Book Review: The Last Musketeer - Traitor's Chase by Stuart Gibbs (Last Musketeer #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fun, fast paced adventure that combines history and fanatsy

Cons: Nothing for the target audience or adults

The Bottom Line:

Travel back in time

For this fast paced adventure

You will quickly read

More Danger for a Modern Musketeer

Stuart Gibbs may write for kids, but I find his books lots of fun, too.  I couldn't wait to get a chance to read The Last Musketeer: Traitor's Chase, and I enjoyed every page.

In the first book of the series, modern day young teen Greg Rich and his parents found themselves whisked back to 1615 Paris.  And that's all the background I am going to give you.  Go read the book.  Seriously.  You'll want to read that one first because much of it is spoiled in this book, but considering the progressive nature of the book, it has to be.  (On the other hand, it means there is  a nice recap spread out over the first couple of chapters that was a help to me as I tried to remember some details from the first book.)

It's been a couple of months since Greg Rich and his parents get trapped in 1615 France.  While a member of the fledgling Musketeers, he is still hunting for a way to return to the modern era.

But then Spanish assassins try to take out the Musketeers, and they quickly learn that it was the work of their old enemy Dinicoeur.  The foursome set out to find out what he is trying to do now and stop him.  But the road trip becomes contentious, and Greg begins to think there is a traitor in their midst.  Is he right?  If so, can they stop Dinicoeur from changing history?

It's not like the stakes are high in this book or anything - the history of the world sits in the balance.  No big deal, right?  The story starts strong and keeps going through the entire novel.

Often when dealing with a second in a trilogy, I feel that the book is just marking time.  I didn't feel that way here.  While Greg's search for a way home definitely progressed, the main story here reached a logical and exciting climax.  I was certainly glued to the book the entire way through.

The characters are pretty well defined as well, which makes it easy to care about them.  It's a kid's book, so some of them could be better developed, as if often the case in that genre, but it's a minor issue.

And the book is certainly well written.  I flew through the pages, yet felt like I was completely immersed in the world of France in 1615.

I can't wait to get my hands on the final book in this series.  In the mean time, there's still plenty of time for you to enjoy The Last Musketeer: Traitor's Chase.