haewilya's review against another edition
4.0
The ending feels a bit rushed and all over the place yo me but I loved the rest of the book.
and_cats's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
allie_schick's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
fraise's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death of parent, Blood, Xenophobia, Injury/injury detail, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Misogyny, Gore, and Ableism
samanthamurk's review against another edition
Fiction, Fantasy
I don't remember much about this book.
- August 2022
I don't remember much about this book.
- August 2022
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence
jmjens's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it. I had had many recommendations to read it and I couldn't put it down! Like all fairy tales, this one has strong moral lessons, strife as the heroine finds herself, and ends for the best. I look forward to reading the next in the series!
briarrose1021's review against another edition
5.0
This is the fourth book that I have read by Shannon Hale, and I have come to realize that I need to read any and every book she has written.
In The Goose Girl, Ani - Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, the Crown Princess of Kildenree - is a young girl who is destined to by Queen of Kildenree. At least, she's supposed to be. But her calculating mother, who doesn't see the true strength of Ani only because she struggles when talking with people, secretly arranges for her to marry the Crown Prince of Bayern, a neighboring kingdom.
Unfortunately, during the travels to Bayern, Ani is betrayed by her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting. Celia draws some of the guards to her plan and while they fail in their attempts to kill Ani, they do succeed in a mutiny that kills the guards loyal to Ani. Ani manages to escape and makes her way to Bayern, but Celia arrived before her and is now posing as Ani. Unable to prove who she really is and knowing that her life would be in danger if she was discovered to be alive, Ani begins working as a goose girl until she can earn enough money to return home to Kildenree and her mother.
I loved this story. From the beginning, Ani is an incredibly sympathetic character that is easy to identify with. It didn't take more than a few pages before I was cheering for Ani, feeling betrayed by her mother's actions and sad at the cold treatment she suffered from her, cheering for the little victories she had and the friends she was making along the way. For every step forward in Ani's plan, it seemed like she was knocked two steps back. And I will admit that I shed some tears when Ani finds her horse Falada again.
While some may think this book simple because of the relatively linear storyline, I think that makes it perfect for younger readers, and as a fairytale retelling, it is a wonderful story. Anyone who has read and enjoyed Hale's other works will also like this one. I, for one, highly recommend it. I am now looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
In addition, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Cynthia Bishop. She is also the same narrator for Palace of Stone, book 2 of the Princess Academy series, and I enjoyed listening to her read that book. She has such a pleasant voice that I didn't even realize how much time was passing as I was listening, and I would have to make myself stop listening so I could go to work or to bed. LOL. I am looking forward to listening to Bishop read the other books in this series, too.
In The Goose Girl, Ani - Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, the Crown Princess of Kildenree - is a young girl who is destined to by Queen of Kildenree. At least, she's supposed to be. But her calculating mother, who doesn't see the true strength of Ani only because she struggles when talking with people, secretly arranges for her to marry the Crown Prince of Bayern, a neighboring kingdom.
Unfortunately, during the travels to Bayern, Ani is betrayed by her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting. Celia draws some of the guards to her plan and while they fail in their attempts to kill Ani, they do succeed in a mutiny that kills the guards loyal to Ani. Ani manages to escape and makes her way to Bayern, but Celia arrived before her and is now posing as Ani. Unable to prove who she really is and knowing that her life would be in danger if she was discovered to be alive, Ani begins working as a goose girl until she can earn enough money to return home to Kildenree and her mother.
I loved this story. From the beginning, Ani is an incredibly sympathetic character that is easy to identify with. It didn't take more than a few pages before I was cheering for Ani, feeling betrayed by her mother's actions and sad at the cold treatment she suffered from her, cheering for the little victories she had and the friends she was making along the way. For every step forward in Ani's plan, it seemed like she was knocked two steps back. And I will admit that I shed some tears when Ani finds her horse Falada again.
While some may think this book simple because of the relatively linear storyline, I think that makes it perfect for younger readers, and as a fairytale retelling, it is a wonderful story. Anyone who has read and enjoyed Hale's other works will also like this one. I, for one, highly recommend it. I am now looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
In addition, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Cynthia Bishop. She is also the same narrator for Palace of Stone, book 2 of the Princess Academy series, and I enjoyed listening to her read that book. She has such a pleasant voice that I didn't even realize how much time was passing as I was listening, and I would have to make myself stop listening so I could go to work or to bed. LOL. I am looking forward to listening to Bishop read the other books in this series, too.