Juniper (1990)

Prequel to Wise Child. Juniper, whose real name is Ninnoc, is a princess in Cornwall who is sent to learn about magic and healing from her godmother, Euny. At first she is horrified by Euny's poverty but gradually she begins to appreciate the simpler life and understand the power Euny draws from it. Juniper's own growing powers are tested when a childhood friend is bewitched by a dangerous sorcerer.

It always confused me that the story in this book didn't match the tale Juniper tells in Wise Child, but that discrepancy at least can be explained away. Wise Child is young and in pain when Juniper tells her the story and could have misunderstood or misremembered it.

I love Juniper as a character, but this book is a little uneven. It's interesting to read about most of her training, the contrast between her life as a princess and her life with Euny, the differences between her two teachers, and the things she learned. But some things that are made out to be vital to the training or practice of their power in one book are not mentioned, glossed over, or changed in the other.

I do like this book, but it's not as good as Wise Child. ( )

I've somehow never heard about this small seriesby Monica Furlong; it deserves more readers. Juniper is the onlychild of the king. She begins to train with Euny, her godmother, arigid and unfeeling woman, and slowly, with Euny's help, learns aboutthe true nature of power and about the truly important things in theworld. ( )

http://bookchronicle.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/fiction-juniper-by-monica-furlong/ ( )

A bit solemn and self-important, but Juniper's teacher Euny was a fabulous character--powerful, impatient, angry, yet ultimately good, for the story and for the main character. ( )

Another great story by Monica Furlong. It is a prequel, but just as good as wise child. The writing is fantastic and the characters really interesting. Overall, this is a very enjoyable book to read. ( )