Bard King: A POLIS Adventure by Rowena Wright

• 11/05/2013
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Bard King: A POLIS Adventure
Rowena Wright
Finial Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781933791135
Reviewed by Neha Kashmiri (age 14) for Reader Views (6/09)

The seventh age of the Ringgolds, the age of the rulers, is coming to an end. It’s time to choose the next Bard King. The Acropolis Fund is holding a Mermaid Ball to choose the candidate they will endorse for the coming mayoral election. The winner is the shabby Sapling Nicholas Bard. But the Ringgold businessman Daemon Skye isn’t ready to let go of the power that comes with being a Ringgold ruler.

Ericca Ludwig, the political exile Branch Archer, is pulled in along with her friends-Elle Nix and Matt Sennes- to fight the Terrors. The Terrors are a group of unnamed fighters controlled by Daemon Skye, with the help of a powerful drug. Daemon Skye uses the Terrors to protect the Silver Umbrella, a magical object that Skye uses to control the media. If they can just get the Umbrella, Ericca and her friends can get Nicholas’ messages across to people and help him win the election. But then one of their group members makes a mistake that could cost them more than they can imagine. Can Ericca win the fight to bring around the eighth age?

I hardly ever find books that are smart as well as fast paced. The book is full of well-created characters from the spoiled Tory Skye and opinionated Elle that keep the plot moving. I don’t recommend reading the “Bard King” before the first book in the POLIS series, “A Loop in Time,” – it’s confusing keeping up with the places and things that pop up throughout the book. “Bard King” is a masterfully written novel that is perfect for anyone wanting a fantasy with many political messages tied in.