I want to say something more intelligent about this book then "Well, that happened, "though I'm not sure if I can manage it at this moment. There's this sense that comes from finishing a story, especially if it spanned more than one book, of satiation. The feeling that you can finally let go of a story and it can return home.
This was one of those books that refused to leave you alone even when you weren't reading it. It distracted you. It was, in its own way, difficult to read and to put down. You wanted to read just a few stories at a time, but like King Sharyar, you couldn't bear to wait another night to find out what happens.
I've raved about Valente before (seriously, in like every review) and this book is no different. It is reassuring to me that the genre and style of magical fairy tales told in the 19th century have survived and are being practiced by such a deft pen and clear eye. Sometimes, you just find an author who understands you and writes the words you need to read. Valente is one of them, for me.