Author: Jacqueline Kolosov
Cover Artist: Michael Frost
Publisher: Hyperion
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: April 2009
Katherine Parr, sixth and last queen of Henry VII, left a baby daughter behind when she died, only six days after giving birth. “Love had cost my mother her very life”, young Mary Seymour constantly reminds herself, considering the relationship between her mother, the widow of the great Harry, and her father, Katherine’s fourth husband, the treasonous Thomas Seymour. Mary inherits one great lesson from her mother: “Love had everything to do with foolishness, wrong partners, and sometimes even with death.”
At nine, Mary’s guardian dies, and she comes under the care of Lady Strange, who teaches her the ways of the white magician, an agent of God on Earth intended to help those in need. Lady Strange knows that Mary has an important task that means the very future of England, and raises her to be as confident as Mary can be under such circumstances. Mary has her mother’s intelligence and piety, and Lady Strange reminds her that she is the daughter of a queen and should be proud of her mother, although Mary carries with her a fear of romantic love, a fear sprung from her mother’s sad fate. She is sent into the nest of politics that revolves around the great Queen Elizabeth, determined to serve her queen and her destiny, where she discovers that in the midst of the complications of human relationships, sometimes people really are what they seem.
For a historical figure who disappeared from record and supposed to have died around the age of two, Mary rides quite an emotional and physical rollercoaster in this captivating imagining of her adventures in the tempestuous court of Elizabeth. This tale is a magical blend of historical fiction and fantasy and gives this often ignored child of a highly controversial union a legitimate and hopeful fate. Kolosov, professor, poet, editor, author of fiction and nonfiction alike, gives her first young adult novel a life full of the contradictions of reality. The adolescent Mary learns the hard way that good is not always distinct from evil, and while she has gifts that allow her to see revealing auras around those close to her, giving her an insight into their personality and motives, her heart and mind do not always agree on the right path to choose in dealing with them.
Historical detail and vivid physical descriptions, along with strong, believable characters make this book a certain pleasure for adults and teens alike, but it is the surprise ending that wraps this captivating work in a bright red bow that does anything but seal the package of Mary’s story.
Great review Medora! I’ll be adding another title to my list.
Thanks Amber – there’s so much good YA lit out there, I am happy to let others know about it and dispel the myth that it’s “kiddie” or watered-down in any way. I was really happy with this one – the ending is great.