|| 4 ⭐️ ||

When a friend recommended this book to me based on her reading of it as a child, I was not expecting much. Maybe a cheesy and mostly childish fairy tale. So I was very surprised by the quality and enjoyability of the story. It does have a fairytale feel to it, but it’s splendidly written. It almost reminds me of the Princess Bride in a way… the classic adventurous plot and fantasy/magical setting. Pleasantly surprised and impressed by how fun this was to read, and so glad I gave it a go! It was a perfect bit of escapism for a sick day.

|| Content warnings ||

Main character’s mom is extremely superstitious. There are a few instances of fortune telling and weird spirituality. a secondary (tertiary?) character is an alcoholic.