When Lady Saren defies her father's command to marry the vicious Lord Khasar, she is sealed in a tower with only her serving maid, Dashti, for company. In their cramped, dark space Dashti pours her thoughts into a daily journal while pitiless solitude engulfs them. At first Dashti is optimistic: they have food aplenty, candles for light, and even a visit from Lady Saren's true love, Khan Tegus—though he can only call to them from outside their walls. But Saren is ill of mind, the outside world is changing, and their circumstances soon grow desperate. And even if they do escape, they must still face the eerie malice of Lord Khasar. To survive, Dashti and Saren forge a bond of devotion and deception that will test them to their limits. Once again Shannon Hale, author of the Newbery Honor Book Princess Academy, weaves an enchanting and original fantasy that will catch and hold listeners breathless in its spell.
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"I loved this book. I love the way Shannon Hale manages to convey the character's transition through adolescence in the narrative tone; that's some amazing writing. Dashti is a wonderful character--vibrant and resilient, you love to root for her. And the prince--ahhhh, the prince! He's good and smart and actually deserving of our heroine. I'm afraid I'm making it sound trite, but it's really a lovely, rich story."
— Britain (5 out of 5 stars)
“Hale delivers another winning fantasy…Readers will be riveted as Dashti and Saren escape and flee to the Khan’s realm where, through a series of deceptions, contrivances and a riotously triumphant climax, the tale spins out to a thoroughly satisfying ending.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Readers will quickly embrace Dashti, an invincible storybook heroine with a healer’s touch, who accomplishes battlefield heroics while nurturing a powerful, secret love for a lord. Fans of Gail Carson Levin’s Fairest will embrace this similar mix of exotic, fully realized setting; thrilling, enchanted adventure; and heart-melting romance.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Hale has created a richly imagined, mythical land something like medieval Mongolia, replete with magical song and touch therapy for spiritual or corporeal ailments, intuitive animals, and a sort of Faustian werewolf. It’s a highly successful romance.”
— School Library Journal“The story is perfect for a full-cast reading. All of the actors add layers of meaning, enlivening even the minor characters…Mixon proves especially effective when singing melodic renditions of ‘healing songs.’ An enchanting listening experience.”
— Booklist, audio review" Pretty cute story. All the songs got old after a while, but maybe that's just an issue with the audio book. "
— Mallory, 2/10/2014" I love Shannon Hale, and although I love Princess Academy and The Goose Girl series a bit more, this didn't disappoint! I appreciated the characters, and I couldn't put the book down! "
— Jeannette, 2/4/2014" Such a great twist on a fairy tale! Set in a medevil Mongolia, it's dramatic yet fun and inspiring. "
— Stefanie, 1/28/2014" This book starts out a little slow, and confusing, but thats kinda the point. If you were locked in a tower for a thousand days your life would be boring as well. So stay with it cause its totally worth the wait. "
— Lburt, 1/22/2014" I am impressed everytime I read a book from this author. She just does a great job. This probabl isn't my favorite of all her books, but it was still a great book. "
— Liz, 1/13/2014" I loved this book. What a refreshing character, loving yet weak, sacrificing but not always. Is is really a book out of the common way. I liked it in a way that I liked the Two Princesses of Bellmari. It was new, but a very nice and honorable romance. "
— Joy, 12/28/2013" Easy quick and heart wrenching read. Fun and enjoyable, too. I'd definitely reread this one. "
— Maysoon, 12/12/2013" Oh, this is a charming, well-written book. Beautiful language and the setting, based on Mongolia, is refreshing and wonderful. Dashti, the main character, is likeable and strong-willed and brave. I'd love to see more heroines like her. "
— Yati, 11/29/2013" I loved it all - the main character, the story, the writing style, the message, even the cat! "
— Lorna, 11/16/2013" A fun book but not amazing. I'd still read more from this author :). "
— Tgirl, 11/16/2013" I really liked this book. Shannon Hale creates a very interesting world and even though the ending was predictable to me, I like the way she got around to it. "
— Kristin, 11/6/2013" Lovely retelling remaking of a Asian fairy tale. Redeeming characters that act with honor and grow through out the story. Worthwhile read for 5-7th grader. "
— Lara, 10/25/2013" I really loved this book. The characters evolved wonderfully trough it and I could see the romance through it even tough it wasn't supposed to be that kind of a novel. I enjoyed reading it. "
— Jumana, 10/6/2013" I liked this book but didn't love it. Still, it is entertaining and light. "
— Ruth, 9/15/2013" This book was kinda cool, yet sort of boring. "
— Aubrey, 7/22/2013" I kept wanting to quit reading this book because I thought it was boring. Nothing happening but being shut up in a tower. When I got a little more than halfway through it, the action picked up until I couldn't put it down for the last 50 pages. I'm glad I stuck with it. "
— Etta, 5/10/2013" This is probably my favorite Shannon Hale book! It was so different from what you usually read in regards to fairytales and had a the fact that it was not told from the point of view of the princess, but of the maid was even better! A gorgeous book that I HIGHLY recommend you should read! "
— Krystal, 5/3/2013" This was hard for me to get into. The second half was definitely more interesting than the first half. By the end I really liked it though. "
— Tamara, 4/28/2013" This is the first book I've read by Shannon Hale and I will definitely read another. It was really cute. "
— Misti, 2/16/2013Shannon Hale is the author of multiple award-winning young adult novels, including Austenland and the New York Times bestselling Princess Academy, which is also a Newbery Honor book. Her first book, The Goose Girl, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and won the Josette Frank Award. In addition to her successful young adult novels, she cowrote two graphic novels with her husband, Rapunzel’s Revenge and Calamity Jack. She received a degree in English from the University of Utah and a master’s in creative writing from the University of Montana.
Bleak December Inc. is a multimedia company founded by Canadian actor and filmmaker Anthony D.P. Mann.