Hey there!
Before I start this review, you may or may not have noticed that I’m using a new theme called “Twenty Ten” or something. It’s very nice. I have also finally updated the front page. What is that? You noticed the new Community page has replaced the Feedback page? Gasp! It’s still under construction!
~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~
Book Review: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (Jessica Day George)
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (Jessica Day George)
Based on a Norwegian fairytale, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a beautifully crafted book focusing on “pika” or “lass”, the ninth child in a poor family. The area the family live in is suffering from a prolonged Winter – it has lasted over a century. The pika’s mother, Frida, showing disregard for her fourth daughter, refused to name her.
When the amazing white reindeer is rumoured to be around the area, the pika and her siblings – except for Hans Peter, the eldest child and pika’s favourite brother – search for it, hoping the reindeer will grant a wish for them. When the lass finds the white reindeer, although she merely wishes for a name, she finds her whole life has changed. The pika learns she can now speak to and understand animals, much to her delight.
With her pet wolf, Rollo, by her side, the pika is shocked when an isbjorn – or polar bear – appears in her house, asking for her company. Believing it is a great idea, the pika accepts his offer to live in his ice palace for a year and a day. Although the palace is magnificent, when servants start disappearing the pika knows something isn’t right…
Jessica Day George has written Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow superbly, and I could not put it down. Her descriptions of mythical creatures such as selkies and fauns are vivid and beautiful. This is a great fantasy book with more twists and turns than a road up a mountain.
Rating: 3.5/5
~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~
Josh
Tinted Lens ~ 
April 25, 2010 at 6:34 pm
I really liked this book.
April 26, 2010 at 8:26 am
I think this a great ‘fairy’ tale (and who knows if they really are only fairy tales?) much like those of the brother’s Grimm. It fleshes out all the great elements of those ancient races of the darkplanes, to give us a full feature story with some magnificent creatures, big and small.
The child is bound to be claimed at some point by the trolls despite efforts to appease those mythical beasts. But change can be good! xd!
This story is very similar to the story of Cupid and Psyche. I am a fan of the those creatures of the heavens and forests; be they winged, two or four legged, one eyed, pointy eared, or whatever the metamorphosis; that keeps my imagination in a world that doesn’t get bored from watching the same old reruns of vampire diaries! xd! ( I have never seen the show. )
A good read indeed!
April 26, 2010 at 9:11 am
Ew, The Vampire Diaries.
This looks to be intriguing, and something a little different from the stock English fairytales that we have probably all grown up with. Thanks for the review, it looks well worth picking up.
I like the theme too! 🙂
April 26, 2010 at 10:39 am
Yes “ew” is a most probable “word” for that show (Vampire Diaries) . I have never watched it, however, I know there is a great following and I was looking for an example that is more current than say. . .Lizzie McGuire or Animal Planet. ROFL
Actually Squishy in theory, it has basic similarities to some of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales and then there is the comparison to La Belle et la Bête . . . ( that is how I first new of it… being French) Beauty and the Beast. And there is some beauty and some beast in all of us!! 😉
April 26, 2010 at 6:08 pm
You speak French? That’s awesome! I do beginners French at school, though I attest I’m not too good at it, and really love the language. It’s so intricate, though I suppose English must sound that way to non-English speakers.
I haven’t seen The Vampire Diaries, but being a frequenter of bookstores (if only to ogle books I cannot have) I have seen the book covers a fair bit. They don’t really appeal to me – I’ve really had enough of all the generic vampire loves girl, girl loves vampire, vampire might bite girl shenanigans, especially after all this annoying Twilight hype. Quite frankly, it’s a bit of a disgrace to the paranormal/fantasy genre that these writers of Vampire novels can’t come up with something compelling and new when there is so much lore out there. Not to say all the books/tv shows on the subject are unoriginal, but sadly most of them are. And being a Buffy fan, this is quite disheartening.
Ok, mini-rant complete. I’m feeling much better now. 🙂
Beauty and the Beast has always creeped me out a little. I mean, encouragig beastiality is just wrong. 😉
I do love the Grimm fairytales though. I’d like to read some of the original (less censored) ones. Do they still sell those?
April 27, 2010 at 3:20 am
Braum Stoker’s Dracula , Grand livre! Les classiques sont grands!
_____________
Beastiality? Well I guess you could look at it that way. There are many translations of Beauty and the Beast. The Beast at best, was not a real beast. In some versions the Beast was a prince who lost his father at a young age, and whose mother had to wage war to defend his kingdom. The queen left him in care of an evil fairy, who tried to seduce him when he became an adult; when he refused, she transformed him into a beast. La Belle et la Bête is a romatic fantasy. When the character Avenant enters the magic pavilion which is the source of Beast’s power, he is struck by an arrow fired by a guardian statue of the Roman goddess Diana, which transforms the dying Avenant into Beast and reverses the original Beast’s curse. It’s entertainment value is one of choice I guess.
Yes Grimm Fairy Tales are still sold today in every book store that I know of. Classics I would say.
Wouldn’t you love to live in a book store? The smell of printer’s ink just makes you heady doesn’t it. xd! Sun and Moon Ice and Snow would be a good book to escape into there.
Bonne lecture! Ciao for now.
April 27, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Great review; the book sounds like something I’ll have to look into. What was it lacking, though, to earn a rating of 3.5/5?
April 27, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Interesting. Well, I guess most things are up for interpretation, and as you said, there is probably a little of the beast in us all.
I would indeed love to live in a bookstore! Seeing as I can practically sleep anywhere, and many bookstores are located near food courts (well, mine is anyway) I think I should be quite at home in one. Books smell lovely too. Somtimes my friend and I have book smelling competitions where we smell books blindfolded and see if we can guess the title. I know, I’m odd. But I like to think I’m pretty good at it. 😉
I’m loving the French. 🙂
April 27, 2010 at 8:58 pm
@ Zipo; I suppose many cultures have their own variation on stories such as these. That explains “La Belle et la Bête”.
@ Squishy; Yes, it was quite an intriguing book. I personally loved how Jessica mixed in some Norsk in the book, such as by using the words pika, isbjorn and lefse. And what? I know books smell nice, but…
@ Amali; Compared to On the Jellicoe Road and The Gift, which got ratings of 5/5 and 4.5/5 respectively, I think it just didn’t have that wow factor that made me want to keep reading. sure, Sun and Moon Ice and Snow was hard to put down, but wasn’t as exciting as the aforementioned titles.
April 29, 2010 at 6:26 am
Told you I was a weird one… 😉 hahaha
I find it really hard to keep an even rating scheme. You think that books are good, but compared to your other 5-ers, it just doesn’t measure up. I get that problem aaaalllll the time.