Shirley Clute

Rescued from the dragon’s lair and named “Ama” by the handsome and daring Prince Emory, Ama has no other memories other than awakening naked and freezing in Emory’s arms as his horse carries them back to the Kingdom of Harding where he will be crowned king. Ensconced in the chambers of The Queen in Waiting, and surrounded by luxury Ama still struggles to make sense of this new life in a kingdom where the very walls have eyes and her every move is watched. As the story builds to its shocking conclusion the tension is so thick you could cut with a knife. In this fairy tale happily ever after is subject to the whims of men and some princes are charming only when they choose to be, some damsels never asked to be rescued in the first place, and some dragons are not what they seem. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a provocative book. If the patriarchy has its knickers in a twist over Barbie their heads will explode if they read this one; it ruthlessly exposes the casual cruelty and narcissistic control that comes part and parcel with male dominance.

This is the kind of story line you’d get if Tennessee Williams and Toni Morrison decided to collaborate on a novel while dropping acid. It’s a hot mess of Southern poverty and dysfunction dropped inside a funeral home. The ending was horrible, the plot line was weird, plodding and never made any sense whatsoever. I felt relieved when I finally got to the end of it and seriously angry that I wasted so much time on a story that couldn’t seem to find itself.