Deception's Princess (Princesses of Myth) - Hardcover

Friesner, Esther

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0449818632 ISBN 13: 9780449818633

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2014

Synopsis

Some lies lead to true adventure. . . .

Maeve, princess of Connacht, was born with her fists clenched. And it's her spirit and courage that make Maeve her father's favorite daughter. But once he becomes the High King, powerful men begin to circle--it's easy to love the girl who brings her husband a kingdom.

Yet Maeve is more than a prize to be won, and she's determined to win the right to decide her own fate. In the court's deadly game of intrigue, she uses her wits to keep her father's friends and enemies close--but not too close. When she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the son of a visiting druid, Maeve faces a brutal decision between her loyalty to her family and to her own heart.

Award-winning author Esther Friesner has a remarkable gift for combining exciting myth and richly researched history. This fiery heroine's fight for independence in first-century Ireland is truly worthy of a bard's tale. Hand Deception's Princess to fans of Tamora Pierce, Shannon Hale, and Malinda Lo.

About this title

About the Author

Nebula Award winner ESTHER FRIESNER is the author of over 40 novels and 150 short stories. Educated at Vassar College and Yale University, where she taught for a number of years, she is also a poet, playwright, and the editor of several anthologies. Her Princesses of Myth books include Nobody's Princess, Nobody's Prize, Sphinx's Princess, Sphinx's Queen, Spirit's Princess, Spirit's Chosen, and Deception's Princess.

Esther is married and a mother of two, harbors cats, and lives in Connecticut. Visit her at sff.net/people/e.friesner and learn more about her Princesses of Myth books at princessesofmyth.com.

Reviews

Gr 5 Up—In the continuation of her "Princesses of Myth" series (Random House), Friesner has entered new ground taking on the legendary Queen Maeve, best known for her role in the Irish epic "The Cattle Raid of Cooley." This new Maeve is not the vain, competitive, and possessive queen of lore, but instead a clever, spirited, and compassionate princess. As the youngest daughter to the High King of the cherished land of Connacht, readers meet five-year-old Maeve when she makes her claim to a herd of cattle by cutting off a portion of the tail of her father's prize and fearsome bull. The tale, which is a lauded by bards for years to come, paints a different picture of Maeve than how she sees herself as she grows into her teenage years as princess and potential heir of the kingdom. Though not high fantasy, fans of Disney's Brave will be delighted to explore the Celtic landscape with another determined, redheaded princess through similar struggles of maintaining control over her destiny, and being more than a prize to be married off to the highest bidder. Chaste romance and royal life makes this a fun tween and early teen novel, but it is especially appropriate for kids that aren't partial to an action-driven plot. Readers may also be disappointed as budding relationships aren't completely resolved, but that along with other loose ends, leaves the door open for an expected sequel.—Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR

In another of Friesner’s Princesses of Myth series, this one set in first-century Ireland, 16-year-old Maeve pushes the boundaries of her family’s and people’s expectations of a young woman of royalty. A red-haired beauty, Maeve is intelligent, with a ready wit and a desire to control her own destiny. Her father, the High King of Eriu, however, dangles her before other kings and princes not only as a prize in her own right but also as a royal merger opportunity. Escaping these royal entanglements requires every bit of Maeve’s diplomacy, tact, and eventually survival instincts as she strives to determine her own fate while protecting her family. Friesner is a poet as well as a novelist, and her dialogue and descriptions harken back to that lilting Irish brogue of yore without creating obvious reading challenges. With homage to the epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley and a focus on early animal husbandry and healing, this may broaden the usual YA historical fiction audience. Grades 7-12. --Frances Bradburn

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0449818632
• ISBN 13: 9780449818633
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336