Customer Reviews

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog (Magic Carpet Books)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved this book! It has a terrific narrative voice; it's told by Flora Fyrdracca herself, who is about to turn 14 and, unfortunately, be sent to study war, like her mother, Buck, the Warlord's military leader. Flora would far rather become a Ranger like her hero, Nini Mo--and man, so would I. Rangers are independent scouts and spies who can do magic and have amazing adventures. Flora lives pretty much on her own (Buck is often away and her father, Poppy, is mad and/or drunk most of the time) in a rambling, crumbling magical house. Things start to liven up for poor Flora (who stays pretty lively, despite having a tough time) when she discovers Val, a Butler, a magical being who is supposed to keep the house in order.

The tone of the book is wonderful, and the voice sizzles with energy. Take, for example, this exchange about Buck between Flora and the Butler:

"Mamma is not afraid of anything." In her youth, my mamma killed a jaguar with a shovel. She's won the Warlord's Hammer twice. She's fought three duels, one bare-knuckled, and won them all. And, of course, she's been married to Poppy for twenty-eight years, which alone takes a lot of sand.
"Pah. You can be as brave as a lion on the outside, Flora Segunda," Val answered, "and fight bears with your fingernails and stare down monsters until they melt into little puddles of goo at your feet and still be a coward inside, in your heart, where it counts."

And here, part of the Butler's tour of the house:

"...Slippery Stairs, where Anacreon Fyrdracca broke his nose sliding down on a tea tray...Beekeeping Room, don't bother them, Udo, ad they won't bother you...Formerly Secret Cubbyhole...Because it can't be secret if you know where it is, that's why, Madama Smartie...Luggage Mezzanine...I wonder if that salesman is still in the linen basket, I should come back and check...Eternal Atrium, look how large that tree has become, I must raise the roof in here or it's going to go right through the ceiling...The Gun room, what on earth did Buck do with my .50 caliber Gatling...The Halfway Point--"

You get the idea--it's a tremendous amount of fun.

Several years ago I read a short story by this author which was so jaw-droppingly fantastic it turned me into a cyber-stalker, always on the prowl for more. Needless to say I was delighted when this novel finally popped up. Although plainly written for young teens, with prose and content adjusted accordingly, Flora Segunda provides another glimpse into the vibrant world of Califa, the product of such a singular imagination I'm at a loss for words, Grammatickal or otherwise, to describe it. Quiero mas y mas, Madama Wilce!

I had the honor of being a friend of the author's when we were many years younger, and was privy to the creation of much of the backstory of this, her first book. All I can say is that it was well worth every drop of sweat, courage, frustration, and love. Congratulations, Bo. It's a rich, textured, powerful, and utterly spellbinding work.

As for the rest of you lot, go read Flora Segunda. Go read right now. ;)

Synopsis from Harcourt's website: "Flora knows better than to take shortcuts in her family home, Crackpot Hall--the house has eleven thousand rooms, and ever since her mother banished the magickal butler, those rooms move around at random. But Flora is late for school, so she takes the unpredictable elevator anyway. Huge mistake. Lost in her own house, she stumbles upon the long-banished butler--and into a mind-blowing muddle of intrigue and betrayal that changes her world forever."

This was a lively read, never a dull moment for Flora and co. The characters were all interesting, but rather bizarrely so. The book itself had some wonderful moments and adventures, but at the same time seemed to leap, hop, halt and skip around like an untamed colt. The whole thing was so odd, so different, that I couldn't quite get myself to like it. Excitement, check. Page-turner, check. Interesting (albeit weird) characters, check. The writing itself was good, I suppose. However, everything in this world seemed so unconnected and the surprises in the book would be more aptly termed shocks! For characters, I preferred Flora's papa and her friend Udo Landašon to Flora herself.

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog was a little too strange for me. (Although how can you not love that title?) In ways I want to recommend it because it was a unique, funnish sort of tale. But the mishaps outweighed the magic for me. Read it if it sounds interesting to you, but beware its un-normality.

Ysabeau Wilce has created a truly original imaginary world refreshingly free of the cliches of the fantasy genre. What's more, she's provided the perfect tour guide to this world: Flora Fyrdraaca, an irreverent, eager, believably adolescent narrator scheming to escape the expectations of her family and become a Ranger--a magic-using secret agent--instead of following family tradition into the army, madness, and doom. Assigned to write a speech in praise of her noble House, Flora narrowly rejects openings like "Crackpot Hall has 11,000 rooms but only one potty." Indeed, the ancestral pile has seen better days, partly for reasons bound up in the power plays of Flora's illustrious mother, a famous general who tolerates no insubordination and has disabled the magical Butler that should keep the house in order. Motivated partly by sympathy and partly by the desire to have someone else muck out the stable, Flora sets herself a quest to restore the Butler to his rightful place, but she soon discovers that the price of a little help with the housework can be, almost literally, her soul. Flora's quirky comic voice always keeps the danger of her predicament and the dysfunctionality of her family from weighing down the story, which bounces lightly along to its conclusion--or rather, temporary conclusion, because this is the first volume of a trilogy. I'm no Young Adult, and this is a Young Adult book, but I can hardly wait for Volume 2.

This a very refreshing piece which will be inevitably compared to Harry Potter. Yes, it is a fantasy aiming at younger readers and it deals with magic, it also builds a rich multifaceted world with abundance of interesting characters and fascinating history. I also could not put it down before I finished it. So if it absolutely must be compared to Harry Potter, which I am fond of, then yes, it is an equally entertaining book of the same geanre. In fact it is one of the most entertaining books of its kind I have read in last few years. Sadly many others I could not even finish because they were too boring. Which is not the case here.
The story is narrated by the main character, 13-year old Flora Segunda (Segunda, because her older sister Flora was abducted and never heard of since before her birth) on the eve of her 14-th birthday and Catorcena - coming of age ceremony. Her family is in decline, her magic 11,000 room house too, due to the fact that the magic butler is banished by her mother and can not take care of the grounds anymore. Her dad suffers from occasional feats of madness as a result of torture during imprisonment by the enemies, her sister is serving in the army and so is her mom - a General who is rarely home. There is a long term war going on with some interesting foes and mystery alliances. Flora attempts to unbanish the fading butler so he can do house chores for her and more. But in the process she begins to fade herself. She needs to do something about it until it is too late with the help of her faithful friend Udo and inspiration from famous ranger Nini Mo.
The writer managed to create a world full of possibilities to explore its history and mythology. Many hints and details are dropped around that make you want to learn more. The use of language is admirable, many words are changed just enough for us to recognize what they mean, but also to emphasize - this is not the world we know. But it makes it more fascinating.
Eagerly waiting for a sequel!

Here's a fact: Ysabeau S. Wilce is profoundly original. If you read all the customer reviews here, you'll get the sense that this is not your formula fantasy. But let's make that point more clearly--you will never read another story like this one (unless, possibly, it's her next one, which we all eagerly anticipate).

This is the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of what could, and certainly should, be the next story franchise that graduates from cult status to mainstream blockbuster. Wilce doesn't sugar coat the risks of adolescence: she dips them in ice cream, lights them on fire, and serves the reader a flaming torch of strange wonder.

Laughter and thrilling excitement are delightful companions all through this romp. The subtitle gives a sense of the former, but don't underestimate Wilce's storytelling: great characters in real trouble make for great reading, and Flora is a heroine who speaks equally to the reality as well as the ambitions of young people.

Oh yes, and while this is not specifically a unique observation, I'd also like to note that it is always refreshing to find a fantasy that does not take place in something that could pass for Northern Europe.

Thirteen-year-old Flora Fyrdraaca is about to celebrate her Catorcena, the momentous 14th birthday celebration that marks her recognition as an adult and a full member of Califa society. Unfortunately, Flora doesn't feel like she has much to celebrate. Her home, Crackpot Hall, one of the four great Houses in the city, is crumbling around her. The family's butler has been banished, leaving Flora to do most of the household chores.

Flora's mother, nicknamed the "Rock of Califa," the Commanding General of the military, is often on military duty and rarely at home. Flora's entire family, in fact, from her older sister Idden to her father --- who spends his days in isolation after being hopelessly shellshocked following a stint as a prisoner of war --- is well known for their warlike qualities, bravery in battle and brilliant military strategies.

Everyone, that is, except Flora. Named after her beautiful, brilliant older sister who disappeared in battle before the second Flora's birth and whose reputation hangs over her like a curse, Flora Segunda's deepest wish is to become a Ranger. Like her hero, the legendary Ranger Nini Mo, Flora longs to practice the arts of magick, to "act as the eyes and ears of the Army, to go where no soldier could go, and to use cunning and cleverness --- and magick --- to win the kinds of battles that are not fought with guns and swords."

But the Ranger Corps has been disbanded, and after her Catorcena, Flora will be expected to go to the Barracks and fulfill her hereditary destiny: "to be a killer, a servant, a slave. To learn to follow orders like Idden, and to learn to kill, like Poppy, and to learn to give everything for my country, like Mamma." Flora's mother despises magick, her father is incapacitated, and her sister is just plain gone. In whom can Flora confide her true ambitions?

On the eve of her Catorcena, Flora embarks on some adventures of her own, escapades involving pirates, executions and disguises that would be worthy of Nini Mo herself. Flora is just learning, though, and her exploits both illustrate her intrinsic bravery and her inexperience, as she makes mistakes that put her own life, and the lives and careers of her friends and family, in grave danger.

FLORA SEGUNDA, Ysabeau S. Wilce's first novel, is an ambitious and largely successful debut. Her fantasy world is intricately detailed and elaborate, with its own political systems, national and group loyalties, and language systems, including a particularly innovative use of slang. Some readers may be put off by the book's heavy focus on military strategy and espionage, as well as by its linguistic and narrative complexity. Others, though, especially fans of robust, detailed fantasy novels, Flora's world wholeheartedly and will eagerly await the next installment in Wilce's projected trilogy.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

I know that this is a book aimed for the "young adult" or early teen audience, but the sub-title really amused me, so I read it.

And I liked it. Following the tribulations of Flora, a girl about to pass the 14th birthday threshold into maturity, we enter into a world of magic and fantastic beings that seems to have some similarities, in names at least, to California.

Between the chores of maintaining an 11,000 room house, returning the butler (a denizen of potent powers) to its place in the home, dealing with a daring rescue, and coping with an insane father; poor Flora must also prepare for her Catorcena ceremony to mark her birthday. But the denizen is not totally honest, the prisoner is not what he seems, and her best friend has an ego the size of his wardrobe, which is considerable.

Following the example of the legendary Ranger, Nini Mo, Flora jumps from situation to disaster and back again in a fast-paced and interesting tale. The characters are well thought out, and all have some strange quirks and virtues. The writing captures the whimsy of the setting while still giving the adventure some teeth. Plenty of room is left for sequels.

While I might not read more by this author (it is for a younger crowd, after all), I'm holding on to this for my daughter when she's old enough. She'll love it!

Flora Fydraaca's Catorcena is coming up and she hasn't finished her dress or her speech. The main problem with the speech is that it's supposed to celebrate everything great and glorious about her family, the Fyrdraaca's, and her home, Crackpot Hall, and it all has to be true. Unfortunately, Flora doesn't find either of these things to be particularly great or glorious. Maybe they were once, but not since Flora can remember.

Once her father was a great champion fighter and rider. Now he just hides up in his rooms, and occasionally has fits of insanity. He went crazy years ago during the war, when he tried, and failed, to rescue the first Flora from abductors. Flora's mother is the Warlord's Commanding General, so she seems pretty glorious, but she's hardly ever home. Flora's sister Idden is a general in an elite part of the army, but Flora's not interested in that. Even though it's what she's expected to do after school.

Crackpot Hall sounds like it was unbelievable before Flora was born, but then her mother banished the magickal Butler. Ever since then the windows leak, the garden has become a jungle, stairways forget to finish, hallways end in nothing, etc. There are 11,000 rooms in Crackpot Hall, but Flora and her family can only get to a few of them. Those few rooms stay only as clean as Flora can manage between school, her father's outbursts, and taking care of the dogs.

One day, already running late for school, Flora has to run back inside to get a well-overdue library book. Knowing the risk, she takes a chance and takes the elevator. She ends up in a part of the house she never even knew existed. A place that contains a million books and what's left of the now very bitter, banished Butler. He's literally wasting away to nothing.

He thinks Flora can help him. Maybe she can. Maybe the more important question is should she help him? Regardless, a chain of events is set in motion that will alter Flora, the Fyrdraaca family, and possibly Crackpot Hall, completely.

A magical adventure with a host of peculiar characters, most of which are well-developed and extremely entertaining. Flora's life is exciting, eventful, and sometimes dangerous. Help comes in strange ways from the most unexpected places, and learning to be herself may be the hardest and most important thing Flora has ever done.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman