FLORA SEGUNDA
Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog
by Ysabeau S. Wilce
A thoroughly original magical world marks this witty debut. Flora Nemain Fyrdraaca ov Fyrdraaca is not looking forward to her 14th-birthday celebration. Like everyone in her family, Flora is expected to become a soldier, but she’d rather be a ranger, casting spells and spying for her country. Her mother is always away leading the nation’s armies, her father’s been a madman since he was broken in prison during the Huitzil War and her once-great family home, Crackpot Hall, is a filthy wreck. When Flora discovers the magical Butler of Crackpot Hall, banished by her mother years before, she sees her chance to restore her home to its former glory. Of course, he doesn’t seem quite trustworthy, but does that matter if he will clean the house, do her homework and help her perform dashing rescues? Flora’s world is richly flavored with detailed costumes and the political intrigues of a war that ended before Flora was even born. Tantalizingly, the open-ended conclusion hints there might be more to come from this compelling and funny heroine. (Fantasy. 12-14)