Mary-Beth's review
The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights" (Once Upon a Time)
by Cameron Dokey
Mary-Beth's review
The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights" (Once Upon a Time) by Cameron Dokey
Mary-Beth's review
rating:
bookshelves:
fantasy,
fiction
I liked this story much more than I expected to. It started out fairly unpromisingly, with a quasi-poetic italicized section written in the second-person. The danger with writing in the second person is that it tends to presuppose a specific type of audience with specific reactions, interests, etc. I rarely fit the author's idea of this perfect audience and so it loses me.
But I was quickly drawn into Shahrazad's story which is perhaps unsurprising given that I find her a very interesting character. I really love the idea of a character winning over a man from the brink of madness with stories. The interwoven story the author used in this novel was very effective. It contained fairly subtle and layered messages and lessons for the king and was also just interesting as a tall tale.
I really enjoyed the idea that Shahrazad's storytelling abilities were passed on to her through her mother.
Like the other novel from this series, this book was fairly simply told and not very long, ...more
But I was quickly drawn into Shahrazad's story which is perhaps unsurprising given that I find her a very interesting character. I really love the idea of a character winning over a man from the brink of madness with stories. The interwoven story the author used in this novel was very effective. It contained fairly subtle and layered messages and lessons for the king and was also just interesting as a tall tale.
I really enjoyed the idea that Shahrazad's storytelling abilities were passed on to her through her mother.
Like the other novel from this series, this book was fairly simply told and not very long, ...more
