East
By: Edith Pattou
Young Adult Fiction
East is a retelling of the classic fairytale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" mixed in a little with Beauty and the Beast. In Norway, there is a superstition that children take on qualities based on the direction in which they were born. Nymah Rose grew up being told by her parents that she was an East born, and a replacement for her sister that died that was also an East born. In reality, she was born a north-born, and was destined for adventure. When her father's business fails and her sister is sick, the family is forced to choose between losing a daughter to death, or a daughter to the North.
I've never heard of the fairytale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but when I was reading this story, it was almost identical to the greek myth of Eros and Psyche. Either way, the story was pretty familiar. I liked this book, but I didn't like the shifting of perspectives. I felt like it made the story much more confusing than it needed to be. That aside, the story was beautifully written, and I really enjoyed it. I think it might be a little too long for younger readers and they might lose interest.
I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
I've never heard of the fairytale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but when I was reading this story, it was almost identical to the greek myth of Eros and Psyche. Either way, the story was pretty familiar. I liked this book, but I didn't like the shifting of perspectives. I felt like it made the story much more confusing than it needed to be. That aside, the story was beautifully written, and I really enjoyed it. I think it might be a little too long for younger readers and they might lose interest.
I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
