JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile
The audiobook WEST has just as much adventure and enchantment as its predecessor, EAST. It opens three years later as Rose’s blissful marriage to Charles, who was formerly a white bear, is again challenged by the Troll Queen’s magic. Narrator Renee Raudman takes the role of the determined and romantic Rose, who is bent on rescuing Charles. Robertson Dean’s sonorous voice reflects Charles’s tenderness. Their love has expanded to include a baby left in the care of Rose’s mother, portrayed with maternal care and worry by Kimberly Farr. All the narrators provide skillful depictions that add to the plot’s drama, including those who portray minor characters. S.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Humans and characters from magic fight for love and life against a dreadful enemy. I could hardly breathe as they battle for the fate of the world. There isn’t a dull moment, only the risk to every life on earth!” —Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times best-selling author “In this luminous companion to East, Rose confronts new dangers and old enemies in a high-stakes game in which the fate of the world—and everyone she loves—hangs in the balance. If I’m ever in a life-or-death struggle against impossible odds, I want Rose by my side.” —Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times best-selling author of The Shattered Realms series “What a worthy sequel to the amazing East! Of course Rose’s “happily ever after” would include more adventure. This journey was even more poignant, as she fully understood the stakes and the dangers this time. Once again, readers will be in awe of Rose’s courage and her devotion, and will long for her triumph in the end—even at great cost." —Margaret Peterson Haddix, New York Times best-selling author of the Shadow Children and Missing series "A wait of longer than a decade proves completely worthwhile in the case of Pattou’s continuing spin on Norwegian myth filled with fully realized human characters and adventures both fantastic and emotionally authentic."School Library Journal, STARRED review "Pattou (Ghosting, 2014, etc.) builds a solid, convincing 16th-century Europe from minutely observed details...Necessary wherever the first is popular; a good addition to any collection where fairy-tale retellings circulate well."Kirkus "This is an exciting, layered adventure that draws from various cultural mythologies. An epic drama featuring high romance and a resourceful heroine that will appeal to fans of Pattou and new readers alike."Booklist —
School Library Journal
★ 08/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—At the close of East, Rose and her new husband, formerly enchanted as a white bear, are reunited. Now, they are torn apart again by the Troll Queen, with the added complications of the couple's new baby and a young foster daughter, Estelle. Readers follow the saga through multiple narrators as Rose, the white bear, Rose's brother Neddy, their mother, and Estelle become scattered by the magic of the wind and the evil of the Troll Queen. The protagonists fight back as individuals—with the aid of Neddy's love Sib—and in teams of two or three. Pattou artistically spins the broad and long tale without making the details feel burdensome and always keeps the pace from lagging. The variety of adventures and challenges that the characters face require mental and physical toughness and willingness to try rather than give up in defeat, although very realistic injuries and illness do occur. Details from European history, including the ravaging plague, superstitions, and even crafts, appear without intruding. Readers unfamiliar with the prequel should start there in order to develop a clear understanding of Rose's devotion to her white bear. VERDICT A wait of longer than a decade proves completely worthwhile in the case of Pattou's continuing spin on Norwegian myth filled with fully realized human characters and adventures both fantastic and emotionally authentic.—Francisca Goldsmith, Library Ronin, Worcester, MA
JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile
The audiobook WEST has just as much adventure and enchantment as its predecessor, EAST. It opens three years later as Rose’s blissful marriage to Charles, who was formerly a white bear, is again challenged by the Troll Queen’s magic. Narrator Renee Raudman takes the role of the determined and romantic Rose, who is bent on rescuing Charles. Robertson Dean’s sonorous voice reflects Charles’s tenderness. Their love has expanded to include a baby left in the care of Rose’s mother, portrayed with maternal care and worry by Kimberly Farr. All the narrators provide skillful depictions that add to the plot’s drama, including those who portray minor characters. S.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-07-30
Once upon a time (East, 2003), a girl rescued an enchanted white bear from a wicked Troll Queen in a palace "east of the sun and west of the moon." But what happened after "happily ever after"?
Rose and Charles (or, as she still calls him, her "White Bear") have been blissfully married for three years and have an adopted daughter and a baby boy. When word comes that Charles has been lost at sea, Rose is not convinced it was an accident, suspecting the Troll Queen has survived to seek vengeance. After leisurely reacquainting readers with the characters and backstory, the pace quickens and the stakes become both grander and more personal, as the Queen schemes to kidnap the "bairn" and eradicate every other "softskin" human. Pattou (Ghosting, 2014, etc.) builds a solid, convincing 16th-century Europe from minutely observed details. No longer tethered to a specific tale, this sequel brings in elements from legends across time and around Europe. Like the first entry, the narrative here unfolds in short vignettes from multiple perspectives (all apparently white). The secondary characters—even in brief appearances—make the most vivid impressions; Rose and Charles seem somewhat opaque. Still, she remains fearless, independent, clever, and determined (if headstrong and heedless); he is again the kindhearted, if bewildered, gentleman in distress.
Necessary wherever the first is popular; a good addition to any collection where fairy-tale retellings circulate well. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-18)