I liked this one less than McKillip's usual work, though it was still a lovely read. I'm not sure why--either the main character was less compelling than usual or the book seemed to drag more. I think it was the latter; I rarely read McKillip for her characters and it's usually the language that wins me. Maybe it was the combination of less poetic language than usual (due to the point of view character) and the way that everything seemed to take a very long to happen.
Still, I liked the story overall and enjoyed this reworking of fairyland and the stories that surround it.