It’s hard to find the time to read, especially with all the other books you have to read for your English class. If you’re looking for a good story, but don’t have time to browse the library shelves, you’ve come to the right place. Every other week, I’ll let you in on a book that you won’t be able to put down.
East by Edith Pattou
This tale is a wonderful marriage between a mythical and fantasy world. Pattou weaves an enchanting tale of Rose, a young, rather unique girl, sent by her superstitious mother to live with a white bear in hopes that it will reverse her family’s poor fortune. Upon arriving at the bear’s castle, she is immediately swept up in a centuries old curse, plunged into a world of fairytale creatures where she must right grave wrongs and free the white bear from his long imprisonment.
This book, truly, is one of my favorites. Pattou uses a variety views to provide her audience with multiple angles on the story, letting them in on secrets in one chapter and into the hearts and minds of yet unknown character the next. She expertly builds a sense of suspense and wonder only to send readers reeling with a sudden realization. The characters themselves are so real that you feel as if you can reach out and touch them, from Rose and her fantastic weaving skills, to Neddy, her protective older brother, and Eugenia, their mother who is too superstitious for her own good.
If you don’t want to get wrapped up in a long series, then this is the perfect standalone book. It’s long, but you’ll be turning pages so fast that you’ll find you’ve reached the end in only a few days, only to open it again and start this fantastic tale all over again.