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chocolatebooksthunderstorms's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Book of a Thousand Days broke my heart, then gave me a hug & a forehead kiss.
My recent string of “meh, it was okay”/”I didn’t like it” reviews had me wanting to read something easy. So, I turned to Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale — a thrifted MG/YA book I’ve had sitting on my shelf for a long time.
Book of a Thousand Days follows Dashti, a nomadic peasant who becomes a maid to Lady Saren, but is soon locked in a tower with her. The story — written like a diary — follows Dashti and Saren as they work to survive (and eventually escape) their exile. It’s a retelling of “Maid Maleen” (a fairytale I’d never heard of until I read the acknowledgements), set in a Mongolia-inspired world.
One of the important things to know about Dashti is that she (and most of her fellow characters) follow a particular religion that places royalty/nobility high above peasants: if a nobleperson wants something done, a peasant must do it, or they risk angering the gods and losing their place in the afterlife.
I had low expectations for this book. The synopsis felt vague, but the book seemed easy to read and like a nice break for my brain… and it was. The story and writing were easy to follow, but the story went much deeper than I expected.
During and following Dashti and Saren’s exile, Saren struggles with her mental health. This is never labeled, but seems to be depression (something I also struggle with). She fights off nightmares, binge eating, and panic attacks, and struggles to find energy to complete certain tasks. Although Book of a Thousand Days is narrated by Dashti, Saren’s story felt deeply personal, and was one of the highlights of the book for me.
The other highlight was Khan Tegus, Saren’s fiancé. Tegus is a kind, clever, and caring leader with a heart of absolute gold. He made me swoon! (which is probably because he reminds me of my husband 😏)
Book of a Thousand Days is more character-driven than plot-driven, but I don’t want to say too much because there are so many obstacles Dashti, Saren, and Tegus must overcome, and going into them blind feels important.
I give Book of a Thousand Days four stars, and I definitely want to read more of Shannon Hale’s books in the future!
wyvernfriend's review against another edition
4.0
Loosely based on the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale "Maid Maleen" , "Book of a Thousand Days" begins with the sealing in of maid Dashti and her mistress, Lady Saren. Saren has refused to marry Lord Khasar and her father imprisons her in a tower with enough food to last seven years to see if she would change her mind.
Dashi is a Mucker, or nomad, who has healing songs and an ability to cope. Saren has a break down when she realises that there is no way out.
This is told from the point of view of Dashi, it's a world a lot unlike the regular fantasy world and it's a good thing for that, Dashi is an interesting character and when Saren makes her pretend to be her she does question the morality of the act and does think it through on the page. She is a loyal servant who eventually gets a reward and the relationships in the story are well told and believable.
I look forward to reading more by Shannon Hale.
Dashi is a Mucker, or nomad, who has healing songs and an ability to cope. Saren has a break down when she realises that there is no way out.
This is told from the point of view of Dashi, it's a world a lot unlike the regular fantasy world and it's a good thing for that, Dashi is an interesting character and when Saren makes her pretend to be her she does question the morality of the act and does think it through on the page. She is a loyal servant who eventually gets a reward and the relationships in the story are well told and believable.
I look forward to reading more by Shannon Hale.
sarajosephine28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
raleighem's review against another edition
Kinda difficult to get through… abuse, war, vivid scary scenes for YA. I love this author but couldn’t really enjoy this :(
123justbrie's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
5.0
cvsuthie's review against another edition
4.0
This book was incredibly well written and although slow at times, I really loved the character development, especially in Saren. Dashti always struck me as a cookie-cutter heroine type that always feels compelled to do the right thing no matter what, which was boring for me, but Saren was a really interesting character. At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to a frail, sniveling little lady named Saren, and over the course of the story we watch her grow into someone strong, confident and righteous. Saren and Dashti's relationship was a really interesting one and I liked how Hale made it realistic with all the bumps and trying times that friendships go through in real life. Of course, we have our typical villain characters and our typical love interest, which were both bland characters for me, but I just really loved Saren's character development and I thought it was really well executed. This book is probably one of my favorite retellings of any fairy tale I've ever read, and it was especially interesting for me as I had not heard of the tale that this book is based off of prior to reading it. I felt like this novel really brought the story to life in a way that normal fairy tales and their prose don't. Overall, this book was really well written and I really enjoyed it, but I'm giving it 4 stars just because most of the characters, with the exception of Saren, were basic and not well developed.
aradne's review against another edition
5.0
I had my expectations for this book quelled by a friend of mine, but I was very happy to have them exceeded!
Book of a Thousand Days is the story of Dashti the maid as she follows her lady through imprisonment in a tower, gains her freedom, and then deals with the impacts of the war that has been raging whilst they were locked up.
Dashti is a wonderful narrator, and the story is very well told. It's written in the style of journal entries, and at times you can't help but laugh when Dashti ends one entry with a decision to do something and starts the next with the details of that decision.
I quite highly recommend this book!
Book of a Thousand Days is the story of Dashti the maid as she follows her lady through imprisonment in a tower, gains her freedom, and then deals with the impacts of the war that has been raging whilst they were locked up.
Dashti is a wonderful narrator, and the story is very well told. It's written in the style of journal entries, and at times you can't help but laugh when Dashti ends one entry with a decision to do something and starts the next with the details of that decision.
I quite highly recommend this book!