OUP ISBN 9780192773579 £6.99
Celestine and her twin sister Victoria Stitch were born from a diamond, so should have been in line of succession to the throne of Wiskling Wood, but there was a black flaw in the diamond so they were not deemed royal and were sent to live outside the palace. Whilst Celestine is happy with this and just wants to be a jeweller, Victoria bears a strong grudge and feels she is being denied her birth right. When she meets a stranger called Ursuline she is tempted by the suggestion that the latter would be willing to help her gain the throne in the future. Events take a dark turn and Celestine has to fight to discover who has actually killed the Queen and save her wayward sister from a life in prison.
The author is well known for her Isadora Moon stories and, for this book, she has introduced us to slightly older characters and a magical small world, where our own world is spoken of as a place to explore. The two main characters have a very strong bond yet their differing personalities means that they are often at odds with each other; however we gradually realise that each person is a mix of good and bad, it is just that the balance varies from one to the other. Once again Harriet Muncaster has produced her stylish and very gothic looking illustrations which add so much character to the stories. All together this is a great new series aimed at the upper KS2 group (9+).
Margaret Pemberton
