SPOIL FREE SUMMARY
Aza is shocked when she gets invited to the marriage between the King and his new bride. And when she is asked to be a lady in waiting to the new queen, she can't believe her good fortune. But the queen may not be what she seems. And then there is prince Ijori, whom she can't help but like.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Aza is the adopted daughter of a couple of inn keepers. She isn't just plain looking, but what many consider ugly. She describes her skin as pasty and her face as puffy. She is also unusually tall and wide. Because of rude treatment by many guests, what she desires more than anything is to be pretty.
Prince Ijiori is the grandson of King Oscuro. He is light-hearted and kind and is never without his favorite dog.
Queen Ivi is a gorgeous woman from a foreign country whom captures the King's heart. She is rather naive at times, and seems to have two natures.
King Oscuro is an older man who adores his young wife.
zhamM is a gnome that Aza meets while rather young. He comes back into the story much later, playing an important role.
PACING
The pacing is not fast, similar to the other writings of Levine. But this is not an action book.
The stage is set in the beginning while we learn about Aza's being found by a couple. From there we go from one incident to another as the years pass. We meet two characters that will be essential to the plot, one much later on, and one rather soon. By chapter five, thirty pages in, the main plot of the story takes off. So in reality, we don't dawdle, and everything that is presented before the main plot is crucial to the reader.
AZA'S GIFT
Aza accidentally learns she has a strange ability. She keeps it secret, only revealing it to her sister to cheer her up. She accidentally reveals it again and it sets her up to remain at the palace. The gift is important regarding the queen.
ALWAYS SINGING?
There is a unique history in the kingdom of Ayortha. Singing is a vital part of life. Everyone sings. They're are singing games, singing at all special occasions. And some occasions come from singing alone. The story is speckled with songs. I loved the originality as well as the idea that singing could heal someone.
My only complaint is that people sang at weird times. When some characters were having serious discussions...they'd answer singing. Not in a rhyme, just “he sang” or “she sang”. I had to stop imaging them singing because I couldn't take it seriously.
A LIKABLE HEROINE
Aza starts out as a victim, coming from bad treatment of guests at her inn. She complains about her appearance and such but once she lives at the palace she grows confident in herself. Not that she stops desiring to be pretty, she doesn't'.
She has sense of humor that reminds me of Levine's other heroines.
STUCK IN A LIE
Circumstances lead to Aza not being able to reveal that she is only a commoner. She feels awful, not wanting the Prince to dislike her. But when she does reveal it to him, as well as her promotion, he is suddenly distrustful of her.
Their relationship has its ups and downs, mainly being the massive lie that Aza is forced to keep. When the truth is revealed its heartbreaking to watch. We don't know if Aza will be believed.
ALLUSIONS TO SNOW WHITE-VAGUE SPOILERS
Just like “Ella Enchanted” made slight allusions to Cinderella, so to does this story make vague allusions to Snow White. The biggest difference is that Aza herself is not considered pretty. She is very big and tall, and has a round, almost pudgy face. That difference is quite big and led me to be surprised at the later tie ins to the classic fairy tale. (I know, the title, but it could have been made to make you think of a fairy tale.)
There are gnomes instead of dwarves, and not twelve, just a huge group. Although she really only gets close to one of them.There is a mirror in the queen's room that we eventually learn about.
Aza is supposed to be killed but is spared.
And of course there is a certain apple.
WHO IS IVI?
From the beginning, the real nature of the queen is a mystery. At first she seems childlike, energetic, but a little naive. She adores her king, that is the first thing Aza notices about her.
Slowly, we start to wonder about her. She seems to suddenly treat Aza strange, abandoning her in a pinch. But Aza is not sure. Did she forget? Or send a servant to help her but they forgot?
Aza is a country girl, a commoner. And ignorant to the ways of the court. So when she discovers the truth about the queen, it hits her like a ton of bricks. And suddenly things make horrible sense. But there are more mysteries to solve and it's up to Aza to unravel them.
TURNING A FAIRY TALE ON ITS HEAD
A huge difference between Snow White and this tale, is that Aza is not pretty. She is not the fairest of them all. In fact, she might be considered odd looking, even ugly.
I thought it could have come off as cheesy and rather preachy. But it didn't.
Yes, Aza is not traditionally considered pretty. But she learns that she isn't that ugly either. She realizes she is too hard on herself. It's something that all woman can relate to. We are our own worst critics. Not only that, but we judge other woman too harshly, much harsher than any men do. No man looks at a woman and thinks: her teeth should be whiter, he hair should be arranged better, and she needs a flat stomach.
Aza learns a lesson we all need to learn. We are valuable. And it's our character that defines us.
A WISE MOVE?
There is a part in the story where Aza has dangerous accusations flung at her. She suddenly realizes the truth about Ivi. She then proceeds to make herself pretty and I was left feeing confused. I thought, how will this help your cause? But I suppose she was so angry that she acted without thinking.
CLIMAX-VAGUE SPOILERS
Aza ends up with the gnomes, where she is safe. Eventually the fateful apple is thrust into the story and Aza leaves her body. Not dead, but not awake. She gets trapped but eventually frees herself by her own force of will. Although Ijiori seems to have played a part.
A CONNECTED WORLD
There is mention of Lucinda the fairy, which all readers of “Ella Enchanted” will be familiar with. Turns out she is still granting gifts that ruin lives.
THE EVIL QUEEN'S END?-SPOILERS
The king eventually decides that Ivi needs to be dealt with. But he sees her as more of a victim who was manipulated than a villain. So he says he is going to abdicate in a few months. Before then, he sends Ivi back to her country to be a diplomat.
A part of me felt this was unfair. Yes, Ivi may have been manipulated, but she alone caused the actions that hurt an innocent person. I would rather she have realized how wrong she had been and I never quite got that feeling.
CONCLUSION
Levine presents an original take on Snow White with a likable heroine in Aza. She also presents clues about the truth regarding Ivi throughout the plot.
Her original sense of humor is used to lighten a sometimes dark story and she creates a detailed world that immerses the reader.
My criticisms are few and slight. Mainly that characters sang in odd circumstances and that Ivi was kind of shuffled off with a slap on the hand. I give “Fairest” four stars.
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