The Princess, the Knight, and the Lost God
A Chess Story
by Victoria Winifred
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date 27 Sep 2022 | Archive Date 26 Jun 2023
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Description
Princess Kassie, the 12-yr-old daughter of the chess goddess Caïssa and her husband Mars, the god of war, eagerly awaits a day-long birthday celebration throughout the merry kingdom of Chess Mountain, where living chess pieces are born, grow up, and thrive in a bustling community, But the festivities are abruptly canceled when Kassie's parents are blamed for the disappearance of another young god last seen on Chess Mountain. War is declared upon the realm, and Kassie must be rushed to safety.
With Maurice, a trusted knight disguised as her guardian uncle, Princess Kassie is whisked to dreaded Earth, and has a mission to complete. Living undercover as a mortal student in a NYC school, she takes comfort in a chess-loving classroom with a quirky teacher. As Kassie gets to know the human girls and boys, she is astonished to find that Earthlings are different from what she was taught, and more like herself than she ever imagined. She witnesses her classmates "puzzle" through their own difficult circumstances involving family and personal challenges, some like her own.
Due to kingdom enemies nearby, she cannot reveal who she is, or her chess strength. But when classmates are intimidated by a chess bully, Kassie battles to empower them for a tournament, while struggling to stay disguised for her own safety and that of Chess Mountain. Trouble ensues, and Kassie finds herself in a dangerous predicament.
Will Kassie make the right "moves" to solve the problem? Can she save herself, others, and the entire kingdom of Chess Mountain back home, or does she "blunder" away her chances under "time pressure"?
With its chess theme, dash of the holiday spirit, and a sprinkling of martial arts, this book will engage boys and girls straight through its dramatic conclusion, which will affect the future of children and chess forevermore.
Launching to critical acclaim in the chess world and beyond, this 220-page book is the first mythological chess fantasy ever written, and was created for the chess kids (of all ages) in your life, or those with a love for mythology and/or fantasy.
Throughout this book, not only do the principles of chess connect with the academics taught in the classroom, but they factor into the critical thinking used to solve life's puzzles.
Advance Praise
"A splendid read! This clever and agile fantasy is as absorbing as it is delightful. 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. This book is sure to delight its target audience of young readers, and will charm older readers, too!
-Reedsy Discovery Reviews
I'm always very happy to see a book about chess that can fascinate children and help them to fall in love with the game. I want to congratulate Victoria Winifred on this amazing milestone that will bring more children to our beloved game of chess, and inspire them to become wiser, smarter, and happier.
-Alexandra Kosteniuk, 12th Women's World Chess Champion
This novel captures and holds your attention from the first page to the very last. It is imaginative, infused with action, humor, mystery, princesses, gods, and dragons, The plot breezes past without a single hitch as you turn the pages wondering what will happen next!""
-Readers' Favorite Awards ★★★★★
A captivating children's chapter book. Young chess lovers will enjoy how Winifred weaves chess terms and strategies throughout the story while sticking to the fantasy genre. With its memorable characters & exciting plot, older elementary & middle school children will find this book a wonderful addition to their collection.
-Literary Titan Review ★★★★
The scenes on Chess Mountain will be like heaven for chess fans! The book was written in a way that was almost like playing a movie in your head. It was unlike any story I have read and I have read a lot of fantasy novels, but the way the author describes Chess Mountain is fascinating. How Kassie wasn't even curious to see the Earth, but how she started liking Earth was described extremely well in the story. It made me think about so many things that we do and have in our daily life that we don't always appreciate. A book I thoroughly enjoyed and If you decide to buy the book I hope you enjoy it too!
- Bhuvi (aged 9-years-old), Kid's Book Reviews, BooksUpNorth.com
A worthwhile read, especially for middle-grade, teen, and YA readers! One of our favorite aspects of this entire book is the notion of achieving growth and self-fulfillment through patience, hard work, and force of will .... a coming-of-age story.
-Outstanding Creator Reviews
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1110547
Thank you NetGalley & publisher for this eARC.
Oh, what an adventure. It was packed with mystery and suspense as it will not let you put down the book. You have to know what happens next!
This book is definitely suitable for mid-grade or even adults, the writing was easy and straightforward for fantasy-realm setting. And I love every character in this book, I appreciate the Epilogue as everyone is getting a happy ending they deserved.
Recommended!
Sianne W, Reviewer
What a great read, the setting was perfect, it was written very well. Would recommend your young adults. Once I started reading I could not put the book down
Linn v, Reviewer
I read this book ‘The Princess, the Knight and the Lost God: A Chess Story’ from @victoriawinifredwriter. Thanks for providing this ARC via @netgalley.
The fact that this was a book abo it chess, made it interesting for me to read. I like chess and was wondering how the game would be used in a book. I loved the originality of the story about Chess Mountain and the Goddess of Chess. I liked the backstory too.
It was nice to get to know the characters and that there was a connection with the real world. I thought this was a lovely book for kids, but it was nice to read as an adult too.
The story is about Kassie, who’s living on Mount Chess and will be turning 12. In the realm of Mount Chess there is a rule that the gods and goddesses (which Kassie is) need to do an assignment to prove themselves worthy as a god/goddess. Therefore Kassie is sent to Earth together with her Knight. Kassie encounters all kinds of human things of which she doesn’t always know how they work. This makes for an endearing story in which she discovers more about the human world and herself. She stumbles across someone who doesn’t want to do good to her and receives help from unexpected allies. All in all, a lovely story to read!
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