Princess Kassie, daughter of chess goddess CaĂŻssa and the god of war, Mars, awaits a day-long celebration on Chess Mountain in honor of her twelfth birthday.
But the festivities are abruptly canceled when it is revealed that her friend and fellow young god, Dimitri, did not return home to his own realm after visiting her the night before. CaĂŻssa and Mars are blamed, and war is declared against Chess Mountain.
Kassie is whisked away to dreaded Earth with a mission to complete under the guardianship of a trusted (and fashionable) knight, Maurice. She is enrolled in a school and finds comfort in a chess-loving classroom with a quirky teacher.
Kingdom enemies are near, so Kassie, disguised as a mortal student, must pretend to be bad at chess. As she gets to know her classmates, she finds that humans are quite different than what she was taught.
Caught up in her classmates' conflicts with a chess bully, Kassie struggles to empower them without revealing her identity. Her survival, desperate wish to return to her parents, and the future of Chess Mountain are all at risk.
Can she accomplish what she thinks is right without sacrificing herself?
Princess Kassie, daughter of chess goddess CaĂŻssa and the god of war, Mars, awaits a day-long celebration on Chess Mountain in honor of her twelfth birthday.
But the festivities are abruptly canceled when it is revealed that her friend and fellow young god, Dimitri, did not return home to his own realm after visiting her the night before. CaĂŻssa and Mars are blamed, and war is declared against Chess Mountain.
Kassie is whisked away to dreaded Earth with a mission to complete under the guardianship of a trusted (and fashionable) knight, Maurice. She is enrolled in a school and finds comfort in a chess-loving classroom with a quirky teacher.
Kingdom enemies are near, so Kassie, disguised as a mortal student, must pretend to be bad at chess. As she gets to know her classmates, she finds that humans are quite different than what she was taught.
Caught up in her classmates' conflicts with a chess bully, Kassie struggles to empower them without revealing her identity. Her survival, desperate wish to return to her parents, and the future of Chess Mountain are all at risk.
Can she accomplish what she thinks is right without sacrificing herself?
At dawn, Princess Kassie strode down the path that led from the castle through Chess Mountainâs already bustling marketplace. Tree spiritsâthe dryadsâdisplayed the ripest, brightest, and juiciest fruits. Maternal chess pieces cradled their infant chess babies. As the amber sun rose and painted the kingdom with its tawny hues, others lined up freshly baked goods on a granite table while Kassie passed by.
âHappy birthday, Princess!â a cheerful voice called from behind her. âThereâs a very special cake waiting for you this afternoon!â
Kassie swung around and waved at the baker, a mature bishop. âThank you, Chef Vishy!â The sunâs rays caressed Kassieâs skin, and she tucked back a dangling lock of her chestnut hair to feel the full warmth on her face.
The other sellers waved and bowed. âHappy Birthday, Princess Kassie,â they called. âMay youâand all of us on Chess Mountainâbe blessed today!â
Off to her right, her fatherâs guard marched into the castle courtyard. Strange. She couldnât imagine why theyâd be assembling today.
Oh, I know! Maybe Father is planning a surprise ceremony for my birthday! Kassie brightened at the idea.
Today was her twelfth birthdayâwhich was both exciting and frightening. Her father, Mars, was the god of war and the king of Chess Mountain. CaĂŻssa, her mother, was the queen goddess of chess, thanks to Marsâ invention of the game and his gift of it to her. So, Kassie was already a princessâand would get her own goddess title upon completing her twelfth-year mission. CaĂŻssa, who often had visions, had recently been enlightened in one that her daughterâs mission would start sooner rather than later.
Kassie would need to visit one of Chess Mountainâs sister realmsâ Vesta, Minerva, or Earth. She hoped to be sent to Vesta and experience its vivid landscapes. Minerva presented a darker environment, but the famed wisdom of its population was appealing.
Last on her list was Earth. Everything sheâd studied about that planet depicted it as a crime-ridden, corrupt place with terrifying natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Her professors painted Earthâs inhabitants as foolish, weak, and helpless.
In the meantime, sheâd already memorized the goals she must accomplish to receive her goddessship:
1. Experience daily common life. Living in a native habitat, eating local food, attending school and social functions, and interacting with commoners.
2. Teach chess to someone or help someone improve their chess game.
3. Change someoneâs life for the better. Her exact goddess title would depend on the process used to accomplish this objective.
Kassie continued her walk and smiled at the swish-swish of her new purple and gold ruffled dress as she took her steps. The dayâs early light now shone on colorful and patterned garments set out on tables in rows, overseen by cheerful grown pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, kings, and queens. Baby chesslings and tree toddlers danced together in a sprawling crimson field behind the vendors. Their little homes and farms could be seen in the distance, behind the grazing goats and cattle just in front of the rolling green hills. Extending high, wide, and behind it all stretched majestic Chess Mountain, a mammoth marble masterpiece. Its angled squares within squares gleamed and glinted in the growing beams of sunlight.
Kassie crossed the footbridge, and, as always, admired Pawn Island and its welcoming pavilions across the sparkling teal waters of Bishopâs Bay. Her pace quickened toward the pristine plaza where the main structures of Chess Mountain City towered.
Glancing up at the position of the two crescent moons, she was pleased to see sheâd be on time to help the chesslings practice their morning routines. And, hopefully, sheâd meet up with her best friend Dimitri before her birthday luncheon.
But as soon as she entered Chessling Academy, shouts and shuffling came from the corner. Kassie ran to the commotion. A young pawn lay face down and rolled back and forth, sobbing.
âOh, dear Scout.â Kassie leaned down and put her hand gently on his back. âWhat is wrong?â
âPrincess, weâre sorry for the disorder, but Eddie wonât listen,â grumbled one of the instructors.
Kassie looked over at the little king scrunched down against the wall, arms folded, his face in a pouty grimace.
âHeâs not playing fair!â shouted Scout from the ground, pounding his fist. âHeâs moving two spaces instead of the one heâs allowed.â
Kassie stood up and approached Eddie. She gathered up the ruffles of her spangled dress, folded her legs under her, and sat down next to him. âEddie, again? I know you want to move more than one square, but you canât. When youâre older, Iâll teach you a special move made just for the pleasure of kings. But not yet. For now, we must stick to the rules youâve learned thus far,â she said. âYou know that as a pawn, Scout is allowed to move two spaces on his first turn.â
âBut thereâs a special move? For me?â King Eddieâs eyes opened wide, and he sat up straight.
âNot yet,â Kassie repeated. As much as she was tempted to teach him, the time had not yet come for Eddie to learn âcastling.â Just wait till he finds out he moves two spaces on his own, and a rook flies over his head! Kassie stifled a giggle as she rose to her feet.
âOh, Princess Kassie, itâs just thatââ King Eddie hung his head. âHeâs just a pawn, and Iâm a king, so why canât Iââ
âWhaddaya mean, âjust a pawnâ?â Scout jumped up from the floor and reared to his full height, which was halfway up to Kassieâs knee. âSay youâre sorry!â He glared down at Eddie.
The king got up and brushed himself off. He was twice as tall as Scout. âIâm sorry,â he mumbled, his eyes cast aside.
Scout looked at the floor. âAll right,â the pawn finally said, begrudgingly.
âNow I wonât let you leave until you look each other in the eye, and donât either of you dare laugh!â Kassie held back a grin.
After locking eyeballs for a moment, the two chesslings broke into chuckles and guffaws.
âThere you go.â Kassie set free her smile as the two scampered off on small feet and returned to play.
All around the room, groups of young, ambitious chess pieces chatted, romped, and practiced on their squares with diagonal, horizontal, vertical, and L-shaped moves. Born of CaĂŻssaâs original kingdom of trees, the acorns had formed on the dryads, fallen, and were collected and raised by eagerly awaiting chess families. Woody skins glowed deep or pale, developing into dark or light pieces. Some of these little ones would later grace the living chess sets of awaiting gods who would order moves from their thrones, while others would stay on to serve in the kingdom according to their gifts.
Kassie sighed. She wished she had that option. Instead of gallivanting around the universe, she longed to just stay on Chess Mountain and help the chesslings. Maybe after her mission, sheâd be allowed to do so.
After working with some more of the little ones for a few practice sessions, the princess rearranged her long tresses and turned to look through the open back doors at the paved golden road. The street was still quiet. But soon, servants would carry long tablesâas well as lavish platters, cups of ambrosia, and nectar delights into the Grand Hall for her day-long birthday feast. All the gods and guests would come to help her celebrate.
Even though the Pawn Island Olympics had ended just last night, she already couldnât wait to see her friends and family again. Especially Dimitri. He was the son of Euphron and Tory, the gods of sports and victory. It was ironic that Dimitri wasnât very good at athletics. But yet, he was greatly skilled at chess. As much as his ability challenged her, she admired his chess strength and passion for the game. I must defeat Dimitri today. After all, my father invented chess, and Iâm the daughter of CaĂŻssa, the chess goddess herself!
Already envisioning her first moves across the boardâand still hoping Dimitri would be earlyâshe made her way across the floor to leave. As she did, the chesslings flocked after her, calling her name. She turned and smiled down at them. âOh, I must go for now, my dear ones!â
âWait, Princess Kassie, we have a surprise for your birthday,â burst out a little bishop from a corner.
Three lovely, lithe oak trees, their leafy hair bouncing, rustled forward and shooed a group of the students into formation. At the same time, a quartet of dryads carrying stringed instruments swiftly assembled and began to make music. Then, in front of Kassie, the little chesslings showed off their moves with a wobbly and precious dance as they sang:
On this day, this day of rejoicing
Kassie arrived that glorious morn
Our goddess-child,
our friend and our princess
Blest this day that Kassie was born
Kassie beamed and clapped her hands at their performance.
A noise like thunder shook the ground. Strong winds blew through the entryway. Some of the pawns lost their balance and rolled over on the floor.
âSheâs here!â bellowed a deep voice from behind her.
Kassie swung around to see three of her fatherâs soldiers running toward her from the road, and others were behind them, gesturing for more to come.
Kassieâs father, Mars, slowed his gigantic red stallion at the entrance. He waved for everyone to get out of the way as the soldiers ushered Kassie over to meet him. He came to a halt and slid off the steed before the dust settled. The smile that always appeared when Mars saw his daughter wasnât there. Instead, deep wrinkles highlighted his drawn brow. His usually ruddy face was as pale as the gray streaks in his beard, and his teeth were clenched.
âFather, whatâs wrong?â Kassie asked.
âKassie.â He grabbed her shoulders. âIâll explain later. Letâs go!â
She peered up at her towering father. âWhatâs going on?â
âCome. Now!â He lifted her onto the horse, leaped up, and swung his own leg over the animalâs back, behind his daughter. Mars surrounded Kassie with his strong arms.
âButââ She held tightly to the horseâs shaggy mane as they sped faster. âMy birthday. My party.â
âIâm sorry, Kassie,â Mars said. âThere will be no celebration today.â
Castling. The Dragon Defense. Fried Liver. Scholarâs Mate. Discover these chess-related terms and much more in this charming fantasy rich in mystery, suspense, and intrigue.
Itâs Princess Kassieâs twelfth birthday in the palace at Chess Mountain. Her father is Mars, the god of war and king of Chess Mountain. Her mother is Caissa, queen goddess of chess. Today Kaissie embarks upon on an epic mission to secure her own goddess title and strengthen the kingdomâs power. But to receive her goddesship, Kassie must first accomplish three goals: 1. Experience daily common life. 2. Teach chess to someone or help someone improve their chess game. 3. Change someoneâs life for the better. These three goals form the three-pronged theme of this clever and agile story.
But Kassieâs birthday must wait when she learns that her best friend, Dimitri, has been kidnapped. As the son of another sovereign, Dimitriâs disappearance threatens imminent war. Could Dimitri have been taken through the portal openings to Minerva and Westa? Or even worse, Earth? And what about the evil âfallen Originalsâ? Are they up to no good again?
Meanwhile, for her own safety, Kassie is sent to the one place she absolutely does not want to go: Earth. But at least sheâs not going alone. Kassie is joined by Maurice the Original, âa knight who has fought long and hardâ for the kingdom and is âwell-acquainted with the ways of Earth.â
Action and intrigue abound as Kassie and Maurice find themselves whisked through the portals to earth. In disguise, Kassie is now a mortal in a sixth grade class in New York City, where Fridays are chess days. âIt isnât easy being a human kidâ is something Kassie experiences first-hand via Hunter, the most obnoxious kid in class. Then Kassie starts getting messages on ambrosia candy wrappers. Is someone else from Chess Mountain also in disguise? And what about Min?
Thereâs also a centuries-old secret. âA knight and rook combo that could never loseâŚâ Can Kassie solve the chess puzzle of the portals and retrieve her friend before itâs too late? Will she ever see her parents and Chess Mountain again? Or will Kassie and her friends be stuck in a lightless tunnel for all eternity, spinning to nowhere? And perhaps most important of all: Is chess a game or a sport?
Sturdy writing and prodigious world-building skills undergird this rich, warm read. Vivid descriptions and full-bodied characters combine with pitch-perfect pacing to create a compelling and enchanting story. Mystery and intrigue also abound, propelling this fresh and original plot toward an I-did-not-see-that-coming ending.
Victoria Winifred's well-written book is sure to delight its target audience of young readers. It will charm older readers, too. I was drawn in from chapter one and read it cover-to-cover in a single sitting. A splendid read!
My rating: 4.5.