CHILD OF FAERIE, CHILD OF EARTH
by Josepha Sherman
Graciosa was chatelaine of her father's castle until he married the hideous Lady Eglantine for her fortune. Jealous of Graciosa's beauty, Eglantine tries to kill her, aided by a minor demon. But Graciosa has caught the eye of Percivet, half-human prince of the faerie lands of Queen Rezaila; he rescues her and takes her to Faerie, where Rezaila tries to arouse Graciosa's latent magical talent. Graciosa resists and returns to earth, where Eglantine sets her impossible tasks like sorting tangled skeins. When, with Percivet's help, she succeeds, Eglantine traps her in a tomb while the demon seizes Percivet. Tapping her talent, Graciosa returns to Faerie; she and Rezaila rescue Percivet, setting the demon free to carry Eglantine's soul to hell. Graciosa returns with Percivet to Faerie. There's little new or engaging in this wicked stepmother story cross-fertilized by Rumpelstiltskin and Tam Lin: Eglantine gets her comeuppance; Percivet's pride goeth before a fall; and Graciosa comes out sadder but wiser. Sigh. Okay for collections with an active interest in fantasy and romance. (Fiction. 10+)