Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fairy Tale
Content: Clean 

 
Blessed-or cursed-with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she's known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn't hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servants.

This is the third version I've read of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I liked it just as much as the others. They have all been different and each one had its strengths. Unlike the last one I read, East which I thought was for older teens, this one was solidly in the younger age range for YA. It's a good retelling for anyone to read though. I liked the way the author incorporated the pet wolf into the story and that the main character had the ability to talk to animals. I enjoyed that this version had a compelling secret about the older brother, whose own story also is revealed in the book.

I'm on a mission to read all the versions of this fairy tale that I own. There is one more left. The main reason I started reading these is because I've got so many books that I own that I've never gotten around to reading. But now that I've started reading these I'm really interested in reading and comparing each of the versions of the story. Plus it has been super fun buddy reading them with my friends Melissa and Laura.