Daphne and the Silver Ash

When I was a child, I loved fairy tales. I would take my well-worn copy of the Grimm's Brothers to my favourite hiding place under the rose bush in the backyard and, from there, I was transported to magic worlds: I lost my glass slipper with Cinderella, slept for a hundred years with Sleeping Beauty, and crept, terrified, towards the forbidden closet with Bluebeard's wife. Not for me the sanitized Disney versions - I wanted the red hot shoes and the evil wolf and, if things didn't always end happily ever after, they always ended the way they were supposed to.

As I read Joss LLewlyn's fairy tale, Daphne and the Silver Ash, I was returned to that place under the rose bush. Based on myths and legends, and written in lyrical prose, this is show more the perfect story to read to a small child or, like me, to remember what it was like to be one. show less

RECEIVED FROM: Library Thing Member Giveaways for Review Purposes

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Daphne is a young mother living in the enchanted city of Trevell. The city is cared for by the union of a phoenix and a silver ash tree, every hundred years the phoenix renews it's spirit into the great tree and the phoenix, the tree and the city are reborn anew, fixed and shiny again. In the interim, near the end as the phoenix fades before rebirth the city slowly dwindles away, dirty and falling apart with small harvests and sick people. Unfortunately for the people of Trevell, the silver ash is dying and when it is time for the phoenix's rebirth she refuses to be reborn into the tree because she doesn't want to die too. show more Instead she merges her spirit into Daphne's body much to the anger of all the city's resident. Now Daphne must figure out how to save the tree and the city before they kill her because the believe she stole the spirit of the phoenix from them.

This story is a delightful short read which combines a variety of ancient myths from multiple cultures into one fairy tale like story. The musical lilt of the authors voice slowly draws you and immerses you in the lives of Daphne and the people of Trevell. The book does read like a fairy tale and is in many parts told to the reader rather than shown. A closer point of view would have allowed for both a faster pace to this novel that I think could have greatly benefited the work. And while I also believe it would have allowed for a better connection to the characters within the story with a closer voice than the one provided, the distance narrator-like voice actually does still work for this novel. That's not something I'd usually say with a modern novel, but Llewelyn manages to pull it off brilliantly.

The opening actually reminds me of the beginning of the movie Ella Enchanted, (I haven't had the opportunity to read the book yet) though it doesn't seem quite as silly as that movie is presented at it's opening. Reading it I was surprisingly able to still connect to the main character of Daphne, though the distance of narration made it difficult to connect to any character beyond Daphne. You could sort of feel their plights through their actions and words, but they seemed too far away to really relate. However with the manner in which this story is told, it doesn't matter in the same way that it normally would within a novel when you can't really relate to a character. Due to the fact that it's based on this blending of myth, it reads much like a myth where it's less important to connect to the characters within the story and more important to grasp the morals or lessons portrayed through the story.

While the novel is on the short side, Llewelyn manages to neatly pack everything needed within the text leaving the reader with a sense of fulfillment upon finishing the story that's actually becoming uncommon among other recently published literary works. While his summary at the end promises future works from Daphne's world, the writer doesn't feel the need to leave the many frustrating lose ends common in recent works from other writers.

This is a well written fairy tale and the only fault I can find with it is that I think it might have been more exciting in a more real-time close narrative. However even without that, it's an excellent read that once you begin you'll have trouble putting down. I highly recommend this book to younger readers, though I think many adults will still find enjoyment in the tale of Daphne and her city as well. show less

This was a novella received through LibraryThing's Member Giveaways. It is a short, sweet, melancholy yet ultimately hopeful story, aching with a feeling of might-have-been and will-never-be-again as one thoughtful and gallant young woman tries to deal with the repercussions of what three selfish and powerful magical beings have done each in their own self-interest. It is nicely conceived, based on folklore – some very nice worldbuilding which would lend itself very well to a longer work, perhaps set in the city's past – and nicely written; I think the only reason it took me as long as it did to read it was that I had a bad feeling about the ending. The exploration of the magic and its effects on the city and on Daphne were show more beautiful.

I think my only quibble with the story is that Daphne is introduced as a shoemaker in a city too poor for people to afford shoes or for there to be leather from which to make them. It seems as though this means that her city's decline has been extremely rapid in the past few years, because Daphne is extremely young; she must have been able to ply her trade at some point, but no longer, which just seems improbable at the age of nineteen. It would have been interesting to know how and why she became a shoemaker, and it would have tied the story together nicely if her trade had had some bearing on the denouement. The Chekhov's Gun technique is particularly worthwhile to keep in mind with a novella, I think. But, again, this is a minor detail, and barely detracted from my enjoyment of the read; I'll be looking forward to the author's other works with pleasure. show less

This was an absolute wonderful story. I could feel the emotions of the character, see what she sees and feels what she feels. I could imagine a world so unworldly. The anger of the villagers is so significant to how people really do act. The story is beautiful. It is heart warming and exciting. You could sense her urgency and desperateness to safe the tree and herself. Also you could sense her sadness, her longing for her family and to be normal.
I would imagine this story as a beautiful picture-book or even a well thought out animated movie.
I simple love it. Well done to the author.

Daphne is a 19-year-old girl who has quite the affinity with the spirits around her. In the center of the town she lives in is a Silver Ash. A very special silver ash. In this tree lives a phoenix and a nymph who revitalize and renew the town once a century. Without this rebirth, the city would fall into ruin and everyone would perish.

As the time of this rebirth approaches, it is discovered that something is seriously wrong. Never in all of the centuries the tree has stood has a single leaf fallen from the silver ash. Now the ground is littered with sticks and leaves. The tree is dying. The phoenix that normally dies and brings new life with her rebirth refuses to depend on the dying to tree to help her back to life. What happens from show more here leaves Daphne in a position she never dreamed of being in.

There isn't much more I can tell you about the story line at this time without giving too much away. It was a very short story, and I don't want to spoil the story for anyone. I am internally debating whether or not this is a book meant for younger children or older children. The brevity of the book, and the simplistic storytelling lead me at first to believe this was meant for elementary school children. But the events that unfold and the ending of the story made me rethink my position.

This story is based off many legends and old folklore. There is the opportunity to get younger kids interested in folklore after they read this book if the right literature is presented to them right away as a companion to this book. At just barely over 50 pages long, it is short enough to keep a young reader's interest while being long enough to make them think they really got a "long" book.

I believe this book teaches some great lessons. At one point, Daphne must make a decision - and she makes the right one - even when it is the hardest thing she will ever have to do. But she does it because it is the RIGHT thing to do. She puts the lives of all others before her own life. It shows true love and heroism. A very important value to instill in children while they are still little.

I would recommend this to anyone with younger children who get excited about fantasy, folklore, and a smidge bit of action. (It's nothing violent, so no worries on that front) show less

As a fairy tale for young adults, Daphne and the Silver Ash is rich in the culture and history of a place that is a world we recognize, but is not a part of us. It is in a fantasy setting and fantastical things happen, described in full, beautiful detail, bringing back memories of listening to books read to us by our parents at bedtime. Though it is a mythical book of sorts, it was interesting to find that as a reader you were surrounded by somewhat more modern things like muskets and doctors as opposed to bows and arrows and magical shamans. These things build on to the story, creating a sense of time that is away from time and added an interesting dimension to the characters and their surroundings. There is magic, but there is show more technology, there is belief in these otherworldly creatures, yet there is some science and understanding. Truly a unique point of view from most books of this type.

The descriptions throughout the book cause the visual image come alive in the reader’s mind, making the fictional place believable as a real location, someplace you would want to see and explore. You can see the crumbling rocks and the shine of the phoenix, hear the whispers of the nymph and the sounds of the muskets. While we know only some of the story of the characters so far, the end of the book promises that more will come from this beautiful world of magic and strength, something that any reader should look forward to once they’ve reached the last page, which comes all too quickly. It is clear that much time and thought was put into this world, may the life of the tree spread outward into more stories of strong women and bring even more hope to this community within a world all its own.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review. show less

On top of a hill in the town of Trevell stands a tree, who made a pact with a phoenix. Every so many years, the phoenix dies in the tree and gets reborn, so that they both can live forever. Also, with each new cycle the crumbling town prospers again. But this time something is wrong, very wrong. The phoenix refuses to die because the tree is ill and she’s afraid she won’t be able to come back after her death.
In despair she gives her spirit to Daphne, a young mother, who then turns into some kind of bird-human. This young woman now has a huge task at hand. Not only does she have to save the phoenix and the tree but herself and the whole town as well.

This short story is an adaptation of an old Welsh folk song, with elements borrowed show more from many myths and legends. It’s mysterious and fun to read. But, as in most fairytales, focus lies more on the supernatural and unexplainable events than on character development and logic. So don’t look for depth in this story. Also, the author announced it as a “YA fantasy novella”, but I somehow had the feeling it was a children’s book. In fact, if Daphne hadn’t been a mother but a child, and the ending was a little different, it could have been perfect for young children. Overall, while reading it, I thought of it as a little gem.

An ebook from LibraryThing Members Giveaway. show less