"Moss hates her life. As the daughter of the Executioner in the Tower of London, it’s her job to catch the heads in her basket after her father has chopped them off. She dreams of leaving, but they are prisoners with no way out.Then Moss discovers a hidden tunnel that takes her to freedom, where she learns that her life isn’t what she believes it to be and she doesn’t know who to trust.
Her search for the truth takes her on a journey along the great River Thames. Could the answers lie deep in its murky depths?"
Most categorized this as a YA novel, and I found this in my library's YA section, but I don't think it belongs there, it's very obviously a childrens' book, and while there's nothing wrong with that it definitely shows.
The prose is childish and basic. The description also lacks any real pizazz, I found my self skim reading.
I suppose the biggest difficulty I faced, was a lack of empathy for Moss. Hardstaff tried, but the character didn't interest me in the least and I was incredibly disappointed with how she was presented. She's supposed to be eleven, but there is nothing childlike in her makeup and that fact didn't sit well with me, not when her age is so important to the story at hand.
Her dissatisfaction with life felt realistic but bolstered and I felt her attitude towards her father was down right churlish.
The plot posed another problem in that it was all over the place. Moss' eavesdropping seems preposterously implausible, as did her sojourn to Hampton Court. Anne and Henry's appearance makes absolutely no sense within the context of the narrative.
Over-all a good read for a much younger audience.
Age Rating 10+.
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