The Beatryce Prophecy is a 2023 novel by Kate DiCamillo.
In a time of war, a mysterious young girl, wracked with fever, is found at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. All she remembers about herself is her name: Beatryce. As Brother Edik nurses her back to health, he discovers her dangerous secret, one that imperils them all—for the king of the land seeks just such a girl, and Brother Edik, who penned the prophecy himself, knows why.
Tropes included in The Beatryce Prophecy:
- Amnesiac Hero: All Beatryce can remember about herself is her name.
- Gruesome Goat: Downplayed and subverted. A goat named Answelica lives at the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. She's not demonic, but she likes to butt the monks, sending them flying through the air, then bite them. Some of the monks want to kill her, except that they think her ghost would be even more vicious... perhaps a Vengeful Ghost. When Brother Edik finds Beatryce, though, she is lying on the ground next to Answelica, who is keeping watch over her.
- Never Learned to Read: Invoked in all the girls in the land, where it is illegal to teach girls to read or write.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: To protect Beatryce, who can read and write, Brother Edik cuts off her hair, disguises her as a boy, and lets her stay at the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing.
