“East”

Author: Edith Pattou

What on earth can I say about this book?  It was definitely well written, but you have to like the story of beauty and the beast in order to appreciate the plot. (I am afraid I’m not a fan of beauty and the beast.) Edith Pattou wrote it in alternating voices in first person thorough out the story. The main character in this story was Rose, so obviously, most of the book focused on her. The other voices in the story were: her Father, brother Neddy, Troll Queen and the captivating White Bear.  It was put together in a way that reminded me of a puzzle. You were given a little bit of information from each person and then you had to put all those little pieces together. (I really liked that.)There were a few surprising turns in the story, but, there was a lot more adventure and a ton of journeys.  One thing about this book was there were a lot of things on superstition. I sometimes found there was too much superstition, causing me to become annoyed.

Nymah Rose, she is the youngest of eight siblings. Her mother, who is very superstitious, cares deeply on which direction her children are born, North, South, East, and West. Their father is a mapmaker and really doesn’t care about birth directions. Rose just happens to be a north born and according to her mothers beliefs, North borns leave their families and homes to travel all over the world. Her mother refuses to agree to the fact that Rose is a North born. She lies and tells Rose she is born of the obedient East. (Hence the title: “East”) But, this does not change the fact that Rose is and always will be, the world traveling, weather battling, North born. Her destiny will soon be fulfilled when a great white bear visits and offers her family wealth in exchange for Rose herself.

To sum it all up it was a good book. If you enjoy Beauty and the Beast, Trolls, magic and traveling, then you will like it too. From struggles on a poor farm, living in a luxurious palace, meeting trolls, battling freezing weather, and working as a servant, you will not be disappointed with the ending.