There are, my lit-crit brain tells me, authors out there who perform startling feats of stylistic excellence or who can turn sparseness into the poetic art of a winter's day.
And there are other authors, my reader brain responds, who tap right into your mind and heart and pull you along into the story with the hook-behind-the-navel feeling of a Portkey.
I love Ursula's art and her children's stories are a delight, but when she writes as T. Kingfisher, its as though she recognizes everything I love about fantasy and fairy tales and turns them into something even better. She's just that good. And this little book was perfect.