"I go with her. Forever."
"Who? Who do you go with?"
He shook his head, hopelessness flooding his whole body.
"Can't you tell me?"
"It does not matter. I know her only as Queen, and her land is far."
"Where is it?" I asked, willing him to tell me.
He laughed suddenly, and I could hear the full-throated, grating sound of the white bear's laughter in it.
"East of the sun and west of the moon," he said.
If you spot East in a bookstore, your first thought may not be to take it home with you. It certainly wasn't mine. Polar bears and Norwegian fairy tales are not the typical flashy and sparkly YA book. And those 500 pages can be a little daunting. In the end though, the fairy tale lover in me wouldn't put the book down, and without knowing it I bought a favorite book of mine that fateful day.
The writing in East is rich and gorgeous and...soothing. I say that because reading this book feels uncannily like I'm being told a favorite bedtime story. An engrossing one at that. With every page turned, every chapter read, it becomes clear that Pattou has woven a beautiful tale. There are so many layers and overlapping details that result in giving you the warm fuzzies. Yes, that lovely feeling.
Although I wouldn't recommend East for light summer reading, if you have a chunk of time on your hands and an interest in the warm fuzzies, this book will not leave you disappointed. Read up!
{East is a retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, if anyone's wondering}
Rating: 9.5/10
6 comments ♥:
I have seen this in bookstores but never thought to pick it up. I think we all judge books by their covers and this one definitly isn't an eye catcher. :D But it does sound interesting and I just adore re-tellings! Next time in the bookstore i'll check it out.
kd
Aw, I actually like the cover! But covers aside, I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I really did too :)
I read a book about this same fairytale called Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow. I LOVED it, so when I saw this a few bookstore trips ago, I had to buy it. Can't wait to read it!
I bought this years ago before I was even interested in YA - but I still haven't read it. Obviously, I need to!
PS - I also love fairy tale retellings.
I <3 this book. :)
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