‘In summer, magic is all sparkle and fun, and the spirits come to us dressed in their best, scattering smiles and flowers. In the winter, you get down to the bone, and the true nature of things is revealed.’ [p. 19]
The culmination of the Sangreal trilogy, in which Nathan's dreams take him to the landless world of Widewater in search of the eponymous crown. He's fifteen now, hoping to help the Grandir -- ruler of Eos, the last bastion of life in a dying cosmos -- perform the Great Spell to save his universe. Readers may have realised, as Nathan has not, that Nathan has not been randomly selected for this role.
Widewater is ruled by the goddess Nefanu, a water deity who hates air-breathing, warm-blooded life: she has engineered a war between the selkies and the merfolk, and Nathan -- with the help of a rebellious mermaid aristocrat and a brave, grieving albatross, must somehow negotiate his way through Nefanu's watery lair to the air-filled cavern which houses the final treasure. This isn't helped by his recent near-drowning experience, or his conflict with the smaller-scale, yet still antagonistic, water-spirit Nenufar.
Meanwhile in the village, Riverside House has been sold: the new owner is fascinated by Nathan's mother Annie, who experienced some unpleasant moments there. Turns out there's a leak somewhere, for the floor in one room is always wet ... Hazel, Nathan's best friend, is still experimenting with witchcraft, and still convinced that the Grandir is a supervillain. ... Bartlemy is questioning spirits about Nathan's destiny, but the answers he receives are incomplete: though that doesn't stop him guiding others in the ways of divination ... and Inspector Pobjoy, having elicited various accounts from Nathan, Hazel, Annie and Bartlemy, thinks they are all 'on Planet Zog'.
One can sympathise.
This novel felt somewhat unbalanced: the scenes on Widewater felt more climactic, more vivid, than the actual denouement of the series, which takes place on the ominously-named Scarbarrow Hill. There were some fairly adult scenes here, too, including a vial of milky fluid brandished by a man saying his seed is precious and he needs it; a foul-mouthed witch whose broken Franglais is parodically exaggerated; Annie's disclosure of Nathan's parentage, and his (typically teenaged) response; and, right at the beginning, the lingering death of a pleasant character.
I was hoping for more about Bartlemy, but apart from vague hints at his history there's no real revelation. Perhaps I need to read the author's other trilogy, beginning with Prospero's Children?
Overall, the Sangreal trilogy was an entertaining and engaging reading experience, with some unexpected twists and some satisfyingly predictable ones: but I did feel that The Poisoned Crown was less well-paced than the other two books in the series.
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