Book of A Thousand Days

by Shannon Hale

When Dashti, a young teenager, is orphaned, she has nowhere to go. Her mother was her last living relative in the world, and when she dies, Dashti is forced to go look for work outside her area of expertise. She becomes a maid to the lady Saren, which is a lot different then Dashti’s old work as a mucker. Lady Saren is very soon after shut up in a tower, for refusing marriage to a frightful lord. Taking with her a blank book to record her thoughts, Dashti and her lady are put in the tower. They have encounters with rats, food problems, and strange vistors. Dashti cooks and cleans for her lady, and Saren sits around and mopes. All the while Dashti records her thoughts as day after day passes, and one problem after another befalls them. Dashti has to learn how to keep faithful to her lady, and to herself.

In diary format, this book was hard to get into– at first. Dashti was quiet in the beginning, learning her voice. Eventually she found it though, and that is where it became more interesting. I have read all of Shannon Hale’s books, but I think that this one was the best out of all of them. Shannon gave Dashti voice, and real feelings. Dashti wasn’t just a pampered princess who got everything she wanted. She was real, and true. I enjoyed this book immensely, and it lived up to all of my expectations and more. I recommend it to anyone who likes a interesting plot, with lots of twists and turns.

scale (1-10): 9