Author: Shannon HaleGenre: YA Fantasy
Published: 2007
Personal Rating: 3/5
Yearly Count: 69
Dashti, the maid to Lady Saren, tells her story through her diary entries. It begins when Lady Saren refuses to marry the man her father has chosen for her; therefore, banishes her and Dashti to 7 years of imprisonment in a tower. Due to Dashti's loyalty to her Lady, she finds herself in the midst of deception in and out of the tower.
I enjoyed my first Hale book, The Goose Girl, so I decided to give this one a try. Unfortunately, it didn't go over as well. Stories that include gods in nine different realms, singing for healing purposes and other fantasy components are just not for me. (Knowing that this was YA fantasy, I had hoped that those parts would squeak by without me noticing too much. I noticed.) However, Dashti's voice came through clearly and I liked her. She held my interest.
I haven't given up on Hale. I think she's a great storyteller and still plan on continuing with the sequels to The Goose Girl. And, I'm hoping for a good outcome. Has Hale written anything outside this genre?
The only ones I've read of hers are The Goose Girl (which I loved!) and the next Bayern one, Enna Burning (which I didn't enjoy as much, but many people seem to like more). I've really been looking forward to A Book of a Thousand Days. Maybe I'll enjoy it more than you, since I've discovered that I actually do like fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI think she wrote Austenland, which is not YA fantasy. I haven't read it yet however, so I can't tell you anything else about it.
ReplyDeleteShannon Hale did write Austenland, a adult fiction novel very unlike any of her YA fantasy. I've reviewed it on my blog. I liked it well enough but for some reason I can't picture you loving it. I enjoyed A Book of a Thousand Days and was fortunate to have her sign my copy over the weekend.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this one, sorry to hear that you didn't. I've read all of Hale's books and my favorites are Goose Girl, Princess Academy and Book of a Thousand Days - all YA fantasy. I did not get overly excited about Austenland, though the YA women in my family loved it.
ReplyDeleteJoy, I read AUSTENLAND last August and wrote a review of it. I liked it. It had a young New Yorker who is secretly obsessed with Mr. Darcy (or just Colin Firth) and she gets a trip to a Austen-time-immmersion vacation. Fun ensues.
ReplyDeleteI think this is the first negative review of this I have seen so far. I loved The Goose Girl and am looking forward to reading Enna Burning and River Secrets which I hope are just as good. I am waiting for the paperback of this to come out and hopefully I will enjoy it more than you did. I hope you don't give up on her :)
ReplyDeleteDebi ~ You probably will like it more than I did. There's not a lot of fantasy in it, but what's there isn't my thing.
ReplyDeleteRaidergirl3 ~ Thank you. :)
Maw Books ~ "I can't picture you loving it." That made me laugh. Not sure why. I think I'm going to pass. Thanks for your input. :)
Booklogged ~ I did really like The Goose Girl, which was recommended by you. :) It was a stretch for me, but I'm glad I gave it a try and enjoyed it. This one was just too much for me. Being that I listened it, I had to listen to the songs being sung . . . UGH!!! I don't like when anyone sings on audiobooks. (Pet peeve I guess. I don't sing when I read a song.) That had an impact on my rating.
Kay ~ Eh, probably not my cup of tea. I wish it were. Thank you for giving me the condensed version. :)
Rhinoa ~ I'm really not trying to be negative. I rated it a "Just Okay". There were parts I liked and parts I didn't, therefore, leaving it in the middle. :) I think reading it would have been better for me (see my comment to Booklogged). Ultimately, this isn't a genre that I particularly care for, so for me, a 3 is pretty good.
i haven't read this one yet, but my daughters enjoyed it. (they love fantasy novels.) i did hear shannon hale speak last week and found her funny and an absolute delight!
ReplyDeleteTry The Princess Academy. I thought it was excellent when I read it last year. River Secrets also was good.
ReplyDeleteAlison ~ She definitely has a talent and I don't doubt that she's a wonderful person. Glad you enjoyed her talk. :)
ReplyDeleteKkfea74 ~ Thank you. I'll read more by her at some point and will keep your suggestions in mind.