Title: East (East #1)
Author: Edith Pattou
Rating: ★★★★

Thank you to HMH for Young Readers for sending me a finished copy of this book!

“She would search for him. In the land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon.”

East of the Sun and West of the Moon has always been one of my favorite fairytales, and yet I don’t have an answer as to why it has taken me so long to read this book. I’ve always had my eye on it, but I think there was a sense of hesitation to actually read it because I didn’t want my expectations to let me down. I had nothing to worry about: East was a wonderful, magical story. 

The pacing and flow of the story is so well-crafted. Even with all the different POVs present, each character had a distinct voice and every chapter added to the plot. The writing was whimsical and helped maintain the fairytale aspects of the original tale the story draws from. I absolutely adored Rose. I loved her intellect, her perseverance, her kind nature, and her strength. Her interactions with the White Bear were entertaining and endearing, and I appreciated the author’s choice to create a relationship and romance that developed slowly and subtly; the truth of the depth of their feelings hidden both to the reader and the characters themselves.

East was a beautiful, fast-paced, magical story. I’m sad that it took the sequel’s release for me to finally pick this up, but I’m so glad that I did. This will be one of those stories that I’ll always remember and visit again when I want to immerse myself with a retelling of one of my favorite fairytales.