Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

What folk story is it based on?

I cannot wait to begin reading this one. I've had it on my TBR for a long time.

I really enjoyed this book - much more than the Goose Girl series.

Heather wrote: "I loved the writing style of this book, the journal format. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember being really annoyed with the princess most of the way through the book. "

I am only half way through and I have been annoyed with her the WHOLE time :)

Very! I just got to the part when Dashti found the way out and she is being SO weird about leaving....ARGH I am so sick of her!

Yeah, she was ANNOYING... I was like, "Ummm... will you go away please?" Fortunately, the book isn't from her POV, huh? :) I really liked this book. I think Shannon Hales's a really good writer—I've been really impressed by the three books of hers I've read.

You speak the truth!

Thank goodness she redeems herself!
I finished the book and truly enjoyed it. And YAY for My Lord!
Although I felt that some of the men in this novel were some of the evilest in any YA book I've read.
I've enjoyed everything I've read by Shannon Hale, as well, but I find that it is hard to get students to enjoy her books. They are very thought provoking and sometimes so character driven.

Yeah, there was definitely no confusion over who was good and who was evil... EEK! That's interesting about the students though...

I just finished it and really enjoyed it. I felt bad for Princess Saren. She's basically suffering from PTSD. I was afraid she was going to be manipulative and trick Dashti into something and then turn on her, I'm glad it didn't happen that way.
This is my first from Hale, I'll have to look into more from her.

Jennifer W wrote: "I just finished it and really enjoyed it. I felt bad for Princess Saren. She's basically suffering from PTSD. I was afraid she was going to be manipulative and trick Dashti into something and then ..."

Good insight. I hadn't thought of it that way.

Jennifer W wrote: "I just finished it and really enjoyed it. I felt bad for Princess Saren. She's basically suffering from PTSD. I was afraid she was going to be manipulative and trick Dashti into something and then ..."

I had those same thoughts, Jennifer! I've read most of Hale's books and have enjoyed them all. My favorite thus far, though, is definitely The Goose Girl. Check it out!

The Goose Girl is my favorite, too!

Jennifer W wrote: "I just finished it and really enjoyed it. I felt bad for Princess Saren. She's basically suffering from PTSD. I was afraid she was going to be manipulative and trick Dashti into something and then ..."

And she has some mental instability as well, from before the 'incident.' It's why she was easy pray. You have to give her credit, though, for being able to deny her father and Khasar and face imprisonment the way she did, in the state she was in.
When I read this, I remember thinking it was kind of slow for the first 1/3 or so, and I was liking but not loving it. I did end up liking it more than I thought I was going to, and I did LOVE Khan Tegus. I loved the interaction when they were walled up and he visited.
The only real drawback for me, once the story picked up, was the resolution of the Khasar plotline. I just felt there was all this tension and build up, and -- though I liked what it brought out in Dashti -- it ended too quickly and easily. It felt a little silly.
But I do like that Hale took a relatively unknown tale and worked it into something so rich.

I enjoyed this book. I loved how My Lord the cat helped Lady Saren in a way that no one else could. I find that is the truth with animals/pets a lot of the time. I also loved Khan Tegus. He was everything the hero of a story should be. This was the first book I have read by Hale as well, but The Goose Girl looks good also. I will have to pick that one up from the library next time I go.

Linda Grace wrote: "I enjoyed this book. I loved how My Lord the cat helped Lady Saren in a way that no one else could. I find that is the truth with animals/pets a lot of the time. I also loved Khan Tegus. He was..."

I loved My Lord! It was great that a cat was the savior :)
Wasn't it great that Khan Tegus saw past Dashti's physical differences and her standing?!?!? He was a good man.
Princess Academy by Hale is also very good.

I've read Shannon Hale's Goose Girl and Book of a Thousand Days and I liked GG much better because it was more complex. BOATD was nice but too simple in my opinion, I know this was her intention with Dashti writing the whole story but still I thought the whole story could've been more complicated, it was too easy to guess.

While I did not like The Goose Girl, I truly enjoyed Book of a Thousand Days. The writing of this seemed to me to be distinctly different from the other. I found it more engaging. Perhaps it was the different viewpoint and perspective.

What I also found extremely interesting was the integration of the idea of a werewolf in a story which did not highlight humans with special abilities/powers, or the like. That was novel and the scene of confrontation was extremely well done.

Also the concept of socioeconomic/status classes was interesting. It did not seem like any given group was considered "evil" or denigrated; the "lower" classes simply were. However, all could find their way to the Realm of the Ancestors.

Yeah, Saren was a bitchy little girl, but she had to be; and the reason was believable. You know, I would have probably freaked when some guy took me as a child to witness a werewolf changing.

Sophie wrote: "I've read Shannon Hale's Goose Girl and Book of a Thousand Days and I liked GG much better because it was more complex. BOATD was nice but too simple in my opinion, I know this was her intention wi..."

Wow, Sophie. I'm kinda surprised. I think if asked I'd call BoaTD more complex but more subtle. Yes, its easy to see how it will end; that's true of all fairytales. But its so much more layered and more of a character study than GG, for me anyway.

Kellee wrote: "Linda Grace wrote: "I enjoyed this book. I loved how My Lord the cat helped Lady Saren in a way that no one else could. I find that is the truth with animals/pets a lot of the time. I also loved..."

I really love Princess Academy. If I were to read another Shannon Hale which one should I read?

I have not read Goose Girl yet, but it is universally loved.
I haved read her graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge and find it so enjoyable!

Lydia wrote: "While I did not like The Goose Girl, I truly enjoyed Book of a Thousand Days. The writing of this seemed to me to be distinctly different from the other. I found it more engaging. Perhaps it was th..."

Once Saren explained why she was the way she was, it was much more understandable. Before she just sounded like a whiny bitch.
I felt that there was magical elements to the story when it came to Dashti's healing. But you are right, the book was not fantasy focused and it was interesting to have that twist thrown in.

Rebecca wrote: "I really love Princess Academy. If I were to read another Shannon Hale which one should I read?"

She doesn't have TOO many books out. Either Book of a Thousand Days (which is a stand alone) or The Goose Girl, which is the first in the Bayern series (followed by Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born). Someone lost my library's copy of Enna Burning, so I haven't been able to finish that series...

@Misty: I would agree that the character study was more developped in BOATD but to me TGG felt more layoured, possibly because there was more action and more settings, it was predictable in many parts, that's true, but the story just felt much longer to me (or maybe that's just because I read BOATD in one day and TGG in several days).

I really, really enjoyed BOATD. I hadn't read anything by Hale previously, but I will after reading this. I agree with everyone else: the princess was so incredibly annoying! But, that helped create tension in the story and it made me root for Dashti even more.

I enjoyed this book. Since it was a fairytale you knew it had to be a happy ending, but I wasn't sure how Dashti and Khan Tegus were going to get there. I'm glad those mucker laws made her a member of the Kahn's family - though not his sister or first cousin.

I will try more of Shannon Hale's books.

I have decided that I really enjoy Shannon Hale as an author. I was very impressed with this story. I absolutely adore fairy tale retellings, and this one was beautifully done. I really liked the complex characters, and that Dashti's writing was honest. She was open about her thoughts and feelings in relation to the different characters, and how she felt about them, and her situation. I loved this book, and I was totally rooting for the characters by the end of the story. I loved that there were fantasy elements to the story, but that those were not the focal point. The characters and their relationships with each other were more important that the magical healing, or the creepy bad guy. I also liked that the story ended with hope for poor Princess Saren.