Although not all my reviews are spoilery, which I do not consider this one to be, here is a little warning just in case.

Review Written: 20th July 2012

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

I just showed the book to mum and the first thing she asked is why the main character is named after a herb. While the book never addresses why our main character is named after a herb, it may have something to do with her potion making mother. Set in Cromwell’s rule after the English Civil War which resulted in Charles I losing his head, the real adventure of the story starts the day Coriander receives a pair of silver shoes in the post. She doesn’t quite understand why her mother won’t allow her to have them, resulting in her stealing them. This is when Coriander meets the villain of the piece - the evil Queen Rosmore.

 Things change after this meeting; her mother sadly passes away and her father is persuaded to marry a good Puritan woman to push away doubt that he is still loyal to the monarchy. This attempt fails and he flees leaving his daughter in the hands of her evil stepmother, Maud and the preacher who moves in, Arise Fell. Throughout this period, she goes in and out of a ‘fairyland’, time passing quicker there and on one occasion, she is there for three years!!

Here in ‘fairyland’ as I have now dubbed it, she meets Prince Tyco, forced to marry a Princess or he’ll be turned into a fox. With Coriander’s help, he refuses to go through with the wedding meaning, unfortunately, he becomes a fox. Only Coriander can save him, if she finds her mother’s shadow, given to Coriander’s father on their wedding night, something that Queen Rosmore is after too.

              

I really like Gardner’s writing style and the way she mixes history, fiction and the supernatural for younger readers to enjoy. While the emphasis on romance is not as large as in The Red Necklace & The Silver Blade, we are given a strong female character who can save the day by herself. She is described as having red curls, so I just envision Merida from Brave, and from what I see in the trailer (we unlucky folk in Britain have to wait until August), her personality also mirrors.

                

This is clearly a fairytale and the ending certainly mirrors, with everyone living happily ever after. However, not much focus is given to the end with the story reaching the conclusion in two pages proving that sometimes it is the journey that is more important than the destination itself. Isn’t that what all fairytales teach us?

NEXT REVIEW: MELISSA MARR’S GRAVEMINDER