“The Kestrel” is the sequel to Lloyd Alexander’s young adult fantasy novel, “Westmark.” Mickle, once a street urchin but revealed to be the long lost daughter of the king and queen, is now the ruler of Westmark. Her father passed away and the crown came to her, making her Queen Augusta. Still more comfortable in breeches than in a crown, she doesn’t want to merely sit on her throne; she wants to make a difference in the country.
Cabbarus, exiled former cabinet minister of Westmark, has a plan for revenge. He has gone to the neighboring country of Regia and convinced the monarchy to wage war against Westmark. By charging across the border in a surprise attack, the Regians will be able to force their way to the capital city and seize the government.
Theo, Mickle’s fiancé, has been touring the country and gathering information on the state of the residents so he can report to the throne. He is near the border when it’s breeched, and enlists the help of rebel militants Florian and Justin to keep the troops at bay. Mickle hasn’t heard from him in a while and begins to fear that he is dead. Rather than trusting a scout to go find him, she decides to head out herself, donning the disguise of a beggar. She runs smack dab into the retreat of her army, scrambling back to safety as fast as they can.
Immediately taking charge of her army, Mickle commands them to fortify. On his end, Theo is gathering volunteers. Without realizing the other is involved, they both work to repel the Regian invasion. When Theo’s good friend is killed, Theo vows revenge, going on the war path even more literally than before. Taking upon himself the code name of “Kestrel,” he leads several attacks against the Regian armies, gaining himself a reputation for speed, cunning, and effectiveness.
Mickle manages to bring the conflict to a stop, and works with Florian and Justin to rearrange the affairs of the kingdom in a way that will lessen the power of the monarchy and make things more fair for the commoners. Theo has been asked to work with Florian and Justin until everything is ironed out, but this means putting off his wedding to Mickle – once he marries her, he’ll be the prince consort, and monarchy. Agreeing to the delay only for the good of the people, Theo becomes a cabinet minister under the Queen, wondering when the nightmares of the war will end.
While “Westmark” focuses more on characters and personalities, “The Kestrel” focuses on military strategy and maneuvers. It’s still very gripping, just different.
The final book in this trilogy is “The Beggar Queen,” which I will be reviewing next week.
(This book was published in 1982 by E. F. Dutton.)
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