About this item
A 2014 Michael L. Printz Honor BookA young seamstress and a royal nursemaid find themselves at the center of an epic power struggle in this stunning young-adult debut.On the eve of Princess Sophia's wedding, the Scandinavian city of Skyggehavn prepares to fete the occasion with a sumptuous display of riches: brocade and satin and jewels, feasts of sugar fruit and sweet spiced wine. Yet beneath the veneer of celebration, a shiver of darkness creeps through the palace halls. A mysterious illness plagues the royal family, threatening the lives of the throne's heirs, and a courtier's wolfish hunger for the king's favors sets a devious plot in motion. Here in the palace at Skyggehavn, things are seldom as they seem - and when a single errant prick of a needle sets off a series of events that will alter the course of history, the fates of seamstress Ava Bingen and mute nursemaid Midi Sorte become irrevocably intertwined with that of mad Queen Isabel.
About the Author
Susann Cokal (susanncokal.net) is the author of four hefty books of literary historical fiction: Mermaid Moon, Mirabilis, Breath and Bones, and the multiple award-winning Kingdom of Little Wounds. She lives physically in Virginia and on the web at susanncokal.net.
