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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this for the most part. The ending however was just too convoluted and drawn out. I can't say I'm quite sure what the naughty sorcerer did. Between legends and explanations it got a bit hazy and I couldn't be bothered to flip back to suss it out
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not much of a romance but a true novel length fairytale
Not the lushness of her Beauty, but this ending! I adore this ending.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Robin McKinley's BEAUTY has been one of my very favorite books since I first read it as a pre-teen, and still holds the foremost place among fairy-tale retellings in my heart. I was therefore intrigued but somewhat skeptical when I heard about ROSE DAUGHTER, which I purchased years ago but never read until now. And I think it came to me at a good time in my life, a time when I think on an almost daily basis about fairy tales and how they affect us, a time when I feel the beginnings of faint stirrings of a desire to write my own retellings. BEAUTY is still, to my mind, the ultimate Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I did really love ROSE DAUGHTER. The latter is more full of magic, from the moment it mentions a pet dragon on the very first page, making enchantments and sorcery as matter-of-fact as it is in classic fairy tales. I loved how close the sisters were in this one, even more so than the already lovely closeness they had in BEAUTY, and Lionheart and Jeweltongue (those names! a bit off-putting at first, but they became absolutely perfect and so fitting) have a great deal more personality than Grace and Hope. I think the gardening Beauty of this book, despite her magic, is still not as dear to me as the earlier Beauty, but she is a classically determined and likably ordinary McKinley protagonist. I also don't think I have ever even heard of a retelling where (spoilers) the Beast remains a Beast, but I respect the boldness of the choice, and though I don't want to think too much about the practical aspect of it, I dig it.
I didn't like the end very much. This has been the easiest of McKinley's books to read for me. I love how she worked roses in more and that lionheart pretended to be a guy.