Song of Winds: An East of the Sun and West of the Moon Retelling (The Singer Tales Book 3)

Lovely main protagonists, good adaptation of the original fairy tale. The nature and requirements of the curse are revealed well throughout the book, so we find out almost as Adrienne works things out. Looking for the rest of the series now!

East of the sun and west of the moon is one of my favorite fairytales. This particular retelling did a great job in blending new and original material into the story.I enjoyed coming back to this world and getting to know a completely different set of characters. Adrienne and Herlief were a different couple from the two previous books. That is one thing I like about this author’s work. One never feels like they are reading about the same characters as before but with different names. I can’t say that I would have handled the situation as calmly as Adrienne, though. Both her and Herlief were go with the flow kind of people, which had the beginning of the story lacking a bit of romantic tension. But then the second half their characters realize that action is key. So the characters did evolve..The last 100 pages were a whirlwind of action. I would have liked to have a bit more writing when Adrienne was learning how to hone her singing ability.There were a few more interesting mysteries introduced into the overall storyline of the world of Providore. The Reviled lands were mentioned..I wonder what is going on over there.

Song of Winds breaks away from the characters we’ve previously been introduced to and heads north, where this time we’re finally introduced to the giants!In my opinion, the books in The Singer Tales so far have just been getting better and better. I love how each of the couples (and their dynamics) are so different. Not just in terms of personality, but in physical appearance.In Song of Winds, I thought it was very clever how the differences in the main characters’ sizes played a role in the story. While I’m somewhat familiar with East of the Sun and West of the Moon, it’s definitely not one of the fairytales I know well enough to recite. But from what I do know of it, this seemed like a pretty faithful retelling, and everything was written in such a way that I found each of the little details that played out very clever.I only have one criticism (and it’s a really small one), and that’s that there was no follow up on the groundskeeper’s family. Other than that, the story was perfection.My final comment is that while the author always writes clean romances (and this one’s no different), there’s something *especially* romantic in the way she writes romances between married couples. The way she portrays the sanctity of marriage and the relationship between a couple choosing to cherish each other is simply lovely. (Also, I just had to add that Deborah did an excellent job capturing what it means to be a truly an honourable man.) I’ve found that in her stories where the main characters are “single”, they oftentimes focus more on the situation, and the characters happen to fall in love while focusing on resolving the problem. In contrast, this one is very clearly focused on their relationship (in fact, for the majority of the story, the problem could NOT be addressed!); I enjoyed every moment. Highly recommended!

Adrienne is a sweet girl who comes from a troubled family. Her father's gambling addiction placed her entire family in severe debt, forcing them to hide money in the hopes of furthering her education. Adrienne joins the ranks of other protagonists throughout the Singer Tales series, which consists primarily of princesses with the ability to weave spells through their singing voices. When Adrienne's father catches wind of their savings and her unique abilities, he does something unthinkable. Adrienne is auctioned off as a bargaining chip to help him pay off his debts to a band of unsavory figures. One of the men, whose face is encased in shadows, throws in his chips at the last minute and wins Adrienne as his bride. Disgusted at being used for such a dishonorable purpose, Adrienne agrees to marry the stranger to get away from her father. More unexpected surprises await when she learns that her new husband is actually the long-lost Prince Herleif, who is under a curse that involves him turning into a polar bear during the day and not allowing anyone to see his face at night.Though the book follows the basic plot of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," it makes numerous improvements to the questionable details of the story. For instance, instead of approaching her father to purchase a wife, it is clear that Herleif is uncomfortable with Adrienne's situation and only agrees to marry her to save her from the brutes who were gambling for her and her father's greed. This starts their marriage on a healthier note. One of the things that bothered me the most about the original fairy tale is that the heroine knew that looking at her husband's face would cause trouble for both of them but did so anyway because her relatives told her he might be an ugly troll despite all the time they had spent learning to care for each other on an emotional level. In this adaptation, Adrienne's mother is led to believe that Herleif might die if she does not look at her face within a certain timeframe. This motivation is far more noble and makes Adrienne more relatable as a protagonist.The climax of the story is packed with magic and adventure. Adrienne flies through the enchanted winds to rescue her husband from the fearsome giant queen who is determined to make him marry her daughter. Adrienne takes advantage of the giant princess's naivete to find her husband and outsmarts the giants in their wicked plot. The book also adds a magical twist to the part of the fairy tale where the heroine proves her worth by washing tallow wax out of the prince's shirt. The fact that the princess needed to prove herself by doing laundry in the original story was another thing that seemed off in a world of magic and curses. Here, Deborah Grace White brilliantly weaves the series' magical singing talent directly into that part of the fairy tale, making it that much more fantastical and satisfying. Though the magical elements are a big draw to this book, its greatest strength is the sincere and heartfelt romance that Adrienne and Herleif develop for each other after their unexpected wedding.For the third installment of The Singer Tales, Deborah Grace White takes the bones of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" and infuses them with fresh life, addressing all the issues that initially left me hesitant. Adrienne and Herleif's romance blossoms organically, overcoming societal pressures and magical curses. Each character is imbued with depth and motivation, making their actions believable and their challenges relatable. The climax is a thrilling display of magic and wit, with the heroine using her unique talents to outsmart the giants in a way that feels more fitting within the fantastical world. Ultimately, Song of Winds offers a sweet love story, captivating adventure, and a satisfying resolution, making it a song worth singing for any fan of fairy tale retellings or heartwarming romance. This fantastical series recently concluded with Song of Vines, a retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk."

Ms. White has turned out another marvel. The story is beautiful with the right mixture of humor, adventure and romance... But I do miss the dragons from the previous series...

I was dithering about whether to get this book for ages. "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is one of my favourite fairytales... but this series started off a bit "meh" for me with its retelling of Snow White. So I hesistated.I am very, very pleased that I decided to give this book a shot, because it's absolutely fantastic! (I'm even glad that I started with the Snow White one now, as it's got the worldbuilding element and I'm not sure I would have followed this one so well without that base to work from.) I'll be reading the rest of the series; maybe it gets better as it goes along, and considering the improvement from #1 to #3... I think I might be in for a treat.

This book sucked me in from the beginning and kept me reading all the way through! I loved the characters and character development, the well-written prose, the story twists, and the swoony romance. So good!