A Princess of Roumania
A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park
Fans of Fantasy are eagerly awaiting the midsummer release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and the cinematic release of Charles Vess’ Stardust.
In the meantime I’d like to recommend an exciting new series in the Fantasy realm by Paul Park. Book One, A Princess of Roumania, is about a young woman named Miranda living in Massachusetts who dreams (as young women sometimes do) that she is really a princess from Roumania (This is the spelling used by Paul Park). In fact, she was an orphan in Roumania, adopted by her American parents in the aftermath of the revolution that overthrew Nicolae Ceausescu in the early 90’s. It appeared at the time that her real parents had been killed in the revolution and in the chaos that followed she was abandoned. Miranda remembers a luxurious seaside villa where she thinks she lived with her aunt and a frantic escape on a train. Her adoptive parents were given a bag which contained a book written in Roumanian, a bracelet and some coins. Miranda is convinced that the bag holds the secret of her true identity. And it does.
The bracelet has a pattern which features a tiger crafted in white gold. A professor of Romance languages at the College where her father teaches translates some of the handwritten notes on the flyleaf of the book which speak of the return of the White Tiger when Roumania will be freed of its oppressors.
The book was actually written by Miranda’s aunt, Aegypta and there are only two copies in existence. The second copy is discovered in a trunk at a flea market in Bucharest by a Baroness Ceausescu. The Baroness recognizes the significance of the book and destroys it, believing that that will weaken the Countess Aegypta’s claim to the throne, as well as that of her niece who has disappeared. In burning the book, the Baroness proclaims, “The world is in two places. One false and one real.” All this transpires in a much earlier time frame and the story proceeds along these parallel tracks until the book is destroyed and Miranda, along with two of her friends, is transported back to the earlier time. The Baroness is a conjurer and she summons spirits to search for Miranda. Miranda is captured along with two of her friends, but the transformation works in their favor as they take on characteristics of strength and bravery that allow them to escape.
Miranda believes that her destiny awaits in Roumania and she and her miraculously transformed friends set out for New York where allies of her aunt can arrange her return. The stakes are very high, though; besides the Baroness a German mage is also anxious to capture Miranda and forestall her attempts to rally the Roumanian people. As the book ends Miranda disappears, caught up in his enchantment, leaving her friends to press on.
There are elements of The Lord of the Rings and Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” in this marvelously crafted story. Because the heroine is a young woman, unsure of who she is and anxious to prove herself in a real-life test, it will appeal to older YA readers. Book Two of the series, called The Tourmaline, was published last year. Book three, The White Tyger, came out this year. Pulman’s work has been adapted for the screen and this, along with the release of Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess’ “Stardust” will bring attention to these and other deserving works in the realm of fantasy.