Silverthorn (Riftwar Saga #2) by Raymond E Feist.

From Goodreads:

A poisoned bolt has struck down the Princess Anita on the day of her wedding to Prince Arutha of Krondor.

To save his beloved, Arutha sets out in search of the mystic herb called Silverthorn that only grows in the dark and forbidding land of the Spellweavers.

Accompanied by a mercenary, a minstrel, and a clever young thief, he will confront an ancient evil and do battle with the dark powers that threaten the enchanted realm of Midkemia.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The storyline is a familiar and simple one. The dashing young Prince has fallen for the beautiful young Princess and instead of living happily ever after she is struck down by a terrible poison. Close to death she is placed in a magical sleep and he embarks on a quest for the cure accompanied by a small band of friends. It’s old school fantasy at its best.

The writing is far from simplistic. The detail of character and location is really good and the simple story is nestled within the much more complicated overall story that was started in the first book.

Despite being set almost completely on Midkemia it was good to return to Kelewan close to the end setting the scene for the final book of the series but also briefly bringing back well liked characters from the first book.

The author has a great talent for writing standalone stories that are completed within the one book but also interconnect to form the bigger story. This is difficult to do and this is one of the very few middle books I’ve read that don’t just feel like scene setters.

It is the characters that really make these books so good. Arutha and Jimmy dominate here but we get to know so many others that develop further through the series of books and see a slightly different side of some we’ve already met.