Review: Fairest

Fairest
By Gail Carson Levine, read by Full Cast Audio
Published 2007 by Full Cast Audio

In the Kingdom of Ayortha, singing is prized above all other forms of communication. This is a blessing for Aza - she is arguably the most gifted singer the kingdom has ever seen. Which is a good thing, because Aza is no beauty. But Aza's voice is about to bring her good fortune - or is it terrible danger?

I downloaded this one on a whim and recently listened to the audiobook. I've listened to, and very much enjoyed, other Full Cast Audio presentations and I actually didn't realize this was one until I started listening. They are always excellently done with well-chosen narrators. In the case of this book, where much of the story revolves around singing, we also get incredibly well-done musical numbers. I enjoyed listening to this, although, at times, I actually got a big sick of all the singing (this is pretty surprising, coming from me). I think Aza is a heroine who is easy to relate to and I think this book would appeal to a lot of young girls. I actually didn't even realize that this was supposed to be a retelling of Snow White until Aza arrived at the home of the gnomes. Once I put those pieces together, I enjoyed the story even more and thought back over bits that I may have missed earlier in the book. This book is populated with interesting characters and the fairy tale elements are incorporated well into the story. I definitely want to read more by Levine now - or perhaps listen!