3.5 stars ( )

I bought this when I was very little, back when I was really getting into Elizabethan literature.

The story runs thus: Kate and her younger sister are ladies in waiting to Elizabeth I while Elizabeth is residing in the Tower of London under her sister's rule. Younger Sister decides that it's a wise idea to send Queen Mary a note about Elizabeth's conditions, which prompts Mary to ask for Younger Sister to go work with Mary and Kate to go work elsewhere, to remove the bad influence from the noble soul of her younger sister.

Romance, faeries, crazy people, gypsies, riddles, and all-around fun adventure romp - this story's got them all. Kate is a fun character and the cast of characters she meets are intriguing and enjoyable to read about. The ending is a little "well, I wanted this to happen, but..."

Still, it's enjoyable. I believe this is meant for teenagers though, so be wary if you're expecting adult historical fantasy fiction. ( )

Thanks to the obliviously seditious actions of her sister Alicia, Queen Mary I exiles pragmatic Kate Sutton to a remote castle. Kate discovers treachery, superstition, a secret enclave of "fairies," and the sarcastic, tormented Christopher Heron.

This was pretty fabulous, and it's so full of great lines that I couldn't begin to quote them all (My favorite is Chistopher's "Kate! Unkind! How can you? Marry Alicia? Think of it!" but it requires the rest of the book for context). Kate and Christopher are wonderful characters: she is stern, relentless and loyal, while he's flippant, caustic, and wounded. ( )

After stumbling upon The Sherwood Ring last year and loving it, I was excited to see the author had written a fantasy too. Like The Sherwood Ring, this felt like very tame YA, like what I would have read when I was a teen in the eighties. Kate is my kind of heroine: smart, forthright, and brave. I liked her immediate compassion for Christopher when she heard his story and the unique way they got to know each other. I didn’t always get their vibe, but I was still rooting for them.
If you’re into fairies, you’ll probably dig this book. There’s a mix of the familiar and the new, with a few ideas I’d never seen before.
I probably liked The Sherwood Ring a little more, but both are worth the read. ( )

I had a bit of trouble getting into this book, by which I mean I read the first chapter and then set it aside for many months, but when I started reading again I really loved it and finished it within a day.

The main character is a very straightforward kind of person and spends more time dealing with problems than avoiding them or getting upset, but at the same time she does react emotionally and her feelings were relateble to me. Shes also strong and resourceful in ways that felt right within the story and not overly modern. The book is on the gloomy side as a whole, but there were also funny and scary bits and the writing was enjoyable and easy to read. I really love fairy stories but am not always there for fancifulness and romancing and so this book was just the kind of thing I like. ( )