findthatbook | Entries tagged with cat: nobility (princes & princesses)

Hello! I’m looking for a Young Adult novel, fiction. Not sure how long it is, and I only remember a few plot details. It’s about a peasant-type girl who is sent to work in a “Queendom” where women rule rather than men. There’s a rivalry between either a mother/daughter or older/younger sisters in the royal family and each rival has her own “court” color (the colors of the court ladies’ dresses’, flags hung in the halls, and other details, and the two colors are green and blue). The peasant girl is without her mother because she talks about missing her a lot. The girl is assigned to work as a fabric dyer and always talks about her hands being stained yellow, or possibly green. I remember the end specifically because both of the rival royal women end up poisoning each other and the new royal baby, whose color is purple, has a flag raised in her honor over the Queendom, and the peasant girl watches this take place as she is leaving in a horse-pulled cart, possibly being smuggled out. Literally the last words are close to "and she watched the purple flag as it was raised high over the somber queendom" or something. Sadly, I don't remember what the cover looked like. I might have read the novel during the years 2007-2011 when I was in middle or high school. I do believe the specific word "queendom" is used to describe the place to the peasant girl when she first arrives, because she isn't used to the concept. I also think the book may have been part of a series about this girl because I get the impression from my memory of the end of the book that her story continues. I used to think the novel might be part of the 'Gathering Blue' and 'The Giver' series by Lois Lowry but I haven't had luck with that lead, although I may have read those books around the same time. I remember that the younger of the royal females who are fighting over the throne becomes close to the girl, and eventually invites her to the court and gives her a taste of the nice life. There's a male royal adviser character who is playing both sides of the rivalry as well. If anyone has any questions about what I remember please ask! I would love to read this again as an adult.

I didn't read this book but someone else was trying to find this book for 6 years and had no luck so I thought I would try posting their description here.

"I remember reading this fantasy romance novel about a princess (or of a similar standing) being arranged to marry prince from another dark place. I can't seem to remember the name of the book and I never got around to finishing it. Every year, several times a year, I try to do random searches on the net to see if new search terms will reveal this book to me.

I have failed for the past 6 years, so I thought it was high time I asked you guys.

This is what I remember from the novel:

1) The heroine was betrothed from someone from her kingdom/place.

2) She was arranged to be married off for reasons of alliance.

3) It was not forced, in the sense that she knew it was her duty to do the best she could for her people. Her parents also loved her and loathed to have her married off.

4) She sees the hero for the first time at her wedding, she describes him as big and wearing all black. She is somewhat afraid of him.

5) They leave for his kingdom, pretty much after the wedding. On the way there they are assaulted by a band of bandits, or enemies who do not want this alliance (can't remember which one).

6) The heroine is pretty good with a sword and uses that to defend herself. Her new husband becomes enraged that she would defy his orders to stay in the carriage. This other older man is there, a knight? but someone who is almost fatherly towards the hero (later on the heroine finds out that this older man is the hero's father).

7) The couple consummate their wedding in a pond on the way to his kingdom. An affront to my since found feminist sensibilities, but the heroine was a virgin.

8) The hero's castle/home is described as dark, gloomy.

9) The hero lives with his mother and mother's father (the king?) in the castle. The grandfather hates the hero's mother. His mother was married to someone

10) I think, now here, my memory becomes a little fuzzy, but the heroine might have some powers of healing?

11) There is a scene in the bathtub between her and the hero. I don't know why I remember these scenes. :D

12) The heroine finds out something that might affect her kingdom's safety and so she gets on a horse and rides all the way back to her kingdom. She knows that her husband will come back to get her. He does."

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Entries tagged with cat: nobility (princes & princesses)

Need help finding YA fiction, topic: Queendom!

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