Crown of Three
By J. D. Rinehart (Aladdin, 2015)
Genre: Middle grade fiction/ fantasy
Via: Library
Pages: 407
“Change is coming – coming like the winter wind. We cannot change the weather, Agulphus. But we can stand before the storm.”
No one is who they seem to be or where they should be in this humdinger of a high adventure. This high octane fantasy moves like Secretariat around the final turn at the Belmont Stakes. So you might want to buckle up, Buttercup. Here’s the scoop:
Basic Plot
King Brutan rules Toronia with an iron fist. But there is hope: An ancient prophecy tells of triplets who will overthrow the king and rule together in peace.
Separated at birth and scattered throughout the realms, siblings Tarlan, Elodie, and Agulphus have grown up under very different circumstances.
Tarlan knows only the frost witch who raised him and the animals who befriended him.
Gulph (Agulphus) was raised by a troupe of travelling performers.
Elodie was brought up knowing her heritage. And she never lets anyone forget. She’s a snob. (Think Stephanie Vanderkellen in Newhart.)
Agulphus finds himself thrust into the heart of Brutan’s court and the infamous “Vault of Heaven.” Here he meets Nynus, a young man of about the same age who’s spent his last ten years imprisoned in the vault, courtesy of the king. They become friends. Turns out Nynus has a secret, too…
But the road to the throne is long and bloody. Separated at birth and scattered throughout the realms, the triplets face a desperate fight to secure their destiny. Will they survive long enough to find each other, let alone rule?
By the way, each triplet has a special power. Elodie can talk to the dead. Tarlan communicates with animals. Gulph is a skilled acrobat. Without giving too much away, let’s just say these powers come in handy in a tight spot. There’s also the mysterious, enigmatic Simial. Elodie meets him in the Weeping Woods. Keep an eye on this dude. If ya can.
Kimber: Mom likes Tarlan and the thorrods best. Cuz Tarlan is kind to animals. And thorrods are humongous, majestic birds of prey. Loyal to a fault. Like me!
Crosses
Plot-wise, there are a lot of double-crosses going on. Here a cross. There a cross. Everywhere a cross, cross… And more plot twists and turns than the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair. Ditto lots of battles and dead people. There’s also a ghost army. An undead king who’s like, a major creepazoid. (And we thought he was bad when he was alive. Sheesh!)
“We march for the prophecy! We march for the kingdom! We march for the crown of three!”
Tightly Written
Tightly written and expertly paced, the story unfolds in three acts. All are packed with colorful characters, magical realms, dastardly villains, family secrets, and lots of action. We loved the way an ensemble of seemingly random, unrelated characters all comes together toward the end. Mom polished off this book in one day, start to finish. “I couldn’t put it down!” says she. (You know how Mom is.)
Crown of Three is Book 1 in the Crown of Three series. Book 1 ends on a cliff hanger. So we’ve already got the next book on hold at the library. Kindly hurry up!
“We fly!” (You’ll get that if you read the book.)
Pages & Paws 