This book was scrumptious, and I devoured it. I stayed up so late reading it I legit almost fell asleep at work the next day. So there’s this dragon who lives near an evil wood, and once every ten years, he chooses a girl from a local village to take into his castle. In return for protecting the people from the corruption of the Wood, they allow him to choose freely from their daughters. But this dragon doesn’t have claws or wings; he has magic. He’s […]
Where Were These Fairy Tales When I Was Growing Up?
Another gift from my Barnes and Nobles book soulmates. I don’t know how I lived without this book. I started reading it while killing time after work one day and then suddenly it was 3am and I was crying and I knew something amazing had happened to me. Agnieska has lived in the valley all her life. She, and everyone else that lives int he valley, owes their existence to the Dragon that lives in the tower and keeps the evil and corrupt Woods at […]
“I don’t want more sense!” I said loudly, beating against the silence of the room. “Not if sense means I’ll stop loving anyone. What is there besides people that’s worth holding on to?”
I really loved this book. It’s got magic and scary trees and romance and friendship and mad cow disease, pretty much all the things. It’s really very, very good. You can read my full review here.
Between the cantrips and the spells, I’d rather have the cantrips
It’s good. A good solid story with a linear plot with a few side plotletts along the way. I read it straight through with just a pause for dinner, and maybe a pee break. In reading it so quickly, I most likely missed out on some of the tiny details. And I could barely pronounce any of the names, even in my head. Agnieszka (see?) begins our story as a 17-year-old girl who always seems to be a mess. She and her best friend Kasia […]
Don’t go into the Wood. No, seriously, stay FAR away.
Disclaimer! I got this as an ARC through NetGalley in return for a fair and unbiased review.The book is available now. While this remarkable novel by Naomi Novik isn’t actually a retelling of some traditional fairy tale, it feels like it should be. The book moves slowly, thoroughly establishing the sleepy little environment Agniezka and Kasia live in, with the terrors of the slowly encroaching Wood so close by. Once someone disappears in the Wood, they will hopefully stay lost. Should they return, they are […]
A Feminist Fairy Tale
I recently saw a review of this novel on NPR’s web site which compared it to Beauty and the Beast. Frankly, I don’t see it, but that’s okay because it’s so much better than a retelling of any known fairy tale. Novik combines elements of Slavic fairy tales, magic, and even some Tolkienesque flourishes (she admits to being a fan and it comes through in the work) to create a complex story about powerful women and friendship, the merits and difficulties of collaboration, and finding […]