eBook Review: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Synopsis: When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from boiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable.

But the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale's lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

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Dashti was a mucker, she traveled to the city to get a job to keep surviving. She had lost her family and her beloved mama in a very young age. Luckily, Dashti was chosen to be a maid for Lady Saren, the daughter of the Lord in Titor's Garden. Since Saren refused to marry Lord Khasar, she was imprisoned in a tower for 7 years and Dashti, a very loyal maid, was willing to accompany her lady. There, in the tower, both two young girls tried to survive as long as possible with limited foods and stocks. But, 7 years were not a short time. They were getting afraid of anything outside the tower, especially after Lord Khasar came by and tried to threaten them.

Lady Saren, actually, expected to marry Khan Tegus, her chosen one. But, she was too afraid to get him after she and Dashti were finally out from the tower. She asked Dashti to disguise herself as Lady Saren in front of Khan Tegus. As long as Dashti held her promise of being loyal to her lady, she did it. She declared in front of Khan Tegus that she was Lady Sharen, his lover. Dahsti's sacrifice was not stop there. She should protect her lady more and more and more every time her lady asked her. Even though she should give her life and face the death alone for her lady, she would do it willingly. Until one day, she faced a very great danger she never imagined before, which might bring her life to death, then she realized that her life is worth more than she even knew and she still kept herself loyal to her lady.

~o~

Book of a Thousand Days is a very great masterpiece from Shannon Hale. I know that Shannon Hale used to write such fairy tale books. But, this one is very gorgeous and awesome. Actually, the story is adapted or a retelling from Maid Maleen written by Grimm Brothers. This one is written just look like a diary since Dashti loves to write and share every experience she has and every feeling she holds. This uniqueness makes Book of a Thousand Days very enjoyable. I admit that I love the story, especially because it takes place not in Europe, like most of fairy tales, but it takes place in Mongolia. 

The main characters involved in the book are Dashti, Lady Saren, Lord Khasar, and Khan Tegus. Dashti is described as a very loyal maid coming from mucker family. She is very tough, responsible, loyal, and smart. She has ability to sing, in which in old Mongolia, song is the best healer for any sickness. She is the best singer ever. Lady Saren is described as a young royal lady who is frightened of facing the world alone. She is not a brave-heart, even though in the end she convinces everyone that she is not a coward. Lord Khasar is the antagonist one. He is very greedy and cruel. He is the one everybody should put strike on. Khan Tegus is a very nice guy. He is kindhearted and very attractive. He deserves to get the best lady in his life.

The setting of this book is very impressive. As I have been said before, the whole story takes place in Mongolia. You know, it is somewhere in Asia nearby Tibet and China. The time setting is one time in old days. I really like the setting because from that I can draw some information and even knowledge about Mongolia and its tradition and culture which are so rich.

The conflict of this story is all about how to survive and fight for freedom and justice. Dashti proves herself, her lady, and everybody that a girl, a very ordinary girl, can fight against cruelty and evilness to reach the real freedom and justice. It is very heroic, I can say, that not all people can do what Dashti does.

The plot is very easy to follow. It is because the book is designed like a diary, Dashti's diary. So, the readers can easily notice when and where the story is and how it correlates to the previous ones. It is so interesting for me to read that kind of book. Further, the ending is not disappointed. It just like what I expected before. And I'm very relieved to figure that out.

The ending of this story is very exciting. I can say too much but for your information, I found a nice twist in the end of the story which made me very relieved after reading each page of the book. The ending is really worth the appreciation. I bet that you will get the excitement of the ending as well.

Over all, I'm in love with this book. Many people do too. I like how Shannon Hale tells the story and cover an epic adventure of Dashti, a lady's maid, into something wonderful and readable. Especially, I like this book since it shows more about Mongolia and its tradition and culture where sometimes I find that the rules running there are very strict and rigid, particularly for those who are not gentries and who have no high social status. However, I really dislike the cover. The cover is not interesting to see.

The quotation I like the most:

"A cat can make you feel well rested when you're tired or turn a rage into a calm just by sitting on your lap. His very nearness is a healing song." (Day 140)

The Book's Information:
Title: Book of a Thousand Days
Author: Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Edition: I/eBook (Kindle) English version
Published: Desember 2008
Pages: 324
ISBN: 978-1-59990-411-5
Genre: Young-adult fiction, fairy tale retelling, adventure

My rating: 4 out of 5 crowns

~Happy Reading~
xoxoxo