[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
In the kingdom of Kaloon, magic was outlawed during the reign of King Lamar. Only the Keepers of the Light could use magic in the kingdom. Anyone – or anything – considered magic was banished to the Twists, a magical prison. This included people who did magic, black cats, anyone who was left-handed and twins.
This was all thanks to a dark magician Maldevon who betrayed King Lamar and killed the entire royal family except for the king and his son, Prince Alistair. The king was rescued by a mage named Grosselor who became the leader of the Keepers of the Light. Grosselor and the Keepers kept the kingdom safe for years.
King Edwin, Lamar’s great-great-grandson was the next king who had to deal with an attack. Queen Latonya was pregnant with their first child, and the court jester Gilward attacked her with a green mist. But the queen – and Princess Flissara – were thankfully fine.
Only four people know the truth. The queen delivered twin girls that night, Flissa and Sara. No one was certain what the Keepers would do about a royal set of twins. So the two girls take turns being Princess Flissara, working hard to deal with the strengths and weaknesses of one another.
When the queen is attacked a second time, just before the girls’ twelfth birthday and Ascension Day, the girls believe Gilward has escaped the Twists to curse the queen again and must be hiding back in the Twists, biding his time until the queen is dead. With time running out to save their mother, Flissa and Sara will take on the dangers of the Twists with Gilward’s own son helping to track the mage/jester down. Gilward is their only hope to save the queen.
Review
This was fun! Be sure to look closely at that cover – isn’t it gorgeous?!! It’s a terrific representation of this fun tale. I enjoyed Sara and Flissa and the rest of their traveling companions. The split perspective storytelling was perfect for showing how the girls were wrestling with their identity on an adventure when they didn’t have to hide and pretend to be one person.
The magical world was interesting, too. The girls question everything they have been taught about their kingdom once they are actually out of the castle and seeing the reality of things. They have to face the contradicting stories of their history – something that will continue to be addressed in future books.
I wish this book had existed when I was teaching. I had several students who wanted “brown kid books,” but so many of their choices were what I would call issue books. If there were Black characters, the book was often about racial issues. Those books are usually excellent, and serve a purpose. But sometimes a kid just wants to read a friendship story or an adventure that stars a kid who looks like them. While this book stars two Black girls, their race has nothing to do with the story. It’s just an element in their character description. Not only is it a fun fantasy story, but it adds this diversity piece that is so needed. Be sure to add this one to your home or classroom library!