Review: 4 1/2 Stars from "Red Adept Reviews"
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 2, 2011
Plot/Storyline: 4 1/2 StarsThis book was billed as a gNew Yearfs Tale,h but it was very much in the spirit of Christmas. It was a romantic fairy tale, complete with a princess, a disheveled prince, evil family members, and even a perverted fiance to make it more modern. Yes, the fiance was sexually perverted; there was also a little sex, though not graphic or detailed, and a rather violent beating, so this was definitely an adult fairy tale.The story was set in the 1940s, a perfect time period for the plot, which wouldnft have worked in a more modern time. This setting also gave the story a feeling of innocence, even in light of the perversion and abuse. Although it had a eChristmasyf feel, I think the story had some pretty original messages for a holiday tale.While this was a short novel, I think it could definitely have been shortened to a novella without losing any of the flow or meaning. It dragged in a few places, such as the scene where she was getting the haircut. Yes, the haircut was important to the story, but it was really what the haircut stood for, not the act itself.I especially enjoyed the idea of Misha, the New Yearfs version of Santa. My favorite part was Tashafs telling of the young, homeless boyfs meeting with Misha. I also enjoyed the ending, and the way some revelations made the story come full circle.Characters: 5 StarsTasha was wonderfully depicted as a young, innocent princess. She stayed in character throughout the story and had plenty of depth to evoke empathy in the reader.Mike was my favorite character. I really felt sorry for him when he was concerned about having feelings for someone other than his deceased wife. Kind, gentle, and nervous himself, he was the perfect match for Tasha.Writing Style: 4 1/2 StarsThe eloquent writing style had a truly mellow feel to it that was perfect for this book. The best descriptions were in the opening scene; after that, they were pretty sparse, at least in any meaningful way. I would have enjoyed more time period descriptive scenes. There were one or two instance of viewpoint problems, but it was not prevalent. The dialogue was well done. The Tasha and her family speak a little oddly at times, but I chalked that up to English being their second language.Editing: 3 3/4 StarsTaking the length of the novel into account, there were quite a few errors. Punctuation was probably the biggest issue, especially when quotation marks were left out when needed, or added when not.