SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
After her mother dies, Trinket sets off to become a bard and collect stories. Her friend Thomas comes along and together they inquire about Trinket's father. He went missing long ago, but Trinket still believes his is alive.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Trinket is the young girl who dreams of being a bard like her father. She lives for stories but can be rather naive and sometimes even careless in her pursuit of a good story.
Thomas is Trinket's childhood friend. He loves animals and his job has been to take care of pigs. He can be rather comical but sometimes clashes with Trinket.
Feather is a teenage gypsy girl. She can see the future but confides in Trinket about how she uses her abilities.
PATTERN
The story has seven separate stories, like the title says. Each story has a few chapters and ends with a song. They are all tied together by Trinket's desire to find her father and to find stories and they are all based on Irish folklore.
In each story, she usually gains something for her journey. For example, she gets a harp which she uses to tell stories through music. Some objects become important later on, like the coin she gets from the faerie queen. So every tale feels important.
TRINKET
Trinket is pushed by her desires for stories as well as a desire to find out if her father is alive. She also deals with different issues in each story, like if she is brave enough to tell stories, or if she pushes people away in her life.
I found these attempts at depth interesting, but sometimes unfulfilling. When the banshee in tale three tells Trinket she pushes everyone away in her life, I couldn't take it seriously. She and Thomas had one fight so he left. This isn't some pattern of behavior on Trinket's part. Yes, she is a bit stubborn, but nothing so destructive as the banshee paints it. I would have felt different if a long history was presented before this.
Not to say that Trinket is a shallowly depicted character. She ponders many issues, like if she really wants to find her father (since he abandoned her). Some attempts at at character depth worked, but others didn't.
MANY CHARACTERS
With each new tale, new characters are added. But not everyone had a profound effect on Trinket, or were very distinct. Catriona is just a crazy mom, Orla is a girl who likes to dance, and the Banshee is just a lonely ghost. The only characters who had any depth were Feather and the Burned Man.
Seeing each tale as it's own story, I could be more critical of that. But as each tale is really just apart of one, perhaps it's not such a big deal that many side characters feel generic. After all, many are barely in the book.
TRINKET & THOMAS
Trinket can be rather naive, and sometimes impulsive. Thomas was a good contrast because he challenged her on many fronts. They were friends, but he wasn't afraid to point out when Trinket was going to do something dangerous. And I often found myself smiling when Thomas gave a sarcastic comment. He added levity to otherwise serious circumstances.
PACING
The pacing is slower because the story simply isn't an action story. But I never felt bored. There was always mystery to solve or a story to be found. And there were moments of action in the book at times.
CLIMAX-VAGUE SPOILERS
A child is attacked, and after the true attacker is revealed, Trinket goes off in search of her father. It could be described as an aftermath, but it was much more important than the earlier action packed scenes.
TWO ENDINGS
Oddly enough, there are two endings to choose from. One where Trinket forgives her father and another where she doesn't. I didn't really find the need of that and feel like it was done out of novelty. A Trinket would wouldn't forgive would not be a character I cared for.
CONCLUSION
Trinket and Thomas are both likable characters, who contrast each other nicely. Although the story is quite serious at times, there are comical moments because of Thomas. The mythological characters presented are interesting and sometimes charming while there are also some hints of horror displayed. In the end it's a simple and sweet story. I give “The Seven tales of Trinket” three and a half stars.
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