What a stellar first line. What follows is Levine's tale loosely based on the fairy tale Snow White. All the basic elements of the ancient tale appear in some form or fashion in the novel: apples, fair skin juxtaposed with jet black hair, dwarves (or gnomes in this case), a charming prince, and a cleverly disguised wicked queen. I would definitely recommend reading Ella Enchanted first before reading this one; this book has some characters connected to Ella. It's not imperative that you do so; just helpful.

Song is an important concept in the book; the Ayorthaians value singing as their main form of expression. This fact leads to my only complaint for the book: lengthy passages of sung poems or verses are included in the novel and I confess I began to skip over them. I found the songs to be annoying after the first 8 or so. Perhaps others wouldn't find them to be as distracting as I did. I understand the need for them to be there; I just did not like the vast amount included.

One of the main themes of Fairest is an important one for the book's target audience: accept the way you look. You're unique and beautiful just as you are. Aza was just like any other teenage girl - insecure and too hard on herself. I think many YA readers could relate to the way she feels. This aspect of the novel is very applicable in today's appearance-driven society. ( )

The story was very original, but I listened to the audiobook which had too much singing that drug it on too long. ( )

My library had a copy of this book, so I started to read it. But it just made me wish I had a young girl to share the story with, so I stopped. I'll read it again one day, it seems to hold a good lesson. I'm just too distracted to read it right now. ( )

My library had a copy of this book, so I started to read it. But it just made me wish I had a young girl to share the story with, so I stopped. I'll read it again one day, it seems to hold a good lesson. I'm just too distracted to read it right now. ( )

Clearly drawn characters, an engaging plot, and an overall fun book to read. Fairest puts a different spin on Sleeping Beauty, and also communicates the fact that beauty is only skin deep. ( )