Goodreads:
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders... but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.
But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders... but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.
But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.
My Review:
When I first started this, I only intended to read a few opening pages so that I could get a feel for the story and style, however I was instantly hooked! I just couldn’t stop reading! The writing was so lyrical and poetic and just marvellous. I was enchanted by this world and all of the characters, you can almost feel the crackle of fire and crunch of snow.
I am familiar with some of Novik’s work, I’d previously tried Uprooted a few years ago however I DNF’ed that, so maybe I need to give it another whirl now that I know Novik’s writing style and character development etc. I also know it’s a favourite among the book blogging community.
Plot:
The plot was interesting, there were twists and turns and the story can be very gritty in areas, it’s not afraid to look at the bad aspects of the character’s lives, from abuse, violence, threats, betrayals, but it also shows the lightness with magic, hope, laughter and families. I felt like the writing was overly descriptive in some parts, and found myself skimming towards 3/4s of the book, where I felt it could have been made much shorter. I’m very happy with how everything ended and I’m glad it’s a standalone!
Characters:
There are multiple POVs in this novel, I think there were around five or six, and understandably this sometimes made it confusing on which I was reading from at the time, and I had to flip a few pages back to work it out. I enjoyed all of the different voices as they showed different aspects of life in this world.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend if you enjoy fables, magic, and great character driven stories.
4/5 stars.
I am familiar with some of Novik’s work, I’d previously tried Uprooted a few years ago however I DNF’ed that, so maybe I need to give it another whirl now that I know Novik’s writing style and character development etc. I also know it’s a favourite among the book blogging community.
Plot:
The plot was interesting, there were twists and turns and the story can be very gritty in areas, it’s not afraid to look at the bad aspects of the character’s lives, from abuse, violence, threats, betrayals, but it also shows the lightness with magic, hope, laughter and families. I felt like the writing was overly descriptive in some parts, and found myself skimming towards 3/4s of the book, where I felt it could have been made much shorter. I’m very happy with how everything ended and I’m glad it’s a standalone!
Characters:
There are multiple POVs in this novel, I think there were around five or six, and understandably this sometimes made it confusing on which I was reading from at the time, and I had to flip a few pages back to work it out. I enjoyed all of the different voices as they showed different aspects of life in this world.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend if you enjoy fables, magic, and great character driven stories.
4/5 stars.
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