Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted to be pretty . . . Aza's singing is the fairest in all the land, and the most unusual. She can "throw" her voice so it seems to come from anywhere. But singing is only one of the two qualities prized in the Kingdom of Ayortha. Aza doesn't possess the other: beauty. Not even close. She's hidden in the shadows in her parents' inn, but when she becomes lady-in-waiting to the new queen, she has to step into the light--especially when the queen demands a dangerous favor. A magic mirror, a charming prince, a jealous queen, palace intrigue, and an injured king twine into a maze that Aza must penetrate to save herself and her beloved kingdom. "A song-filled, fast-paced fairy tale."--Kirkus Reviews Inventive and original --KLIATT Readers will instantly fall in love with the heroine, whose heart proves to be as warm as her voice. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) [Readers will] sink into the fairy-tale romance, the remarkable characters, and the wild, magical adventures. --ALA Booklist
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"Right up there with Ella Enchanted and The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Levine has done it again: given us a fairytale and heroine with enough magic and reality woven together to be completely charming, disarming, memorable, and favorite-book-worthy. This was a completely wonderful retelling of a classic fairytale. I've reread and reread this and will continue to, just because I don't like how much I miss the characters every time I shut the book."
— Alicia (5 out of 5 stars)
" A handsome prince, a plotting queen, a dangerous escape,and a maid who longs to be beautiful, this book is full of flowing fantasy! "
— Morgan, 2/13/2014" hmmmm I'm not quite done with this one ,but I don't think I'll keep reading it. Its boring. I mean I love the plot and the characters and all. Its just boring though. Not like Ella enchanted which has been an amazing book so far. This boo is no very impressive so far. I feel like people are too judgemental in this book so far. I don't like that I mean I know its about a girl who feels as if she ugly and all. Its just so stupid people judging others by their looks. It rather annoys me. I might change my review when I'm done with if I choose to finsh it. I might not though. Hopefully it gets better. "
— Angel, 2/13/2014" I enjoyed it, the characters are moving and I really felt for her! the ending was great! the whole book was great! "
— Katie, 2/4/2014" I thought this was really interesting, probably the only thing I didn't like was how much the main character talked about being ugly. It just went on and on, and not to sound shallow, but I didn't want to read about being ugly for hundreds of pages, ya know? If she had shown the character's growth sooner, it wouldn't have dragged so much, but still a very cute, easy and fast read. "
— Melinda, 1/28/2014" This was a really cute story, I look forward to passing it on to my cousins "
— Autumn, 1/11/2014" Great new spin on Snow White. Exciting plot and vocabulary. Keeps you in suspense at every turn. "
— June, 1/1/2014" Loved this amazing twist on the fairytale about Snow White. "
— Alyssa, 12/29/2013" a Wonderful retelling of Snow White with appealing twists. "
— Laura, 12/29/2013" I Love This Book it makes me so happy every time i read it... There should really be a sequel. I love the cleaning song as well. "
— Missmia, 12/25/2013" I loved this book. But of course, I love pretty much every fairy tale in existent. :). "
— Megan, 12/15/2013" YAYAYAYA! I couldn't get enough of it. It started kinda slow, but eventually gained better prospects. There was this mystery suprise in the books(not telling when), and I enjoyed it VERY much. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! "
— Gracie, 12/10/2013" I flew through this book. I really really liked it. Just a fun easy read! "
— Jamee, 11/25/2013" A good overall story but a little confusing through the end with the magic mirror. I liked that it was a separate story and yet tied in to Ella Enchanted. "
— Kristy, 11/23/2013" This book was so much fun. A great children's book. "
— Alicewonderland, 11/20/2013" This was a cute book from the author of Ella Enchanted. I read it with my girls and we all enjoyed it. Creative and cute. "
— Nicole, 9/13/2013" I think the main charcter, Aza's, self confidence is not at all high. She is mostly upset and discouraged by what other people think of her appearance, like how she's a little heavier than most girls and "ugly." "
— Rosie, 6/16/2013" the fairest book of all... "
— Sarmin, 2/10/2013" I remember reading this in 6th grade and loving it. I still have the book but I haven't touched it in a few years. "
— Vera, 12/6/2012" This was a very good book, I look forward to reading Ella Enchanted! "
— Susannah, 11/12/2012" Cute Story! Snow White-esk, with a twist of Ella Enchanted. By the author of Ella Enchanted. Made me think of Shannon Hale's books. Very enjoyable! "
— Jennifer, 10/28/2012" I was waiting for a birth and needed a no brainer. This was a great book with moral lessons yet easy to read. A good young adult novel. "
— Lindy, 8/24/2012" It was a great read. A different version of Snow White, told be an ugly girl named Aza. Gail Carson Levine didn't disappoint her readers, as usual. A book to read over and over again. "
— Miniwriter12, 7/8/2012" I really enjoyed this tween fantasy novel. It was an enjoyable quick read and a twist off the story of Snow White. (This author also wrote Ella Enchanted to give you an idea of genre.) "
— Ginger, 2/9/2012" It's no Ella Enchanted, but then again, what is? "
— Megan, 12/15/2011" It was pretty good. A nice interpretation of Snow White. I really liked the tie ins to Ella Enchanted. The world was well imagined. I never quite knew what was going to happen- save from some small guesses. And I did like the message that was given at the end. Well imagined. Well executed. "
— Turtle, 12/11/2011" Amazing book, it should be turned into a movie. "
— Aden, 10/27/2011" Even after the fourth or fifth time, this is still one of my favorite books! "
— Kylie, 10/11/2011" This is one of my favorite books. Gail Carson Levine takes classic fairy tales, puts a twist on them and makes them a whole new level of amazing. "
— Lily, 7/29/2011" This was a quick YA read, that was somewhat a fairy tale and a musical. Something that I picked up at library. It was OK. "
— Kathy, 5/20/2011" If I was into princess stories, this would be one of my favorites. Since I'm not, and I read it because it was there, I would give it a big eh. "
— Anne, 5/17/2011" Good book and nice to hear it from a not so pretty girl's perspective. A great retelling of Snow White. The heroine is not the fairest in looks but shows depth and beauty of character. Worth the read and some very fun twist on Snow White. "
— Tracy, 5/17/2011" A great story and a great moral! "
— Mslogar, 5/13/2011" I absolutely loved her book Ella Enchanted, but I was very let down by the Fairest. Gail Carson Levine is a very talented writer, but I did not like the main character in this book at all. I became very tired of hearing how ugly the main character thought she was. "
— Elaine, 5/12/2011" OOOOOOOOOO! I loved this book sooooo much!!! It's about an ugly girl who is a wonderful singer. But she finds a mirror that can magically turn her beautiful... but she soon finds herdelf dieing! Can she save herself? Or will she die trapped inside the mirror??? "
— Brooklynne, 5/2/2011" I really liked when i was a few years younger. Not enough adventure for me NOW. still it was a great twist on normal fairy tales. i loved how the author created an entire country with its very own culture. "
— Anne, 5/2/2011" not really my style, but i still liked it. "
— Michelle, 4/30/2011Gail Carson Levine is an author of bestselling fiction and nonfiction for young adults. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, won a Newbery Honor. Fairest was a Best Book of the Year for Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal, and Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults. She is also the author of two nonfiction books on writing, as well as the picture books.
Soneela Nankani is an award-winning narrator with over three hundred titles in many different genres including Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, and Nonfiction. She has garnered sixteen Earphones Awards, nominations for Audie and SOVAS awards, and was recently awarded AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voice Lifetime Achievement Honor. Her audiobooks have been featured in Best Audiobooks lists by AudioFile magazine and the Washington Post, among others. In her spare time, she loves to read (yes, really), learn languages, try new recipes, and travel. She lives in the DC area with her husband and two mischievous daughters.