to have a lot to do with the story. Boy, did my mind change quickly! She helped Owen discover his voice and helped him to be brave. I adored this little girl. Her nickname that Owen gives her is adorable. Evie. Isn't that just the cutest?? I hope I get to learn more about her in the next book.

My favorite character had to be Ankarette Twynneowe. Don't even ask me how to pronounce that. She is the queen's poisoner. She helps Owen and attempts to save his life along with his family's life. I can't even begin to describe what an incredible character she was. She was motherly and intelligent. She helped Owen but also didn't coddle him. He had been coddled most of his life so it was refreshing to see him grow under her care. She knew that her job was dangerous and it required killing people but she had no qualms about it. She knew what she had to do. It was refreshing to see her be honest with Owen as well. She did not hide things from him because he was a child.

My favorite concept of this book was the Fountain. In this world, those that had special gifts such as seeing into the future or persuasion, they were considered Fountain blessed. Often times, people found out that they were blessed if they were thrown off the cliff and survived. The Fountain is like their God. They praise the Fountain. Those that are blessed are looked upon with the greatest amount of respect. I thought this was such a cool thing. I don't know how original it is, but it's original to me. This and Ankarette is what really pushed the book to 5 stars for me.

I was just super nervous about this book. Besides Harry Potter and Septimus Heap , fantasty is not my genre. I essentially downloaded this book because of the absolutely beautiful cover. I don't really know how to explain it. Fantasy was just never my thing. But this year, I made myself a promise to read more classics (which I have been) and read more fantasy. I feel like I have done that. This book has shown me that fantasy is a really fun. I'm going to continue with this series and continue reading this fun genre.