Wow! This blew me away

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emilyfay Avatar

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I was not prepared for how much I would love this book. This story is a complicated one. Vanja, the thirteenth daughter of a thirteenth daughter, is taken into the woods by her mother when she is still only a child, and left with the goddesses of Death and Fortune. The goddesses adopt her as their own and raise her before leaving her at a castle to be a servant to the princess Gisele. What began as a friendship between the two girls quickly soured as Vanja realized they were from different worlds and that when worst comes to worst, Gisele will never protect her. When she turned 13, her godmothers made her a deal. She must pick one of them to serve for the rest of her life. It was at this point that Vanja began to understand that the only person truly looking out for her was herself. She refused to choose between her godmothers and she refused to be a victim.

Perhaps the best way to describe this story is through the words of Junior Prefect Emeric who told Vanja, "The more I know of you, the more I understand that the world keeps making you choose between survival and martyrdom". This is a story of the choices we make when there are no good choices and who we become when we lost faith in others, but most importantly ourselves. These characters were so wonderful because they were so remarkably human: scarred by their pasts but resilient. I teared up with joy for Emeric and Vanja. I teared up with pride for Gisele's growth and for Vanja's sacrifices. This was a wonderful read.