Fiction / Fantasy
465 pages / 2479 KB
3 Stars
I finished this book a few days ago, and have been trying to
decide if it's a 3- or 4-star book. The writing was solid, and I enjoyed the
re-telling of old fairy tales. But some of the characters seemed not quite
solid, not quite there. I've not read her other books, so don't know if it's
because Novik is used to books (plural) to develop her characters, or something
else.
I loved the world she built, but not her main characters. Nieshka
was a pretty independent girl—why didn't she ask a lot of the questions she
didn't ask? Why was she there? Why did he pick her? What was she supposed to
do? What purpose did the magic painting serve? (It was brought up enough times
it should have been a key element.)
The biggest nit for me was the lack of price for the magic.
It was hinted at a time or two, but never used.
There must be a price to magic, be it migraines, sleep, or a deep
craving for vodka. The more magic used, the higher/longer the cost. And there
were a few times I was momentarily thrown from the story. I think they were
timeline inconsistencies.
Over all, this book is worth the read. Put it in the basket
for your summer beach trip.
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