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A review by burningupasun
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
5.0
Setting/World Building: 5/5
Main Character: 5/5
Other Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Triggering/Issues: 5/5 (None)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 4.6 out of 5, rounded to 5.
I love fairy tales. I love the magic in them, I love the patterns, I love the way they flow... and this book was no exception. It was the retelling of a Grimms Brothers fairy tale, "Maid Maleen", but Shannon Hale twisted it in the retelling, obviously. The largest change I think was that she set it in a world inspired by Mongolia, which was absolutely magical to read.
Dashti, the main character, is just a delight. She's clever and strong and kind and brave and brilliant, and it's been a long time since I adored a character as much as her. Lady Saren, who she is the maid of, is not the most likeable character, but that's done on purpose. There is never any cattiness between them, though, and in the end when you find out why Lady Saren is the way she is, and you see her grow, she becomes much more likeable.
The romance was also really wonderful. As a fairytale, it was a bit easy to guess where it might all end up, but the telling was brilliant and more than made up for that. I loved seeing them fall in love, and seeing them surmount the hurdles that came between them.
All in all a really lovely, wonderful read that I just sped right through!
Main Character: 5/5
Other Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Triggering/Issues: 5/5 (None)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 4.6 out of 5, rounded to 5.
I love fairy tales. I love the magic in them, I love the patterns, I love the way they flow... and this book was no exception. It was the retelling of a Grimms Brothers fairy tale, "Maid Maleen", but Shannon Hale twisted it in the retelling, obviously. The largest change I think was that she set it in a world inspired by Mongolia, which was absolutely magical to read.
Dashti, the main character, is just a delight. She's clever and strong and kind and brave and brilliant, and it's been a long time since I adored a character as much as her. Lady Saren, who she is the maid of, is not the most likeable character, but that's done on purpose. There is never any cattiness between them, though, and in the end when you find out why Lady Saren is the way she is, and you see her grow, she becomes much more likeable.
The romance was also really wonderful. As a fairytale, it was a bit easy to guess where it might all end up, but the telling was brilliant and more than made up for that. I loved seeing them fall in love, and seeing them surmount the hurdles that came between them.
All in all a really lovely, wonderful read that I just sped right through!