Book the Eighty-Second: Winter's Child
Title: Winter's Child
Author: Cameron Dokey
Page Count: 173
Status: New read
Synopsis: Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Kai’s grandmother and sharing in each other’s secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declare his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai - and their friendship - away. Dejected, Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai . . . and discovers herself.
My Thoughts: So, anyone who knows me well or who has been reading these reviews with any sort of regularity will know that Cameron Dokey is one of my all time favorite authors. Also, Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen is one of my favorite fairy tales. So what could go wrong with this combination? Sadly, more than I ever thought.
I hate saying this, I really do, because it's Cameron Dokey and it's The Snow Queen, but I was just . . . not impressed. Don't get me wrong -- the premise was wonderful. I always love Dokey's style, and this book was no different. I love the aspect of storytelling she chose to focus on, and the idea she played with about the danger of issuing a wish and a curse in the same breath. That part of the story fascinated me, and, honestly, right up until the last few chapters, I was enjoying the book a lot. I wish that she'd let the narration be between the two women and kept Kai out of it if she wasn't going to use him equally -- my love of symmetry and all that -- but other than that, I was well on my way to being very pleased with this newest addition from Dokey.
But about halfway through, I started to get this niggling feeling that I knew where the story was headed. And I hoped I was wrong, because it wasn't how Dokey usually takes her stories, but the major plot twist of the story was one I saw coming a ways off, and I just wish she hadn't done it because it wasn't successful.
She made the Snow Queen into a protagonist in her own right, which was fine. I actually didn't mind that at all -- it gave the story a new depth and what she did with that story was fascinating. But this is a story that really needs an external antagonist. The tension between Kai and Grace is great, but with the context of the original story, it just wasn't enough. I think that's the first real weakness that this novel had. The end was just slightly anticlimatic, because Grace went on this whole huge journey to find Kai and potentially rescue him, and then she made it and . . . apologized. And that was pretty much it. It just . . .lacked something.
And I really wish Dokey hadn't felt the need to pair everybody up, because I agree with Beth -- it was more than a little Deus Ex Machinas, the way she pulled a second guy into the end. I was also a little bothered by the fact that she said in the beginning that Kai was the one always looking for the horizon while Grace was the one looking at what was familiar, when it's Grace who wanted to leave and travel and see the world and Kai who wanted to stay put.
It wasn't a bad story, really. It just wasn't up to the standard I've come to expect from Dokey, and I think that's what got me the most. She shouldn't have to resort to the kinds of things that happened at the end of the book because she's better than that.
As far as a recommendation goes . . . I recommend Cameron Dokey as an author, and I recommend The Snow Queen as a fairy tale, but I don't know that I recommend this book as a good example of either.
Book 83 will be Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede, and the review will actually be all four of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles books in one review. And no, I'm totally not getting lazy with my book reviews at the end of the year . . .
Tally: 92
Books Read: 58
Books Reread: 33
Books Written: 1
* = New Read
** = Original Novel
1.* The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
2.* Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher
3.* The Wizard's Map by Jane Yolen
4. Looking for Alaska by John Green
5.* {Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
6.* Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
7.* Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
8. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
9.* The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
10.* Mondays are Red by Nicola Morgan
11. Paper Towns by John Green12.* Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
13.* Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
14.* The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
15.* Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
16.* Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
17.* Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix
18.* The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
19.* The Girls by Lori Lansens
20.* The Declaration by Gemma Malley
21. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
22.* The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
23. Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
24. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
25. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
26.* The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
27. Belle by Cameron Dokey
28. Nine Days a Queen by Ann Rinaldi
29. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
30. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
31.* Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
32.* Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
33.* Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
34. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.* Romeo's Ex: Rosaline's Story by Lisa Fiedler
36. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
37. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
38. Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
39.* I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
40. Terrier by Tamora Pierce
41.* Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
42.* 13 by Jason Robert Brown and Dan Elish
43.* The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn
44.* Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
45.* The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
46.* The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
47.* The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
48.* The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
49.* The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
50.* The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
51.* The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
52. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
53.* Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
54.* Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
55. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
56.* Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 57. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
58. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
59. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
60. East by Edith Pattou
61.* Slay and Rescue by John Moore
62.* This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
63.* Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
64.* Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
65.*Dorothy, Volume 1 by Mark Masterson
66. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
67.* The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
68. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
69. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
70. Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
71. The World’s Favorite Fairy Tale by Lowell Swortzell
72.* Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George
73. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
74.* One False Note by Gordon Korman
75.* As You Like It by William Shakespeare
76.* Was by Geoff Ryman
77.* The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
78.* Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson
79.* Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
80.* Graceling by Kristin Cashore
81.* Jump/Cut by Neena Beber
82.* Winter’s Child by Cameron Dokey
83.** We Behind the Curtain by Cassie Guion
84. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
85. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
86. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
87. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
88. Book of Enchantments by Patricia C Wrede
89. The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Quinn
90.* This Book is Not Good for You by Pseudonymous Bosch
91.* Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
92.* Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale
93.* A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
50 Books = July 13, 2009
50 New Books = December 5, 2009
Author: Cameron Dokey
Page Count: 173
Status: New read
Synopsis: Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Kai’s grandmother and sharing in each other’s secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declare his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai - and their friendship - away. Dejected, Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai . . . and discovers herself.
My Thoughts: So, anyone who knows me well or who has been reading these reviews with any sort of regularity will know that Cameron Dokey is one of my all time favorite authors. Also, Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen is one of my favorite fairy tales. So what could go wrong with this combination? Sadly, more than I ever thought.
I hate saying this, I really do, because it's Cameron Dokey and it's The Snow Queen, but I was just . . . not impressed. Don't get me wrong -- the premise was wonderful. I always love Dokey's style, and this book was no different. I love the aspect of storytelling she chose to focus on, and the idea she played with about the danger of issuing a wish and a curse in the same breath. That part of the story fascinated me, and, honestly, right up until the last few chapters, I was enjoying the book a lot. I wish that she'd let the narration be between the two women and kept Kai out of it if she wasn't going to use him equally -- my love of symmetry and all that -- but other than that, I was well on my way to being very pleased with this newest addition from Dokey.
But about halfway through, I started to get this niggling feeling that I knew where the story was headed. And I hoped I was wrong, because it wasn't how Dokey usually takes her stories, but the major plot twist of the story was one I saw coming a ways off, and I just wish she hadn't done it because it wasn't successful.
She made the Snow Queen into a protagonist in her own right, which was fine. I actually didn't mind that at all -- it gave the story a new depth and what she did with that story was fascinating. But this is a story that really needs an external antagonist. The tension between Kai and Grace is great, but with the context of the original story, it just wasn't enough. I think that's the first real weakness that this novel had. The end was just slightly anticlimatic, because Grace went on this whole huge journey to find Kai and potentially rescue him, and then she made it and . . . apologized. And that was pretty much it. It just . . .lacked something.
And I really wish Dokey hadn't felt the need to pair everybody up, because I agree with Beth -- it was more than a little Deus Ex Machinas, the way she pulled a second guy into the end. I was also a little bothered by the fact that she said in the beginning that Kai was the one always looking for the horizon while Grace was the one looking at what was familiar, when it's Grace who wanted to leave and travel and see the world and Kai who wanted to stay put.
It wasn't a bad story, really. It just wasn't up to the standard I've come to expect from Dokey, and I think that's what got me the most. She shouldn't have to resort to the kinds of things that happened at the end of the book because she's better than that.
As far as a recommendation goes . . . I recommend Cameron Dokey as an author, and I recommend The Snow Queen as a fairy tale, but I don't know that I recommend this book as a good example of either.
Book 83 will be Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede, and the review will actually be all four of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles books in one review. And no, I'm totally not getting lazy with my book reviews at the end of the year . . .
Tally: 92
Books Read: 58
Books Reread: 33
Books Written: 1
* = New Read
** = Original Novel
1.* The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
2.* Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher
3.* The Wizard's Map by Jane Yolen
4. Looking for Alaska by John Green
5.* {Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
6.* Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
7.* Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
8. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
9.* The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
10.* Mondays are Red by Nicola Morgan
11. Paper Towns by John Green12.* Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
13.* Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
14.* The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
15.* Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
16.* Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
17.* Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix
18.* The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
19.* The Girls by Lori Lansens
20.* The Declaration by Gemma Malley
21. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
22.* The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
23. Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
24. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
25. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
26.* The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
27. Belle by Cameron Dokey
28. Nine Days a Queen by Ann Rinaldi
29. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
30. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
31.* Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
32.* Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
33.* Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
34. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.* Romeo's Ex: Rosaline's Story by Lisa Fiedler
36. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
37. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
38. Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
39.* I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
40. Terrier by Tamora Pierce
41.* Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
42.* 13 by Jason Robert Brown and Dan Elish
43.* The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn
44.* Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
45.* The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
46.* The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
47.* The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
48.* The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
49.* The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
50.* The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
51.* The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
52. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
53.* Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
54.* Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
55. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
56.* Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 57. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
58. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
59. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
60. East by Edith Pattou
61.* Slay and Rescue by John Moore
62.* This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
63.* Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
64.* Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
65.*Dorothy, Volume 1 by Mark Masterson
66. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
67.* The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
68. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
69. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
70. Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
71. The World’s Favorite Fairy Tale by Lowell Swortzell
72.* Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George
73. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
74.* One False Note by Gordon Korman
75.* As You Like It by William Shakespeare
76.* Was by Geoff Ryman
77.* The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
78.* Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson
79.* Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
80.* Graceling by Kristin Cashore
81.* Jump/Cut by Neena Beber
82.* Winter’s Child by Cameron Dokey
83.** We Behind the Curtain by Cassie Guion
84. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
85. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
86. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
87. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
88. Book of Enchantments by Patricia C Wrede
89. The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Quinn
90.* This Book is Not Good for You by Pseudonymous Bosch
91.* Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
92.* Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale
93.* A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
50 Books = July 13, 2009
50 New Books = December 5, 2009