Where did I get it? Remember that my friend Lucinda lent me several books before she went to Canada nearly two years ago? This is one of them. When I went through all my books I was reminded I've still got a few to read, so I picked this one up after I'd finished my last book. One of my purest joys now is being able to go into my "library" and browse my books.
What's it about? This is a book of three short stories. In the first one, Goblin Fruit, Kizzy, whose family is odd, falls for a new boy at school. In the olden days goblins offered fruit to tempt the souls of young girls, so will Kizzy fall for the same too? I liked how this was a very modern retelling, and I thought Kizzy was a great character. I wanted to know more about her family!
In the second story, an old woman travels to hell each day to beg for children to be spared from death. She spars with a devil, and on one occasion, barters for the lives of 22 children in an earthquake. The devil she barters with instructs her to make a curse on the youngest child of a rich British family living in India. Anamique is cursed with never being able to speak, and if she does, she'll kill everyone who hears. She lives a quiet life until James arrives, an ex soldier wounded in WWI. She falls in love with him, but eventually learns how to use her voice for good. I liked the nods to Hindu religious beliefs in this story and the setting of the British Raj after WWI.
In the third story, which is the longest by far and really more of a novella, Esme wakes up one day when she is thirteen and discovers that one of her brown eyes has changed to an icy blue. Her mother, Mab, grew up as an enslaved pet of a powerful Queen, queen of a set of shapeshifting demons. Mab tries to escape the demons, who are coming after them as wolves. Esme starts to remember a pervious kiss from the person who helps them to escape. I loved the setting of this novella, I could have read a whole novel about this creepy land, the beasts near the citadel, and the Queen and her powers.
I'm not much of a fan of fantasy, but I took a chance on this book and I ended up loving it. I liked the worldbuilding the author had undertaken and the strict rules that each world adhered to. I liked the mix of religions and folk religion and different bits twisted together. I liked the magic and the way each story focussed on something as small as a kiss but were so huge in scope. I would definitely like to read Laini's full length novels and other works.
What age range is it for? I'm going to say from 14+
Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No
Are any main characters people of colour? No, although there's an interesting race aspect in the middle story
Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yes, I'm going to say somewhat
Is there any sex stuff? There is some sexual assault mentioned in the final story, in a fashion. It's part of the creepiness.
Are drugs mentioned or used? No
Is there any talk of death? Yes, quite a bit, especially in the middle story
Are there swear words? No
What criticisms do I have? Honestly none! I have even decided I'm going to try to write some more magic myself. Thank you for the inspiration!
Would I recommend the book? Yes, one hundred percent, especially if you like fantasy. I'm not a fantasy fan, I'm not into Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter, I don't always understand how fantasy works? But I do know when I enjoy reading a book and I definitely enjoyed this.
Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? Well Lucinda probably deserves her books back sooner rather than later!
What other books is it like? Not my forte so I've no idea!
How many stars? Five out of five! Thoroughly enjoyable.
Where is the book going now? To Lucinda, maybe to where she is in Canada, but I'm not sure!
No comments:
Post a Comment