River Tale by Jau N.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Less than Three in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story with the lovely cover is one that I should have read and reviewed long ago. There's really only one reason why it took me so long to get around to doing so - I'd read too many short stories around the same time I picked this one up that were . . . . vaguely off-putting and or outright involved sex with squids - sometimes sex between squids, and I really had no clue what this story was supposed to be about going by the description so . . . I hesitated until the point I'd waited too long. But I've read the story now.

Strange thing occurred. I'd finished a book, but needed something else to dip into while completing a different task. So I figured I'd finally dive into this one. Few paragraphs here or there, maybe even the entire story (it is only 40 something pages after all). But then I started the work and . . . I couldn't stop. I felt like I'd falling into a fast moving river that had caught me up and wouldn't let me loose. When I finally shook myself free . . . the story was over. And I was quite happy to have gone on the ride.

It's a simple tale, really, beautifully told, but still a simple story. The story stars a young woman, who described herself in such a way that you know she's kind of . . . largely unattractive, with the best that could be said is that she had nice dark skin and nice hair (hmm, eyes are normally another thing that people mention of those who are (and aren't) attractive, yet no mention of nice eyes to add to the few nice things people say about her). But she's a princess and so people have to say nice things about her. Anything they can latch on to, so they latched onto skin and hair.

Her uncle, who is the king, is dying. A wizard cursed him and the only way to save him is to get a particular black rose from an enchanted forest. Many have tried, some have returned alive, but empty handed. The story starts with the girl taking on the task herself. She has spent her life reading about this forest, and about magical creatures, and knows most (all?) have attempted the task in all the wrong ways (going in while wearing iron, etc.).

And so she enters. Comes to a river. Has a conversation with the river. Is allowed across, reaches the garden that has the rose, is given a task by the elves there - then more tasks. Etc. etc. It's a simple tale, as I said. But a quite lovely tale for what it is. Including the part wherein the river and the princess fall in love during it. Or, maybe I should say, the Naiad in the river (here used to describe a water nymph, not used to describe the aquatic larva of dragonflies/mayflies/or stoneflies).

I look forward to finding more stories by this French author.

Rating: 4.88

August 26 2017