I went into this expecting a fairy tale, and that’s what I got, although more along the lines of “let’s cut our toes off to fit into these glass slippers” rather than something Disneyfied.
Lissar is a princess, quiet and shy, ignored by everyone in the kingdom because her parents are so beautiful and glamorous. The king and queen ignore her too, so desperately in love with each other they can see nothing else. Then the queen develops a mysterious illness, makes her husband promise to not remarry unless it’s someone as beautiful as she was, and dies. Lissar grows up with no friend but her dog Ash, until all of a sudden her 17th birthday happens and her father notices how beautiful she is. It goes from “kinda sad story about a girl and her dog” to “monstrous icky badness” incredibly fast, and after a horrifying attack, Lissar and Ash flee into the mountains.
Lissar basically has trauma amnesia, and she and Ash learn to live on rabbits and roots while they heal, with a little help from a handy goddess. The rest of the book meanders over her travels, her relearning about herself and her past, and finding out she can be a whole person again. The writing is lovely, the dog bits are fun (puppies!), and Lissar is a quietly strong heroine – fragile and completely unable to see what a bad-ass she really is.
McKinley is always worth a read, but don’t go into this one expecting sweetness and light.
P.S. When I went to Amazon to get the link, the next book on the possibility list is this: Deerskins into Buckskins: How to Tan with Brains, Soap or Eggs; 2nd Edition. Eep!
Congratulations on completing your Cannonball! I think this is an amazing book, but it’s quite possibly the sort of book you only read once. It made me cry so hard I could barely see the pages. The “monstrous icky badness” is heartbreaking, but Lissar’s slow recovery is lovely.
Thank you! And yeah, this one was much darker than I expected. I kept thinking, “she’s gonna get away, right? Any minute now. Out the door, Lissar. Why are you not running away? Aaaaaany minute now.” And then, YIKES.
Congratulations on No. 52! Great job and very interesting reviews. I think a lot of your personality shows in your reviews, and they are very fun to read. Plus, I’ve read some great books because of it. If you do take a break from Cannonball next year, maybe you could do a blog or at least post these on Amazon. I’m always looking for good recommendations, and you’re always coming across with ones I really like (China, Leviathan, that Christmas angel one).
Congratulations again and Happy Christmas in Kansas!
“A break from Cannonball Read”?? I don’t understand those words! ;-) I hope that if you do take a break from reviewing that you come to visit the group blog and still contribute your comments. Oh and congratulations on the Cannonball! Well done indeed.