In the Republic of Califa, where war lords rule and boys in kilts is the height of fashion, Flora Nemain Fyrdaaca ov Fyrdaaca, nearing her 14th birthday, is besieged by overwhelming problems. With her Catorcena celebration approaching, she must make many preparations including making tamales, writing a speech and finishing her dress while keeping her mentally unstable father in line and get to the bottom of what caused her mother, the Commanding General and Rock of Califa, to banish their butler. This is all complicated further by a dilapidated house with a mind of it's own, Crackpot Hall (imagine Hogwart's on LSD).

Though the story is at times overly meandering, the use of language in the story is very compelling. With new vocabulary and words from other languages seamlessly incorporated, the language of the story is the highlight of the book. At times medieval and simultaneously modern, I sincerely enjoyed triangulating the meaning of the words invented for the story and imaginative flair of the experience.

The major flaws to the story are primarily due to the incompleteness of explanations, which come too late to be properly incorporated into understanding the story. Though this appears to be the first of what I hope will be a long and interesting series, the ending seems to wrap up too quickly and though brings closure to the major plots, leaves an unsatisfactory aftertaste. Here's hoping this promising start will prove to be the worst of the series.