Book of a Thousand Days by: Shannon Hale

Published: 2007

# of pages: 306

Quote: "A cat can make you feel well rested when you're tired or turn a rage into a calm just by sitting on your lap. His very nearness is a healing song." -Dashti p. 206


I'm sad that I'm already finished with Book of a Thousand Days, but I'm ready to read some more of Hale's novels! I read Goose Girl a long time ago and plan on reading it again as well as the other books in the Bayern series.

Book of a Thousand Days is a novel written from the point of view of Dashti, a girl who grew up as a nomad on the steppes and ended up being a lady's maid for Saren. They are shut up in a tower for seven years. Dashti struggles to discover more about the timid Saren and wonders if seven years will ever be long enough to understand the young lady she serves.

I loved the character of Dashti. She felt very natural. I especially enjoyed her feelings for the animals she comes into contact with. She has such a loving nature, but still gets annoyed and frustrated with people so she doesn't seem too loving. And of course I loved the world that Hale created for the novel. She has such a great imagination to be able to think of an entire world and that world's customs, religion, and history.

The book was loosely based on the fairy tale "Maid Maleen" which was recorded by the Grimm brothers. I've never read that tale, but I also think it's neat that Hale picked a lesser known fairy tale to base her story on. She also included some settings and customs from medieval Mongolia. All in all, I think this is a great book for young adults and adults alike, especially lovers of fantasy and fairy tales.