a conspiracy of truths (alexandra rowland): a review

 A Conspiracy of Truths (a review)

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

I read A Conspiracy of Truths seven months ago, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I ordered it off the internet a couple of weeks ago. You may know that this is something I basically never do, to the point that Chaney promises that she will read any book I buy because it is such a glowing recommendation.

Buying this book was a good choice as I expect I will reread this book several more times. A Conspiracy of Truths is super well-written and just really good all around. Our protagonist, Chant, is a wandering historian and storyteller. He's also a grumpy old man. He is just elite on a lot of levels. He also has an apprentice called Ylfing who is so sweet and wholesome and a perfect person. Chant winds up in an unfamiliar country called Nuryevet where he is arrested and put on trial as a witch, but then he says some sketchy things, and they prosecute him for espionage instead. His trial becomes super high-profile, and some of the major Nuryeven elected officials get involved. Chant starts playing some tricky political games to save his own skin, and semi-inadvertently plunges Nuryevet into chaos. It's fun!

The author is a pretty good author on basically every level, but in some respects they are just crazy good. Most notably, the characters. Chant is an absolutely delightful narrator. He is so annoyed and grumpy all the time. But you can tell that he is not as cold as he claims to be. He cares very deeply for Ylfing, and he doesn't mind his lawyer (Consanza), even though he claims to hate her. Chant also meets and becomes fond of Consanza's wife Helena. Helena and Chant's relationship is not very prominent, but it is so wholesome. A Conspiracy of Truths does the grumpy/sunshine trope (except platonic) so well. Chant's internal monologue is also very witty and more conversational than a lot of narrators are. I love it. It's perfect. Chant is perfect. He does some sketchy stuff, but you just have to love him anyway.

Something that is super cool and fairly unique about this book is that, since Chant is a professional storyteller, he tells a lot of stories (usually to try to get people to do things for him) which the reader gets to hear (read), too. And even stories that other characters tell are relayed and formatted the same way, except the storyteller's voice is completely different. It's super neat. My favorite story was Skukua and the Twelve Travelers, although I also enjoyed How the Jarlsmoot Came to Be and The Sergeant of Yew and Silk. It is just a very interesting narrative device, and I enjoyed it a lot.

A Conspiracy of Truths is almost entirely set in two buildings, and yet it is not boring. This is because it is entirely a story of interpersonal relationships and political intrigue. And worldbuilding. The worldbuilding is spectacular. Although Chant remains in one country, we learn a lot about other countries through Chant's storytelling. So, this book is 10% learning about the world, 40% interpersonal relationships, and 50% political intrigue. If you prefer books about adventure, excitement, and really wild times, this may not be the book for you, as it has only one, maybe one and a half, of those three things. A Conspiracy of Truths is a little slow, especially in the first ~60%. But I did just read the last 150 pages in one sitting, and, let me tell you, even though I had read this book before, I was invested.

There is a sequel to this book, and it is called A Choir of Lies and it follows a supporting character, Ylfing, a few years after the events of A Conspiracy of Truths. I would not necessarily recommend you read both books. I do think Alexandra Rowland is brilliant, and I love their writing, but A Choir of Lies wants you to hate Chant, and A Conspiracy of Truths requires you to love Chant. So it is much harder to read one book if you have already read the other. If you think this book sounds good, I would strongly recommend you read the summary of A Choir of Lies and read whichever book interests you more. And then if you love the author's style so much, and you just could not stand to leave off where you've left off, then I would recommend reading the other book. Although I think A Choir of Lies somewhat spoils the ending of A Conspiracy of Truths. So that is something to bear in mind. Another thing to bear in mind is that I prefer A Conspiracy of Truths, and I personally believe I am always right.

Anyway! This book is just so good. Everything about it is thoughtful and clever. Every character is perfect. I adore the writing style. I would recommend this book to anyone who does not think they would mind the plot structure (and who would not prefer to read A Choir of Lies), and especially to anyone who has ever read one of those YA fantasy novels about princesses doing court intrigue to gain/maintain power and thought, "man, I wish these politicians were elected."