The Plague by Joanne Dahme

I am starting to feel a bit repetitive lately, but this is yet another book that had a superb concept, but poor execution. The story is set in Medieval Europe where Nell, a commoner, serves as Princess Joan of England’s double. When the princess dies en route to her wedding to the Spanish heir, the Black Prince, determined to forge the alliance with Spain at all costs, forces Nell to take her place.

Now, up to this point, the story was rather interesting. Where it falls apart entirely is when we start to see the dark side of the prince. There are hints and suggestions that he is some sort of sorcerer, that he can control the group of rats that keep attacking Nell, her brother, and her protectors as they try to flee from the Prince, that the prince can somehow track their movements using an amulet that he gave Nell’s brother, and that her brother also has some sort of ability to heal those suffering from the plague.

While I have absolutely no problem with a magical bent to the stories I read, the problem here was that it was never developed. Everything was left at the level of superstition, which, while common at the time, ends up being highly unsatisfying in a plot.

I was also left disappointed when I actually did a little research into the time period. I wondered about the depiction of the prince–entirely made up, it appears. In the book, everyone seems to fear him and cower in his presence, including his own soldiers. He is depicted as a heartless, manipulative, evil man. Even a cursory glance into what is really known about the man himself turns up a prince who, while fearsome in battle and hot-tempered, was generally loved and admired. Again, while I don’t mind historical novels taking some liberties, this was a little too much for me.

Overall, as a story, this one isn’t bad. I can see young readers enjoying the adventure, but no one is going to fall in love with the characters or get excited about what happens to them.

July 31, 2009 Posted in: fiction, historical fiction, Young Adult