Book Review: The Raven and the Reindeer

Title: The Raven and the Reindeer
Author: T. Kingfisher
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Standalone
Fairy-tale Inspiration:
The Snow Queen
Age group: Adult
Author website: 
http://www.redwombatstudio.com/

Thoughts

T. Kingfisher is the nom de plume for Ursula Vernon for her adult fiction. Kingfisher once stated that, regarding The Raven and The Reindeer,  she was "kind of worried that no one who isn't familiar with the source material will find this story even remotely readable". I have to disagree. Though I am familiar with some of the basic elements, I have yet to read the original Hans Christian Anderson tale (I will be doing so before our official discussion). I found The Raven and the Reindeer to be very steeped in fairy tale and accessible at its basic elements. ​

We have talking animals, shapeshifting, witches, wise women, and romance. There is a bit of gore, but not that graphic. The main character, Gerta, loses her best friend Kay when he is taken by the Snow Queen. Determined to rescue him, she begins to quest north. She gets the help of animals, particularly a talking raven named Mousebones, and gets wisdom and lore from elderly women along the way. And she is hindered by the elements and, of course, other people. 
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Gerta is very relatable. She is transitioning to woman-hood, still figuring out how she fits into her own body and the world around her. I love that on her quest to save her friend she also finds herself. The world is big and wondrous compared to her little town. 
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My favorite character is Mousebones. He has all the best dialogue. I quote one of my favorite passages below. There are a lot of great lines in the book and I had to stop and share some aloud or write things down. It was a joy to read. It's also not a long book, so it went quickly. So bundle up warm and dive into this wintry book. I hope you join us in our discussion in The Enchanted Garden Book Club.

"Do you have a name?" asked Gerta.

"I do," said the raven.

Gerta waited.

The raven fluffed its beard. "I am the Sound of Mouse Bones Crunching Under the Hooves of God."

Gerta blinked a few times. "That's… quite a name."

"I made it myself," said the raven, preening. "I stole the very shiniest words and hoarded them all up until they made something worth having. Sound and God were particularly well-guarded. Crunching I found in a squirrel nest, though."

"May I call you Mousebones?" asked Gerta. "It's… a lot to say all at once."

It was hard for a creature with a beak to scowl, but the raven managed, mostly with the skin around its eyes. "I suppose," it said. "If you must."

"Mine's Gerta," said Gerta.

"There's your problem right there," said Mousebones. "Much too short and not enough in it. I don't know how you expect to become anything more than you are with a name like that."

Gerta put the bread and cheese away. The smell of snow was stronger, and she needed to move quickly if she wanted to find shelter by nightfall.

"Hugin and Munin," she said, looking straight ahead at the road, "the ravens who sit on Odin's shoulders, have names five letters long. Same as Gerta. They manage."

"Aurk! Aurk! Aurk!" laughed the raven. "Oh, aurk! Not bad for a fledgling human, not bad. Who told you that?"
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"My grandmother," said Gerta. "She told me lots of stories. Fairy tales, mostly, but some about the old gods, too."