The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale: Review

RATING: 4/5 stars!

 

Author: Shannon Hale

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Source: Bought

Release date: September 1st, 2007

Find it on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

 

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors--one welcome, the other decidedly less so--the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale's lyrical language, this little-known classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

 

REVIEW:

 

Before reading THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS, I did not read the summary. I went in totally blind, and I had no idea what to expect.

 

I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. I did not expect it to be told from the POV of the maid, Dashti, and the first part of the book was SO BORING. Dashti and the princess, Saren, were shut in a tower, and besides the few interludes with a cat and a prince, almost nothing happened. I was getting so fed up with them being in the tower that I almost put the book down. But I kept reading, and I am so glad that I did.

 

The story took a total turn, and it was absolutely wonderful. I don't want to give anything away, but I loved the way Shannon Hale took the story. It was so beautifully written, and I was pretty giddy by the time I finished the book. SO GOOD!

 

Overall, THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS is not one to miss! 

 

CONTENT: Clean 



Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4) by Jackson Pearce: Review

RATING: 5/5 stars!

 

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company

Source: Bought

Release date: November 5. 2013

Find it on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

 

Kai and Ginny grew up together–best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora–a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved–and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

 

REVIEW:

 

COLD SPELL: also known as Elsa Gone Wild.

 

 

COLD SPELL is the fourth book in Jackson Pearce's Fairytale Retelling series, and a retelling of the Snow Queen, which made me think of FROZEN all through reading it. But, unlike FROZEN this book was more true to the actual fairytale. There's no Olaf, no Hans (much to my disappointment), and a lack of funny reindeer.

 

But that doesn't mean that I did not absolutely LOVE this book. The interweaving of the Snow Queen fairytale with the mythology created in the past three books was absolutely flawless. The writing was fantastic, as always, and the Snow Queen was so badass, even though she was evil. (what is it with villains being so compelling?)

 

Actually, this whole books is flawless. There wasn't one thing about it that I didn't like. It was absolutely FANTASTIC! I highly recommend this series if you have not started already!

CONTENT: Kissing, mild swearing, and moderate violence.