Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Flora Fydraaca's Catorcena is coming up and she hasn't finished her dress or her speech. The main problem with the speech is that it's supposed to celebrate everything great and glorious about her family, the Fyrdraaca's, and her home, Crackpot Hall, and it all has to be true. Unfortunately, Flora doesn't find either of these things to be particularly great or glorious. Maybe they were once, but not since Flora can remember.

Once her father was a great champion fighter and rider. Now he just hides up in his rooms, and occasionally has fits of insanity. He went crazy years ago during the war, when he tried, and failed, to rescue the first Flora from abductors. Flora's mother is the Warlord's Commanding General, so she seems pretty glorious, but she's hardly ever home. Flora's sisterIdden is a general in an elite part of the army, but Flora's not interested in that. Even though it's what she's expected to do after school.

Crackpot Hall sounds like it was unbelievable before Flora was born, but then her mother banished the magickal Butler. Ever since then the windows leak, the garden has become a jungle, stairways forget to finish, hallways end in nothing, etc. There are 11,000 rooms in Crackpot Hall, but Flora and her family can only get to a few of them. Those few rooms stay only as clean as Flora can manage between school, her father's outbursts, and taking care of the dogs.

One day, already running late for school, Flora has to run back inside to get a well-overdue library book. Knowing the risk, she takes a chance and takes the elevator. She ends up in a part of the house she never even knew existed. A place that contains a million books and what's left of the now very bitter, banished Butler. He's literally wasting away to nothing.

He thinks Flora can help him. Maybe she can. Maybe the more important question is should she help him? Regardless, a chain of events is set in motion that will alter Flora, the Fyrdraaca family, and possibly Crackpot Hall, completely.

A magical adventure with a host of peculiar characters, most of which are well-developed and extremely entertaining. Flora's life is exciting, eventful, and sometimes dangerous. Help comes in strange ways from the most unexpected places, and learning to be herself may be the hardest and most important thing Flora has ever done. ( )

While I loved the language in this book (full of archaic and very fun words) I found the story to drag after the first 150 pages or so. ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/f... ( )

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I loved the idea of the house denizens and the way the magic works in this world. ( )

Written for TCM Reviews

Flora Fydraaca is about to turn 14 and celebrate her Catorcena, the coming-of-age ceremony that qualifies her to enter military training. She has to write a speech, but she’s finding it difficult because it is supposed to celebrate everything that is great about her family and her home, and neither of those things has been particularly wonderful for quite some time. Flora lives in Crackpot Hall, which has started to decay ever since her mother, the Warlord’s Commanding General, fired the magickal Butler. Now the 11,000 rooms randomly shift position, the windows leak, stairways forget to finish, and hallways end in nothing.One day Flora is running late and has to run back inside to get her overdue library book. Taking a chance, she uses an elevator and ends up in a part of the house she’s never seen before. Here she discovers Valefor, the banished butler who is now wasting away to nothing. He is convinced that Flora can help him, but the real question is should she help him? What happens over the next week changes Flora, her family, and Crackpot Hall forever.

Flora Segunda is a fun magickal adventure, with a very entertaining cast of characters. Ysabeau Wilce has created a fresh, original fantasy that is sure to please readers.