The Storyteller by Antonia MichaelisPublisher: Amulet Books
Series: Stand-alone
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are two kinds of a good book: those that we enjoy but will soon forget, and those that will linger in our memory forever. "The Storyteller" is the latter.
It's unlike anything you have ever read. Trust me.
This book is brilliantly, beautifully written by Antonia Michaelis. I'm completely mesmerized by her words and her ability to interweave magic and realism in an intricate writing. Below is just one of my favorites:
"That cloak of love you were wearing—he’s torn it to shreds, undoing the seams of trust that held it together. How can you ever wear those shreds?
Isn't it beautiful? Hello, the Beauty of Literature. I'm inlove.
The story, however, is painful, enchantingly dark, and depressing. Sounds like your not kind of book? Not my kind either. It's like I have a love-hate relationship with this book. The turn of events are truly devastating, Anna is as stubborn as she is soft-hearted, and Abel is.. well, he's entirely different from the person I thought he was. But oh God, no one can ignore the brilliance of this book. The author is a genius for writing TWO STORIES at the same time, paralleling them perfectly. Here's an example:
Abel telling a story to Micha (his sister) and Anna - "Come on, you must be hungry," a rose girl said, and the rose people led the little queen farther inland, till they reached a small pavilion filled with rosebushes.
That was a few days after they met Anna. Clearly, she's the Rose Girl in Abel's fairytale. Everything and everyone in his story matches up the reality with a hint of mystery. And it doesn't stop there, it goes on and on and on as they meet new people and continue with their adventure. I'm completely in awe!
It sort of reminds me of The Sea of Tranquility because it's so well-written and the unfolding of events is slow yet so engaging. The only difference is, this book is so much darker and the romance is different in so many ways. It will certainly open your eyes to truths that are no fairytale.
Overall, this is magical realism at its finest. Truly OUTSTANDING!!!
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