Review: The Inquisition by Taran Matharu

The Inquisition

Taran Matharu

(Summoner Trilogy #2)

Publication Date: May 10, 2016

Hardcover, 368 pages, Feiwel & Friends

Genres: YA, Fantasy

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A year has passed since the Tournament.

Fletcher and Ignatius have been locked away in Pelt’s dungeons, but now they must face a trial at the hands of the Inquisition, a powerful institution controlled by those who would delight in Fletcher’s downfall.

The trial is haunted by ghosts from the past with shocking revelations about Fletcher’s origins, but he has little time to dwell on them; the graduating students of Vocans are to be sent deep into the orc jungles to complete a dangerous mission for the king and his council. If they fail, the orcish armies will rise to power beyond anything the Empire has ever seen.

With loyal friends Othello and Sylva by his side, Fletcher must battle his way to the heart of Orcdom and save Hominum from destruction…or die trying.

My Review

Like I said in my review for The Novice, this book is perfect for fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and/or How to Train Your Dragon. It’s all about a trio of misfits getting into magical mayhem.

There were a few things in book one that made me wary going into the sequel. One was the long-winded paragraphs of dialogue, and two was the more politically- and economically-motivated villains. Thankfully, both issues were, not exactly fixed, but less prominent in the sequel. More action and adventure scenes helped round out the plot this time around, which I greatly appreciated. It’s more interesting to read about three teens using their magical powers versus reading about them trying to stop evil businessmen.

The Inquisition takes places a year after the end of The Novice, with Fletcher in a bad place for the start of the novel. I really enjoyed a lot of the scenarios Fletcher and his friends were put in throughout this book—there were prisons, jungles, and even goblin dogfights—yet I always wanted more focus on those scenarios. Fletcher never really mentioned how any of these situations affected him. I mean, being a prisoner has to be hard on a boy, but Fletcher never discusses his experience. Also, a small plot nitpick, who rewards soldiers with gobs of money for doing their job and saving people? That was a little bit odd, making a game out of saving people’s lives.

Other than those couple of things, this book was good. It was a solid sequel to an interesting trilogy. Its cliffhanger ending had me picking up the last book as soon as I possibly could (which means that I’m reading it now). It’s a lighter young adult/upper middle grade read for anyone who needs a good fantasy story in their life. Or for anyone who just likes mythical creatures and wants their own dragon, golem, or griffin.