In INTRIGUES, young orphan Mags continues his training as a Herald while deepening his search into the identity of his parents, but what he finds is nothing more than another dead-end. Suspicion focuses on him when danger starts to surround the king.

INTRIGUES is typical middle book for a trilogy-- a lot of set up and only slight advancement of the plot. I would recommend reading the first book of the series, otherwise some of the nuances will be lost. Fans of the Valdemar series will find The Collegium Chronicles of interest as it not only shows how Heralds are taught but gives glimpses into the history of the Healers without the gift.

Readers will have to read carefully to catch Bear, but by the end of INTRIGUES readers will be clamoring for more. So much so that I am finding those Healer tidbits more interesting than Mag's Herald story or even Lena's Bardic story, which I'm hoping will be fleshed out a bit more in the next book. Because right now, with what happened in INTRIGUES, I'm kind of hoping someone smacks some sense into the little chit. And, hopefully, with the next book followers of the series will understand why Mags and why this time and now? And what's with the cryptic assassin wannabes and Mags? Yet another clue to his parentage perhaps?