The Raven and the Reindeer

T. Kingfisher's fantasy/fairytale stories have a dark, earthy, and folkloric overtone to them that I always seem to enjoy. While I usually favor lyrical writing, T. Kingfisher's writing leans more toward sparse and straightforward but still manages to imbue a sense of the mystical and magical. The Raven and the Reindeer is her re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen, but there is an old-world and darker edge to her telling which makes it feel more gritty and honestly more interesting. It is a short novel so there isn't a real deep dive into characters or massive world-building, but even in the sparse time she has, Kingfisher creates characters I enjoyed going on the journey with and glimpses of a fascinating supernatural world just beyond the realm of our own. I enjoy her female characters a lot in the books I've read. They aren't your typical hero type, and Gerta in this story is a great addition to the pantheon. She isn't the smartest, is plain, short, and plump, but her determination and her growth along the journey are admirable and I liked her from the get go. I also highly enjoy the odd side characters in Kingfisher's books, like the bone dog in Nettle & Bone or the Raven called Mousebones in this one. They are often odd, quirky and fun. Despite it being a darker telling, there is surprisingly a lot of humor, thanks a lot to Mousebones' commentary. While I think Nettle & Bone and Thornhedge are still my favorite Kingfisher novels that I've read so far, The Raven and the Reindeer was still a really good read and I enjoyed it a lot. It's a great short read and perfect for a dark, cold winter evening.