The Silver Bowl

The Silver Bowl

by Diane Stanley

Molly has been independent and willful ever since she was a little girl.  When she gets in trouble one too many times, her father sends her to Dethmere Castle to be a scullery maid.  As she leaves, her mother gives her some good advice: never let people know what you can see.

Molly, and her mother, have the gift of "sight".  They can see the future and the past.  If anyone ever finds out, Molly could be branded a witch.

So Molly heads out at just seven years old to work at the castle.  In the beginning, she gets in as much trouble as ever.  But slowly, she learns her place in the world and becomes a respected member of the staff.  She's even trusted with polishing the King's silver, which only one other person in the castle is allowed to do.

However, Molly's trouble really begins with the silver bowl that she must polish and the secrets it holds within.  Can she, a lowly scullery maid, save the kingdom from its curse?

Final thoughts:  It was an interesting premise, but it was just poorly done.  There's no consistency to the timeline at all.  You can go from a minute-by-minute description in one paragraph and suddenly find yourself 3 months later in the story.  Things just speed up and slow down with no warning.  The prince's change of heart regarding Molly is just too sudden.  One moment he's criticizing her and the next he's calling her his good-luck charm.  And the relationship with Tobias was just completely dull.  There was no personality from anyone in the story, least of all Molly herself.  Mediocre read at best.

Rating: 2/5