SOLVED. One of her cousins, who I think was quite beautiful and spiteful, dared her to eat one of the leaves of a sacred plant that grew in the palace. She did so and became very sick. Dinnerware. Dragons. [s]

[Elizabeth]

I'm looking for a book I read a few years ago. I can't remember how old the book was; it didn't seem particularly old, but that's not the kind of thing I look at so I might be wrong. :P

I remember it being, in style, quite a bit like a Robin McKinley book (The Blue Sword, Chalice, Pegasus, The Hero and The Crown) but I looked up her books and I don't believe this was one of them.

The protagonist was a youngish girl. She was one of the royal family, and all the royals were supposed to have magical powers, but she didn't. (There was a phrase about the magic "appearing in poltergeist fits" at a certain age, and that the main character had never had those.) She was also very clumsy, maybe due to her lack of magical powers, and they were forced to stop using the good dinnerware because she broke so much of it.

One of her cousins, who I think was quite beautiful and spiteful, dared her to eat one of the leaves of a sacred plant that grew in the palace. She did so and became very sick.

While she was recovering from this sickness, she befriended an old war horse who walked with a limp and hated everyone. Eventually, she rode and trained with him. People referred to her as "riding a three-legged horse".

I don't remember anything about the ending except that there might have been the slaying of a dragon involved. Lots of fire and burns. Also, I think the book might have begun with the main character looking down into a courtyard from a balcony.

More nebulous impressions of the book may have included a city within a city, a journey to some other culture, a beautiful courtyard, and a scholar in robes.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

[Daphne]

The Hero and the Crown is absolutely it. Don't know what summary you saw, but there's no question.

[Elizabeth]

SMH. So it is. No wonder I thought it was a Robin McKinley book. Now I feel stupid. xD