Dearest (Woodcutter Sisters, #3)

by Alethea Kontis

[ladygrey]

I reread [b:Enchanted|24337|Ella Enchanted (Ella Enchanted #1)|Gail Carson Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410727190l/24337._SY75_.jpg|2485462] and [b:Hero|7736182|The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)|Rick Riordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464201003l/7736182._SY75_.jpg|10107891] before I started Dearest. Not because I needed to but because I enjoy these books and it was fun. It also gave me a good comparison of what I like in each and why they work for me. Enchanted is still my favorite but there was a lot to enjoy in Dearest.

I liked that it wasn't what I expected. After Friday left in Enchanted, I expected this to pick up with her adventures in the North. I think that's one of the reasons I wasn't eager to start it. Another adventure off in another kingdom just didn't excite me. But a story in Arilland where there's characters I already know was really fun.

And I liked that the end you expect wasn't really the end. It left so much room for the story to become unpredictable. With each novel, Kontis expands her universe and develops the magic in it. The one thing I was hoping for, however, was more of the unfolding arc of this series. Unfortunately, the circumstances of this book's publishing prevented some of that. But I'm excited to see where Kontis takes the larger story as she moves into self-publishing.

I'll also be curious to see if/how that changes the tone of the stories. This one enters into some dark areas but does so almost elegantly. It's not obscure or unclear but it also doesn't darken the whole book or drag it into distasteful realms. Some of Kontis' self-published short stories aren't as subtle but I hope she keeps the tone of the first three as the series continues.

The characters, of course, were good. I liked that Friday is sweet and content with being content and still she is dimensional and interesting. I liked Tristan a lot, though I was confused with Philippe at the end. She did a surprising job of keeping all the other brothers distinct (except the twins but they're twins). And it was so much fun to have Sunday, Monday, Velius, Rumbold and Peter and Jack Sr. I'd have liked even more of them.

I would have also liked a little more ending. Returning to Arilland took like 2 paragraphs and while I didn't need an in depth scene, a few more sentences drawing out a few of the descriptions wouldn't have hurt. And I lost a very tiny thread at the very end where it seemed like something was going to come back around but then it didn't but I seemed to be the only one to notice so...

Still, this is another good book in a lovely fairy tale series.