Scan barcode
A review by heather4994
Stray by Elissa Sussman
4.0
This is an unique take on the fairy godmother point of view in fairy tales. At The Institute, young royals and noblewoman are being trained to not use their magic. It's bad, considered a trait that makes a young woman, no matter how noble of birth, not the marrying kind. The fairy godmothers that attend them at the institute are not the warm loving characters who grant wishes from the Cinderella type tales we know. These women are failed noble girls themselves who have had to give up their hearts and serve other young girls who are in the same place they once were. And these fairy godmothers are not on the side of the young girls trying to keep from using their magic.
There are several things that really work for this story. First, the obvious comment on forcing young girls to withhold their "magic" because it's bad and their husband's are allowed to return them after marriage if they find they use their "magic". The use of woman against woman as the fairy godmothers are to keep a book of infractions and are encouraged to report to the headmistress and the husband as they go with the girl if she is married off at 16. Then there is the main character's confusion about what she wants and how her parents react to her choices.
I think the story has a lot going for it and I'm waiting for the next book. There is mention of the Wicked Queen and dark magic and strays, those that are neither matched for marriage nor who choose to be fairy godmothers but instead choose to work for this dark queen. I don't know who she is and I can't quite match her to a fairy tale but I'm interested in where the story is headed.
Although the main character, Aislynn is the narrator, the side characters have full stories behind them and lend a lot of depth to the story. Aislynn questions a lot of things but has the good manners not to voice her questions. It's been trained out of her and when she finally gets it back, it's a little too late. You might find it frustrating in the beginning that she has all these questions and then doesn't stand up for herself but remember she's been brainwashed for most of her life. Just keep that in mind and then look how far she's come by the end of the book!
This is a great twisted fairy tale with more to come. Recommended for 10 and up.
There are several things that really work for this story. First, the obvious comment on forcing young girls to withhold their "magic" because it's bad and their husband's are allowed to return them after marriage if they find they use their "magic". The use of woman against woman as the fairy godmothers are to keep a book of infractions and are encouraged to report to the headmistress and the husband as they go with the girl if she is married off at 16. Then there is the main character's confusion about what she wants and how her parents react to her choices.
I think the story has a lot going for it and I'm waiting for the next book. There is mention of the Wicked Queen and dark magic and strays, those that are neither matched for marriage nor who choose to be fairy godmothers but instead choose to work for this dark queen. I don't know who she is and I can't quite match her to a fairy tale but I'm interested in where the story is headed.
Although the main character, Aislynn is the narrator, the side characters have full stories behind them and lend a lot of depth to the story. Aislynn questions a lot of things but has the good manners not to voice her questions. It's been trained out of her and when she finally gets it back, it's a little too late. You might find it frustrating in the beginning that she has all these questions and then doesn't stand up for herself but remember she's been brainwashed for most of her life. Just keep that in mind and then look how far she's come by the end of the book!
This is a great twisted fairy tale with more to come. Recommended for 10 and up.