Customer Reviews

Rogue's Home: A Knight and Rogue Novel (Knight & Rogue (Hardback))

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Michael and Fisk are on the road again, after their last adventure turned out sourly. A rider catches up with them, delivering a letter from Fisk's family. He's desperately needed at home.

He returns on his own, hoping that Michael will not follow him.

Michael does follow, and his history shakes up the town. Fisk's brother-in-law has been falsely accused of blackmail. His sister wrote Fisk home, hoping that he could help (specifically with his knowledge of criminals) clear her husband's name.

Fisk and Michael start talking to the townspeople, but some don't like their questions. Someone sets fires, blaming Michael, forcing him to lay low. Can Fisk discover who framed his family before the citizens of the town kill Michael?

The sequel to THE LAST KNIGHT, ROGUE'S HOME is a medieval tale of mystery and action that will captivate readers and keep them guessing until the end of the book.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Chivalrous teenager Sir Michael Sevenson, THE LAST KNIGHT, accompanied by his squire roguish reformed burglar Fisk, disobeys his father who ordered him to arrest a woman accused of murder. He refused because he felt she was innocent and honor and justice prevailed. However, his irate dad declares him "unredeemed" and tattooed as such on his wrists for all to see and spurn, which means he is shunned by society. Fisk makes it clear he believes his master is an idiot for choosing honor over a warm bed and a hot meal.

Fisk receives a letter from his sister asking him to return home to deal with a family crisis. Away for about five years, he reluctantly heads to his birth village Ruesport with Michael accompanying him to investigate arson and bribery; the suspect is Fisk's brother-in-law who the squire would prefer gets hung rather than solve the case and prove his innocence.

The second teenage quixotic medieval tale is a fun mystery in which the two amateur sleuths find their investigation constantly gets them in trouble and danger. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Fisk receives the missive and never slows down as the pair battle Hilari Bell's equivalent to windmills, but do so with honor. Rotating perspective between the knight and the squire, teen readers will enjoy their squabbles, disagreements and antics in the second amusing adventures of the Last Knight

Harriet Klausner

This series is by far one of my favorites. Hilari Bell is already one of my favorite authors, and she is at her best in this awesome book. The knight and rogue's antics and always entertaining. I laughed, I cried, and I was on the edge, following the mystery with just as much curiosity as the characters in the book. I was especially excited by the fact that Fisk was fleshed out a bit more in this book. His history and his present transformation would be a good book all on their own. As always, Fisk and Micheal's relationship despite their obvious differences is also one of the best parts. I can''t wait for the next installment.

Unfortunately, my view of the Knight and Rogue series is tainted by my hopeless love for Hilari Bell's Farsala series, and my disappointment in nothing else living up to that.

The story is told from the first person perspectives of the two main characters, who are very different, so you get to see the story unfold through different eyes. Their distinct personalities play off each other, and I like the odd relationship between the two.

I found the central mystery quite hard to follow, maybe because the author introduced the suspects all together, and by the time they became important to me, I'd forgotten who they were, and wasn't reminded well enough.

The witty banter is good, and the characters and setting interesting. Bell illustrates the negative effects of prejudice without sounding preachy.

I just wish it were Farsala.

Michael and Fisk are absolutely great characters. Their voices are distinct in the alternating chapters and their divergent world views make the book a ton of fun. They're vividly drawn characters and you can't help but get caught up in their adventures.

I like Fisk better, but I like him most when he's worrying about Micheal making himself a target for the world's unfairness.

I'm sure it's all been said before, but this is a fantastic book! Hilari Bell is a master of world-building, and her characters are both likable and believable. You find yourself hurting and laughing and cheering for them at every turn of the page. I don't know why she's not better known as an author, everyone I know who's read this book loves it.

Fisk and Micheal are back in a sequel to the first book, The Last Knight. In Rogue's Home, they set out to aid Fisk's family from loosing their fortune.

While this one was equally as excellent as the first, if you were expecting something similar to their adventures before, you're in for a surprise. This book was more of a whodunit mystery novel then a Knight-seeking-adventures kind of book. The witty dialogue, the lively banter, the page-turning events, and the unpredictability are all there, but it's a completely opposite sort of adventure then The Last Knight. This isn't necessary a bad thing, it's just different. I have to say though, I like Hilari Bell's new approach. She's creating different scenarios and keeping the books interesting and unique. That's what makes them so wonderful. They aren't just another fantasy series. They are set apart from the rest as being so uniquely different. Fisk has his problems, Micheal has his, and together they make a team worth rooting for!