I opened the chamber door, Father would say, continuing the tale, and there you were. Mother often said that if I tried, I could sing the sun down from the sky. In our family and in Amonta, my voice is the finest. Mother would throw back her head and imitate my howl, a high pure note.Īyortha is a kingdom of singers. She’d sing, It was all in your lovely howl. We would all smile-my younger sister Areida, my two older brothers, Mother, and I. It was a chill morning, Father would chime in. It was the right room for you, my songbird. You were left in the Lark chamber, Mother would say. Father and Mother-the innkeeper and his wife-have retold the tale on the anniversary of my arrival since I grew old enough to understand the words. The next morning she smuggled herself out, leaving me behind. The wench who brought me to the inn paid for our chamber in advance and smuggled me in unseen. It was January 12th of the year of Thunder Songs. I was abandoned when I was a month old, left at the Featherbed Inn in the Ayorthaian village of Amonta. I have no one to tell me the truth of it. The novel didn't leave me with a Chronicles-of-Narnia kind of 'wooow,' but still, every minute of it was worthwhile to me.So, I'll say this book is my small, happy step back into the mythical and magical side of things. There's blackmail, betrayal, and some violence, but also endearing kindness and romance in the story, along with Aza's down-to-earth lesson that young people (and, I daresay, grown folks as well) can learn from. Why not?'This fantastical tale turned out to be quite engaging with excellent drops of genius along the way. So, when I happened to come across this novel, I figured, 'Hey. As I used to read more fantasy as a child, it's been my plan for some time to dip back into fantasy fiction of the mythical and magical variety. But I once saw and enjoyed the movie Ella Enchanted, based (loosely?) on the Newbery Honor book by the same author. But because so many people-including Aza herself-consider her to be ugly, she'll go to foolish lengths in her attempts to magically become pretty in Fairest, a novel by Gail Carson Levine.Oh, fairy tales aren't my go-to type of reading, and I don't reach for many middle grade books to read either.

Aza might have the most unusual and loveliest voice in all of Ayortha, a kingdom of singers.

Fairest gail carson levine summary