A Posse of Princesses
by Sherwood Smith
I’m afraid a disclaimer is in order here. When it comes to Sherwood Smith, I’m by no means unbiased: her books Court Duel and Crown Duel were staples of my childhood, read and reread ad nauseam (I’m sure that with the late fines I paid on them, I could have actually purchased my own copies, but oh well), and I dipped into the Wren books as well. Unfortunately while the copies of Crown Duel and Court Duel that my library owned were beautiful hardbacks, its copies of the Wren series of books were dusty paperbacks the text of which was scrunched so tightly onto the page that it was as if it didn’t want to be read. Nevertheless –
A Posse of Princesses is a gorgeous book. For me, returning to Sherwood’s world was like climbing into an old dream; but even without that background, this is a great story. Sherwood Smith has the rare ability to write a story which hits all the comfortable marks of this brand of fantasy – courtly intrigue, young love, marriage alliances between warring neighbours – but gives them that tiny twist of reality or, as it may be, unreality. The characters in A Posse of Princesses are all well-rounded and interesting – no cardboard here! – and their personalities, motives and stories are so much more believable than the stereotypes of, for example, the beautiful princess intent on snaring the crown, and various young lovers are forced to see that teenaged infatuation is not necessarily the True Love that ballads tell of. This is a world where magic is so omnipresent as to be mundane, and yet may still enchant your mind if you are caught unawares.
I would recommend this book to readers in their younger teens. That said, however, I’m almost leaving my teens and I enjoyed it immensely, so perhaps it is best to forego such restrictions. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to be immersed in a world of magic and adventure, and both the benefits and the dangers that accompany such things.
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