Rose has always been different...
In keeping with the fairytale theme, I decided to post about East, by Edith Pattou. People often mistake this as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. While it is definitely Beauty and the Beast-esque, it is actually a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon , a Scandinavian fairytale (the Norwegian version, to be exact).
Here is the synopsis from the back of the book:
Since the day [Rose] was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home...but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.
So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage Rose to come away with it - in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family - she readily agrees.
Rose travels on the bear's broad back to a distant and empty castle, where she is nightly joined by a mysterious stranger. In discovering his identity, she loses her heart - and finds her purpose - and realizes her journey has only just begun.
Each chapter is told from a different characters perspective, namely: Rose, Neddy (Rose's brother), Rose's Father, Troll Queen, and White Bear. Each chapter is fairly short, so I give you a fair warning: You will be tempted to read "just one more chapter" and the next thing you know it is 1am and your alarm is set to go off in just a few hours but you HAVE to find out what is going to happen.
So, that being said: Enjoy at your own risk :)
