Booklog 68/2021: T. Kingfisher: The Raven and the Reindeer

[jacey]

This is a take on the Snow Queen fairy tale, or I should possibly say 'inspired by,' as it strays from the original by a country mile. Gerta's friend, Kay, the boy next door that she's fancied all her life, is stolen away by the Snow Queen one cold winter night. No one but Gerta saw it happen, so she knows she's the only one who can find him. She's not an experienced traveller, so almost immediately she gets into trouble at the house of a witch and gets stuck for seven months. Eventually she gets away and is helped by a talking raven, a bandit girl and an elderly reindeer. Finding Kay doesn't go the way she expected, but then, there was always a chip of ice in his heart. Don't assume that this is a light story. There's darkness at its heart, waiting to be overcome. It's a coming of age story as well as a rescue. Recommended.