The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Published: May, 13, 2005
Published: Bloomsbury
Pages: 400
Rating: 5 stars

Summary: She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? 


The Book in Three Words: Epic, Magical, Stirring


Rad Review: This is like one of my favorite books ever. I've got a bit of a soft spot for Fairy Tale Retellings, and this one is like THE BEST. I love Shannon Hale's voice. Her writing is fresh and new beautiful. I simply love it! Her retelling of the original Grimm Tale, The Goose Girl was just amazing. It's well tied to the original but this book is all her own. The way that she develops the land, the magic, the culture and the characters is just wonderful. There is depth and you just grow to love them all.


This is one of those books that I love to read over and over again. I come back to it whenever I need a good re-read. It's told so well and it just draws you in that you won't want to leave. It's clever, fun, and just masterfully done. Shannon has often said that writing books does not come easy for her. It takes drafts and drafts and lots of revisions. But through her books it's totally clear that all her hard work pays off. It's incredible. This book can be a stand-alone, but there are 3 sequels in the Books of Bayern trilogy: Enna Burning, River Secrets and Forest Born. Don't miss them, or any of Shannon's other books! Must reads!


Content: Clean Read!