Winter's Child

Growing up, Kai and Grace have always been close, but while Kai has always been more serious, Grace is free spirited and longs to see beyond the horizon. When the two find themselves on their own and Kai professes his love for Grace, Grace rejects his love in fear. Later that night, when the legendary Winter Child shows up, Kai goes with her willingly, leaving Grace behind. Grace is shocked when Kai is missing, and filled with determination to find him. So she sets out on a journey across the countryside and the vast land of ice and snow to find Kai...but her journey soon becomes so much more than just a quest for a missing friend. Winter's Child, the latest book in the Once Upon a Time series, retells the lesser known fairy tale "The Snow Queen". As always, Dokey fills the story with her magical style and vivid storytelling that makes her characters so engaging and the stories so intriguing. Told in twelve parts, Winter's Child is narrated from the point of view of all three main characters, Grace, Kai, and the Winter Child, making for a read that moves quickly and is never boring. The only complaint would be that the novel is too short. It might have been more entertaining if it had more details, or if the plot was slightly more complex. The romance in the story is very light, and each character ends with their own happily ever after, though there is little romance or courting leading up to the ending. Despite this, Winter's Child is an enjoyable book that will appeal to younger teens or older ones looking for a nice and sweet escape from every day life.

There were moments I got a little misty .. well written... and a thoughtful read. Looking forward to rereading it again this winter with a cup of hot chocolate in hand !

Grace and Kai have been best friends forever - how could they avoid it when they grew up next door to each other? They played together by day and in the evenings, Grace's grandmother would tell them legends about the Winter's Child, an immortal princess from the land of ice and snow cursed to undo the damage wrought upon the world when her mother smashed a cursed mirror filled with fear and released its damaging shards throughout the world. When the old woman dies, Grace and Kai have only each other for companionship, but Kai's marriage proposal - a perfectly logical step - is shot down by Grace's desire for freedom. When the Winter Child shows up, Kai eagerly decides to accompany her on her quest. Grace immediately sets out to follow them, and finally experiences the adventure she's been craving. The book is set up into thirteen `stories,' following the format set forth in the original `Snow Queen'. Grace, Kai and Deidre the Winter's Child alternate as storytellers. The first half the book sets the stage very well; Deidre's life is told in the fantastic style of fairy tales while Grace and Kai live in a gritty poverty. The Christian elements of Andersen's tale have been removed, too, grounding Kai and Grace in a difficult world with little hope of divine intervention. But it gets a little awkward around Kai's departure, because the Winter Child is a radical departure from the Snow Queen. Whereas the Snow Queen is a beautiful enigma whose motivations are known only to herself, Deidre is a teenager who has been lonely for many years, trapped in her sixteenth year until her quest is complete. She acts just like a teenage girl with her first crush. She's giddy, she's hopeful...she's not sad. Over and over, we're told her name is `Sorrow' and that names match their owners perfectly, but she rarely seems as icy or as unhappy as we're told she is. When Grace is following Kai and the Winter's Child, the story gets a little disconnected. An old woman tries to distract her, and she is captured by a band of thieves. These are both part of the original tale, so they had to be included, but we rush through the scenes so quickly that it feels like they were added to complete a checklist of important points from `The Snow Queen'. The ending, too, wraps up too quickly and too neatly, with a last-minute character addition to `fix' the developing love triangle. This is the first book I've read in the `Once Upon a Time' series, and it intrigues me enough that I want to check out more of the series. Although the plot has its weak points, `Winter's Child' is true to the fairy tale genre and a fun way to re-imagine `The Snow Queen'.

"Winter's Child" may seem like a frivolous read meant only to entertain, but don't be fooled. This story tackles some heavy themes for an entry in the usually light "Once Upon a Time" series. It's based upon Hans Christian Anderson's tale "The Snow Queen". Grace and Kai are childhood sweethearts who grew up hearing the story of the Winter Child, a princess cursed by the North Wind. The two are very close, until Grace rejects Kai's marriage proposal for fear of being tied down. Late that night, the Winter Child herself visits Kai, and he follows her to her homeland. Grace determines to find him and bring him back. Meanwhile, we hear the true story of the Winter Child herself. She was cursed by the North Wind as an infant, and the only way to break the curse is to heal the wounded hearts of the world. Specifically, she must heal the fear that her own mother unwittingly sent into the world upon her death. The final heart healed must be her own, although it is the only one she cannot heal herself. The story has three narrators: Grace, Deirdre (the Winter Child), and Kai. Most of it is given to the first two, but this is because Kai is not a very talkative person (as he says himself). The chapters are divided into "stories", each story having its own title. All the chapters in a story are narrated by the same character and follow a section of that character's story. This might have been confusing, but the titles of the story usually make it clear which character is speaking. It's also easy to figure out within the first few sentences in those that don't. The characters are likable and have distinct personalities. Grace is headstrong and adventurous, Kai is quiet and intelligent, and Deirdre is determined. The reader gets good insight into their thoughts, which prevents them from becoming mere stereotypes. I didn't think the romance was very compelling, but fortunately, the book doesn't focus on it too much. The story is interesting and the writing style is pretty good. The latter is a little cliche but not too cheesy, though I wish Dokey had used different manners of speaking for the different characters. As it is, their voices sound the same, even though their actions and attitudes set them apart. "Winter's Child" is a good book to begin with, but what sets it apart is the themes it deals with. I have read several of Dokey's "Once Upon a Time" books, and I'm usually impressed with the way she expresses ideas: self-knowledge in The Storyteller's Daughter, love at first sight in Before Midnight, and seeing through the eyes of love in Belle. But here, Dokey explores the more mature theme of dealing with grief and hardship. And she doesn't simplify it. Grace's journey is a wonderful metaphor for the personal challenges we all face. She doesn't know quite how to get where she's going or how long her journey will be. She feels lonely and tired at times, almost giving in to complacency at one point. But she always has hope that she will reach her des

Simon Pulse's Once Upon a Time series has been surprisingly successful over the last several years. It's always interesting to see which fairy tales the series' authors choose and how they interpret them. This time, Cameron Dokey draws inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, a long fairy tale with much scope for the imagination. I've been reading fairy tale interpretations for a long time and this one had more than one surprise in store for me. Dokey isn't enslaved to the original--none of the books in the series really are--but still salutes it well and retains enough elements to keep the tale recognizable. Of course, the series has certain expectations and restraints--romance and happy endings--that appear in all entries, too, but they are handled well here. Surprisingly, especially considering the original tale, there are no super bads or true villains but characters searching for personal identity, acceptance and even love. Recommended if you've enjoyed the series and if this is the first one you'll read, it makes a strong introduction to the series which is overall entertaining and even inventive. I'd have loved these as a teen... And I recommend reading the original tale first--it's available online in many places. The tale of a girl's adventures as she seeks to rescue her friend from the clutches of an evil queen are entertaining in either incarnation.