I'll start off by saying- I absolutely loved this book! I had never heard of the fairy tale it's based on (The Goose Girl), but this could easily be a stand alone tale in itself. The premise was easy to follow and the characters rich in their development. The book itself was incredibly stunning- not only the cover art, but the illustrations inside the book as well.
This tale follows Vanja, a young woman who, when she was a girl ,was left with the goddesses Fortune and Death who then adopted her as their goddaughter. They have helped Vanja here and there throughout her life, but as she approaches adulthood Death and Fortune want Vanja to choose which one of them to serve. Vanja, being fiercely independent and dreaming of a life of her own, starts to steal to make enough to flee and not have to serve either of her godmothers.
Vanja's story unfolds at a perfect pace and we are given enough background at a time to keep us wanting more. I also loved how the romance between Vanja and Emeric was not a main plot line, but more of a character development.
The only reason I bumped off a star was because Vanja would not stop bashing herself. I understand that her character is shady at best, but the constant inner dialogue of how she's a bad person and deserves only terrible things doesn't make her heroic climax any more surprising. We get it, she's a little thief who for most of her life has only cared about herself, that doesn't make her a monster.
I would absolutely suggest this book to others and I can't wait for the sequel!!
This tale follows Vanja, a young woman who, when she was a girl ,was left with the goddesses Fortune and Death who then adopted her as their goddaughter. They have helped Vanja here and there throughout her life, but as she approaches adulthood Death and Fortune want Vanja to choose which one of them to serve. Vanja, being fiercely independent and dreaming of a life of her own, starts to steal to make enough to flee and not have to serve either of her godmothers.
Vanja's story unfolds at a perfect pace and we are given enough background at a time to keep us wanting more. I also loved how the romance between Vanja and Emeric was not a main plot line, but more of a character development.
The only reason I bumped off a star was because Vanja would not stop bashing herself. I understand that her character is shady at best, but the constant inner dialogue of how she's a bad person and deserves only terrible things doesn't make her heroic climax any more surprising. We get it, she's a little thief who for most of her life has only cared about herself, that doesn't make her a monster.
I would absolutely suggest this book to others and I can't wait for the sequel!!