It is another fairy tale retelling--the flyleaf indicated it was a Grimm Brothers tale, but it was none that I recognized. Of course, Shannon Hale points out that she altered the tale quite a bit. In any case, it was new to me and I found it absolutely enchanting.
This story is set in Medieval Mongolia--wow! We meet a healer from the steppes as she is learning the duties of a maid to a well-born girl, both of them having just been sealed in a tower where they must stay for 7 years.
The book is told from the point of view of Dashti, the maid, and her voice is wise, humble and real. In fact, we are reading her journal, the record she has kept of her ordeal with her mistress.
A great deal of the charm of this book for me was that is was set in Mongolia, a country I was lucky enough to visit quite a few years ago. I learned a little about Mongolian customs then and what I know was beautifully enriched by what Shannon Hale included in her story. Make no mistake, this IS a fairy tale--the ending is perfect. I loved this book.
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