The Storyteller , by Antonia Michaelis

Paperback, Uncorrected proof edition, 402 pages

Published January 2012 by Amulet Books (first published 2011)

ISBN

9781419700

edition language

English

original title

Der Märchenerzähler

 

A good girl. A bad boy. A fairy tale that's true. A truth that is no fairy tale.

Anna is fascinated by Abel, the moody school drug dealer with the military haircut and deep blue eyes. One day she discovers a secret: Abel is caring for his six-year-old sister, Nicha, alone. Despite friends' warnings, Anna is drawn to Abel and Micha, and is under the spell of the fairy tale that he tells his sister abotu a little orphan queen, who is pursued by hunters for the treasure she carries her diamond heart.

It's a story with parallels to reality. Social services and Micha's abusive father could take her from Abel if they discover the truth about their situation.

But when people Abel has woven into his story turn up dead, it's Anna whose hear is in danger. Is she in love with a killer?

Antonia Michaelis has written a spellbinding tale of suspense, murder, and a love that changes everything.

 

 

  My Review

Now this in my opinion was a book worth reading, it was a book with a story and a purpose and more than that the book seemed to have its own sort of soul about it. What I liked about the book was the very fact that it read as a fairy tale and yet it was not a fairy tale. It was a story all of its own that seemed to represent that sometimes words are not always what they appear to be and that there is always a difference between the fiction and the non fiction. I felt that the book itself had a lot to offer to its readers in the sense of messages and morals. It seemed to show that we can have a complicated and difficult life but that its not a bad thing to let someone else in to help us. But it also represented that we should never ever judge a book by its cover, because at the end of the day we do not know the facts nor the figures of the personality that is beneath the skin. Abel is a strong and well defined character who seems to have a strong and supportive head on his shoulders. you can quite clearly understand why it is that he would want to isolate himself from the rest of the gang and students. He is a boy with secrets and responsibilities, who merely wants to provide the best for his sister, and to show others that he can do what he needs to do in order to protect her and himself. It really makes the reader look at how far they would go in order to protect a loved one, because he went a long way. He put himself in a huge amount of risk of trouble.

Anna, is just a young hearted girl. I think the problem with Anna, is that you get the image of a young girl aged around 12, with pig tails in her hair and who is just pure innocence. But she is clearly a lot more mature than she comes. I think this is perhaps a disadvantage of the book, the one down side to it, in that her character does not read as strongly as Abel or Micha, who do come across as the age that they are meant to. Perhaps it is merely the fact that Anna has a lot to learn in life still and that she is merely living within the story, taking her time to get accustomed to it. But at the same time its irritable, and annoying. you want her to grow the hell up and to just get on with it. The concept of the novel though is amazing and I loved the whole story about the little queen and her diamond heart. It made me both smile and feel sorry and scared for her, because there are so many little queens and kings for that matter out there who are being hunted for, being harmed and hurt. I think in many ways the book merely showed and resembled the importance of knowing how safe the child is, because abuse happens behind the closed door and we will never ever know about it unless they speak up. Perhaps though its one of those novels that we will all connect to in our own individual way.

It was a long winded book but you could see the purpose behind the chapters and the lines that were put into place. None of it was out of character or over done, it all slotted in as it was meant to and where it was meant. It worked and flowed with a natural essence that just seemed to make the story kick off. I admit I did skim in a few places, but this was merely due to the fact that it did seem to be going on and on, or I was too tired to even really take in the full depth of the novel. But regardless of this fact, I am glad and pleased that I was able to read this novel because in my opinion it was one of the better young teen books to read. It just had everything in it that every book should have. it was unique, different, strong minded and thought provoking. this is why I am giving the book a five star rating, because of how much it pulls you in and has you connect to it. Its a wonderful write and is truly worth the read if you have the time to read it.

My rating