Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Genre: Young adult (fantasy)
Publisher, Year: Bloomsbury, 2007
Other Works: The Goose Girl, Austenland
Rating: A or Great Read
Challenge: Fairy Tales, Library
Premise: Dashti, a young lady's maid, is locked away in a tower with her mistress for seven years. But when hunger and outside dangers threaten their safety, Dashti must find a way to survive.

With this book, I am officially in love with Shannon Hale--platonically of course. =) I can’t exaggerate with her books. This is the third one I’ve read, and it once again exceeded my expectations: the lyrical language, sweeping descriptions, lively characters. I just can’t get enough.

This one is yet another fairy tale re-telling, since I have a really hard time getting away from those lately. They are just too much fun. The fairy tale Hale wrote about in this book is a rather obscure one called Maid Maleen. So, it was in effect like reading a regular novel in some ways because I wasn’t at all familiar with the fairy tale, but it still had all those great qualities that fairy tales have: intrigue, mistaken identity, adventure, and, of course, getting the girl. +/-

Dashti is a lady’s maid and a mucker, she knows how to sing away pain. She works for a princess, Saren, who has been sentenced to be imprisoned in a tower for seven years because she wouldn’t marry the man her father picked for her, the evil Lord Khasar. Saren is a shrinking violet and becomes more reclusive from this cruel treatment. It is up to Dashti, who will also be imprisoned with her lady, to take care of Saren and, eventually, to find a way out. Once the two girls have broken free, however, their elation comes crashing down when they find the world they left has changed beyond recognition.

Hale’s created another cast of unforgettable characters. Dashti is a sweet and accepting girl; she tries to do the right thing though her life is full of conflict, to which her culture gives no right answer. And the adoration induced by Tegus, a khan with a cool smile and simple laugh, is matched by the opposite feeling in Lord Khasar. Hale takes the reader to the brink, showing how the devotion, integrity, and courage of one woman can become a tipping point. Overall a winner in my estimation: compelling story, memorable characters, and a dash of mystery. A great page-turner.

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce

Genre: Young adult/fantasy (fairy tale)
Publisher, Year: Arthur A. Levine, 2008
Other Works: Debut novel
Rating: A+ or Must Read Now!
Challenge: Reliquiae, Count, Tales, Library
Premise: The miller's daugther finds herself in a pickle, based on the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin.

I am finding that I’m a real sucker for fairy tale retellings. There is just something about them! I haven’t met a bad one yet. I hope I never do. Elizabeth Bunce’s debut novel was no exception, based off of the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin. Beautifully written, excellent story, creatively crafted. Loved it.

Charlotte is the miller’s daughter. Stirwaters mill has been in Charlotte’s family for generations—although never passed from father to son. There’s a dark cloud that hangs over the business, which only thickens as Charlotte’s father dies and she and her sister, Rosie, are left to try to run the mill alone. Problems keep cropping up: between bad weather and family obligation to machinery repairs and debt collection, Charlotte finds herself hard pressed for solutions. In the superstitious 18th century country town, the sisters happen upon a mysterious and unlikely answer to their problems, and they have to decide what they are willing to pay to save their livelihood. +/-

I was drawn into this story from the first page. Stirwaters is a spooky, yet comfortable place, and I came to love it as much as the Millers. The whole town of Shearing, where Charlotte and Rosie live, comes alive with skillfully written, colorful characters. Uncle Wheeler, Mr. Woodstone, Biddy Tom, and the most unforgettable character of Jack Spinner, round out the cast. You’d think in a novel like this one where you know the main storyline from beginning to end, that it would be hard for an author to bring such a fresh and interesting look to it! But, the book was still somehow full of moments of mystery, intrigue, and surprise.

The author very deftly described the “mill” life, acquiring wool, spinning it into thread, weaving it into cloth, and dying it to make valuable fabric. The whole process really captivated my interest. She breathed new life into this topic, making me wish I could take another trip to Lowell, Massachusetts, where they have textile museums as the trade spread to the United States. There’s nothing that can make a time period come alive like a well-written and -researched historical novel--this one happens to be both.

This book is part historical fiction, part fairy tale retelling, part fantasy. It’ll capture your attention and imagination. I’m definitely looking forward to what else Ms. Bunce may have up her sleeve.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I really loved Beauty by Robin McKinley, so when I discovered that The Goose Girl was also a retelling of a fairy tale, I was intrigued. And I’m so glad I picked it up!

The goose girl was not a fairy tale I was familiar with, so it was fun to read it for the first time from the author’s interpretation. Ani, a young princess from Kildenree, is betrothed to a prince in a far away land, Bayern. She is a shy child and learns to speak to swans and other birds. Although her family does not value this ability, her aunt teaches Ani how to develop it. Ani is the Crown Princess, and so is the next in line to take the throne; however, her mother feels her brother has more of the stuff that leaders are made of. Instead of taking the throne in Kildenree, Ani’s mother makes a peace treaty with Bayern, with Ani as the proof in the pudding. Ani, an awkward and insecure teenager, is upset by this, but goes along with the deal. Her lady-in-waiting, Selia, and several guards go with her as well as her trusty steed, Falada, with whom she can communicate in her thoughts. +/-

Soon, things begin to change during their long journey, as Selia and many of the guards start acting strange around Ani. Finally, they strike, and their plan is revealed: they will have Selia take Ani’s place as the princess and she will marry the prince in Bayern. Ani barely escapes certain death and eventually finds her way into the city. There, she becomes one of the tenders of the king’s geese and earns her nickname because of her special way with the birds. She disguises herself, learns the local dialect, and makes friends with the other servants. Ani has many close scraps with her old guards and lives in almost constant fear of discovery—all the while trying to figure out how to restore her true identity before Selia and her friends destroy any hope of setting things right.

The language was absolutely lovely, poetic really. Hale has an amazing way with words. I enjoyed the pictures she painted, and I felt like I could really imagine the city and the people the way she described them. I felt enveloped in this story and completely enchanted (which is fitting, considering), and by the time I was about a third the way through, I couldn’t put it down. This book is going straight to my “must read” list.