This was a sweet and beautiful tale with some teeth to it. And the cover is gorgeous and fitting. You'll find strong female characters, slightly flat male characters, a universal fairy tale setting with a touch of magical realism, interesting creatures, magic-entwined nature, warm and witty wisdom, inevitable coming of age, and loss and reclamation. It makes me think of both [b:Stardust|16793|Stardust|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459127484s/16793.jpg|3166179] and [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234], which is a very good thing.

Overall, I found the writing to be a little repetitive, but didn't mind: adults can read it quickly and easily, and middle-schoolers may benefit from the reinforcement of some of the subtler cause/effect themes and emotions. There are some great lines, too -- the kind that make me pause and smile and read them again (see my highlights).