Guest Review: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

This review is brought to you by my amazing sister, Kelli. You can find her on her blog and on Goodreads.

Summary: Based on a classic Grimm’s fairy tale, this is the story told by Dashti, a maid from the steppes of a medieval land, who sacrifices her freedom to accompany her mistress into exile.

Imprisoned in a remote tower after Lady Saren refuses to marry the man her father has chosen, the maid and the lady have almost nothing in common. But the loyalty that grows between the two, the man they love in different ways for different reasons, and the lies they tell because of and in spite of each other, combine to evoke the deepest bonds, transcend the loneliest landscapes, and erupt in a conclusion so romantic, so clever, and so right that no reader will be left dry-eyed.

Review: I finally found a Shannon Hale story I can recommend to friends.  I didn't get what the big deal was with Princess Academy.  Goose Girl and Enna Burning were pleasant enough at times but left me overall underwhelmed.  But Book of a Thousand Days was enchanting.  Part of it was listening to the audiobook and hearing the songs, but the narration really drew me in.  I generally dislike first person narration, but the journal format worked perfectly.  The growth of the friendship between Dashti and Lady Saren is well-paced and believable.  As is the romance, despite the love triangle.  One I will definitely encourage my daughter to read, if I ever manage to have a girl-child.

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