Seeker of the Crown

October 1, 2017

Gr 3-6-Valor is back and ready to save her people from danger. Picking up a few weeks after the end of the first book, this installment begins with Prince Anatol, friend of Valor and her twin sister Sasha, imprisoned by his mother for treason. Finding themselves summoned by Queen Ana herself, Valor is tasked with finding the truly traitorous Princess Anastasia so that the kingdom and the prince will be safe and free again. Things do not go according to plan, as per usual for Valor and her clever group of unlikely companions including a palace guard, two thieves, and her sister. Just as the kingdom is teetering on destruction from aggressive neighboring kingdoms, Queen Ana is kidnapped by the princess, and the royal niece named regent in her place appears to be a usurper. They have foiled the plans of Princess Anastasia only to play into her plans to spark war with neighboring Pyots'kan. Readers will want to start with the first book to get the full feel of the barren world and icy city of Demidova. Although this plot lacks the emotional urgency of that first adventure, the suspense is held throughout as various plot turns reflect Valor's missteps. Fans of the series will be happy to revisit the characters. With some dangers to the kingdom unresolved, there is promise of more adventures with the sharpshooting archer Valor and her diplomatic sister. VERDICT A solid continuation of an excellent series that will have readers once again wondering what will happen in a land of ice and snow filled with treason and treachery.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2018
Thirteen-year-old twin sisters Valor and Sasha have barely agreed to missions from Queen Ana when the queen herself vanishes--in broad daylight.As in series opener Prisoner of Ice and Snow (2017), Valor, the narrator, is brave and impetuous--full of ideas that may or may not work--and Sasha, like their father, is bookish and better at diplomacy. Logically, their missions vary. Valor's is to recapture the escaped Princess Anastasia--whose sinister behavior had previously led to Sasha's wrongful imprisonment in the dreaded Tyur'ma. Sasha's mission: reforming that prison. First, along with fellow escaped inmates Feliks and Katia, the girls find a way to release the wrongly held Prince Anatol, Anastasia's brother. Their world turns upside down when they must turn their attention to finding the queen. Then the plot twists and turns as often as the brave little band of friends twists and turns through secret corridors in, under, and above grand marble institutions and dark alleyways alike. Moscow-like Demidova and its surrounding, cold-climate environs (populated by an all-white cast with Russian names) are brought to life through Valor's observations. Feliks and Katia bring both subtle humor and questions about class distinctions to the text. References to women as scholars, prison guards, and rulers abound in this thrill-a-minute adventure story, which gracefully recaps Book 1. The end both satisfies and leaves space for a sequel.There is no magic, per se, but the book is otherwise true to the best fantasy traditions for preteens. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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