Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Wisdom’s Kiss.

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert.  Wisdom’s Kiss.     Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher, 2011.

284p.   $16.99.  ISBN 978-0-547-56687-0     ms/hs   Fantasy           VG-BN                      

Wisdom’s (Dizzy) impending marriage to the Duke of Farina provides the springboard to a hilarious and engaging supernatural tale, complete with a love triangle, tales of intrigue, and hints of various fairy tales.   A feisty clairvoyant barmaid, a soldier who is not what he seems to be, a princess longing for adventure, and evil conniving duchess, and an uncanny feline all fall together in an unlikely mix in this enchanting fantasy.  And Princess Ben is back as a still-resourceful queen mother.  The story is told through diaries, memoirs, encyclopedia entries, letters, biographies, and a stage play.  Murdock’s strong female characters and sense of humor, coupled with double entendres and pieces of -- and allusions to -- classic fairy tales, all make for a delightful romp.  Older readers will get the double entendres, and younger readers will enjoy the adventure.  All in all, this sort-of sequel to Princess Ben has all the makings of a wonderful yarn for a multigenerational audience.            

 Subject: Supernatural Tale     

Pat Naismith