<i><i>A Tale of Two Castles</i></i> (review)
2011; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 64; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2011.0414
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Crime and Detective Fiction Studies
ResumoReviewed by: A Tale of Two Castles Kate Quealy-Gainer Levine, Gail Carson . A Tale of Two Castles. Harper/HarperCollins, 2011. [356p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-122965-7 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-209838-2 $13.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 4-7. Leaving her small farm town for the bustling world of Two Castles, Elodie has big dreams of becoming a famous actress, but when her meager funds fail to gain her an apprenticeship with the "mansioning" (acting) guild, she finds herself alone in the big city. Fortunately, the local dragon, the Great and Brilliant Meenore, could use an assistant with his duties as the town's veteran detective, and clever Elodie fits the bill nicely. Their first case comes from the owner of one of the two titular castles, a kindly, shapeshifting ogre whose monstrous size (and people-eating ancestors) has drawn the hatred of the townspeople and whose beloved pet is now missing. What starts as a simple dognapping case soon evolves into an elaborate conspiracy involving thieving cats, poisonous herbs, scheming royals, and one innocent girl who must rely on deductive reasoning and her penchant for theatrics if she is to escape with her life. Between the reptilian parody of Sherlock Holmes and the puzzling backstory of the ogre, there is plenty of potential here, but Levine simply misses the mark with her first attempt at the mystery genre. Undue attention is paid to narrator Elodie's affection for "mansioning" and the dramatic bemoaning of her situation, while the genuinely engaging aspects of the book, such as the detective dragon and the royal conspiracy, languish in the background. Threads of subplots, like Meenore's illiteracy, drop off without warning, making the already jumbled plotline even more indiscernible. The final fifty pages do, however, provide a tidily distilled mystery and subsequent resolution. While readers might be better served by Berry's Secondhand Charm (BCCB 12/10), this blend of fantasy and mystery may still appeal to fans of spunky heroines and happy endings. [End Page 477] Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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