There were many things in this novel I liked. I liked the writing, the atmosphere of the whole story, and the idea of the fairytale itself. While I thought the characters were a little too 2D, I think many other aspects of the novel made up for this. 

With the characters specifically, I didn’t like how vague all of them were. I’m pretty sure it was intentional, but the author doesn’t give you any specifics about characters, just vague impressions of them. I also really didn’t like the love at first sight thing between the main character and the girl he met at the oasis (I’m gonna be honest, I don’t remember any of their names because of how vague they were as characters). The love at first sight just didn’t do it for me and honestly didn’t add to the story at all. 

One thing I really liked was the point in the novel where they explain that everyone plays their part in history even if they don’t realize it. Like how the tiniest decisions could be your mark on the world even if you think all you’re doing is going on a trip, or taking care of sheep, or helping a lonely traveler. 

Overall, this was an extremely short read and was pretty good despite its flaws. I love the fairytale behind it and the lessons that it teaches its readers. A solid read if you want something quick and relatively light-hearted. 

Source: Audiobook from Libby Public Library

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)