Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Misty (Book Rat)

The lass leads a lonely life.  She lives in a remote little Norwegian
village that is blanketed by a strange, never-ending winter.  Her mother
refused to name her, and she is largely disregarded by all but her
father and her beloved eldest brother, Hans Peter, who seems to the lass
to be hiding a deep pain.  But when the lass is blessed with the
strange ability to be able to speak to animals, her life begins to
change.  People of all kinds seek her out for help -- and then, so does
an isbjorn, a massive polar bear with a trouble and a loneliness
of his own.  When the isbjorn promises the lass that her family
will be wealthy if she will agree to live with him in a remote castle
for a year, the lass agrees and finds herself in a strange palace of
green ice, waited on by even stranger servants.  But the plush
surroundings mask a dark secret, and soon the lass must decide to risk
everything she has ever wanted for something she never knew she could
have, and embark on a fantastic and daunting journey that has the
potential to change the world in which she lives in this well-wrought
retelling of the tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon".





It's hard to write about something when it's either very bad or very
good, so this will be a (fairly) short review:



There is very little I didn't love about this story.



Something to understand about me: I am a tabber.  I have a crazy amount
of those little post-it flags in just about every color, and as I'm
reading I tab things I like or want to be able to find again.  There are
no tabs in this book -- I flew through it too fast, and was too
absorbed to reach for the tabs.



Jessica Day George followed her passion and chose to study Norway, and
that passion shows.  She crafts a story that is layered and has depth
beyond what is generally seen in a fairy tale or retelling.  The
traditional elements are there: the downtrodden heroine who, it turns
out, has some pluck; the rags to riches; the fantastic element; the
danger and tension; the family dynamics, good and bad, and the sort of
"karmic" balance -- everything works together to create one of the
strongest retellings I've ever read.  George's love of Norway and fairy
tales help her create a rich and believable base for a story that shines
and flows beautifully.  Things are well developed and rich.  It is very
visual and alive, and thoroughly enjoyable.  The romance-aspect was
enjoyable and not at all creepy, which I was initially worried about.



The only drawback for me was that, compared to the rest of the story,
the end felt a little rushed and underdeveloped.  It wasn't a complete
bust by any means, but after so much layering and depth, I would have
liked to see that followed through to the conclusion; an opportunity to
pack in a bit more oomph was missed, but this should not at all keep you
from picking up a copy.  Now.



The "Beauty and the Beast"-esque story that is "East of the Sun, West of
the Moon" has captured many writer's pens lately, but I have trouble
believing that any of the other retellings will top George's.

Originally posted: http://bookrat-misty.blogspot.com/2010/03/sun-and-moon-ice-and-snow-by-jessica.html