What an intriguing, well-crafted book! I really enjoyed reading this "new fairy tale." I loved what Niffenegger was trying to say with this story: Love comes in all forms. It was beautifully told with fascinating artworks that the author herself made.

 

I'll be honest, I didn't think I was going to like this book. I tried reading The Time Traveler's Wife a few years ago and couldn't get into it. I didn't think I would really like this one either as a result. But I am so happy I did like it! Everything about it is on the bizarre side but that's what I love about this book. It's not like anything I have ever read before. I mean... I never thought I would read a book that was about a Postman who fell in love with a Raven. It was so intriguing!

 

My one complaint was the length. The book is almost too short to enjoy fully. I wanted to know more about the Postman and his relationship with the Raven. I wanted to know more about the Doctor who was helping the Ravel Girl get her wings. I just wanted to know more! Because of how short it was, you couldn't get the necessary developments that a book like this requires in order to enjoy it fully. Still, I loved it enough that I am willing to go back and read Niffenegger's other works.

 

I highly recommend this book if you are into bizarre fairy tales. You might end up enjoying a lot more than you think.

New Review! RAVEN GIRL by Audrey Niffenegger is a perfect blend of image & word. A modern fairy tale that's poignant & smart & beautiful.

 

http://tinyurl.com/lhdlqog

 

I give it four happy stars.

♥ this book! Review to come!

Edit here is a sneak peak of my review

The Girl and The Raven is honestly a book I have been putting off for sometime...

WHY?!?!?!?!?!
why did I put this lovely book off for so long? Maybe it had to do with the cover (I'm not a fan). Maybe the fact I've NEVER been interested in demon books (A topic that never interested me before). Whatever it is I want to kick myself in the butt for waiting so long! Such a good good book. I thought ok, maybe I'll like this book. I just didn't know I was going to come out LOVING this book. That came from left field.

To get my full review go to http://kindreddreamheart.blogspot.com/2014/04/arc-review-girl-and-raven-by-pauline.html

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

Well this one was fantastic! A fast paced plot with an immensely likeable lead character. It does follow a little bit of YA cliche to start - death of a parent, sent off to new town, discovers new powers, and a potential romance.

 

Even so, that didn't really matter because it was such a good story. Lucy is sent to live with her uncles where she discovers some a family history she never knew about - as mentioned in the blurb - she's half witch half demon. Some really good world building, and what I particularly liked was the friendships built with some of the other girls she meets, (apart from one or two who were trashy and bitchy!) And some of the adult characters were fun too, family was actually present and a huge part of the plot instead of being absentee family so that was refreshing.

 

No insta-love as well! Lucy meets sexy neighbour Marcus and while there's insta-lust definitely, it takes time for their relationship to happen. So another plus.

Only thing I can note really is some inconsistency with the spelling of a minor character's name. One of Lucy's friends is called Suzy, and thorough out the story the spelling of the name changes from Suzy to Suzie. It's a little distracting.

 

Other than that, great story! While its sort of concluded, there is an option for a sequel or possible series to come. So definitely looking forward to more.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 starsSource: Library Checkout"Today we are going to talk about where the human race may be headed. We have the power to improve ourselves, if we wish to do so. We can become anything we wish to be."After the postman fell in love with a raven they had a child, a child that looked like a normal human being except for the fact that she could not speak (only caw) and she had an extreme longing to fly. She traverses life as easily as any normal girl but she's constantly living a life that is lacking. When a doctor, a Dr. Moreau type, tells her that he has the ability to give her the wings she's always dreamed of she feels the stirrings of hope.This story actually came to be after Audrey was asked to collaborate with the Royal ballet in order to a dark fairytale type story to life on the stage. With it's haunting subject, dream-like qualities and gothic undertones I can definitely see this being a beautiful stage production. The artwork was gorgeous and the creation process of the illustrations was far more complex than I would have normally guessed. Using a procedure called aquatint, it's a process that was intended to imitate watercolors but it's an extremely time-consuming process. To learn more about aquatinting, Audrey discusses it in detail in this video on youtube: http://youtu.be/oO4v9miJLxYThe Raven Girl is an obscure tale of a metamorphosis of sorts. She underwent an artistic transformation because after living with knowing she was different for so long she finally became who she was always meant to be.