In West of the Moon, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Margi Preus expertly weaves original fiction with myth and folktale to tell the story of Astri, a young Norwegian girl desperate to join her father in America. After being separated from her sister and sold to a cruel goat farmer, Astri makes a daring escape. She quickly retrieves her little sister, and, armed with a troll treasure, a book of spells and curses, and a possibly magic hairbrush, they set off for America. With a mysterious companion in tow and the malevolent "boatman" in pursuit, the girls head over the Norwegian mountains, through field and forest, and in and out of folktales and dreams as they steadily make their way east of the sun and west of the moon.
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[The fire hisses, and the dog looks up from his place on the hearth]***
(Amulet Books, 1 April 2014, 228 pages, ebook, borrowed from @AmazonKindle #PrimeReading)
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I'd never heard of the author before and chose this book at random because I liked the cover. I didn't even read the blurb to see what the book is about. I made an excellent choice! This is a delightful book, part myth, part fantasy, part reality with a few drops of magic and folklore sprinkled in for good measure. My only complaint is that the book is too short. I wanted to read a couple hundred more pages about Astri and her sister. I cannot fault this book. It was such fun to read and the perfect blend of light and dark. I need to read more by this author. This was a treat.