This book is not what I was expecting. Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite authors, so, naturally, I thought I would love this book. This book, though not as good as some of her other books, was a very enjoyable read.

Aza has the most amazing singing voice, one of the two things that everyone in Ayortha wishes for. But she does not possess the second, which is beauty. not even close. Her skin is milk pale, and her hair frying pan black. But when she ends up in the new queen’s castle and is asked to be her lady-in-waiting, Aza is hesitant, but then realizes what a benefit it would be to her family, who runs a small inn, in the village below. But when Aza is asked by the queen to do a very dangerous task, she finds herself wrapped up in a mystery full of love, beauty, and danger.

This retelling of the Snow White story, at least I thought, was very different from the classic tale. At times, I even forgot that it was a retelling, but then I would remember and be like ‘Oh yeah!’ The romance was also way more complex then in the original story. Obviously though, since the original story is the most predictable and sappy story line.

But the part where Aza takes the apple, I was a bit taken aback. Aza ‘dies’ and gets taken into the magic mirror, where an evil man lives. That part weirded me out a bit, but thinking back, it was not that scary.

There were many twists in the story, some I suspected, some I didn’t see coming. and I also thought that the story got better as it got along. I felt that some of the characters got stronger and developed into better characters as the story went along. I would like to make a point though, if you do not like singing, this book may not be for you. There is lots of singing. The characters sing/talk throughout the book, there are songs scattered all over in the book, and singing is a big part of the plot line.

I would like to say again that the story was not predictable. At one point, I even thought that another boy liked Aza. It was suspenseful at many points in the story. It kept me guessing.

The characters were so great and memorable! Aza was such a great heroine and I really liked her and felt her sadness. Prince Ijori… he drove me a bit nuts. He was so sweet in the beginning and I was just warming up to him.. and then something happens… and then I hate him! By the end of the book I’m still angry at him, but I guess I can forgive him… Weirdness must run in the family, because Queen Ivi made me half crazy. She made me have compassion for her, and other times, she made me so angry! unlike Aza’s family and the gnomes. Yeah, did I mention there are gnomes? They are so cute and funny and I would not mind living with them for a bit… In conclusion, the story was very good, not one of my favorites, but still very good.