Having won a place in the Fives, a kingdom-wide athletic competition, Jes (Court of Fives) uses a chance to compete in the outer provinces to search for her scattered family. But an invading army makes Jes rethink her priorities and her place in the battle. The standard character-driven fantasy becomes more nuanced as Jes contemplates politics, questioning her society's structure and her own power. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When we last saw Jess in Court of Fives (2015), she was distinguishing herself in the intricate multidisciplinary events that hold the key to her survival in a world where everyone is a potential enemy. She had also, with the aid of the handsome Lord Kalliarkos, saved her mother and sisters from certain death. But now, with Kal being sent to the front to fight and another of her intriguing helpers, the poet Ro-emmu, fomenting revolution, the tension is reaching a fever pitch. As in the previous book, Jess makes for a worthy heroine, as bold and daring as she is endearing. One of the best things about this series is that the characters heroes and baddies alike are vividly real, their motives and emotions often fierce but always recognizable. A surprise twist and unintended glimpse of recognition at the book's conclusion shake things up and open the story to all sorts of delicious possibilities in the next installment.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2016 Booklist