Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

This was another fairy tale retelling, and you know how well I like those. I also generally like Gail Carson Levine.

However. I didn't particularly like this one. Well, I didn't dislike it either. So...

In this re-telling of Snow White, our heroine Aza is a misfit in the kingdom of Ayortha. Despite having great and unusual vocal talents (highly regarded in this kingdom), Aza is large, white and considered very ugly. She's spent her life working at her (loving) family's inn, hiding her face and being reassured and unconditionally loved by her adoptive parents and siblings. One day she has an opportunity to go to court as a lady-in-waiting to a demanding but not unkind duchess. Perhaps Aza will get the chance to sing for the royal family? She does indeed, and finds that her singing talents entangle her in the biggest knot of trouble that she's ever encountered. Will she ever be free again?

The reasons I liked this book: Well, it's a fairy tale. Love those. And I loved the dwarves--who were not really dwarves in this book. And I was so glad that Aza had a loving family. I liked the badness of the bad guy. Why does it often seem that bad guys are more real than the good guys in fairy tales? Is evil so easy to illustrate? Finally, I am always amazed when a familiar story can be so uniquely re-imagined as this one is! So creative!

What I didn't like: Unfortunately, I didn't like Aza much. I liked her best in her most assertive moments, but those were few and far between. I didn't find her love story very believable. WHY did he fall in love with her? Their connection was not built on anything substantial so didn't feel very well developed. The wicked queen usurped her power all too easily. It felt like the conflict needed more teeth. In fact, the whole book needed more teeth. I know this is a YA book, but so many of those do have depth and substance so when I encounter one that has a suitably rich storyline, but doesn't quite develop, I am sorry. Of course, Gail Carson Levine is a master storyteller and so many of her books are so lovely, engaging and entertaining. But this one (loosely connected to Ella Enchanted, by the way) was not one of her best.

Sex: nope!
Bad language: none