To The King a Daughter

To The King a Daughter by Andre Norton and Sasha Miller
Tor Fantasy - June 18, 2001
320 pages

There are four Houses: Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan. They have lived in harmony for centuries, but things are changing. The current king of the kingdom of Rendel, Boroth, is a drunkard Oak, and the queen, Ysa, is a scheming magician and Yew. Oak is slowly beginning its descent, and Ash and Rowan are almost dead. Yew, on the other hand, thrives. All that may change, however. After a prophecy predicting Ash overthrowing the queen, Ysa has seen to it that no Ash survives, but in the mysterious Boglands, a magician woman takes care of the last surviving Ash daughter after the mother dies.

This book moved rather slowly for my tastes. There are twenty-three chapters in Norton and Miller's novel, and it is only well into the teens that the characters begin to come together from their separate storylines. On the bright side, this should have allowed for ample time for characterization, which it did for Ashen, the protagonist and forementioned Ash daughter. On the other hand, I never felt for Queen Ysa's pain, even though chapters were written trying to feel sorry for her. Why Norton would have done this when we are supposed to be cheering against her, I do not know. There is a map in the beginning of the book that shows the Boglands as south of Rendel, yet there are multiple references to them being north or west, the latter being impossible since Rendel borders the ocean. I do not understand the Sea Rovers' importance in all of this and never really felt for them. This was the first Andre Norton book I've read, and I have heard good things about all the others, so I hope they are better. Will I read Knight or Knave, the second book? It depends on what else I'm doing.

Grade: B