The Cabinet of Wonders (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- The Cabinet of Wonders
When Mikal Kronos creates a fabulous clock for the prince of Bohemia, a clock that can control the weather as well as tell the time, the prince repays him by stealing his sight. Kronos' twelve-year-old daughter, Petra, determinedly heads for the palace to see if she can reclaim her father's eyes; her task becomes harder when a mysterious spy from England (there on behalf of his queen) blackmails her into promising that she will find a way to destroy the weather-affecting abilities of the clock. Petra finds both the eyes and the heart of the clock in the prince's cabinet of wonders, a well-guarded room filled with precious and bizarre artifacts, but will the prince follow her home to take his revenge? An author's note places this story in Prague at the end of the sixteenth century but claims no historical accuracy; rather, Rutkoski effectively uses the romance of the region and the mystique of gypsy legends to evoke an atmosphere of danger and adventure. Her well-crafted fantasy world is a mix of magic and technology, horse-drawn conveyances and sentient tin toys that, along with the thoroughly likable characters, will quickly draw readers in and have them eagerly anticipating the next installment in this series. [End Page 491]
