The Shadow by Jenny Moss

In a dying kingdom, prophecy said that the young queen would die before her 16th birthday, and so an orphaned girl was given the task to be the queen's shadow, in the hopes that the queen's fate could be averted and fall on the shadow instead.  But Shadow, for she has no given name, could careless for the prophecy.  Friendless and close-hearted, all Shadow wants is a chance at freedom, freedom from the queen's spite as she is never allowed to be away from the queen's side, but for a few stolen moments, when the guard sleeps on duty.  As the years pass the queen and her shadow are sequestered in the castle for fear of attack on the queen, and Shadow grows to hate her queen and her life in the castle.

When the prophecy is fulfilled, Shadow finds herself fleeing the castle with Sir Kenway, a favorite of the queen and a knight who has been given the duty to protect her but who suspects that she had a hand in the queen's murder. Uncomfortable with her feelings for Sir Kenway, Shadow decides to run away as soon as an opportunity presents itself, but as they journey away from the castle on a quest Shadow finds that her fate is bound to the castle and only by accepting it can she save the people she has learned to love.

I love the idea of a queen's shadow who hates her role, despises the queen, and could careless for her country!  Jenny Moss, gives our reluctant heroine depth which shows through in Shadow's independence and courage.  I did guess very early on the the major part of the twist at the end and I found the love story part of the tale a little trite and forced.  As a whole, the novel was enjoyable, easy to read, the characters well thought out and a refreshingly new tale.

Children of the Lamp : Eye of the Forest

by P. B Kerr

Continuing the marvelous adventure in this 5th installment, twin djinn, Philippa and John Gaunt, find themselves in the midst of a new adventure! Along with their Uncle Nimrod and his unhappy butler, the twins must go deep into the Amazon on the trail of the greedy wizard Virgil Mccreedy in search of the eye of the forest, a fabled gateway to the lost Inca City of Gold.

But all is not what it seems. Clues suggested that the way to the city is booby-trapped or false trails have been left by the Incas and what about that prophecy that twin djinns will destroy the world?

Part of my 100+ reading challenge

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

When spoilt young Harvey Cheyne, son of a multi-millionaire, falls overboard from the ocean liner taking his mother and himself to Europe, he is picked up by a passing fisherman from the Gloucester schooner "We're Here" just beginning its seasons catch.

The captain, believing Harvey to be mad from his wild talk of reward and famous people, refuses to take the boy home until after the fishing season, but justly offers Harvey the chance to work along side his son Dan, a boy of Harvey’s age, with fair wages to help them bring in the catch.

Through disasters and triumphs, in this coming of age, maritime adventure novel, Harvey finds there is more to life than luxury and learns the value of hard work. As Harvey grows from a boy into a man, Kipling masterfully weaves adventure on the high seas with moral insights from the 19th century that are relevant to all generations since.

This book counts towards the 100+ book challenge.