The Two Collars

This the last book in this excellent series, may not be my favorite of the three but it is perhaps more gripping and well constructed than the others. It is not for lack of excitement, adventure, hope, love, pain, comfort or even mystery, that makes this my least favorite of the Bracken Trilogy, but the realization that the characters and the age that were so much a part of the first two books are quickly coming to an end. Yet the story of Krea, an orphan and slave, is one of new life and hope in the future that makes one wish that the series would last much longer still. As Krea makes her journey through her difficult world, she learns to trust the Woman in Gray who never leaves her for good but always comes back when she is needed most. This Wise Woman purchases Krea from a life filled with emptiness, hopelessness and pain to a new life full of love, comfort, learning and danger. The Woman in Gray sets Krea free, yet Krea chooses to follow the one that has offered her so much, her true friend and protector the old yet strong and beautiful Wise Woman. Even so, Krea's journey is still filled with hardship and uncertainty but she is guided by the knowledge that she has an important and honorable task to follow. This faith, that she has learned though the trials that have come before, ultimately guides her to the goal, not so much a resting place but the start of a new life of learning and service. I first read this book (and series) when I was around 14/15 years of age, but yet discovered it/the series to be one of my favorites. I enjoyed reading this book & series so much the first time that I reread it again when about 19 years old, and while I wished for a adult version (rewriting) I still found myself learning or seeing more clearly the truths found in this book and series. Even today I look back on these books with fondness and a belief that they are some of the best children's fiction that I have ever read.

This book is the last in The Bracken Trilogy. The 1st is The Bridge, the 2nd is Crown And Jewel. Please read these two first by the way.This story is about Krea. She is an orphan and a slave. All she knows is the juggling troup in which she lives. With a cruel master and fellow orphans she travels constantly looking for work. One day she notices an old woman following her from stop to stop. The woman seems kind, but Krea's master is angry when she mentions her. Krea is prone to sickness and when she falls horribly ill her master sells her to the old woman, and suddenly her world changes for the better. When she is freed from her slave collar she learns that there are other "collars" in life one must wear, on her journey to personal discovery.This story really touches the heart,taking place many years after the previous two. This is one of the most charming books (and series) that I have read. Adults will enjoy these along with kids. Please read my reviews on the other two in this wonderful trilogy.

This book doesn't follow the princess-save-the-kingdom plot of the previous two because the young heroine isn't a princess - she is a slave that the Wise Woman buys from a band of traveling entertainers. Also, the focus of the book is not on the kingdom and its stability; it is on the girl and her mistress. It is not until the very end of the book that we find out why - the Wise Woman is dying and she has been training the girl to take her place. The girl must decide whether she should trade her slave collar (the old woman has already freed her) for a collar of a very sort - that of Wise Woman which in its own way is just as restricting. It is a more serious novel than the previous books with heavier overtones, but it only improves the book. It is by far Massi's best.

This book was wonderful. The story was written with a refined sensitivity. I really enjoyed it. I've never been disappointed by any of Jeri Massi's books.