Conspiracy of Kings / Megan Whalen Turner / 316 pages

This is the satisfying fourth book of the story of Eugenides, Attolia, Eddis and Sophos who will live on in the readers mind long after the last page is read. Lives and kingdoms are closely interwined as they struggle to work together politically to successfully drive the Mede out of their kingdoms while avoiding a full-fledge war. The story is full of treachery, cunning, and deceit but also friendship, leadership, love and victory. We see Sophos, the unwilling royal heir, accept and grow into his role as King of Sounis and the unbearable burden that being King brings when lives and the future of the three countries lie on his shoulders. Recommended for young readers who enjoy complex characters, fantasy, and puzzling out what is really being plotted. Please, please let there be another book so we can see how these monarchs continue to work for the best of their kingdoms while still being there for each other as friends.