Serpents Egg

it was a great page turner that keep you spellbound throughout the whole book.

A very elusive book, The Serpent's Egg is also a rare delight to all who may find it. Stevermer has filled this book with a mysterious object called The Serpent's Egg with strange powers, a murdered hero, an evil duke, and a group of conspirators trying to warn the queen against the duke. Throw in excellent, quirky characters, some good old fashioned swashbuckling, a good handful of letters and sonnets, and a twisting plot...Highly recommended. Also try Stevermer and Wrede's Sorcery and Cecelia, and Stevermer's A College of Magics for more quasi-historical fantasy.