The Situation: Madeline Hathaway says she does not believe in fate, and honestly, who can blame her? It certainly has not been kind, and since her mother's death, she has decided she needs to take more control of what happens around her. So she helps her father sell books on the ren faire circuit, while also making and selling her mother's jewelry designs; is careful to maintain her one, and only one, friendship she has ever truly had; and is doing her best to keep a detailed tally of things she has noticed about her life. Oh, and she is determined not to give a family heirloom any power...one that her parents insisted decided their fate at many crucial life moments...a coin that has already managed to let Madeline down.
The Problem: Madeline's carefully organized plans are interrupted when the young bard of the Stormsworth Faire sees her looking out over the moat, which doubles as a lazy river for floating. His name is Arthur, and he soon insists that Madeline should be the princess for the remainder of the faire, something that she is absolutely not interested in doing. But Arthur is persistent, his dads are able to work magic with makeup and clothes, and when Madeline finds herself being presented to the Stormsworth crowds as their princess, she makes herself force down her insecurities about her body, her grief about her mom, and her general anxieties about life, and play the part. Arthur may be annoying, and dramatic, but Madeline soon realizes she is having fun. Her only hope is that the fate she does not believe in does not somehow get in the way.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel that takes place over one summer at the fictional Stormsworth Renaissance Faire in Oklahoma. Madeline has practically grown up on the ren faire circuit with her parents, touring the country in their RV and homeschooling their only child. This year will be different though, as it has been nearly a year since Madeline's mother died of cancer, and Stormsworth was her favorite of all of the faires. Madeline is still working through her grief, even attending weekly virtual sessions with a therapist. And in her mind, the last thing she needs is a meddlesome bard insisting she break out of herself. Over the summer, Madeline must confront her complicated history with fate (and a coin that she has come to believe knows what is best for her), her complicated feelings about her body, her grief, and eventually, her feelings about a certain bard who does not know when the give up.
My Verdict: I certainly was not disappointed in the setting of the ren faire, or in the protagonist of the story. I do love a story that has the main character live in a somewhat unconventional home, and Madeline's RV that she lives in full-time with her father as they tour Renaissance faires across the country certainly checks that box. And then there is Madeline herself, who is plus-sized, and not at all concerned with clothes and makeup, and is simply attempting to navigate the ren faire world she loves, but without her mother. Something I had a hard time getting past, especially in the beginning, was the character of Arthur. Pushy, insistent, often obtrusive, and sometimes creepy as he follows Madeline around, I was not sold on him as a likeable character. And honestly, even now that I have finished reading the book, I am still not a big fan of his. I am almost certainly in the minority on that one, but Arthur was not for me. Other than that, it is a delightful read.
Favorite Moment: There is a moment early on in the book when it is revealed that the jousters will be using camels instead of horses. Apparently this is more common than I thought...but still...
Favorite Character: I like Madeline because she comes through as a real person. Yes, she is a teenager who was homeschooled and raised in an RV because her parents tour the Renaissance faire circuit. I understand that sentence looks ridiculous when written that way, but I believed the character and enjoyed getting to know her.
Recommended Reading: I recommend The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen.
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