East
Rose has always longed for adventure, so when an enormous white bear appears one evening and makes her a mysterious offer, she accepts. In exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family, she must live with the white bear in a distant castle. But Rose soon realizes that all isn’t as it seems. As she tries to settle into her new life, she makes a devastating mistake. Now she must choose: return to her safe and loving family or go on a dangerous quest to fix what she has broken—and perhaps lose her heart along the way.
This is the second retelling for East of the Sun and West of the Moon that I’ve come across, and I quite liked it. I had to get used to Pattou’s multiple perspective changes, but once I did, I found it easy to follow Rose’s story as she set off on her epic adventure. I liked how she met so many interesting people on her quest to find the white bear. I also enjoyed how Pattou created the troll queen’s lands and made the reader understand her obsession with the white bear. Although I certainly didn’t sympathize with the troll queen, at least she didn’t steal the prince/white bear out of simple cruelty.
In the beginning, I didn’t understand what Rose’s mother’s obsession with the four directions was all about. It seemed silly, which is what it was meant to come across as. Then again, I suppose it’s like astrology and the twelve star signs—basing personalities off what month you’re born in. Rose being a north was such a tragedy for her mother, but if she had been an actual east like her mother wanted, she never would have saved her family from poverty, or rescued the white bear from his curse.
Speaking of the white bear, I enjoyed his chapters both as a bear and human. The reader got to see Rose’s change of heart more clearly because she is the main character, but once they were reunited, I did get the sense that he loved Rose. It would have been nice for them to have more time to explore their relationship in the book, but the story was more about Rose’s journey than falling in love. I’m glad there’s a sequel, as I’m sure readers will get to see more of that love story.
East is an epic fantasy that will take readers on a journey almost as amazing as Rose’s.
East Rating: ★★★★
This is the second retelling for East of the Sun and West of the Moon that I’ve come across, and I quite liked it. I had to get used to Pattou’s multiple perspective changes, but once I did, I found it easy to follow Rose’s story as she set off on her epic adventure. I liked how she met so many interesting people on her quest to find the white bear. I also enjoyed how Pattou created the troll queen’s lands and made the reader understand her obsession with the white bear. Although I certainly didn’t sympathize with the troll queen, at least she didn’t steal the prince/white bear out of simple cruelty.
In the beginning, I didn’t understand what Rose’s mother’s obsession with the four directions was all about. It seemed silly, which is what it was meant to come across as. Then again, I suppose it’s like astrology and the twelve star signs—basing personalities off what month you’re born in. Rose being a north was such a tragedy for her mother, but if she had been an actual east like her mother wanted, she never would have saved her family from poverty, or rescued the white bear from his curse.
Speaking of the white bear, I enjoyed his chapters both as a bear and human. The reader got to see Rose’s change of heart more clearly because she is the main character, but once they were reunited, I did get the sense that he loved Rose. It would have been nice for them to have more time to explore their relationship in the book, but the story was more about Rose’s journey than falling in love. I’m glad there’s a sequel, as I’m sure readers will get to see more of that love story.
East is an epic fantasy that will take readers on a journey almost as amazing as Rose’s.
East Rating: ★★★★