Oh, hey. It’s a book review!

Firstly, I just have to say that I really like the cover. It’s so pretty…

Actually, I suppose I should probably explain my absence and no post yesterday- I had… a sick. Not really sure what it was, but it was yucky. I had a sore throat and a fever, and spent most of the day sleeping, aching, and not wanting to be touched as my skin gets incredibly oversensitive when I’ve got a fever. I was even feeling too sick to watch Chuck. I mean… yeah. It was bad.

I’m still feeling a little woozy headed today, so if I say something that doesn’t make sense, blame it on still being kinda sick.

Anyway. This book was recommended to me by Beth over at Hear A Snippet Here, and after much hinting and prodding and poking, I’ve finally read it.

I have to say… I did like it, but throughout the entire book, I kept waiting for something momentous to happen… and nothing did. It was a very quiet story. Which is fine, and part of my opinion of the book may be because I’m generally impatient and I’m discovering that I’m not really a fantasy reader. I love fairytales, but there’s something about straight-out fantasy that loses my interest really fast.

Plot Synopsis: Mirasol is Chalice. Once a woodskeeper and beekeeper, she has been chosen by the finding rods as the next Chalice to serve under the new Master- the Master who has been taken away from his transforming into a Priest of Fire. On the first day of his return to the Willowlands, as Chalice is welcoming him with the chalice of welcome, he accidentally burns her hand. This does not bode well in the eyes of the people, but Mirasol knows that it was simply an accident, and she knows that despite the Master’s unorthodox fire-form, he is the true master of the Willowlands.

But the people of the Willowlands are not convinced. As the weeks wear on and Mirasol tries to fall into her duties as Chalice, the land is in unrest and the people are nervous of the Master’s touch. It is up to Mirasol to convince them to trust their new Master even as she is unsure of her status as Chalice.

And a bunch of things happen after that. Which I cannot really remember.

Let’s say this: I was glad to have Chalice around last night when I couldn’t sleep because my joints were aching with fever, but either it’s not a very clear book or I was so befuddled by my fever that I couldn’t grasp what was going on. Perhaps because it is a very slow and quiet story- there aren’t any huge happenings, nobody falls madly in love, nobody is full of heightened emotions and makes rash decisions- I got bored quickly. At the same time, though, it was an interesting book.

Is it possible to be bored with and still like a book?

I’m interested to read more of Robin McKinley’s work. I’m told by Beth that Spindle’s End and Beauty: A retelling are very good. And since they’re more in the solid fairytale realm, I’m pretty sure I won’t be as impatient to finish them as I was with Chalice.

Book rating: Three of five stars. I liked it. I probably won’t read it again. I would recommend it if you like quiet fantasy. It’s good for when you’re so sick you can’t sleep and you don’t want to watch TV. 🙂

And since I’m still recovering from being sick, I’m going to go lay down and either watch Chuck or read Paper Towns by John Green.

Thanks for the recommendation, Beth!

Mara

Outfit:

It is SO hard to get a good picture of this dress! Since I take the pictures myself, the camera focuses and brightens the background and then the dress ends up a glowing, detail-less mass of white rather than the pretty dress it should be.

Oh well.