
The book opens as Aly and the Balitang family return from their exile to the capital city of Rajmuat. There the kingdom is now ruled by the regents of the child king, and they govern with a cruel, paranoid hand. Aly, chosen by the trickster god Kyprioth to help bring about the downfall of the present ruling family and put a "twice-royal" queen (the eldest Balitang daughter) on the throne, has her work cut out for her. The plot unfolds rapidly, throwing Aly headlong into court intrigue, rebel plots, deception, romance, and murder.
Aly is an excellent heroine. She is strong, feisty, intelligent, and fiercely loyal. Her tendency toward over-self-confidence does lead to mistakes. When these mistakes happen, though, she doesn't succumb to self-pity or discouragement -- she picks herself up and keeps on going, and takes to heart any lesson she can learn from them.
This is a wonderful two-book story, with memorable characters and surprising plot twists. I was sorry when it ended, and now I'm thinking of listening to some of my old favorites by Pierce, just to visit her wonderful world again.
Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce (Listening Library, 2004)
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