The Goose Girl

Summary: Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown princess of Kildenree, has a talent that is feared and looked down upon: she can talk to animals, primiarly birds. Ever since she was an infant her Aunt taught her how to speak the animal language, and they would practice with the swans. But Ani isn’t so gifted with talking to people.

When her mother sends her away to marry a foreign prince, her clever lady in waiting creates a mutiny, leaving Ani alone and running for her life. To hide and think, she disguises herself as a royal goose girl, and soon feels more comfortable among the servants than she ever did among the nobles. As Ani’s powers only get stronger, she begins to form a plan of how to recapture her identity.

My Review: This is one of my favorite fairy-tale re-tellings. It has more romance than Gail Carson Levine’s books, but it isn’t too descriptive. The plot twists are awesome, and unlike some heroines, Ani isn’t annoying at all. I love Shannon Hale’s characters, and the way she builds Ani’s character Arc. 

My Takeaway: This story is about a princess finding where her true identity lies as she attempts to recover it. Parents might want to be aware that the romance in this is mild, and that some scenes contain a good bit of violence. 

Romance: Mild, but a little more descriptive than some of the other fairy tales I review. One kiss at the end, romantic thoughts, someone mentions a man being the one who would have slept with a woman.

Nudity: None.

Language: Maybe a mention of swearing

Alcohol/drugs/smoking: None

Violence: Mild (leaning toward heavy): There is a lot of killing that takes place during the mutiny, and although it isn’t super descriptive, it is still pretty violent. There are also fights scattered throughout the book. An animal is killed, but you don’t witness it.

Darkness: Very Light, there is just a little darkness to some scenes or ideas in this book such as animal heads being hung on a wall,

Bad Messages: None

Good Messages: The strength in friendship and unity.

Stars: 5