book_nut's Reviews (2.91k)

I liked this Bayern tale; it stars Rizo, a minor character in the first two books, but he gets to shine here. It's not as good as Goose Girl, but it is good. Read Enna Burning first, though, or you won't get some of this one.

My least favorite of the Bayern books -- which isn't to say it's not good. It is. I just felt it was a bit choppy, and a bit dark, and it didn't really work for me. That said, Hale hasn't written anything (yet) that's truly horrible.

Another one of Hale's lesser-known fairy tale retellings. A good book, written in diary form, which works really well for the story. I liked the characters -- Dashti is a wonderful, strong heroine -- and the story is compelling. A good read.

I love this little story about a girl -- Mari -- who is supposed to become a princess. Instead, she becomes a strong, honorable girl. Which is just as wonderful.

Konigsburg is a charming writer of charming, if precocious, books. This is no exception. The characters are compelling, if a bit odd; the story interesting, if a bit surreal. A lovely book that had me smiling all the way through.

Swordspoint was a decent book with a lousy ending. The Fall of the Kings was a lousy book with a decent ending. I prefer the former to the latter. Just so you know.

A good story about a girl dealing with a crappy life -- divorced parents, alcoholic mom's boyfriend, backstabbing best friend -- by writing letters to John Wayne. You wouldn't think it would work, but it does.

I actually had a good experience reading this -- unlike other experiences I've had with Shakespeare -- mostly because I watched it before reading it, and took it act by act. As far as tragedies go -- I prefer the comedies -- it's a fairly straightforward and interesting one. At the very least, I can say I've read it now!

What to say about this book? It was impeccably well researched. It was long. The parts about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution were interesting. It was long. There was supposed to be a mystery about The Dark Countess, whom everyone thought was Marie-Therese. It was long. The afterword was mildly informative. Did I mention that it was long?

A wonderfully evocative, lyrical portrait of a time, a crisis, an occupation, and the people who lived through it. Beautifully written; a masterpiece. Think Casablanca... it's a timeless story.