C. Esther

The Crown Princess as Wicca? Oh, really?

In the land of Gorath, the monarchy is backed by the magic of a Wicca. The Wicca and the monarchy have a long history in which each Wicca appointed as an advisor to the throne is required to sacrifice home and family in order to serve. There is a prophesy that a crown princess would be born, the first in centuries, and that this crown princess would serve as both Queen and Wicca, serving both functions. Princess Niri appears to fulfill that prophesy; accordingly Wicca Melody feels threatened by it.

Taking steps to imprison the princess whom she has known and loved since birth, Melody embarks on a conspiracy to mislead the royal family as to the whereabouts of the princess. She would have been successful except for the nearly unprecedented intervention of a dragon.

The author takes us on a journey through the wonder of the discovery of magic, through a dark conspiracy in which a person from a very bad background conspires to remain in a position of influence just a little bit longer. The reader is at once sympathetic to Princess Niri, while condemning Melody through strong feelings of empathy for her difficult position. It’s easy to understand Melody’s position, if not her means of accomplishing her goal. Meanwhile, Princess Niri acquires a few loyal friends along the way with extraordinary powers that will stay with her long into the future.

Despite deception and heartache, Oasis in the Clouds is a sweet tale of friendship, of overcoming obstacles, and ensuring that evil plots do not succeed. It has a most unusual and unexpected ending that that makes it a great book for younger readers who love fantasy.… (mehr)