mollyxmiller's review against another edition
5.0
This is book I would have like to have written: its a powerful, beautiful retelling of the Brothers Grimm's The Little Goose Girl.
laceydbell's review against another edition
3.0
I'm somewhere between a 2.5 and a 3. While I believe the story is there, I don't feel it was executed very well. This book is full of unnecessary filler, repetition, and could be half the size that it is.
leasummer's review against another edition
4.0
A little bit of whimsy, romance, treason, fierce loyalty and good always overcomes evil - or so we hope.
Good story.
Good story.
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
3.0
YA fiction, but after enjoying the Twilight series more than I thought I would, I decided to give it a try.
Two marks against: the end feels very rushed, like Hale got tired of writing and just threw it together. Also I found the extreme innocence of all the teenaged characters to be super hard to swallow. Long winter days, many teenagers cooped up in a great hall, no sexual tension, much less unintended pregnancies. Yeah right.
That said, the story is fun and compelling and it's a quick read. I liked the main character and enjoyed watching her develop through the course of the book.
Fun but shallow. 3 stars.
Two marks against: the end feels very rushed, like Hale got tired of writing and just threw it together. Also I found the extreme innocence of all the teenaged characters to be super hard to swallow. Long winter days, many teenagers cooped up in a great hall, no sexual tension, much less unintended pregnancies. Yeah right.
That said, the story is fun and compelling and it's a quick read. I liked the main character and enjoyed watching her develop through the course of the book.
Fun but shallow. 3 stars.
katreadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
I raced through this fairytale-retelling, taking a deep breath every now and then to enjoy the beautiful language and the pictures Hale painted. This is first YA novel by Hale (I've also read the Austenland books) and I can tell that I am going to read everything that she's written. I loved how Ani grew as the story unfolded and the villains were excellent!
dorothy_gale's review against another edition
4.0
MY 1st RETELLING. I never read the original but I do plan to read other retellings. The animal themes in this book were intriguing. Normally I'm not a fan of medieval (castle-n-king) type books, but this one had enough 'other' content to keep my interest. Even though I'm giving this 4 stars, it's unlikely I will read any more of the 'Books of Bayern' series as this one rated best and it dropped off significantly after (I trust my fellow Goodreaders). I'd also give it a PG-rating... innocent enough to listen to in front of my 8 and 9 year olds, with the exception of one gory description.
marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I very much enjoyed the soothing, lyrical style of the writing in this book. It goes very well with the entire theme of communicating with nature. I also like how the supporting characters are all introduced just enough to be curious about them, and to know that curiosity will be addressed and answered in the other books in the series.
natcommon's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It started slow for me but picked up and a lot happened. I think this would be a read for a casual reader.
nickymarie's review against another edition
4.0
A cute story that was a super fast read. I instantly fell in love with Ms. Hales characters and magical world. A light story about a adolescent girl who through courage finds her voice.