Read my review below
The Tale of Mally Biddle by M.L. LeGette When Mally Biddle agreed to spy upon the King of Lenzar and his overbearing knights she knew she was heading into danger. She didn't know she'd find a family unlike any other. Posing as a servant in Bosc Castle, Mally serves tea and tends fires for the most dangerous men in the kingdom. Her goal is to learn the truth of what happened sixteen years ago, when the infant princess met her death ... a death that is surrounded by more questions than answers. Along her search for the truth, Mally meets the energized Lita Stump, the strict and matriarchal Meriyal Boyd, and the opinionated Archibald Diggleby. Then of course there are the knights: Leon Gibbs who is slicker than a greased hog, Adrian Bayard, hot tempered and violent, and the worst of the lot: Sir Illius Molick, Captain of the Knights. And then there is Maud, a mysterious woman who just might know everything...
My Review
The Tale of Mally Biddle was a quick read for me. It had all the elements of a good story, moving plot, interesting characters ( I loved Sam, the horse, I'm a horse person :D), and quite descriptive.
Mally, a simple farm girl, is recruited by Ivan, a member of a secret group trying to overthrow the King Salir and his oppressive knights. When Mally enters the Bosc for the first time, she meets another member of the rebel cause, Galen. She learns that her mission is to infiltrate the castle as a maid, learn everything she can about the night the Princess Avona allegedly died. Mally learns quickly, with the help of Galen, how to be a maid. Off the bat she makes friends with the servants, especially, Lita, who eventually helps her with her investigation. Just as she makes friends easily, she also makes quite a few enemies. She isn't there long before an attempt is made on her life! Between her investigations and her maid chores, Mally is one busy girl. But when she discovers that the princess's remains are not in her tomb, she makes a hasty call to get in touch with the rebels to tell them the news. An ambush takes them all by surprise. The knights kill, wound and capture most of the rebels. It's when Mally talks with the doctor that she suspects her mother is not her real mother. Mally runs away, leaving the rebels licking their wounds. But it is when she get home and confronts her mother, she realizes she can't quit now. She has to help the kingdom and avenge the murdered royal family.
There was a lot to like about the story, for one, the characters were fun to read about. I liked Mally and Galen, Lita was funny and Sam was fantastic! :D Of all the characters though, my least favorite was Ivan, his character felt off. He was inconsistent, overconfident and seemed to do the least amount of work. The story had a strong plot and some really engaging scenes. However, a few of the scenes (well a lot of the scenes) were a bit predictable but then to be fair, there were some genuinely unexpected ones too. The author did a great job convincing me of the world she created. The setting, the characters and the politics of the kingdom were all descriptive.
The Tale of Mally is a nice quick read for someone who wants a fun, easy, non-intense detective mystery.
1 comment:
I love the cover and the castle setting sounds interesting.
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