I was lost from the opening scene with the young Lady Elizabeth Tudor. The transition from there into Fairy worked well. It was an unfamiliar kingdom, but to my eye at least, utterly believable. I bought the whole thing. The characters were three-dimensional and very interesting. Again, I'm sorry I missed this as a girl, but delighted to have it now. One of the most satisfying endings ever. I'll be reading this again. And again.