Doctors, Assassins and Other Tyrants by Katharine Campbell Book Review

About the Book:

In this sequel to Love, Treachery, and Other Terrors, seventeen-year-old Augustine has a near-perfect life. His mother and stepfather adore him, he is looking forward to a promising career as a knight, and he's pretty sure the doctor's daughter likes him as much as he likes her. Aside from the occasional duel with his cousin, he doesn't have any real problems. 

Until he's kidnapped by a band of highwaymen. As if tying him up and dragging him away from home wasn't bad enough, the ruffians start spouting nonsense about how he is the illegitimate son of some horrible, honorless, murdering prince named Justin. 

Augustine, of course, doesn't believe these vile rumors. By his mother's own account, her late husband was the perfect man in every imaginable way. She would never lie to him about something as important as his father... right?

In this quirky, medieval fantasy Augustine must find a way to escape his captors and uncover who he really is. It's a story of providence, heroism, and learning to embrace the truth.

You can read my review of the first book in the series, Love, Treachery, and Other Terrors.

My Review:

This is another entertaining adventure in the land of fairies, unicorns, and heroes and villains. Augustine is a likable hero. His understanding of his identity is completely uprooted with disturbing news. His character is contrasted with Prince Oswald, an arrogant man who thinks way too highly of himself. They, along with Lina, battle foes as they traverse dangerous territory. Thankfully, a unicorn with a healing tongue follows them

There are several issues explored in this novel. The major one is identity. How is identity founded in heritage and what happens if that foundation crumbles? Does God still love you if you are a result of a sinful relationship? Another issue is revenge. Should the sons of the king be held responsible for his horrible actions?

The religious aspect of the novel is subtle. There are references to historical aspects of the church and some people, such as Desert Fathers and activities of spirituality, such being a hermit and sitting on top of a pole for years.

This is an entertaining novel for readers who like heroic adventures in a make believe world.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Katharine Campbell is a humor lover and writer of fairy tales. She is a homeschool graduate from New Jersey and published her first book, a children's novel, at age nineteen. She studied entertainment media at John Paul the Great University in San Diego, where she met her husband. She returned with him to his home state of Washington. You can find out more about her and her work at https://katysfables.com/.

Katy's Fables, 362 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the author. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)