The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern, #1)

by Shannon Hale

[ladygrey]

I sort of adored this book. It doesn't have nay of the more exquisite language I normally love and the plot might seem more pedestrian than my tastes (a significant portion of the story is time spent with geese after all). But the characters are so rich that I was completely drawn in and ended up really, really enjoying this story.

Ani, at first, is almost hard to read because she's so naive and so weak and, like her mother, I wanted more for her. I could see what was coming a mile away and it was almost frustrating for her to be so blind. But her character arc is beautiful and I loved, loved her by the end. There's also so many great secondary and tertiary characters. It has over a dozen named characters and yet each is distinct and well developed in their own right.

And I loved Geric from the very beginning. I loved their relationship and how it developed. I loved moments between them. It was just delightful to read.

The magic in the land was unique and I liked that. I liked the things that Ani struggled with and developed and I liked the contrast of her mother and her aunt because it made the end so much more satisfying when Ani could be herself without fear and without apology.

But really it's a book filled with great characters and that's why I can't help but adore it.