Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Release Date: May 6, 2008
Publisher: Harper Trophy, HarperCollins Publishers
Age Group: Middle Grade/Young Adult, ages 9 and up
Pages: 352
In a land where beauty means everything, Aza finds herself lacking in every way possible. Her only redeeming quality is the beauty in her voice. If only her singing reflected what others saw when they looked upon her face. She spends most of her time trying to hide her face from the staring eyes of guests at her parent’s inn. Singing is the only beauty Aza finds in herself, and she sings often while she is working at the inn. She discovers that she can “throw” her voice and make it appear as though it came from another place in the room! She tries to teach her family her new trick but no one else is successful.
A Duchess passing through the inn on her way to the King’s wedding invites Aza to come as her maid. While at the castle the new Queen discovers Aza’s talent in “throwing” her voice and insists that Aza stay at the castle and become a lady in waiting, so that the Queen can use Aza’s voice as her own. When the King is injured, the young Queen is hungry for power and the kingdom is soon threatened to fall apart as well as Aza along with it.
I have heard great things about Levine as a writer so when I had a chance to read Fairest I jumped at it! And I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed! I loved the fairy tale setting and the story telling quality of Levin’s writing. The plot was faced paced and Aza’s growth within the novel is believable. Aza isn’t your typical heroine and that made the story so much more enjoyable. I loved that the book tackled the issue of beauty, which is something that I know I struggle with as well. I’m looking forward to reading more of Levine’s works in the future!
Buy the Book: Fairest
