OMG. There's only one way to start this review: this book is
beautiful. The cover is so pretty, and the page illustrations are stunning.
Let's talk about the six stories...
AYAMA AND THE THORN WOOD
In a kingdom where one handsome prince is treasured and the beastly one is trapped inside a labyrinth beneath the castle, there lived two very different sisters. One is beautiful and treasured, the other is treated like a maid.
Her name is Ayama, and she looks like an average girl but has more strength than most give her credit for, and a knack for telling stories that might end up saving everyone from an unseen threat...
Wow. What a great story! I loved Ayama's innocence and how smart she is. I also really liked the Beast. He's misunderstood, victimised and exiled by people too quick to judge others on how beautiful or ugly they are. These two are similar in so many ways, and together manage to change the world.
I love the beauty doesn't always equate to good moral in this story. It's a good one, that's for sure.
THE TOO-CLEVER FOX
Koja is born an ugly, yellow-eyed, patchy-furred fox. His mother almost eats him, but he's very clever and talks his way out of an early death. Actually, he spends his life talking himself out of a lot of potentially lethal situations. And makes a string of friends because of it.
The day a skilled and silent hunter comes to the woods, the animals start vanishing. Koja knows he must do something, but for the first time, this too-clever fox might have fallen into a trap he can't talk his way out of...
Wow. This is another awesome story! So seriously awesome that I've read it several times already. This wasn't my first time.
Not only is it well written but it's riveting, and has a killer twist. I loved Koja so much. He was smart and always so willing to help others that he almost got himself caught in the worst trap of all. He might not be the prettiest fox, but he's certainly the kindest.
The true friendship that shines through at the end, put a smile on my face. And is the hidden gem in this tale.
THE WITCH OF DUVA
Nadya lives in the little town of Duva. A place where the forest eats young girls. When her mother dies and her older brother is preparing to leave, her father is pursued by Karina and ends up marrying her.
Karina is cruel and doesn't like Nadya. Actually, she tells her to leave. And when she does, finds sanctuary in a hut. When Nadya eventually returns home after winter, she finds out the awful truth...
Wow. What a fantastic folk tale. It hooked me in right away. It's creepy, mysterious, and reveals a shocking ending.
Sometimes, the real monster isn't the one we first assume.
LITTLE KNIFE
In the town of Velisyana, a stunningly beautiful girl is born. Yeva Luchova is the daughter of a wealthy Duke, but because everyone who looks her way becomes captivated by her beauty, she spends most of her days inside.
Until her father gets a selfish idea and starts setting tasks for the competitive men, making her hand in marriage the reward.
Things don't go according to plan, and a man just as greedy as the duke uses the river to do his bidding. But in the end, the river might be the only one really listening to Yeva...
Another great folk tale! This time about how beauty can be a curse, how consuming greed can become, and being unheard.
THE SOLDIER PRINCE
Droessen is a gifted clocksmith with a miraculous touch of wonder. He mystifies wherever he goes, with whatever he creates. But what he longs for is a better, more lavish and secure life. That's when he sets his sights on a young girl from the wealthy Zelverhauses.
He makes her a nutcracker and tells her to tell the toy all her secrets. For this toy soldier is meant to spy and entice her enough for Droessen to win her over.
But while Clara loses herself in the promise of magic and romance the nutcracker offers and real life loses all its allure compared to fantasy, the opposite happens to the soldier. He slowly begins to covet those around him and searches for a way to come to life. A way that might ultimately ruin everyone...
Wow. This is another amazing tale! One able to blend fantasy and reality so well they become tangled until no one knows what or who is real.
It also warns of what happens when we mistreat our own creations.
WHEN WATER SANG FIRE