East

I honestly picked this book because I had nothing else to read, everything I wanted was already borrowed, and the system suggested it to me so I thought, “why not?” Wow, probably the biggest surprise of the year so far! The first few chapters were a little slow, mostly because you don't really know what's going on yet and it's a lot of narration, but once the story gets going, wow, it really entrances you! The way the lore and fairy tale is weaved into a real world narrative is truly fantastic and draws you in in ways other fantasy novels can't. I loved how the main character wasn't this perfect beautiful heroine, but instead felt like a real person. This is definitely up there in my favorites now!

I absolutely cannot fathom how this won any awards. It is a plodding, torturous retelling of a wonderful Folktale, and it made my husband question my sanity for continuing. We are told Rose is a born explorer, but we spend more than half of the story with her sitting and weaving on a loom and washing a man's shirt. Unless told, I would never have guessed she was supposed to be an adventurous spirit at all.

The POV switches between characters in an incoherent way that leads oneself to believe the author originally planned the story to be told in third person but someone told her YA readers prefer first person, or she needed a way to talk about how wonderful and amazing and perfect Rose is without our beloved heroine sounding full of herself. At no time can Rose seem like a real human being with character flaws. She's great at everything she puts her mind to, and everyone that meets her instantly likes her and wants to help her. Minus the Troll Queen, she comes up against exactly one other person unwilling to bow to her Mary-Sueness, and nothing comes of that short-lived rebellion other than she loses out on some money.

White Bear, the “love interest” for lack of a better term, is bland, uninteresting, and has no character traits other than apparently being a 150-year-old child stalker and an attractive blonde when not in bear form. Rose spends almost eleven months with him and by page 367; after he's already been returned to human form, swept away by the Troll Queen, and Rose has started traveling to who knows where to find him; she finally realizes she knows nothing about him.

She still continues on and manages to easily infiltrate the Troll Queen's Ice Palace as the perfect servant, because interesting conflict would be far too much trouble to put into this story, and even trolls think she's the best of the humans. With very little effort and once again by using her domestic skills rather than anything approaching “adventurous”, she breaks the spell on White Bear. The Troll Queen herself accidentally destroys her entire palace and the trolls when smiting Rose's little troll friend/accomplice.

At this point, still knowing nothing about White Bear, Rose has decided she is in love with him, but doesn't say anything until he leaves again to find himself. She tracks him down, again, and within the last 10 pages, she professes her love, he remembers his real name, they live happily ever after with four children, the end.

There is absolutely no reason for them to be in love. She knows literally nothing about him. She spent all her time talking AT him and he gave nothing of himself. He does turn into a human every night and sneak into her bed while it's too dark for her to see who's there. She does nothing about this, continuing to allow it, no questions asked, even makes a shirt for her creepy nightly visitor, until (conveniently) she's allowed a visit home. Her mom gives her a candle that won't go out from enchantments and she finally looks to see who the hell is there. Of course that's exactly the wrong thing to do and she and White Bear are swiftly punished. Her fault of course.

Moral of the story:

Never look to see who the unknown creeper sliding under your covers in the middle of the night really is.

Or

Knowing someone's hair color and that they can play the flute is grounds for unconditional love.

Read the folktale, watch Beauty and the Beast, ANYTHING is better than this.