The author is new to me. And it's a genre I rarely read: historical fantasy. This is way better than the Hunger Games triology which was probably the last fantasy books I've read. Of course I enjoyed Harry Potter series as well. This one is almost better than the HP books, in my opinion, mainly from a literary viewpoint. The HP books are fun and for anyone over age 8. This book is more geared towards an older crowd. I loved it.
STORY SUMMARY
Greta and Hans (think Hansel and Gretel) are struggling young adults. They have survived the gingerbread house and the witch. 20 years has gone by. (this is the time frame in the book jacket description).
It is April, 1650. Their mother and stepmother have been dead for a long time. Hans is in serious debt from all of his gambling, and the people, village and countryside lie in ruin after a brutal war.
And Greta has a secret: she has the witch's grimoire (book) and it's hidden away and whispers things to her ears only. The book also contains the recipe for gingerbread and it's the best anyone has ever tasted. Greta bakes it weekly and sells it to the village folk, which is what she and Hans live on. It's all she can really do.
The village is full of superstitions and Greta, with her addictive gingerbread, along with the rumors of her childhood misadventures (did she really push the old witch into an oven??), is often the target for suspicion and gossip.
And then one evening, dark magic returns to the village and surrounding woods, and Greta's magic...which she is still trying to understand....the good magic....might be the only thing that can save her, her brother, her new friend Mathias, and all the other village people.
If it doesn't kill her first.
MY THOUGHTS
I LOVED this story. Think of it as Hansel and Gretel for adults. The plot is fantastic and the only thing that bugged me was that the author has in the jacket cover that 20 years has gone by since Greta and Hans escaped the gingerbread house, yet she has Greta being 22 yrs old in the story. She also has that Greta was only 7 yrs old when they were left in the woods by their father. So, the math is off. That was the only glitch or editing error I found.
This is truly one of the best fantasy books I've ever read. The historical facts thrown in are also interesting. I love the description of Lindenwold (the village) and the mountains, forest, and Hornberg where the climax of the book takes place.
Obviously it is fantasy. But there's a stark realism at times throughout this story.
The characters are beautifully developed and described.
There is a bit of romance, mystery, darkness, and good vs evil in this book. It keeps you turning the page far into the night.
Some of the themes appear to be: childhood abandonment; death; evil; magic; betrayal; powerlessness; love; friendship; forgiveness.
I loved how the author took snippets from various fairy tales and wove them into this plot.
This book is perfect if you loved fairy tales when you were a child (I loved them!) and if you like fast-paced, well developed plots with exciting twists and turns and a bit of "magic" in the story. It's so well written! It's also a clean read. There are some scenes that hint of certain adult things and there are 2 instances where the "F" word is used (which frankly I found odd....since it wasn't seen until the very end and then just didn't seem to jive with the language of that time or setting like in previous pages).
I'm hoping this author continues to write historical fantasy because this debut novel is top notch. It is beautifully written and the characters just leap off the page at you....it's like you know them. And of course that underlying message of "happily ever after"....very different in this book....but perfect......
If you're looking for something different, very literary, and deep in meaning, plus something to cozy up to this winter, this book is perfect.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
2 comments:
I think I'd like it but I have too many books on my to read list already!! :)
This book sounds good. I may have to see if the library here has it. Thanks for the review!
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