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A review by briarrose1021
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
5.0
Igraine is the daughter of two powerful magicians. Her family has long been entrusted to protect a collection of magical, singing books. While her older brother has been learning magic alongside their parents, Igraine wants nothing more than to become a knight.
The book opens up on the day before Igraine's birthday, and her parents are using their magic to create a wonderful gift for her. When something goes awry, the two of them are turned into pigs. Not only that but the castle of their nearest neighbor has been taken over by the evil and greedy Osmund, who is planning a siege of her family castle to get the singing books for himself.
It is up to Igraine and her brother Albert to save their castle. He has a plan, which involves Igraine going on a short journey to get a few hairs of a giant - one of the ingredients needed to turn her parents back. Will she get what she needs on her journey? Will she and Albert be able to defend the castle AND reverse the spell that turned their parents into pigs?
When I read the blurb about this book, I admit to expecting a story similar to Alanna by Tamora Pierce. While the protagonists of both are young girls who want to be knights, that's about the extent of the similarities. Despite that, I enjoyed this story just as much as I did Alanna. Igraine is a determined young woman and not at all quiet about her life goals. The narrator of the audiobook, Xanthe Elbrick, also did a great job. The voices she used and the energy she infused in the recording made the story that much more fun.
The book opens up on the day before Igraine's birthday, and her parents are using their magic to create a wonderful gift for her. When something goes awry, the two of them are turned into pigs. Not only that but the castle of their nearest neighbor has been taken over by the evil and greedy Osmund, who is planning a siege of her family castle to get the singing books for himself.
It is up to Igraine and her brother Albert to save their castle. He has a plan, which involves Igraine going on a short journey to get a few hairs of a giant - one of the ingredients needed to turn her parents back. Will she get what she needs on her journey? Will she and Albert be able to defend the castle AND reverse the spell that turned their parents into pigs?
When I read the blurb about this book, I admit to expecting a story similar to Alanna by Tamora Pierce. While the protagonists of both are young girls who want to be knights, that's about the extent of the similarities. Despite that, I enjoyed this story just as much as I did Alanna. Igraine is a determined young woman and not at all quiet about her life goals. The narrator of the audiobook, Xanthe Elbrick, also did a great job. The voices she used and the energy she infused in the recording made the story that much more fun.