Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language: Hell and damn are the most common words used in various phrases.  Exclamations of deity are also frequent.  Bastard is used a handful of times.  Ass and SOB are used once.  Several references to swearing are made like, “I screamed every curse I’d ever practiced” and “swearing a blue streak.”

Violence:  Sophos says, “The sword slid through him and I found for the first time how easy it is to kill a man.”  Sophos pulls the sword out after hitting the bone.  Someone tries to strangle someone else.  Sophos is beaten and left hurt and swollen.  There is fighting with knives and punching in the face.  Someone stabs a horse in the belly.  There is sword training.  Men are shot and die.

Adult Themes: There is drinking of wine several times.  Sophos is sold into slavery and works with other slaves for quite some time.  Political unrest and internal wars are the basis for this book.

Synopsis

Sophos is the young heir to the throne of Sounis.  His lack of desire for political and defensive learning embarrasses his father who sends him to a remote villa to live with his mother and sisters.  He continues his tutoring there until one day the villa is attacked and Sophos is taken prisoner and forced into slavery.  During the time Sophos spends working as a slave, he matures both physically and mentally.  He determines to take control and fight for his country.  Sophos seeks the help and advice of his friends, the King and Queen of Attolia.  And from the book jacket, ”Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered and conspiracies are set in motion.  Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea.  And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time.  Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the magus-and Eddis-sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever.”

This is easily one of the best series of books I’ve read.  I love the characters and I love how Turner weaves a story.  I missed Eugenides in this book as the story mostly focuses on Sophos, but it was still a great adventure with an ending that I didn’t expect.  The storyline is easy to follow, yet complex.  I was engrossed from beginning to end.   At one point the word Contrariwise is used.  I love this word!  I’ve never actually seen it in a book before.  I think I remember it being in a Winnie the Pooh movie though.

My problem with these books is the language.  7^th grade and up seems to be the generally recommended reading level.  I would disagree based solely on the language content.  I would recommend an upper high school level for this book.