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edb14's review against another edition
3.0
I was very excited to find out about this novel as it is yet another adaptation of my favorite fairy tale, the Norse myth East of the Sun and West of the Moon . I always try to read every possible adaptation of this tale, and there aren't many of them out there.
But then, oh noo... The tale itself only appears in small hints at the beginning, and almost no focus is given to the brave heroine of many (and no) names that is usually front and center. The grand climax of confronting the evil Troll Queen takes place in the first third of the novel. Swiftly dropping my beloved characters in the literary dutstbin like a used washrag, Juliet Marillier cracks her knuckles and proceeds with the story that she wanted to tell. Oh, my heart...
Though reeling from the shock of having my precious story swept aside lightly, I was intrigued by the tale that Marillier weaves in her own way. The heartwarming conclusion of one story is also the cruel disappointment to our actual main character, the rejected troll bride (neatly reflecting my own feelings about the novel lol). The troll bride must accept that the future she imagined for herself was merely a childhood dream, and she must set out in search of a new purpose. In the process, she begins to discover a purpose for her people as well, and many ways that her unique talents could be used to change the world. She may not resemble the heroines from the human storybooks she loves, but she will create her own narrative as best as she knows how.
Thematically, it is brilliant and well-told. The plot itself I found to be a bit rushed and simplistic. Though purporting to record a great character arc and explore a vast world, the story actually covers two human settlements and one-and-a-half troll clans before our heroine and her army must march back to her castle to fend off a new treachery. The novel proceeds in stops and starts and is tonally inconsistent. One of the most bizarre elements is the magic. Having stripped away the nostalgic beauty of the original tale, Marillier seems to be going for a more realistic portrayal of a magical world, which I enjoy usually. She usually has the characters respond to problems in realistic ways and describes the characters' talents as being innate to troll or human folk rather than the product of magic explicitly. The magic she describes seems to be a part of the royal family and is difficult to control. This is all fine and I was starting to understand her magic system. However, she keeps certain elements from the fairy tale unchanged with no explanation, such as the insistence on the power of three. Some elements are whimsically left mysterious, which does not work if you are going for a gritty re-imagining of a classic tale. The toothpaste will not go back into the tube, Marillier; the fairy will not go back into the bottle. You held up the old tale as a sham ending that left certain characters callously left out; you can't just go back to relying on the old tropes that gave that fairy tale its feel. Instead, Marillier hops back and forth between modern realistic attitudes and reliance on fairy-tale logic in order to drag the novel to a dramatic conclusion reminiscent of the original tale that contains the powerful and inexplicable three deus-ex-machinas, but that also solves the problems of all the sad side-characters whose dreams are not fulfilled. In my opinion, Marillier is trying to have her cake and eat it too.
This was a thoroughly middle-of-the-road novel. It is short, punchy, and moderately interesting, but not well-written enough or meaty enough to stick in my mind or overcome its tonal problems. I will probably have forgotten it in a year.
But then, oh noo... The tale itself only appears in small hints at the beginning, and almost no focus is given to the brave heroine of many (and no) names that is usually front and center. The grand climax of confronting the evil Troll Queen takes place in the first third of the novel. Swiftly dropping my beloved characters in the literary dutstbin like a used washrag, Juliet Marillier cracks her knuckles and proceeds with the story that she wanted to tell. Oh, my heart...
Though reeling from the shock of having my precious story swept aside lightly, I was intrigued by the tale that Marillier weaves in her own way. The heartwarming conclusion of one story is also the cruel disappointment to our actual main character, the rejected troll bride (neatly reflecting my own feelings about the novel lol). The troll bride must accept that the future she imagined for herself was merely a childhood dream, and she must set out in search of a new purpose. In the process, she begins to discover a purpose for her people as well, and many ways that her unique talents could be used to change the world. She may not resemble the heroines from the human storybooks she loves, but she will create her own narrative as best as she knows how.
Thematically, it is brilliant and well-told. The plot itself I found to be a bit rushed and simplistic. Though purporting to record a great character arc and explore a vast world, the story actually covers two human settlements and one-and-a-half troll clans before our heroine and her army must march back to her castle to fend off a new treachery. The novel proceeds in stops and starts and is tonally inconsistent. One of the most bizarre elements is the magic. Having stripped away the nostalgic beauty of the original tale, Marillier seems to be going for a more realistic portrayal of a magical world, which I enjoy usually. She usually has the characters respond to problems in realistic ways and describes the characters' talents as being innate to troll or human folk rather than the product of magic explicitly. The magic she describes seems to be a part of the royal family and is difficult to control. This is all fine and I was starting to understand her magic system. However, she keeps certain elements from the fairy tale unchanged with no explanation, such as the insistence on the power of three. Some elements are whimsically left mysterious, which does not work if you are going for a gritty re-imagining of a classic tale. The toothpaste will not go back into the tube, Marillier; the fairy will not go back into the bottle. You held up the old tale as a sham ending that left certain characters callously left out; you can't just go back to relying on the old tropes that gave that fairy tale its feel. Instead, Marillier hops back and forth between modern realistic attitudes and reliance on fairy-tale logic in order to drag the novel to a dramatic conclusion reminiscent of the original tale that contains the powerful and inexplicable three deus-ex-machinas, but that also solves the problems of all the sad side-characters whose dreams are not fulfilled. In my opinion, Marillier is trying to have her cake and eat it too.
This was a thoroughly middle-of-the-road novel. It is short, punchy, and moderately interesting, but not well-written enough or meaty enough to stick in my mind or overcome its tonal problems. I will probably have forgotten it in a year.
mckitten96's review against another edition
3.0
Gripping writing, as usual for Marillier, but the story lacks a bit. Perhaps I'm just too attached to her long trilogies, but the ending to the story felt way too short, or that there should be more books added to fill the space. If I had to guess, I'd say it was an earlier book of hers, maybe a story she'd been playing around with. Definitely amazing writing, though. That's why I was instantly addicted to Marillier's books.
rielbelle's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
josiebo's review against another edition
4.0
More of a 3.75 rounded up - 4 stars is a bit generous, but it left me with a happy feeling, so I boosted the rating. This book feels very much like a classic fairytale. It had a princess who knows nothing of the world, a journey with unexpected twists and turns, a moral to learn, and a cast of support characters with admirable traits. The first part of the book was slow and not very interesting, but eventually the story picks up and whisks you away on an adventure. It had been in my library for quite some time, and I am glad I finally listened to it.
shell132001's review against another edition
4.0
4.25
Really enjoyed this, not surprising since I adore this author. I really love this retelling. You never knew what you were going to get. She also did a great job subverting some tropes, which I loved. Marillier does such a good job at immersing the reader into the story. She always creates wonderful fairy tales that I'll always want to read.
Really enjoyed this, not surprising since I adore this author. I really love this retelling. You never knew what you were going to get. She also did a great job subverting some tropes, which I loved. Marillier does such a good job at immersing the reader into the story. She always creates wonderful fairy tales that I'll always want to read.
denisedup's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
noamw's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. It's fair basic and predictable story - but also fairly effective one.
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Mini-Review:
4 Stars for Narration by Gemma Dawson
4 Stars for Hulde
3 Stars for Plot Progression
I loved the first segment of the story. It was a fresh take of a well known tale. I adore the three pets she is given and the parts they played. The weakest part of the story was the journey Hulde takes to create a story of her own. It was not as well structured and lost some of the fairy tale glow. Overall, cute story and heartwarming. I wanted more development & awareness from Hulde but that could be me being greedy.
4 Stars for Narration by Gemma Dawson
4 Stars for Hulde
3 Stars for Plot Progression
I loved the first segment of the story. It was a fresh take of a well known tale. I adore the three pets she is given and the parts they played. The weakest part of the story was the journey Hulde takes to create a story of her own. It was not as well structured and lost some of the fairy tale glow. Overall, cute story and heartwarming. I wanted more development & awareness from Hulde but that could be me being greedy.
supriya's review against another edition
It was cute! It takes a minor character from a Norwegian fairytale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon", and tells the story from her point of view, and then extends the story beyond the fairytale and giver her a whole arc. My favorite thing about it is the concept: giving the innocent troll princess caught up in her evil mother's scheme a voice and a chance to become self-actualized. (Because of course, I'm a sucker for flipping the script on the "monstrous" culture of trolls and antagonists in general.)
It was much more of a children's book than I realized when I got it, since I'm here for Marillier's more complex characterization and plots, but I paid for it on Audible so I finished it.
It was much more of a children's book than I realized when I got it, since I'm here for Marillier's more complex characterization and plots, but I paid for it on Audible so I finished it.
nessas_lair's review against another edition
3.0
I recently finished this audiobook about the story of Hulde, the troll from the fairytale ‘East of the Sun and West of the Moon’ (EotSaWofM aka my favourite fairytale ever). This fairytale was told from her perspective which was such an interesting idea and I loved it! This book has 3 parts and only the first part includes the story of EotSaWofM. After the original plot ends, the story continues with Hulde’s journey to make her own story and find out who she is. There wasn’t really much plot after the first part because it was just her going on her journey but I still enjoyed listening to her story. The troll culture was also very fascinating especially how the Queen can have 2 husbands who have the role of a Warrior and a Wayfinder. Overall this was a really interesting take on a classic fairytale