Whilst Knight’s Ransom returns to Kingfountain - so good to be back there - this new book on the Argentines feels different albeit with familiar, well loved, themes.

The plot follows Ransom, a hostage of the Argentine King and Claire a feisty female from Legault. Some of her phrases reminiscent of Scots/Irish slang still .used today - I’m Scottish so easily recognised words used by my Granny!

There are the same mix of characters - some you love, some you hate. The same themes of love, hatred, envy, greed, loyalty, despair, Hope, humiliation and tenderness are all there. I was even moved to tears at one point.

I devoured the book in two sittings and look forward to savoring it again over coming weeks. Cannot wait for the sequel but meantime I am revisiting the Kingfountain series for 3rd time!! Just love Jeff Wheeler’s books. He made fantasy my favourite genre. 5 stars for me.

Rosie Toal

This is the 1st book in a new series set in the world of Kingfountain set approximately 400 years before the events in "The Queen's Poisoner." This series focuses on how the Argentines gained and almost lost the Hollow Crown. This is based on European history, so except some similarities to "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

The knight is Marshall, a.k.a. Ransom, Barton, the 2nd son of Lord Barton, who is a hostage of King Gervase during the civil war. It is during this time of imprisonment where he meets Claire de Murrow, a princess from another region in the split kingdom. Together they experience the causes and the consequences of war, strife and tradition as they grow into the adults they need to become.

The story follows Ransom as he leaves his hostage status and returns to his family only to be told he must become a knight in order to make his way in the world. Ransom's training and prowess captures the attention of the new Royal family (the Argentines), enemies, and Claire. It is when Ransom becomes a member of the Heir Apparent's Royal Guard that he learns about the political intrigue occurring within Kingfountain and beyond. Not to mention, he might be blessed by the Fountain's magic. Will this magic help Ransom to protect the Royal family from conspirators and murderers?

The tournaments and the melees are the best parts of this book. That being said, you won't be ready for the HUGE twist at the end of this book! How long until we can read Book 2?! Jeff Wheeler has done it again!

Thank you so much to 47North via NetGalley for my digital arc of Knight's Ransom!!

Wheeler has finally done it!  It seems like he took every little bit of constructive criticism from the first Kingfountain trilogies, chewed it over while he wrote something different, then came back and wrote an absolutely amazing first novel in this new series!

I just freaking love the world of Kingfountain and it's lore and magic, and was so psyched to read this as an ARC (before obviously preordering it) heheh.  I have read them all, including the books following Ankorette, but don't think it's necessary to read them in order to start here, although you'll miss some Easter Eggs.

This is such a hard review to write because I just want to gush, I mean I had over a page of notes and highlights 😂

Ransom and Claire remind me so much of Owen and Evie, except they're more age appropriate and Claire is an absolute firecracker.  They are better childhood characters as well, because Wheeler finally admits that he can't write age appropriate kids so they grow up pretty quickly, with the book occuring mainly in Ransom's 20s.

So Polidoro Urbini is back, telling the history of the first Argentine kings.  He finds Claire de Murrow's journal and it becomes the framework of the story, then fleshed out by current events.

When Devon Argentine takes the throne of Ceredigion, the child hostages of the prior ruler get to go home.  For Ransom, that means trying to become a Knight in his uncle's household.  Training and warhorses and tournaments, poor choices and hard life lessons including naivety and betrayal mark Ransom's path to Knighthood.

Could he possibly be Fountain Blessed?  I found it shocking that he hadn't heard enough legends to put two and two together, but his fighting prowess in unbelievable and it makes him a target.

Without spending hours gushing about individual battles, defeats, more hard lessons, and Ransom's resilience ... He eventually ends up in the service of Argentine's heir, which is a mixed blessing and curse.

There is an absolutely absorbing plot to overthrow Devon the Elder, and more poor life choices which eventually leads Ransom to, I assume, in book 2 take the pilgrimage to find out if he is indeed blessed by the lady of the fountain.

There is a fountain blessed assassin out and about as well, and it's crazy because we have no idea who she is or who she is working for.  The line of poisoners is a pretty heavy storyline in the Kingfountain books so she'll have a bigger part in the coming books.

Pulling from Merlin and Arthur and the Lady of the Lake, Kingfountain takes some of it's magic and lore from those ancient tales.   Of course there is one magic Wizr board in the story, plus all the legends and lore of Kingfountain (and now Legault, thanks to Claire), that make Wheeler's world feel so real and immersive.

The characters make it feel real too, take the Argentines: yes they are the royal family but they love and bicker and break like anyone else.  Ransoms Uncle and all the wiser, older lords and commanders, I can't even list all the great characters.  It feels even realer too that Ransom has such a high standard of Knight's honor, so the courtship with Claire becomes a side story that he doesn't think is achievable.

But it's so sweet how he tiptoes.  Who knows if Wheeler will ever put them together or not, he is 50/50 with OTP pairings and Kingfountain never seems to work that way.

Layers upon layers of betrayals and intrigue and lore make Kingfountain what it is.  I have to mention the Queen's exile to her tower too, since it becomes such an important landmark in the later books and I loved seeing some of the origins.

Yes please sign me up for more riding alongside Ransom, now one of the richest men in the country after multiple knight's tournament wins.   I can't wait to jump into his pilgrimage next and then see where the world takes us ❤

Let me say one more time too - WHEELER WRITES CLEAN FANTASY!! Language and sexual situations (both rare in his books) are kept G-rated, with some sad deaths and some lightly battles but I would happily hand any one of his books to a reader of any age group

Out 1/26 from 47North, thank you again for my early read!

Blog: https://onereadingnurse.com/2021/01/22/arc-review-knights-ransom-by-jeff-wheeler/

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I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK! I fell in love with this story from the very beginning!! I mean that prologue? My heart was pounding for poor little Ransom. This is exactly what you expect when you read epic fantasy: the regency, the high-stakes, the unknown power/magic, the action and adventure, the chosen one, and throw in a dash of romance... and you have my WHOLE heart.

The entire cast of characters were all mesmerizing, diverse, and intriguing as I hoped. Ransom was absolutely everything you could love in an MC. He was strong, yet vulnerable, kind but brave, and just everything you look for in a protagonist. I absolutely adored Claire, and really love how Wheeler gave us her letters of the events happening in the chapter prior in her own thoughts/POV. I thought that was very original and it gave another layer of depth to the story.

The plot kept me engaged the entire book, I just kept thinking "what the heck is this rushing sound?? How does it turn him into such a badass?" That cliffhanger killed me a bit inside, but it just makes me that more excited for the next book! I'll definitely have to look into more of Wheeler's books, I believe he has another series in this same world as well.

I was super excited to get to read another book set in the world of Kingfountain. This book is a good addition to the world, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, though not as much as the books in the Kingfountain series, and here's why:

This book repeats the same type of plot pattern as Kingfountain, only it felt more rushed story-wise. Just like in The Queen's Poisoner, this book starts out with a young boy who is being held hostage by the current king. Several things happen that parallel the Kingfountain books, but I don't want to add any spoilers to my review so I won't mention what they are, but the downside of this book is that we don't get to spend any significant time in one place before the story moves on to another. This results in a lack of development for certain characters that I feel we should have spent more time with in the beginning in order to build a foundation for why these characters feel they way they do about each other. This is definitely a problem with the romantic aspect of the story, and causes the romance to feel a bit forced. Needless to say, I did not feel the same connection between Ransom and his love interest that I felt between Owen and Evie in The Queen's Poisoner.

All that being said, I do like other aspects of the book. Ranson is likable, and easy to root for. While I would have liked more time spent on building up the story, the characters are multilayered personality-wise in that they are never black and white and are personally conflicted about the dilemmas they face, and have both good and bad traits. There is still a bit too much telling and not enough showing in this book, just like his others, and I feel like this one was worse in that aspect, but and I am still looking forward to reading the rest of the series as it's published so I can find out what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book is a journey. Clear your calender as this book is intricately complex and well written.
At times, the details seem over excessive and there are many characters to keep up with.
On the whole, a good book.

Honestly, this review pains me to write. I've struggled with it, delayed it, written it, deleted it, rewritten it, deleted it again, and... I'm still not perfectly happy with it. Sadly, I feel the same with Knight's Ransom, the First Argentine. and disclosure, I received an Advance Copy in exchange for an honest review.

My fault.

Yes, almost entirely my fault.

I consumed this book, and loved it, only an undeniable need for sleep preventing me from reading the whole thing in a single sitting. Of course, I tend to love Jeff's books, so my initial reaction isn't surprising. Ransom's character comes alive on the pages in believable ways. We feel for him, empathize with his plight, as he finds himself time and again in situations, facing outcomes, that he doesn't "deserve" for his actions. Here is a being, flawed and full of self doubt, whose good character and laudable behaviors have him holding the proverbial bag when those he serves prove to be lesser men. Indeed, the story carries overtones of Job, yet absent the comforting explanation of some test or tests known to the reader.

Structurally, King's Ransom is hung on a familiar framework, but with some inspired choices. By placing the novel, chronologically, prior to earlier works, Jeff avoids the pitfalls of some of his earlier crossover works. Dedicated and experienced readers can rediscover the magic of the world all over again, without passages of explanations for readers new to the world. It also obviates the need for particular reading order, whether chronologically in world, or chronologically by order of writing. This is another choice I strongly applaud.

That brings me to Claire, and the reason for a four star rating, after the praise above. In the first book of the series, Claire is one of many background characters, but a clearly important one to future works. Knowing Jeff's style and themes, I expect certain things of her character, her story arc to raise to the fore in future works. In short, I bring baggage to the story, baggage this work failed to satisfy. Scenes where Claire was present were fine - not exceptional - but fine. Too brief to show the kind of development I was seeking, but enough to lay groundwork for future novels.

Jeff Wheeler also, quite effectively, makes use of epigraphs in prior works. Some of which contain profound quotes which remain with me long after the last page is turned, the novel done. Here, however, many epigraphs are given over to letters or diary entries attributed to Claire. I absolutely hated these. They captured almost nothing of the character for me, and did little to advance the story line. Mostly, they consisted of brief reporting of events happening to her, and her response at times, but little enough of her struggles to comprise those responses. I believe the book would have been better had they been entirely stricken from the work.

For that reason, a book I loved is rated just four star. I'm eagerly looking forward to Claire getting the pages she deserves in a future work.

Thanks to 47North and NetGalley for letting me have the opportunity to read and review this intriguing and enjoyable story. If you don't know already, I'm a big fan of Jeff Wheeler and all his stories. He's an amazing author and I love that he writes such great, engaging, and amazing stories that are clean without any language, violence, sex, or the like in them.
This is an exciting and thrilling first book in a new series by Jeff Wheeler that brings us back to the world of Kingfountain, in the past from the Kingfountain series so now this gives us a glimpse into a story and the history of Kingfountain with this series focusing more on the time back when the Argentine family rules/comes to power and how this knight Ransom plays his part in everything. This story really is about Ransom and Claire, their love story, adventures, knights, sword fights, wars/battles, how Ransom has to find his way in the world and make a name for himself and find his place and where he fits in with everything. We discover Ransom has talents that make him a desirable knight/servant to have in a person's employ or as a person's bodyguard. He has to learn to use his talents to protect and serve and do his best to do what is right.
During the story, Ransom discovers a plan to take the Queen and then ends up in her service as a bodyguard to her son who is the firstborn of the new Argentine dynasty. There's, of course, personal and more conflict that presents itself though and Ransom has to learn how to hone his talents and skills to better serve and help others as well as himself as he figures out what to do. It's another intense rollercoaster ride of emotion like most of the stories I read by this author that always seem to apply to life in general and me on a personal level, which makes the betrayal, turmoil, and other adventures with finding oneself and figuring things out and such as well as events throughout the story that much more meaningful to me as the reader and gets me right in the feels that much more.
I did think when I first went to read this book that since I've read so much of his books and all the Kingfountain series that I kind of knew or had some sort of inkling what was going to happen, what story pattern this would follow, but, let me tell you, I had no idea what was going to happen until I read it and while there are a few similarities in some aspects, most of this story is completely new and I have no idea what's going to happen next. The end of this book left me hanging with no clue and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. If you haven't heard or checked out this book yet, then get on it - go pre-order, put it on your list, and get ready for a thrilling beginning to another awesome series by a master storyteller.

This book grabbed me from the beginning. Between sassy Claire and the medieval surroundings I was hooked. The battle scenes were suspenseful and gripping. I loved how the pov switched back and forth from Ransom to Claire. Ransom was such an easy character to root for. With his true journey just beginning I cannot wait for the next book.

This is a tale of knights and ladies. A story of the growing pains of a young boy, born the second son of a Lord of a lower house, with no worth except being a ransom to a king. It is also a story of a young lady, who found herself in care of the king, but could never forget her childhood friend.

The young boy grew up to be Knight Ransom, and the young girl Lady Claire. Even though the death of a king separated them, fate would always bring them together.

The tone of the story is a romantic medieval with a young adult overlay. Meaning, it's not brutal, and a very endearing tale.

This is my first Jeff Wheeler novel and I was very impressed with his writing. The flow was easy and addicting. I enjoyed it so much that I had to run out a buy more of his Kingfountain tales.

MY REVIEW: 3 Stars ⭐️

I love this was set in the King Fountain world. Now, I’ve only read the first book in that series but I did enjoy it and plan to read the rest.

This book is about Ransom, a boy who is turned away by his father, raised by a King, turned away again when bad things happen, trains to be a Knight with someone else and so on and so on.

I enjoyed the book well enough to continue with this story.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book!

Mel

I’ve meant to read this author for a while and this ARC was the first book I’ve actually gotten to by him. You need no familiarity at all with his other books to enjoy this one. It was well written and very enjoyable but very light on actual magic. There’s is awareness of magic in that the people believe knights can be blessed by the Fountain and receive gifts and powers. Everyone believes young Ransom is probably fountain blessed. It’s a fairly simple story of a young knight starting out in life. He is a good and virtuous man in a fairly hard world. You see a little of the girl he was raised with but the story is really about him.
Because the the main character is nice and virtuous I’d be pretty comfortable giving this to a teen or preteen if they are a good enough reader, like king Arthur sorts of low magic level sword and combat oriented stories and are ok with the level of violence you see in Marvel movies.

I'll be honest I didn't even read the synopsis on this one I just saw that it was a new one from Jeff Wheeler and couldn't wait to read it. I was delighted to discover that it was a return to the Kingfountain world, easily my favorite of his worlds. In this book, the lands, titles, and fantastic magic system remain but we are introduced to a host of new wonderful characters. Our hero is Sir Ransom, the second son of a small lord who at 12 has to set out to make his own fortune. He does this by becoming a knight armed with only his determination, skills, and loyalty. His fortunes change swiftly as he gets pulled into battles and palace intrigues.
The pacing is quick and it makes the book hard to put down (common problem for me with the Kingfountain novels). Outside of the Prologue and Epilogue, we stay in Ransoms POV with small glimpses into the mind of his childhood friend (and maybe more?) Claire. The narrative reminds me of reading the stories of King Arthur as we follow Ransom for 10 formative years in his various adventures from boy to man. His arc from a sword for hire to his own man was a great ride from start to finish. Ransom is easy to root for though far from perfect and the new Kings, Dukes, Princes, and Knights are wonderful new additions. While this is a complete story it's also clear there are many more adventures to be had for Ransom and I am excited to see what happens next.
I so love the Kingfountain world. The religion and magic system are one of my favorites. This time around it's nice knowing more than the characters about what the magic can do. But the does novel stand on its own and for those who want more they can pick up the other series while they wait for this one to update.

I received an uncorrected proof of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed reading this book!! Knight's Ransom is the start of a new fantasy series, The First Argentine Series, that is set in the world of Kingfountain. The story follows Marshall Barton as he is held as a ward of the king to ensure his father's loyalty, where he gets the nickname Ransom. Ransom befriends another ward, Claire and each will encounter threats and challenges as political changes rock Kingfountain. Ransom becomes a knight who seemingly cannot be defeated and soon comes to believe he may have special gifts and be "fountain-blessed". As Ransom struggles to understand and control his gifts, the political machinations and continuing warfare between the king and his sons push Ransom's loyalties to the brink.
I immediately like Ransom and was quickly drawn into this well paced story that is full of action, fighting and intrigue. Certainly, one of Ransom's best qualities is his fierce loyalty and the difficult choices he faces trying to find someone he feels is worthy of his service. And while he is fierce and loyal, he is definitely not a perfect knight, he struggles with the violence and death that follow in his wake. The many layers of the story and the plots that develop with hints of the Arthurian legend, magic, wizrs, plus the continual pull toward Claire, will definitely keep you engaged throughout the story. You can clearly feel that there is so much more to learn about the magic of the story and what Ransom will discover about himself and his abilities. I had a hard time putting this one down as the twists and revelations just keep you reading chapter after chapter. I am most certainly looking forward to the rest of the series and finding out where Ransom's journey goes from here!! Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fantasy world built on medieval Arthurian legends.

Hurray, a new Jeff Wheeler series! Knight's Ransom is the first of a new series, and I loved every page. Mr. Wheeler has a knack for world building and great storytelling, usually loosely based on history. Like his other books, this has a young lead of strong moral fiber, who always strives to do the right thing, even when things are going against him. There are heroes and villains, a little romance, and just a little magic. Quick and easy to read, but just wonderful stories. I think Jeff Wheeler is one of the best YA authors around, and highly recommend all his books. Many thanks to NetGalley and 47North for the e-arc. 4.5 stars!

This is my first Jeff Wheeler book and i loved it ! Historical fantasy isn't generally my prefered genre, but this was done so well i just want to know what comes next. The writing style is easy to follow and the story make sense, it's logical and it's not over the top. The characters were engaging and in the end i just had a great time reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available on January 26th.

Reminiscent of Tad Williams’ The Dragonbone Chair, this book is obviously the work of a master. Every sentence, every word, is placed with care and precision. The story woven is a fantastic one, and I couldn’t put the book down.

This book follows Ransom- once a king’s hostage, now a knight hopeful- as he navigates the dangers involved in becoming a knight and in growing up. He finds himself in a very precarious position, in-between warring kingdoms. Threats, both from without the court and within, abound on all sides. One false step and Ransom could lose his sense of honor-or his life.

I loved absolutely everything about this book. The characters were fully developed, complex individuals, each with their own motivations and personalities. The book was told from Ransom’s point of view, interspersed with diary entries from Claire, the recipient of his affection. I loved Ransom, of course. He was often caught between his own sense of morality and the code of honor he swore to follow. It was fascinating and heartbreaking to see him realize that a knightly code of honor does not apply in every situation. His internal battles were just as interesting as his physical battles.
And what battles! They were so vividly painted, it was like being right in the middle of them. They all felt incredibly real. The adrenaline and bloodlust versus fear and even sadness at taking a life- it was all conveyed brilliantly. I often had my heart in my throat (a rather uncomfortable sensation, I might add), reading the fight scenes.

The secret deals and cutthroat politics were engrossing to say the least. Every time I thought I had a character pegged, they would do something completely unexpected. One particular person had me totally fooled. When they made their move, I was absolutely stunned. Even the smallest move can turn a chess game, I guess.

I was fully immersed in the world from page one. It was vast and so well described, I could picture everything perfectly. Honestly, from plot, to characters, to world development, there is nothing that wasn’t done wonderfully. This is an author I’ll be reading more from, I can tell you that.

If you like high fantasy, if you enjoy writers such as Tolkien, Tad Williams, and Sean Russell, if you like stories with a hint of Arthurian themes, you’ll love this book.

this was a great start to a series, I always enjoy Mr. Wheeler's writing. This was a great story and had interesting characters

I first found out about the author when I read the first book of The Kingfountain series which of course I loved so I was thrilled to find out that he would be returning to that world with this book. I am very happy to report this book is a wonderful addition to that world. Much of beginning of this book is reminiscent of The Kingfountain beginning with Ransom and Claire the reminders of Owen and Elysabeth and similar court intrigues but this book and the characters go very much in their own direction. This book is set in a time that is very Middle Ages with constant battles, knights and chivalry at play. The pacing of the book never lets up and is constant action as the pages fly by. The author always writes wonderful characters that readers cannot help but love and root for which is very much the case here. Ransom is a sympathetic and noble figure and carries this book well. This book was so good and there were so many cliffhangers at the end of chapters that I could not put it down! My only complaint will be waiting for the next book!

For new readers unfamiliar with The Kingfountain series you can start here if you are ok with some mysteries slowly revealing themselves. While set before The Kingfountain series so knowledge of those characters is not necessary the author does not explain terms that would be understood by readers of that world. This is a world with magic in the form of those blessed by the Fountain which is not explained in this book. There is also a game of Wizr that is not elaborated on. I suspect these things will become clearer as the series moves on but they are explained in The Kingfountain series if you would rather know now or would prefer to start with that series first. Again whichever order you choose I highly recommend both series as they are worth reading! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

ARC from NetGalley

4.5 stars

This is an incoming classic. Lovely traditional sword and sorcery fantasy which is heavy on the sword and in this first book only really hinting at the sorcery. There's a wee touch of romance, but it too is just in the baby stages.

Poor Ransom. So many times in this book I was outraged on his behalf for the shitty cards he had been dealt. I hope that eventually he gets his, and I hope it's good because he deserves it. I still got to enjoy the rebound of him handing people their asses.

I got a strong Robin Hobb vibe from this book. If you like sword and sorcery fantasy with lots of politics and battles and a hint of romance and magic, you will like this.