Trail of Fate

The Youngest Templar #2

by Michael P. Spradlin

His friends are few, and his enemies are close behind...

Washed up on a foreign shore, Tristan is lucky to be alive. Now he must continue across Europe on his mission: to save the Holy Grail.
With crack shot Robard Hode, and lethal assassin Maryam, Tristan heads for Scotland. But on the way the friends are drawn into a deadly conflict between a band of Cathar heretics and the King of France, who is determined to wipe them out for good.
When he chooses to help defend the Cathars, Tristan puts not only his own, but his friends' lives in mortal danger.
Flung into gaol, he fears his quest could end in disaster. Will the Grail fall into the hands of his most powerful enemy...?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Historical, Fiction, Teen

259 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children.

Reviews

[Lanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ridiculously cheesy with a main character dumb enough to rival Zoey Redbird from "the house of night" series, "Trail of Fate" is nowhere close to be a mind blowing, amazing, best book ever kind of read. its not particularly well crafted or historically accurate. Not even close.

But it is fun, I'll give it that.

Amazingly, with all the crap here, it's still fun.

It's riddled with faults & plot holes & amazingly stupid characters. But "trail of fate" still manages to be an entertaining tale. I'm still reading & enjoying the series, despite the low rating, so it's done some things right at least. :)

It's A fun, easy read, but definitely demands A LOT of suspension of disbelief. & I mean a lot! Tristan & company do a lot of far fetched stuff here. Like:

*surviving a ship wreck when everyone else on the ship kicks the bucket.

*Holding their own in a seige against veteran warriors.

*Climbing down the side of a mountain.

*somehow building working catapults in under an hour.

*having a dog be the literatury world's most convenient plot device EVER!

Seriously, It's a lot to swallow, especially with how much stupidity & insta love we have to deal with from Tristan.

But, I will admit The action & battle scenes are well written for the age group. The descriptions are very good without making it too bloody and gorey. It's definitely a preteen book, but it handles the warfare part pretty well. The cliffhanger ending is well done & I loved the big fight scene at the end. & Despite the low rating, I do like it and am invested in the story & will happily read book 3. Mainly due to the absolute BEST part of the story: Robard & Maryam.

I absolutely LOVE Robard & Maryam. They are so freaking adorable together! Seriously, these two are in the running for my favorite interpretation of the couple, right next to the Robin & Marian from the BBC TV show. The "did you miss me?" Thing! XD absolutely perfect!

Robard is wonderfully entertaining with his grumbling & name calling & all things anti noble. & it's wonderful to see him slowly blossoming into the hero we all know & love. We see his first act of robbing the rich & giving to the poor here. he's so rude & loud & wonderfully insulting about how much he hates nobles. Especially Sir Hugh & King Richard. The little salute thing he does to! LOVE! He's definitely the best character in the book, & not just because I love all things Robin Hood. He's the most developed, rounded character by far in a sea of flat idiots.

Like Maryam. Sure, I love her with Robard. They're great with their constant flip flops between bickering and goo-goo eyes. But it's been two books now and I still don't know anything about her! No backstory no motivation. Nothing. Only that she's bad ass with no explanation & is totally in love with Robard. I get that having a strong female character is important in today's middle grade & young adult lit, but that doesn't mean we should totally disregard back stories & development!

So! We have a fun (if outlandishly unbelievable) story, a great character in Robard, probably the cutest pairing of the legendary couple I've read about in a while, good battle scenes, and a dog as an easy out for when our heroes are in a jam.

What was so bad about that knocked the rating down to only 2 stars? Well, my dear goodreads friends, like with book one, most of the books problems come from our main character, Tristan.

Oh Tristan, you are the definition of a Marty Stew. A insta-love struck, who can do no wrong Marty Stew. Really. You think that teen paranormal romance novels are bad with insta love? this makes twilight look great in comparison. I get that he was raised by monks & doesn't really know how to handle his puberty & crushes & all, but the lengths to which he goes for this girl he JUST FUCKING met! I'm pretty sure getting the holy grail to Scotland is more Important than "helping" some random chick. But nope! Forget important mission! Pretty girl! Pretty perfect boring girl that I can't figure out why anyone would like.

-_- it'd be kinda funny if he didn't have WAY more pressing matters he should be dealing with.

Everyone in the book either loves or hates this idiot. & anyone who hates him is automatically a cartoonishly EVIL bad guy. Im looking at you king Ricard, Sir Hugh, & queen Eleanor.

He's so great and so special with a mystery past! Kings and queens care very much about the poor orphan kid from nowhere! & he really can't figure out what all us readers saw from the moment King Richard showed up in book 1? -_- he really is dumb.

he's so awesome that he's leading & winning battles against seasoned troops! (Sure, there's a weak explanation for why they picked him, but still.) Seriously. He knows Ciela for like five minutes & he's the reason Sir Hugh is at her door threatening to kill her people. Yet instead of just handing him & his friends over to save herself she's letting Tristan boss her & her men about. & they win! Surprise surprise. :/

& even when he totally deserves to be ditched by his friends they still stick by him! Even after he's spent hundreds of pages lying to them & getting them in life threatening situations it's still all "YAY Tristian! We'll stick with you no matter what!" He says himself several times that he doesn't deserve his friends. & he's right. He doesn't with how much they've had to put up with form him. & yet they still stick by him. Marty Stew-ness in action I guess. Ugh. It's so painful to read about though. I REALLY don't like Tristan. Robard and Maryam are such good friends to him & he basically shits on them from up on his Marty stew pedestal.

Sorry. I'm really really ranting. But I really really don't like him. >:(

He's worse than all the bad guys in the series put together & they're so amazingly flat & corny. & that's really saying something, cause these guys are hysterically stereotypical in their bad guy evilness. Hugh. He's completely & utterly insane. & completely utterly cardboard cutout flat. No characteristic beyond his hatred for Tristan & obsession with the Grail. I spent most of the book wondering why Robard couldn't just kill him. It'd solve like half of the story's conflict right there. :/ obviously, the good guys can't just shoot him even if he is nuts & EVIL! But it was actually a little distracting with how many opportunities they had to just get rid of him but they didn't.

& vis versa. If Sir Hugh is really so evil why couldn't he have had his men just shoot them all when they first came out of the castle? He's clearly EVIL enough to. & he had to have know Tristan had the grail in the bag since he never let go over it.

The answer, of course, is that if they just started shooting each other there'd be no more story.

But still. It WAS really distracting how many times I stopped to wonder this stuff.

& Queen Eleanor! She was almost as bad as Hugh! Flat As a pancake & trying (& failing) so hard to be sinister. Shes kinda funny really, but I do wish that I could take such an interesting historical figure more seriously.

All in all, its got some very enjoyable elements, but it's almost buried under a mountain of crap. You really have to dig to get to the fun stuff. :/ Most of its bad (Tristan!) but it's still fun (thanks mostly to Robard). Totally a guilty pleasure read & definitely more for younger readers who won't nit pick quiet as much. Recommended for people who like Robin Hood but don't expect much from it & hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Yoleny Montiel-diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in like 3 days...that's how good it was. I'm glad i already had book 3 as well...i read both in less than 2 weeks. Great mix of historical facts and imagination. I'd love to watch a movie of it...all three books in one movie!

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the plot of this story was intriguing, but lacking in character development. I liked the heroic side of Tristan,the main character. I was hoping for more medeival twists, because sometimes it seemed the book took place in more of the present time.

[Xime García · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Book 2 in "The Youngest Templar Trilogy". It is an action-packed and suspenseful adventure picking up where Book 1 left off. Washed ashore alone somewhere in France, Tristan is surrounded by a group of Cathars, and his friends Robard and Miryam don't appear to have survived their shipwreck. The Cathars make it clear that they don't like Templars, and are in fact running from the High Counsel of France who would persecute them for their differing religious views.Taken hostage, Tristan travels with the group toward Montsegur, their mountain Citadel where they may defend themselves. Tristan's mission of guarding and returning the grail to Scotland is temporarily put on hold, but he knows Sir Hugh is still on his trail and getting closer. He begins to have feelings he doesn't understand for Celia, the Cathars' leader despite nearly being shot by her arrow, and eventually teams up with the Cathars to fight both the High Counsel and Sir Hugh, who has joined forces with them, unsuspecting that his interest is purely in getting his hands on the grail. The battle scenes are quite exciting, and like its predecessor, this book also ends with a cliff-hanger ending. Suitable for ages 12 and up, and like the first book, is excellent on CD.

[Jeff Freitag · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with the first book in the You best Templar series, Trail of Fate has a meandering plot structure and takes forever to get going. The entire story feels inconsequential, with severely underdeveloped new characters who fail to make any impact. Author Spradlin seems completely disinterested in the historical episode of the Cathars, so it makes me wonder why it was included at all. A disappointing middle chapter.

[Jon Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, in my opinion, is very amazing. For a second book in a three book series, its very attention grabbing. Although its a second book in a three part series, it still draws just as much interest and excitement as book one. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes historical fiction with a little bit of religion thrown in

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! In this book, it started to give off more of the Robin Hood vibes than in the first book, and it makes me really want to read the third book. I liked how it really showed the intensness in the moments, and how it made me feel like I was seeing it firsthand. I would suggest this book to anyone who has read Robin Hood, and other medieval adventure books.

[Javi Zúñiga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno sinceramente. Los momentos de tensión están muy bien logrados y me gusta bastante que Tristán no sea el típico protagonista súper poderoso que puede vencer cualquier cosa solo. En realidad es el más normal entre Robard, Maryam y Ángel, mostrando que tenía una vida normal antes de comenzar su cruzada para asegurar el santo Grial.

[K.D. Bissonette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story!

[Paul Dill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[C.R. Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much history! The story of Robin Hood & his Merry Men was intricately woven into the history so the lines of reality & fiction were barely perceptible!

[SUSSYBAKA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good, and it continued the amazing tale of the Youngest Templar.

[Brennon Pryor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, hard to read for me as an adult, but I am not the target audience and I think a 10-13 year old would love it so it gets a fair rating.

[Stephen]

took quite a while to read this....

[Álvaro Úbeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

lo leí cuando era adolescente y me encantó

[Kara · Rating 1 out of 5]

He did it again!

As if to deliberately taunt me, Spradlin again gets basic facts wrong, spoiling my enjoyment of the rest of the book.

Not a dozen pages into the second book, a group of Cathers sit down to an evening meal and start mowing down on roast chicken like they were at KFC. So wrong.

One of the first things the most cursory of research on the Cather religion will turn up is that they were very strict vegetarians. It’s an odd thing to get wrong, considering he has the Muslim character noticeably abstain from alcohol and Spradlin seems to have done a lot of research in general on the people and places he covers in this trilogy. The Cathers hold an… interesting place in history, and that needed to be addressed.

So Harry, Hermione and Ron, um, Luke, Leia and Hans Solo, um, sorry, I mean Tristan, Maryam, and Robard continue on their epic quest to get to England, but get somewhat sidetracked by honor, politics, and, lets be honest, teenage hormones.

Poor Tristan, raised by monks and Templers, has no idea how to handle it when puberty hits and he falls in utter lust with the French noblewoman Celia. He has a massive crush and no idea how to handle it. He does quite a lot of stupid heroics, risking death every other page, just to try and impress her.

Meanwhile, R and M spend most of the book either grinning sappily at each other or bickering. I can hear the wedding bells already. They are rapidly becoming my favorite version of the legendry couple. Anytime they work together or talk together, just sit back and watch the show. The ‘did you miss me?’ line almost made me cheer out loud.

However, M needs more development – we’ve got tons of background on R and see him blossoming into the outlaw of legend, smart mouth, giving to the poor and all, yet still have not learned anything really on where M is coming from or how she is going to become the girl in the story.

There are sword fights, sieges, twists and surprises, chases, cliffs, capture, dungeons, a Mexican stand off, a clever little dog, and a cliffhanger worse than when Hans Solo was dipped in carbondite.

Celia makes a big speech at one point about how God tends to pick the most unlikeliest of people – shepards, carpenters, merchants, etc – to be his Chosen Ones, so why not a random squire like Tristan to be the holy cup bearer? However, all signs points to Tristan being a boy with an oh so special lineage, which I think is rather going to undermine the theme anyone-can-be-a-hero. Oh well, at least R is anti-aristocratic. Loudly. Hilariously.

Queen Eleanor makes a memorable appearance, bordering on wicked witch / evil empress caricature. She’s practically gnawing on the scenery as she hams it up. Her first word when she claps eyes on Tristan? “Delicious.” And suddenly I was a little worried she was about to eat him – cause here she is just that eviiiiiiiil.

Next book, we might actually get to Sherwood, although I’m betting we have to slog through a lot of Dan Brown territory first.

[Angel Barajas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trail of Fate is fantastic. The young squire, Tristan, is still charged with his quest of getting the Holy Grail to safety–and the way Keeper of the Grail ended left us uncertain of his fate. Luckily, Tristan, Robard, and Maryam have survived their dangerous boat ride at the end of the first book and have washed up on the shores of France–much to the distaste of Robard. Even though they are much closer to home than they were before, France provides its own set of troubles: untrustful Cathars, overwhelming French soldiers, and of course, Sir Hugh is still on the tail of Tristan and the Grail.

In addition to the fast paced story, we also get a great deal of character development. Tristan experiences his first romantic crush to a French princess named Celia, and his inner struggle between doing his duty to Sir Thomas’ memory and getting the grail to safety as well as doing his duty as a Templar and defending the weak really tugs at the reader’s heartstrings. The blossoming relationship between Maryam and Robard is also entertaining to watch–but the book strikes a good balance between depicting their relationship and not taking away from the action. Probably one of the best new characters in the book is the mother of King Richard of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who arrives and seemingly knows all of Tristan’s mysterious past–which perhaps explains why the King’s Guards and Richard the Lionhearted aren’t too unfeeling of Tristan.

As with the previous book in the series, there is a great deal of violence in Trail of Fate. Also,while the religious conflict in France between the Cathars and the French king is explained well enough for the context of the story, some background reading may be useful. I would check out John Farman’s Short and Bloody History of Knights–which is a fun read for anyone interested in knights.

As I had feared, this book ends much as the first one does–on a cliffhanger–but I very much look forward to the ending of this trilogy.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

The tale of Tristan, a young squire of the Knights of the Templar, continues. At the end of KEEPER OF THE GRAIL, the first book in the series, Tristan's fate was in question as he sailed into a horrible storm. Book #2 begins as Tristan wakes to discover that he has survived, but he doesn't know where he has washed ashore or what is in store for him.

When he awakes he is surrounded by a half-dozen people with weapons drawn. Tristan is able to use his limited French to determine the leader of the group is a beautiful young woman named Celia, and he has indeed washed ashore along the coast of France.

Soon Tristan's partners, Robard and Maryam, make an unexpected appearance and the new adventures begin. Tristan's old friends pledge to defend him as he decides to help Celia and her followers outwit the High Counsel of France. What follows is one trick after another as Tristan attempts to throw the High Counsel off the Cathars' trail.

Just when Tristan thinks all he has to do is help the Cathars and then resume his journey to deliver the Grail, his enemy, Sir Hugh, arrives to make things difficult. Sir Hugh has supposedly joined forces with the High Counsel to rid the region of Cathars, but his real objective is to find Tristan and seize the precious Grail for himself.

TRAIL OF FATE is filled with enough sword fights, bows and arrows and crossbows, battering rams, and flaming pots of liquid lard to satisfy any teen looking for adventure. Author Michael P. Spradlin takes his readers into a century long ago but makes it seem alive and relevant to today. Tristan is a likeable hero with incredible courage, a clever mind, and a sense of humor one doesn't expect in a character from the middle ages.

It is going to be difficult to wait for Book #3 to find out where Tristan's adventures will take him next.

[Michelle Isenhoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! Michael P. Spradlin knows how to write a cliffhanger! I need to write this quickly and start the next book. It’s sitting here beside me.

Tristin, Maryam and Robard survive book one’s shipwreck, of course, and wash up on the shore of France. There, they become entangled in a conflict involving a local religious sect, the Cathars, and the Catholic Church, which culminates in a standoff high in the Pyrenees Mountains. Tristin also becomes entangled with a mysterious, enchanting young lady who captures his heart. However, his mission remains. He must get the Holy Grail to England. But just as he looks to succeed, the trio is captured. The book ends with unsettling hints about Tristan’s heritage, an unholy alliance between Sir Hugh and the Queen Mother, and the stroke that will kill Maryam. AAHHHGG!

So, the adventure is exciting. How’s the content? Pretty innocent. There are some battle scenes, including killings, led by the teens, and Spradlin goes right up to the edge while still avoiding profanity, but I would not discourage my own kids from this read. It’s high-action and loaded with medieval historical context.

There are a few details that stretch reality. Tristin was raised by monks, then after being a knight’s squire only a year and a half, he emerges this incredible leader that even more experienced men follow. And Angel, the little yellow mutt, is endearing but almost smart enough to be human. Both a bit unbelievable. And, a point I’d discuss with my own kids, Christ and Mohammad are put on equal plane and gifted by the same God to lead their religions (Maryam is Islamic). That doesn’t add up. But overall, this one gets the okay. I’d say it’s best for age 10+.

And now, on to book three…

[Conan Tigard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good, old-fashioned action adventure with a lot of cliffhangers . . . and Trail of Fate is chocked full of them. Even the ending of the book is a cliffhanger, which means readers will have to wait a year to find out how Tristan gets out of his next jam. I absolutely love the Youngest Templar series by Michael P. Spradlin. Now, I have always been a fan of fantasy, which isn't the genre of this series, but it IS historical fiction that takes place during the time when swords ruled the land.

This story takes place over 800 years ago and stars a young squire during the infamous Crusades. Tristan is a highly likable main character and both Robard and Maryam are also wonderful supporting characters. Robard is a King's Archer who will someday return to his home in Nottingham near the Sherwood Forest and become Robin Hood. Maryam is a member of the Hashshashin, otherwise known as a Saracen assassin, and is destined to become Maid Marian, the female companion of Robin Hood. I love this little twist on English history. After all, Robin Hood was one of my many heroes when I was growing up . . . thanks to the wonderful Disney movie and other books and movies.

Sir Hugh is a nasty piece of work and I just love to hate him. I don't know why he wants the Holy Grail, but he is very persistent and will stop at nothing to get it. The pace of the book is perfect and the action hard and heavy. I don't have one bad thing to say about this series and I absolutely loved this book.

Overall, Trail of Fate is a stupendous book in a wonderful series that I only have the highest praise for. I cannot wait to read the next book about Tristan and his attempt to bring the Holy Grail safely back to England.

I rated this book a 10 out of 10.

[Cil · Rating 4 out of 5]

From School Library Journal
Grade 6–9—The action and intrigue start right from the first page in this riveting sequel to Keeper of the Grail (Putnam, 2008). Shipwrecked and on his own, Tristan washes up on a beach on his way home from the Crusades. Instead of coming ashore in England, however, he lands in France, where a group of armed warriors take him prisoner. Celia, the leader of this band, appears to be in trouble, and her earnest desire to help her people, coupled with her pretty face, makes Tristan eager to do what he can for her. Rejoined by his companions Robard Hode and Maryam, a Saracen assassin, he must choose between pursuing his original mission—returning the Holy Grail to Rosalyn Abbey in England—or aiding Celia against corrupt church leaders. In addition, a Templar who wants to claim the Grail for himself is still on Tristan's tail. Covering both action sequences and intrigue with the same brisk pacing, Spradlin gives audiences three appealing and sympathetic heroes to guide them through the strange and dangerous landscape. The interplay between Robard and Maryam lightens the mood at tense moments, and the growing romance between them puts a brilliant spin on the traditional tales of Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Readers can jump into the series at this point, but the story has neither a beginning nor an ending; this second volume is a serial installment in a much larger tale. It will undoubtedly appeal to the sword and sorcery set, and makes a good addition to historical-fiction collections.—Alana Joli Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT

Reading level: Ages 9-12

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Maryam, and Robard and I have joined Tristan on his quest to deliver an important message to a priest in Scotland. Sir Hugh remains on our trail, hoping to capture or kill Tristan, although I don't understand his obsession with my new friend. We parted ways with a girl named Celia several days ago, and Tristan insists we travel to a mountain fortress to protect her from treacherous soldiers. Why is he willing to delay his quest to help her? I also believe there's more to this quest than he's letting on. There's something special about this boy, and I will use all of my assassin skills to protect him.

You need to read the first book, because this series probably could have (should have) been written as one longer book. The conflicts in the first two books aren't really resolved, and the second and third books pick up immediately where the previous ones left off. That being said, I am enjoying the underdog story. Although Tristan is only a squire, characters are willing to follow him, and it's clear his parentage is an issue. He is able to come up with ingenious plans to overcome impossible problems even though there are unexpected snags to them. The power of the grail being carried by Tristan is still unclear; several characters have heard it humming in critical situations. The series won't end until the issue with Sir Hugh is resolved. I'm wondering if Tristan will be reunited with Celia and if Sir Thomas actually died in the siege on Acre (in book one).

[Tessa McMillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After falling overboard, Tristan washes up on the shores of Southern France. He is discovered by a group of riders lead by Celia, a beautiful Cathar girl whose people are constantly attacked by the Catholic Church for their beliefs. Robard and Maryam meet up with Celia's group and are reunited with Tristan. After witnessing the persecution of Celia's people, Tristan, Robard, and Maryam all agree that they must stay to help defend them, even at the cost of delaying their Holy Grail quest.

Spradlin’s second book maintains the excitement, action, and suspense that started in the first book. But even though this book is a rousing adventure, the story itself has real heart and character depth. When Tristan is reunited with his friends again, he realizes the power and protection that comes from true friendship. This protective friendship is something he desperately needs while transporting the Grail through enemy territory. But that friendship is constantly threatened while Sir Hugh is in the picture. Readers will be glued to Tristan's story as he and his friends help Celia's people and keep the Grail away from Sir Hugh's greedy hands. The final book in the series is Orphan of Destiny.

(Found on Children's Compass Chronicle: http://childrenscompasschronicle.blog...)

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable quest epic for older readers. If they have previously enjoyed Flanagan's 'Ranger's Apprentice' series, this is probably the next step up. This is the 2nd book in the series. Though I had not read 'Keeper of the Grail', I was able to follow everything. The blurb gives the summary:
'Washed up on a foreign shore, Tristan is lucky to be alive. As before, it seems to be a miracle—the Holy Grail the young Templar squire is safe-guarding has saved his life yet again. But now he is lost in a strange land, and ... he quickly finds himself drawn into a conflict between a heretical band of Cathars and the oppressive King of France.
With his duty to the Grail pulling him back toward Britain, Tristan finds himself falling for the beautiful leader of the Cathars. And when he chooses to help her in her people’s hour of need, Tristan risks not only himself but his friends [Maryam the assassin and Robard Hode] and the Grail itself on a quest that may prove a disaster.' http://michaelpspradlin.com/books/you...
The ending is a real cliff-hanger! Need to read Book 3: Orphan of Destiny!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this second book in the series! This ties in all the Medieval things that I really like! Tristan and his friends Robard (loosely based on Robin Hood?) and Maryam (loosely based on Maid Marian?) are still trying to get away from Sir Hugh, the evil Templar Knight, that wants the Holy Grail that Tristan is taking back to England. Along the way Tristan meets a lovely Cathar girl named Celia, who is also trying to escape from an evil man of the church who is called The High Counsel. Tristan goes out of his way to help Celia, but then must try to get to England to fulfill his mission of delivering the Holy Grail to holy men he can trust. Sir Hugh finally catches up with the 3 friends, but fortunately their dog, Angel, helps them escape. The book ends with a cliffhanger. Sir Hugh is about to hang Maryam is Tristan does not give him the Grail. And Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine is helping Sir Hugh! She hints that Tristan is somehow a threat to her son, King Richard the Lionheart's throne. And so ends book 2 in the trilogy!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

We find Tristan washed up on the shores of France, unsure of the fate of his friends, when he is discovered by a group of Cathars led by the enigmatic and beautiful Celia. He is soon reunited with Robard and Maryam, but before they can continue their journey Tristan promises to help Celia's people defend themselves against the High Council. Meanwhile Sir Hugh is hot on Tristan's trail, and Tristan discovers something shocking about his parentage.
Once again the story is told in first person from Tristan's perspective. The characters speak in a modern way which usually bothers me in historical fiction, but it works here and provides comedy relief. It's a great choice for reluctant readers who enjoy a bit of history and lots of action. A couple of scenes with Tristan's dog were a bit of a stretch, but who am I to question the ways of the Grail? Once again the story ends on a cliffhanger . . .

[Kristian]

this book is about a boy who gets lost on a ship and ends up crashing and on the land of france. he regains full strength and then after a while he runs into this group of hot girls. he is going crazy until. they want to kill him. but they don't they help him find his way back to england. he is struggling along they way with his broken tail bone. and he ends up falling off a horse and mysteriously healing. no one knew how that happened. he finally found his way back to england and he told everyone about his weird trip but no one believes him they all assume that he is a lier until the team comes over to him and then the other people begin to believe him.
i can connect this book to all the people who have been in a boat crash.
i give this book 3 stars because it was good but it had no pint. half the time i did not realize what was going on but it was still good.

[Sherrie Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son recommended this middle grade series to me, and as usual, he has impeccable taste! I loved this series, although book two, Trail of Fate, was my favorite. Using midieval history as a backdrop, this action-packed series takes readers into the Third Crusade through the eyes of a 15-year old boy who becomes the squire to a Templar. Fabulous characters (including King Richard the Lionheart and other familiar names), excellent pacing, and fun twists and turns. I read all three books in two days. I highly recommend this series for any boy (or girl!) looking for an engaging book.

But be warned: you'll want to have all three books on hand before you start. Rather than "end" each book, the author leaves you with gut-wrenching mid-scene cliffhangers so that you HAVE to read the next in the series.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

***spoiler alert*** The second book of the trilogy finds Tristan and his cohorts on the journey back to England. After being shipwrecked on the shores of France,some French heretics gum up the works and are a big, fat distraction leading to more trouble for Tristan, Robard & Maryam. Sir Hugh, the Duke of Slime, catches up to them and locks them up in the dungeon of one of the King's summer castles. Thanks to his conveniently brilliant stray dog, Tristan and the buds escape the dungeon. To facilitate getting off the grounds alive, Tristan finds the Queen, the illustrious Eleanor of Aquitane, uses her as a human shield AND threatens her! Best. Ever. Still the question lingers...who is this kid?! On to book 3.