The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I have thought about reading this book for forever, and I'm glad that I finally got around to it. Because it was so well-done. After reading Princess Academy a few months ago I thought that I had to get around to more of Shannon Hale's works--I've always been pleased with her books. I got so sucked in that on the days when I didn't get a chance to listen to the book I kept finding myself thinking about the storyline or the world--it was a true book hangover. I couldn't stop getting excited about it. I loved how this book was based very closely on the original Brothers Grimm fairytale, but how Hale created a very believable and relatable world within the book. There was a very simple magic system, with different types of speaking, and Hale did a great job of giving a new background to the princess and the story, which explained why she would have let herself be overthrown. I felt like there were a few places that were oversimplified and a little annoying (like the whole romance with the prince--I don't believe for a second that the prince would have done that with a goose girl) but it was definitely a great book. I am planning to listen to the sequels if I can before our library stops using hoopla at the end of the month.