Well done, but with too much sexuality and gruesomeness.
Plot
A mix between the Twelve Dancing Princesses, the Frog Prince, and vampire lore, the story follows five sisters who are able to cross from their typical Transylvanian lives to what they call the Other Kingdom -- a land of magic and enchantment, fairies and witches. It is the place the girls love most, but everything begins to change with the arrival of unwanted visitors in the beautiful land -- will they have the strength to endure?
Morality
Over the course of the story, the intentions and personalities of the characters are made quite clear -- by the end, whether each one is good or evil is nearly unquestionable. When something is morally wrong, it is recognized as such. There are certainly some undesirable characters that make you want to eject your last meal, and there are some whom you can't resist loving and cheering on. There is some lying, which is understandable for the people and their situation, but it still isn't right, though they seem to regret whatever misdemeanors they perform. There are some sexual references and gruesome scenes, as well.
Spiritual Content
There are several mentions of prayer, which you don't find in every book. The story encourages endurance, courage, and doing the right thing no matter how hard it is.
Violence
A man is tortured to death, though the particulars are mostly only hinted at. There is a terribly gruesome scene where prisoners are tortured, made to dance and horribly 'entertain' their captors through their agony. There is a brief, veiled explanation of a gory chase, with possible torture or murder included therein, though it happens off-stage. A character is also slapped so hard she gets a bruise and there is a mention of drowning.
Drug and Alcohol Content
There is some drinking -- particularly a drink called tuica, which is plum brandy. Normally there is no drunkenness, but when there is, it isn't exactly pretty. They also mention coffee as a particular treat.
Sexual Content
A man takes a good look down a girl's dress when she's not paying attention. That same girl seems to think that the more revealing the better, and once alters a dress so that it is appallingly low-cut -- snagging the eyes of all the young men present -- though she's later told to cover up. There are some rather graphic explanations of different figures, and when one of the girls is forced into a very revealing dress, her intoxicated cousin stuffs his hand down the front before she whacks him. One of the characters seems very sexually driven, and makes many inappropriate advances toward the main character, Jena, hinting at sex and at one point touching her upper chest. There are some vivid descriptions of passionate kissing, where the characters press against each other inappropriately. Characters also press against each other and stand very close when not kissing.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
There is an instance when a man is defending himself by kicking another man where ... ah ... it would hurt most, but it is more of a hint than an outright statement, as well as being well-deserved. The characters also occasionally take the Lord's name in vain.
Conclusion
On the whole a very well-done book, with very good writing technique. The tale has a fantastic pace, likeable, believable characters, and a very good plotline with many unexpected twists and turns, though the last quarter relies so heavily on rather unbelievable romance it really dims the quality of the splendidly-done previous three-quarters. Unfortunately, the sexuality and gruesomeness are so revolting that it really downgrades the entire work, and despite the quality of the writing, I would seriously deter anyone from picking this up. It leaves a very bad feeling.
This review is brought to you by Cherubino.
