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Inda Jackson is orphaned at a tender age and raised by her wealthy grandmother, Lydia, in Georgia. They are the two remaining leaves on the Jackson family tree. Lydia never removes an exotic ring from her finger, a gold band encrusted with rubies and sapphires. Inda discovers clues about her grandmother’s youth in the attic. But only when Lydia dies suddenly, do letters in a bank safe box reveal a secret love from bygone college years in England. Inda and her best friend, Jordan, are bound for Oxford university, too. Perhaps there they can solve the mystery of the ring.
Inda meets Philip Zand at a stable near Oxford where each boards an Arabian horse. Philip is the grandson of a Persian prince, related to the kings conquered centuries ago by Alexander the Great. Like his father and siblings, Philip grows up spending summers in desert tents of tribal chieftains. His family now lives in England where he also attends Oxford. But Philip only regards Inda as a riding partner and younger sister. That is until Ari, a student from Syria, forces himself on Inda. What happens next is the first real adventure of Inda’s life. It leads to danger at an archeological dig, solving the mystery of her grandmother’s ring, and finding her own true love.
The book is two hundred and forty six pages of youthful enthusiasm, only occasionally marked by sadness. Dangerous situations are foreshadowed by the author but underestimated by the heroine until too late. Foth has chosen to use flashbacks repeatedly and to switch between third and first person narration. Although this presents a bit of confusion, the young adult female audience will read through without issue… and eagerly await a sequel.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review