I enjoyed both of them well enough, The Perilous Gard a bit more than The Amaranth Enchantment.
The Perilous Gard was a Newbery Honor book in 1975. Set right before Elizabeth I became queen, the main character, Kate Sutton, was one of Princess Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting until her younger sister sends an ill-advised letter to Queen Mary complaining of their living conditions. Kate gets blamed for the letter and is banished Elvenwood Hall, a castle also known as the Perilous Gard. All is not quite right at Elvenwood Hall and Kate takes it upon herself to solve the mystery of Sir Geoffrey Heron's missing daughter and what exactly his brother's involvement in that disappearance was. Kate determines that it was the fairy folk under the hill that stole her in order to pay the teind. Sir Geoffrey's brother, Christopher, who feels responsible for the little girl's disappearance offers himself up in exchange for the return of his niece. Unfortunately Kate witnesses the exchange and is sent underground as well. Many allusions to the balled of Tam Lin are throughout the story.
My only problem with the book is that, to me, it felt a little bit too modern. Maybe I was influenced by the hideous cover on the paperback copy I borrowed from the library.
The Amaranth Enchantment is kind of a Cinderella story. There's a prince, going to a ball in disguise, and a once rich girl who is forced into the life of a servant by her evil
Lucinda Chapdelaine must get back the gem that was stolen from her and then sold to the prince. It was cute enough, but nothing spectacular.
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