My boys laughed along with this one even more than the first. They thought the feechiesing was the best thing in the world. They utterly connected with the rudeswaps and wrasslin’. They thoroughly enjoyed this second installment and are ready for book three.

I thought this book had a nice, tight structure. It’s a there-and-back-again story, where Aidan’s loyalties are tested to the max. This book reflects on King David’s time in Saul’s court, when Saul fell into depression and paranoia. Thankfully, Aidan doesn’t spend the length of the novel in King Darrow’s castle. Darrow sends him on a death mission—fetch a mythical flower from the depths of the Feechiefen. Darrow hopes that Aidan will fail and never return.

But, as we know, Aidan has what it takes.

He is an aspirational figure for kids to look up to. In this book, he faces the foe of disillusionment. I was happy with the moral of the story—you can’t be happy if you refuse to live in the grace you’ve been given.

Now, on to the final installment.