Simon Mockler has created an entertaining story about a 10-year-old girl called, Beatrix, who is a queen but doesn’t know. Her status made her a target for the Evil Army and she was sent to live with her aunt and uncle who were paid to protect her. Initially, her aunt, Esmerelda, was happy with the generous payments her sister made. But lately, she has become bored with the arrangement.
Meanwhile, Beatrix is frustrated with all the limitations placed on her. She is confined to live in ten rooms and never allowed outside. She is suspicious that information is being kept from her. The real action begins when Beatrix is betrayed to the Evil Army.
The first few chapters contain a lot of description and explanations, yet this sets the tone for the rest of the book because the descriptions are unusual and visually engaging. Mockler uses a conversational approach and compares life in the palace to things that modern children would be familiar with. It creates an amusing feel to the story, which is important because the evil characters are obsessed with killing people. At times though, I found the plot a bit weak and some characters lacked the motivation to act as they did.
Beatrix’s betrayer escapes to wreak more havoc and provide material for future books in the series.
Overall, it’s a fun story.
Thanks to Christian School Supplier for providing a free book for review.
