Fairest

Reader reviewed by Lexie

Levine's books are always a treat for me to read. Ella Enchanted, her most famous work and The Two Princesses of Bamarre (my personal favorite) both proved that a heroine doesn't have to be perfect in ways that were easy to identify with. Fairest
is no exception. Aza is very easy to identify with--not just because
she is ugly, but also because the trials she goes through are trials
everyone deals with.

I liked Aza, she was a honest open
character who did her best to do what she says she will do. She cares
about others more often then herself and has been able to rise above
the pettiness of the inn's guests to feel that she was greatly gifted
by her family. I didn't begrudge her the fact that she often brought up
the subject of her looks, the other characters rarely let her forget
how she looked after all.

Ivi, as is to be expected I guess, was
a horror. Even before Aza realized, finally, what was going on with her
I could have guessed it. I would accuse her of being bipolar, but
honestly even when she was being 'generous' with Aza the fact was that
you could hear what she wasn't saying out loud. 'I will give you this
Aza, but mine is still better' or 'You look great in that Aza, but I
still look better' seemed to be the theme of their relationship.
Attention, of any kind, always had to be on her. Good, bad or even
hateful it had to be directed at her. She was a vain birdbrain given to
selfish tantrums (I honestly wonder what she was like before she
married Oscaro. I can't imagine that as a peasant girl in Kyrria she
could have gotten away with even a smidgen of what she pulled in the
Ontio Castle).

Ijori...I really really liked him at first. He
seemed like such a wonderful guy. But I don't believe he ever really
got over his intial distrust of Aza--despite what he said. Too quickly
did he decamp from her when it looked like things were stacking against
her. Too harshly did he decry his feelings for her when favor turned
against her. I wouldn't have faulted Aza for socking him.

In the
end this book left me with more feelings of unease then Ella or Bamarre
did. The moral of the story (any good fairy tale has one after all)
seemed too forcibly hoisted on the reader. Forgive Others! Accept
yourself! Be Confident in Yourself! I might have liked this better if
Aza didn't accept herself after Ijori said he thought her looks were
fine and he liked them better then ordinary beauty.

(Reprinted with permission from the author)

Reader reviewed by Sara

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  They all felt so real and were easy to connect with.  I loved Aza's talent in this book as well as this country that loves to sing and puts it in such high esteem.  Aza was my favorite character and I liked the lesson that she learned and that beauty isn't everything.

Reader reviewed by AbbyLiz

A young girl with a heart of gold is cursed with an ugle apperance. Yet her chance comes when she is able to go to court and meet a handsoe prince, and his beautiful step mother. This young girl goes through so many trials to find beauty, yet over looks the beauty within herself. A wonderful read for any girl.

Reader reviewed by Gigi

In the land of singers, Aza is definitely the best. But in the beauty department...well, not so much. So when the Duchess asks Aza to accompany her to the capital of Ayortha to attend King Oscaro's marriage to Ivi, a commoner from Kyrria, Aza's family tells her to go because she will probably never get another opportunity like this. Awestruck at the magnificence and beauty of the castle, the power and presence of the king, and at the beauty of the queen, Aza stumbles and stutters over her congratulations to the royal couple but her bumble causes her to become friends with the queen and the prince himself. Then some things go wrong and Aza finds herself in a situation where her life and the future of her precious country is in grave danger.
Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite authors and Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite books. This book wasn't as good as Ella Enchanted (but then again, what book is? haha) but it was still worth reading and I recommend this book for all readers, young and old.

Reader reviewed by ~tiffany^^

Fairest is about a girl named Aza who is (trying not to be mean here!) not very pretty, and spend most of her time trying to change her appearance. Although ahe is not beautiful, she has the most amazing voice that could do wonders. And when by chance, she got to go to the King's wedding, she was chosen by the new (and vain) Queen Ivi to be a lady in waiting. Similar to the story Snow-white, except Aza is not the fairest in the land, and instead of dawves, they are gnomes, Aza embarks on the journey that changes her perspective on herself, and (of course) saves the Kingdom from the creature in the Mirror. (I think that it also helps to have a Prince around, they usually come in handy.)

I really enjoyed this tale of a girl leaning to look past her appearance and instead look deeper in the heart. If you like fairytale re-tellings like i do, then you'll love this story. (the only down side is that the heroine isn't beautiful like all the others, but after reading this book, you should have learnt to look past that as well)

Reader reviewed by Jessica M.

Fairest is somewhat simialr to Snow White and yet, very different from the fairy tale. It is about a girl named Aza, who had always thought that she was ugly. Then, she comes along with a duchess to the royal wedding, and soon after, is a lady-in-waiting to the queen herself. Eventually, Queen Ivi grows jealous of Aza's unique and beautiful singing voice. While she is lady-in-waiting, Aza falls in love with Prince Ijori, who doesn't care if she is considered ugly. I liked this book because I could definitly relate to Aza. Like her, I thought I was ugly. But this book teaches us that if we're not exactly pretty, we have something pretty about us.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

When we think of fairy tale heroines, we usually imagine a beautiful, graceful young woman with massive amounts of hair down to there and angel eyes. Aza is none of the above. Tall, wide, and pasty, Aza was abandoned at an inn when she was only a few days old. The innkeepers family adopted her and she has lived and worked with them ever since. The inns guests are rarely kind with their comments about her looks, but even after 15 years of hearing them, Aza is still uncomfortable with her looks.

However, Aza has a special gift: her voice. She is an amazing singer, even by Ayorthaian standards, and secretly she masters the art of illusing, or what we refer to as ventriloquism, or throwing ones voice. She journeys to the kings castle to witness the marriage of King Ascaro to Queen Ivi, a foreigner. There, her voice captures Ivis attention. Ivi is determined to remain the fairest in all the land, and blackmails Aza into becoming her lady-in-waiting so she can illuse over her own weak voice.

Aza is unhappy at the castle, where her only source of happiness is the prince Ijori. Ivi owns a magic handheld mirror named Skulni which can make gazers look beautiful, and Aza is obsessed with becoming beautiful through any means, including spells and potions. When her life is in danger due to Ivis manic selfishness, Aza flees to Gnome Caverns where she learns the truth about herself and must grow to accept her looks and gain self-confidence.

FAIREST is a good story, notwithstanding certain things I would have liked better explained, such as Skulni. While its a retelling of Snow White, Gail Carson Levine makes it clear that the moral is that no one should judge their worth by their looks.

Reader reviewed by mimagirl

In a country where singing is as everyday as talking, Aza is blessed to have a beautiful voice . . . but she is not equally blessed with good looks. When she travels to the King's wedding she is afraid everyone will shun her because of her ugliness. Therefore she is pleasantly surprised when she is befriended not only by the Prince but the new Queen herself! But what if those people are not what they seem - or look - to be? What if she herself is not what she always thought? Before she knows it, Aza has delved deep into the intrigues of the court . . . perhaps too deep to stay alive.

I had a wonderful time reading this romping fairytale by the author of Ella Enchanted. One part that disappointed me was that the romance wasn't as charming or well played out as the one in Ella Enchanted. Nevertheless it was full of rich descriptions, colorful characters and an engaging plot.