Fairest

Title: Fairest
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year of Publication: 2006
Reader's Rating: 3.5 [Please see my post on ratings. :)]


Excerpt: I was born singing. Most babies cry. I sang an aria.
Or so I believe. I have no one to tell me the truth of it. I was abandoned when I was a month old, left at the Featherbed Inn in the Ayorthaian village of Amonta. It was January 12th of the year of Thunder Songs.

Fairest is set in the world of Ella Enchanted (another of Levine's books), in the land of Ayortha, where Ella's friend Areida (from Ella Enchanted) was born. Aza, the main character, is even the step-sister of Areida.

In a Nutshell: The innkeeper's daughter, Aza,  is slightly different from her fellow Ayorthaians. She definitely isn't the fairest of them all. Some even say she was an ogre's cousin. But her looks she compensates with her voice. Ayortha is a land of singers, but no one can compare with Aza's singing. She develops a talent she calls illusing, which only she can do. What started out as a hobby for fun, the new foreign Queen Ivi discovers it and uses Aza secretly for her own selfish purposes. Aza is made a lady-in-waiting and is made to live at the castle, and even meets Prince Ijori, but things start turning for the worst. Ayortha's loving king fell sick and may be dying, and the people are suffering under Queen Ivi. What will happen to the kingdom of Ayortha? Will the people discover Queen Ivi's secrets? What will Prince Ijori think of Aza when he finds out her secret as well?

The Good Stuff: This book was very interesting, as I love fantasy novels and, especially, Gail Carson Levine (the author). Fairest has action, comedy, and romance all in one.

The Not-So-Good Stuff: Kissing, another problem with today's books and movies. I can't tell who would be kissing who (because that would be a spoiler!), and I know it sounds "romantic", but I do not like it when people (who aren't married or something) kiss. :(

Reader's Say: It was alright. Those who have read (or watched) Ella Enchanted will definitely love Fairest. It's a pretty thick book and there are lots of things that happen to Aza, making it a good read. :)