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wren_in_black 's review for:
The Cold Is in Her Bones
by Peternelle van Arsdale
Special thanks to Netgalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest view.
If you have enjoyed the recent rise in popularity of fairy-tale retelling, it's time to move into the world of mythological retelling, specifically with Medusa. A lovely mix of fantasy and realism, The Cold is in Her Bones will prove to be a book you just can't set down. Peternelle van Arsdale's style mirrors that of a fairy tale and she will hold you spellbound for the entire journey of this book.
This book begins with something akin to once-upon-a-time. Many years ago a girl named Hulda lived with her parents and her most beautiful sister. Everything the pretty sister did was perfect and everything Hulda did was "wrong". Hulda found companionship with animals, specifically snakes, who gave her the comfort that her family refused. But when a snake is seen burrowed into her hair, Hulda is believed to be demon-possessed and her family turns on her. The village sees fit to try to freeze the demon out of Hulda and they leave her buried in the snow for three days, hoping the demon will flee and they can be left to bury Hulda in peace. However, Hulda awoke with a vengeance, returned to her village, and cursed those there and those yet to come so that they could never find a moment's peace.
The story then switches to a young girl named Milla. Milla's parents love her brother best and seem to put a careful and calculated emotional distance between themselves and Milla. In all her life Milla has only ever met five people; her parents, her brother Niklas, and the neighbor couple, Trude and Stig. Milla tries only to please her parents, but it seems she never quite can. Things do begin to look up for Milla when Trude and Stig's granddaughter comes to live with them in the hopes that she will one day marry Nicklas. Milla finds a friend in Iris, who loves telling stories. That bond is put to the test when Iris's mind is taken by the demon.
The Cold is in Her Bones is heartbreaking and hopeful and heartbreaking again by turns. It is breathtaking throughout. I cannot wait to bring this to my classroom library upon publication. I've already talked it up and am expecting a line of students vying for the first read.
If you have enjoyed the recent rise in popularity of fairy-tale retelling, it's time to move into the world of mythological retelling, specifically with Medusa. A lovely mix of fantasy and realism, The Cold is in Her Bones will prove to be a book you just can't set down. Peternelle van Arsdale's style mirrors that of a fairy tale and she will hold you spellbound for the entire journey of this book.
This book begins with something akin to once-upon-a-time. Many years ago a girl named Hulda lived with her parents and her most beautiful sister. Everything the pretty sister did was perfect and everything Hulda did was "wrong". Hulda found companionship with animals, specifically snakes, who gave her the comfort that her family refused. But when a snake is seen burrowed into her hair, Hulda is believed to be demon-possessed and her family turns on her. The village sees fit to try to freeze the demon out of Hulda and they leave her buried in the snow for three days, hoping the demon will flee and they can be left to bury Hulda in peace. However, Hulda awoke with a vengeance, returned to her village, and cursed those there and those yet to come so that they could never find a moment's peace.
The story then switches to a young girl named Milla. Milla's parents love her brother best and seem to put a careful and calculated emotional distance between themselves and Milla. In all her life Milla has only ever met five people; her parents, her brother Niklas, and the neighbor couple, Trude and Stig. Milla tries only to please her parents, but it seems she never quite can. Things do begin to look up for Milla when Trude and Stig's granddaughter comes to live with them in the hopes that she will one day marry Nicklas. Milla finds a friend in Iris, who loves telling stories. That bond is put to the test when Iris's mind is taken by the demon.
The Cold is in Her Bones is heartbreaking and hopeful and heartbreaking again by turns. It is breathtaking throughout. I cannot wait to bring this to my classroom library upon publication. I've already talked it up and am expecting a line of students vying for the first read.