In this undemanding sequel to Glass's The Daughter of Exile
(2004), 14 years have passed since Lady Angarred Hashan married Mathewar, the Master of the College of Magicians. Queen Rodarren of Karededin has died and her young son, Jerret, is king. In the two short years since his ascension, the now 14-year-old king, under the sway of the evil lord Noldeth Haru, has managed to bring his country near bankruptcy and embroil it in a senseless, immoral invasion of neighboring Goss. When the boy-king summons Mathewar and Angarred to court, the couple are horrified by the presence of nearly mindless "Bound Folk," a sure sign of trouble. It's obvious to everyone but Jerret that Haru is behind all the mischief. Mathewar leaves Angarred to deal with the royal court while he journeys north in search of answers. Less-than-complex intrigue, a simple plot and characters who at times are as mindless as the Bound Folk add up to mildly agreeable fantasy lite. Agent, Russell Galen at Scovil, Chichak, Galen. (July 5)
