I picked this book up at a local thrift store that sells as many books as you can fit into a Walmart-esque bag for $4.99 (and I can fit a lot of books into this bag). So far, I have picked up books I have never heard of and have been extremely satisfied with my choices. I did not, until after reading it, discover that it was the second book, and yet I really had no problem understanding the story, despite some of the chess talk I didn't quite understand. A great book!! Full of action and intrigue, adventures and secrets, danger and conspiracy. She is invited to a strange party and left even stranger clues by her mother which sets her off on an adventure to find the hidden pieces of the Montglane Service, a chess set once owned by Charlemagne, and on this adventure she's unsure who to trust as she finds out the truth about herself and her family. (You can always tell whether I've read a book by the sticky notes stuck inside the first cover - notes, quotes, thoughts I've had while reading it - and you know I've loved it when there are a lot. The whole inside of the front cover is full. Enough said.)
