The Fatal Child by John Dickinson Grades 7+ 560 pages David Fickling Books September 2009 Hardcover     The Fatal Child is the third in a trilogy also featuring The Cup and the World and The Widow and the King. In this the final story, Ambrose, who was a young boy in the previous book, now rules a rough bunch in the wastelands. After an ill-fated relationship with the spoiled princess Atti, Ambrose, now twenty-one years old, leaves the wastelands and takes over as ruler to the entire kingdom. Ambrose’s story is the told by Thomas Padry, advisor to the king, and Melissa, a handmaid to the spoiled princess Atti, now the Queen. Alas, Atti is also the Fatal Child. A great beauty adored by all who meet her, she is also plagued by a recurring nightmare of great violence and ultimate betrayal. Because of this nightmare, she trusts no one and loves no one, awaking every night in screams and panic. The Fatal Child is a beautiful story set in a medieval fantasy world, a story of great love and the lengths to which a person will go to ensure the love of another. It is also a story of great power and the sacrifices that must be made to keep this love. Last of all, it is a story of great hope and the loss that must follow. A story for all times, in a medieval fantasy world where happy-ever-after is not always the ending wished for.     web reviews   Susan Johnson/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)