Marie Rutkoski

The Kronos Chronicles — (2008-2011) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Petra Kronos has a simple, happy life. But it's never been ordinary. She has a pet tin spider named Astrophil who likes to hide in her snarled hair and give her advice. Her best friend can trap lightning inside a glass sphere. Petra also has a father in faraway Prague who is able to move metal with his mind. He has been commissioned by the prince of Bohemia to build the world's finest astronomical clock. Petra's life is forever changed when, one day, her father returns home — blind. The prince has stolen his eyes, enchanted them, and now wears them. But why? Petra doesn't know, but she knows this: she will go to Prague, sneak into Salamander Castle, and steal her father's eyes back. Joining forces with Neel, whose fingers extend into invisible ghosts that pick locks and pockets, Petra finds that many people in the castle are not what they seem, and that her father's clock has powers capable of destroying their world. This startling debut novel, about the risks we take to protect those we love, brims with magic, political intrigue, and heroism.

The Cabinet of Wonders

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski is perhaps not itself a "wonder" (that sort of praise is a bit too breathlessly over the top), but it comes close enough to deserve an enthusiastic recommendation and a preeminent place on any child's shelf. Start with several appealing and richly drawn characters; add an inventive mix of history, folk tales, and the author's own plotting; toss in an original blend of various magics and technologies, sprinkle a few grim moments about and several more whimsical ones; add one villain who both charms and chills, and a possible ally who mostly just chills; and top it all off with an intelligent mechanical spider and what you get is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Cabinet of Wonders is set near the end of the 16th century in quasi-historical Prague, capital of Bohemia and home to its ruler, young Prince Rodolpho, one of three sons to the Hapsburg emperor. Rodolpho has recently commissioned the construction of a wondrous astronomical clock for Prague and the book opens up with the return home of the clock's builder — Mikal Kronos. This is one of those grim moments, for Mikal's "reward" for completing the clock was having his eyes removed, ostensibly so he could never build anything so wondrous again, leaving the Prince with a one-of-a-kind marvel.

Mikal is welcomed home by his 12-year-old daughter Petra, who is of course horrified and furious at the Prince's action. Even more so when she learns that at the Prince's behest, Mikal (who like many in this world has a unique magical talent) has imbued the clock with powers well beyond simply telling time — powers that will be fully realized once the Prince manages to assemble the one part Mikal left undone. Wanting revenge for the Prince's cruelty, and regained sight for her father, Petra decides to steal away to Prague and find some way to steal back her father's eyes.

She is accompanied by a mechanical spider named Astrophil (one of several "tin pets" her father has created) and then in Prague meets and befriends a young Roma thief named Neel whose magical talent, "ghost fingers," just might come in handy. All three of these characters — Petra, Astrophil, and Neel — are appealing and are richly and concisely drawn. This is true about almost all the characters we meet, including Prince Rodolpho, his cousin Iris (whose skin leaks acid and who Petra works for in the castle), and John Dee (English spy and magician who has his own plans for Petra, the clock, and the Prince). All of these play a major role in The Cabinet of Wonders, but minor characters aren't slighted in the characterization or plot departments — each feels like an individual, and several play surprising roles.

The Cabinet of Wonders moves along at a quick pace but we still get lots of rich detail when needed and lots of wonderfully original flights of imagination. It is a supremely efficient book, one that is concise and lean but never feels like it's glossing over things or leaving things out completely. In a genre dominated by doorstopper books, most of which could have been cut by a quarter at least with no harm to the reading experience, it's a true pleasure to come across a fantasy author who can offer up so much so economically. And a tip of the hat as well for giving us a complete book — one that can stand alone but that also leaves room for a sequel.

As for flaws, there are a few points where things happen a bit too easily, and now and then there might be some clunky dialogue or exposition, but these are relatively rare occasions and are more than outweighed by Petra's sparkly appeal and the author's sense of invention. Enthusiastically recommended.
—Bill Capossere

The Celestial Globe

The Celestial Globe is the second book in Marie Rutkoski’s Kronos Chronicles, following last year’s Cabinet of Wonders, which was a wonderful start with strong characterization, a creative mix of 16th century history and folk tales in service of a compelling plot, and a wonderful sense of both light and grim whimsy. The Celestial Globe isn’t as strong, but it’s a rewarding read in its own right and more than fulfills the purpose of a second book: convincing the reader to stay with the series.

The young girl Petra is back as the central character, along with her several compatriots: a mechanical spider named Astrophil, a young Roma named Neel whose magical gift is “ghost fingers” that invisibly extend his reach, and her long-time best friend Tomik, whose skill involves glass. Also reappearing is the villainous Rudolpho, Prince of Bohemia (who had Petra’s father’s eyes removed in book one) and the much more gray English spy and magician John Dee.

The precipitating event is an attack by Prince Rudolpho’s “Gray Men” on Petra’s home. Saved by Dee via a “Loophole” in space, Petra ends up a semi-prisoner in his London home while he tries to learn just what her magical abilities are while also teaching her how to use/hone them. In due time, Petra finds herself caught up in an investigation into the murders of two of Queen Elizabeth’s most prominent counselors.

Meanwhile, Tomik, in attempting to follow Petra, accidentally walks through the Loophole and ends up captured by Neel, who is sailing with a ship of Roma pirates seeking the title object:  The Celestial Globe, which in concert with its twin will allow anyone to find and travel at will through any of a number of Loopholes around the world. Eventually, of course, the characters’ paths will intertwine, but not before all learn more about themselves and the world they move in.

The Celestial Globe shares the same strong characterization from Cabinet of Wonders. Petra, especially, is a fully-fleshed independent young girl whom we enjoy watching mature into an equally independent but somewhat wiser young woman, a process occasioned by the rough tutelage of Dee and the warmer mentorship of Astrophil, along with the grim events that surround and shape her. Astrophil is also sharply drawn, despite being a mechanical spider; while Dee, due to the mystery that surrounds him — his abilities and his motivations — is cloudier but no less compelling a character. Neel and Tomik pale a bit in comparison, mostly because their character development is more predictable and because their storyline is much more plot-centric.

The plot itself is solid:  Neel and Tomik’s quest for the Celestial Globe and their attempts to evade those who want it for more inimical ends is, like the progression of their relationship, a bit predictable and plain. Petra’s story is more interesting, more compelling in its development of her character, the complexity of her relationships (with Dee, with Dee’s daughters, with Kit — her current fencing tutor and former spy) and in the development of the murder mystery, which also involves both English and global politics. There’s no doubt the plot lacks the suspense and inventiveness of Cabinet of Wonders, but the expansion into the grander repercussions (Tomik, for instance, immediately recognizes the danger of the Globes/Loopholes as a weapon in the hands of an aggressive ruler) somewhat makes up for the lesser personal suspense, if not the smaller sense of wonder.

The history is deftly handled and not simply woven into the storyline but essential to it, with the introduction of famous historical figures who show up with none of that sense of forced “cameo-like” appearances one sees in lesser historical fiction (whether children's or adults').

While I can’t say I enjoyed the more straightforward The Celestial Globe as much as I did the sheer inventiveness of Cabinet of Wonders, it still was an enjoyable read and more than did its job of keeping the reader eager to see what happens next. Recommended. —Bill Capossere

The Jewel of the Kalderash

The Jewel of the Kalderash is the third and final book in the children's historical fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles by Marie Rutkoski. The first, The Cabinet of Wonders, was excellent (I gave it a strong 4 in my review) and while the second book, The Celestial Globe, wasn’t quite as good, that was mostly due to Cabinet being so strong. The Jewel of the Kalderash, like its predecessor, doesn’t quite reach the quality of The Cabinet of Wonders, but it is quite good — certainly better than much of what I see — and makes for a wholly satisfactory close to the trilogy.

In this final volume, the villainous Prince Rodolfo is quickly and seemingly inevitably moving toward becoming Emperor and cementing his rule over much of Europe, intimidating or killing those who would stand in his way. In preparation, he is also greatly expanding his army of horrific Grey Men, prisoners that he has transformed into brutish, four-legged, bloodthirsty monsters. One of these is Petra’s father and along with trying to stop Rodolfo’s move to consolidate power, she also is desperately seeking a cure to bring her father back. The tug between what is at times these two competing desires — one a purely personal and some might say selfish one, the other a more selfless global concern — is one of the more moving elements of the story. Connected to the same plot point is the tension that always arises when Petra or others face a group of Grey Men and invariably end up having to kill all or some in self-defense — the question of course always being “was one of those killed Petra’s father?”

The book begins with Petra, Astrophil (her mechanical intelligent spider), Tomik (her childhood best friend) and Neel (a recent friend who may become more) arriving at the secret home of Neel’s people, the Roma. Soon Neel’s world is turned upside down and he becomes a person of some influence among the Roma. Eventually, the story splits in two, with Neel remaining among the Roma and trying to unify the four clans that often fight among themselves. Meanwhile, Tomik and Petra leave to try and find the cure for Petra’s father and to try and stop Rodolfo. By the end, of course, the stories come back together.

One of the major strengths of the trilogy has always been the characterization and this is true of The Jewel of the Kalderash as well. Petra has always been a strong, engaging character and that continues here, though she has her expected moments of doubt and fear. Her strength, however, is nicely complex. She doesn’t simply move forward by force of will as one often sees in these kinds of characters; sometimes her strength is portrayed as ill-advised stubbornness, or more movingly, as a trait that keeps her alone. She grows in many ways throughout the series, but one of the best is her slow realization that while she often has had to rely only on herself, that doesn’t mean she always has to. In an earlier book, she was greatly hurt by one she trusted and in this one we see her slowly learn to trust once again. That it turns out to be Neel is not any great spoiler; it is pretty predictable, as is her rejection of Tomik, who has long loved her. So yes, we do have the usual YA triangle here, but it’s understated and handled in a mostly subtle fashion. And if it ends where we expect it to, that isn’t the same as saying neither the journey nor the destination are fully satisfying. Petra, Neel, Tomik, and Astrophil all are distinctive characters one enjoys spending time with. Rutkoski does a nice job with most of the minor characters as well. John Dee returns in his usual maddeningly cool and devious fashion — a character one has a hard time trusting but also disliking. And one who adds some depth due to his seeming philosophy of the ends justify the means — a philosophy well worth pondering. Iris, the woman whose talent is color; Treb, Neel’s cousin; and a few other smaller characters are also sharply drawn despite a lack of page time. The same isn’t true of all. Two nobleborn rebels that Petra and Tomik end up sheltering with are a bit sketchy, which is too bad as they play a major part in the ending. And Rodolfo is somewhat cardboard in his appearance here, though he’s barely present in the book save as the motivating plot force.

It’s a quick-moving plot; I’d say a bit too quick at the end where things felt a little rushed, a little abrupt. Until the end, it’s mostly well paced. At times it’s a bit predictable, and sometimes things fall a little easily into place. The story lacks the rich setting detail of the first book because the characters are moving so much. The novel is more plot-driven than character-driven, with more fight scenes and explosions and a big battle. As the historical and cultural background was one of the things that made me appreciate The Cabinet of Wonders so much, I have to admit I felt its lack here, making The Jewel of the Kalderash still a good book but not quite a great book. But as a whole, I highly recommend the Kronos Chronicles for its rich historical and cultural detail (mostly in the first book and somewhat in the second), its strong central and secondary characters (throughout the series), and for how it satisfyingly brings the story and the characters to a welcome, if not always happy or fully happy, close.
—Bill Capossere