I loved this engrossing young adult historical novel set on a fictional island between England and Spain. Montmaray is a sovereign island inhabited by a mad king, his daughter, Princess Veronica, her cousins, Sophie and Henry(etta), the young ladies’ caretaker, Rebecca, and just a handful of others after so many inhabitants died in WWI and the 1918 flu epidemic.
The book starts off as a fun romp of kids living in a relic of a castle— shabby royalty, the possibility of girls presented at court, and Veronica’s almost obsessive interest in her scholarly work, A Brief History of Montmaray. But the outside world begins to intrude on the cousins’ storybook existence. With each arrival of visitors and news, we learn more about the Spanish Civil War and the rise of the Nazis in Europe, until finally a confrontation takes place that places the island and its occupants in grave danger. Harrowing adventure, a fascinating intersection of real and imagined history, and very interesting thoughts about politics, responsibility, history, legacy, and love make this one of my favorite teen books of the season. ~Tegan