A really enjoyable retelling of the goose girl fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, one that doesn't shrink from the horrible bit (I won't say what, but anyone familiar with the original will know what it is and I'm not talking about the nail-barrel). I have to admit it took a little while for the main character, Ani, to grow on me - she improved markedly when out of her element in Bayern - but on the whole the characterisation was all very well done. Even nasty Selia was convincingly evil, and convincingly capable as well - she nearly won, and it was all because of excellent preparation and planning. If only she'd been able to use her powers for good... even knowing how she ended up, I found her genuinely threatening. For a story that relies on secret identities, though, it was clear who the other one was from the moment he arrived, and the ruse that exposed Selia in the end was so painfully obvious I was surprised that she fell for it.