Friday, November 23, 2012

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill –NOT RECOMMENDED


Barnhill, Kelly Iron Hearted Violet 432 pgs. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012. $11.55  (Rating: G)
An unexpected princess, Violet, is quite a surprise to the kingdom. She is nothing like a “real” princess, instead she is ugly and unruly. Together with her kind best friend Demetruis, they discover a creepy room in the castle. After some tragedy, Violet takes a deeper interest in the darkness found there –the Nybbas. As the kingdom falls about around her, she must face her true self and make friends with an ailing dragon.
What a chore to read.  At first I was kind of intrigued by the ugly princess thing –but quickly found I disliked Violet, and really could care less as to the outcome of her depressions. This book could have been reduced by 75% and I might have enjoyed the combination of this pathetic character and the semi-redeeming ending. I will wade through about anything, but students won’t. The cover is intriguing, but the book is a drawn-out and hard to relate to.
ELEMENTARY–NOT RECOMMENDED Reviewer: Stephanie School Librarian & Author.

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