CYNDER by Kaeli Newman (Book Review)
...that will not. Stop. Growing.
Everything about Elle (and her home, Carousel) is soaked in spells. But rumors have reached the kingdom that the Giant army is using magic to raze villages, make people into stews, and generally wreak havoc. The misguided king of Carousel, in his attempt to stop the madness, bans any and all use of the stuff.
Before the stroke of midnight, Elle goes from apple-picker to outlaw, pursued by the rogue Prince Jak and his colorful companions on the one side...and, for reasons she cannot fathom, the tree-sized soldiers of the Giant King on the other.
Cynder is more than a retelling. More than an origin story. One could say it is pure, unadulterated magic. It reads much like a glass of sparkling wine. Flavorful, fizzy, and mischievously complex - but so light and easy to drink in, you savor it unthinkingly.
K. Newman breathes the characters from each page, resurrecting timeless fairytales with a single, just as timeless spell.
Solid writing.
K. Newman pairs the obscure characters (ever hear of the boy who killed seven with one blow?) with the beloved ("This pillow feels as though it's stuffed with little rocks...or peas!") and builds a world that is more than just landscape. Yet she injects each page with humor, description, and an ingredient that one is hard-pressed to find in many middle grade fairytales - suspense.
If I have one complaint, it's only that at times, we wish we could spend more time observing its inhabitants, watching their relationships move and deepen. But this is understandable considering Cynder's target audience
There are some books that we just can't stay away from. I must have re-read Ella Enchanted (by Gail Carson Levine) ten times.
I will read Cynder at least that many, and would recommend it to any reader who has never read a fairytale. Or whoever needs another.
And after all, who doesn't?
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