Warning: this one is a slow start/build. Things don’t truly get cooking until page 250. Now that’s not to say it’s not beautifully written, this is a retelling of the “Goose Girl” fairy tale. You can literally see the stacks being built but it’s not got the action to match the build until the middle. Then it’s breakneck action from there on out. Vanja is an interesting character. She’s not exactly morally gray, but she’s not pure white either. She’s motivated by greed which lands her in hot water with a Lower God. Now she has a curse to undo in less than two weeks. Oh, and she has no clue how to undo it. Ragne is… a character herself. One that easily steals whatever pages she appears on.

I am so glad I stuck this one out. It truly did pick up in the second half. Very reminiscent of The Tainted Cup, but for the YA set. I am absolutely going to read more from Margaret Owen and Vanja.