I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. I have never read anything by Novik, although I want to read her Temeraire series. I was very eager to finally read a book by her, especially one that is supposed to have a very fantasy fairy tale feel to it. This was an absolutely wonderful fairy tale fantasy, I absolutely adored it and had a hard time putting the putting the book down!

Agnieszka loves her small village home even though it lies close to the corrupted Wood. The villagers pay a small price for their safety, the powerful magician known as the Dragon takes one young woman into his tower every ten years. Agnieszka knows it will be her best friend Kasia this time. Kasia is beautiful and smart and brave and everything special that the Dragon normally looks for in a girl. Imagine Agnieszks surprise when the dragon does not choose Kasia at all but her.

This was just a perfect book. I loved the characters and the fairy tale qualities the story had. The book has a lot of traditional fairy tale elements as well; deep dark woods, a wizard in a tower, an unlikely heroine. Novik did a beautiful job of blending traditional fairy tale elements into a beautiful and original fantasy story.

The story seems so simple to start but gets so complex and interesting as it continues.

Agnieszka is a wonderful heroine; shes determined and outspoken yet also compassionate and caring. She has a different way of looking at things that puts her in opposition to the Dragon, yet also lets her complement the Dragons style of magic well.

And the Dragon...oh the Dragon...he is such a delightful character. I really enjoyed watching Agnieszka break through his gruff exterior. The Dragon is so abrupt and gruff but does such a great job caring for all of the villagers in the valley. You just know there is more to him than meets the eye.

This book was just one of my favorite types of books, it balances so many elements so well. There is wonderful magic, a well thought out world, action, endearing characters, an engaging plot, and some romance. Really I just cant say enough good things about this book I adored it.

Overall this book was just perfection. It was a wonderful fantasy with a very fairytale like feel to it. I highly recommend this book to all the fantasy fans out there; it was just such an engaging and beautiful read. So far this is one of my favorite books of the year!

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Every ten years the Dragon, a powerful wizard, takes a girl to his tower. No one really knows for sure what the girls go through while they're there, but everyone has their own ideas. It's time for the Dragon to choose a new girl. Everyone knows he'll choose Kasia. She has always been perfect in every way. Kasia's mother came to terms with this a long time ago and has been training her daughter to be the Dragon's companion since she was a little girl. Kasia's best friend, Agnieszka, is still struggling to accept she'll lose Kasia forever. Even though Kasia will be released in ten years, she'll never live in the valley again. None of the Dragon's girls do. As upset as Agnieszka is about losing Kasia, deep down she's thankful she'll never be chosen. She's the complete opposite of the girls the Dragon chooses. Or so she thought....

I can understand why there are five star reviews everywhere for this book. It really was amazing. The mix of Fantasy and Fairy Tale was perfect. The characters, both primary and secondary, are well developed, unique, and likable. The world building was great. The first 25% or so did drag quite a bit for my taste, but after that the story pace picked up and kept on going to the end

**Thank you Del Rey and Edelweiss for providing this in exchange for an honest review**

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