Things I Liked:
I absolutely love Shannon Hale's writing. Her words encircle you in the story and you forget you don't belong there. This book seemed just a little different from the other Bayern books. Rin was a different kind of main character. I loved her, despite her doubts about herself and her lack of self-confidence. I thought she felt real. I also just love all the characters from her previous stories. Here are some samples of that fabulous writing:
"If it had been a color, it might have been green. If it had touched her ears, it might have sounded rhythmic, like the creak of a rocking chair or drone of a bee. If it had a scent, it might have been sweet and drowsy, like fresh pine on the fire." p.8
"Rin thought that she too could bloom away from home, but passing beneath that tree, under a foreign sky, she felt even tinier than before, a mote of dust that could be lost in the merest huff of wind." p.165Things I Didn't Like:
I wish we could have learned more about why Rin mirrored other people's personalities and her connection to the trees. I wanted more about tree-speaking.
Read-alikes:
First three books of Bayern give background on the characters, but aren't vital to enjoyment of this book: The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets
Also loved Book of a Thousand Days also by Shannon Hale
A bit like Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->
mild fighting
Overall rating: ****
Do you love fairy tales with happy endings or those that are more complex?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage,
I will get a very small percentage
I will get a very small percentage