This was a very well done re-telling of one of my favourite fairy-tales "The Tinderbox" by Hans-Christian Andersen. I would say that it is very dark and gory for a YA-novel, so I would probably recommend at for the older teens and young adults. But anyway, I enjoyed the reading process very much. The storyline enfolded in such a magical, dramatical and entertaining way and I specifically liked the links to the original fairy tale. The illustrations are beautifully done and link into the storyline perfectly. My favourite parts of this novel were the setting within the Thirty Years War and the fact that Sally Gardner based her story on experiences of real-life soldiers coming home from war (Iraq & Afghanistan) As a historian and history enthusiasts, I though this was a very well done intertwining of fairy-tale, historical background and fiction.