Thirteen year old Reveka is best known for her lies Her dream is to be an herbalist and she’s quickly absorbing all she can about plants and their medicinal uses. But, as always, the fine hand of fate is at work and Reveka is about to find herself tangled in a web of fairy tale and myth. Each night the twelve princesses disappear. Sound familiar?
In tandem with the disappearing princesses is the disappearance of souls as they fall into a deep sleep where no one can reach them. The tower is filling up with one after another succumbing to the unhidden power. Reveka, with a curious nature, finds herself below the Earth via a cap of invisibility where she follows the princesses and eventually meets a zmeu.
The myth of Hades and Persephone echoes here but the story line takes a few twists and turns. Reveka is the only hope for all of the slumbering folk. What is she willing to sacrifice to save her own father and those she cares so deeply for? Who is this entity, this zmeu, who changes from one form above ground and then becomes something else entirely in his own kingdom below?
A fairytale in its own right, written in first person, we zig and zag through a mythical land set somewhere near Hungary. The story is a good yarn which would make a fun read aloud especially for girls. Not so much cliffhangers as it is filled with winding turns so it’s good for girls who loved Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George or Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine or even Patricia Wrede’s wonderful Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Ages 8-12
