Book Of A Thousand Days

Based on an obscure Grimm fairytale, Hale weaves her magic here. If you've ever read original Grimm in all its glory, you know it's pretty harsh and cold. She stays true to the heart of this story, but molds it into something more complex and interesting and sets it on the central Asian Steppes. It won Cybils Award for Fantasy/Sci Fi as well as a Whitney for Best Speculative Fiction in 2007. Dashti, maid to Lady Saren, is locked with her in a tower for seven years as a punishment for refusing to marry the man Daddy picked. Soon the food left for them spoils, they are dealing with climate extremes with no resources, and struggling to survive. It's a story pretty much all about these two women in isolation, but the world building is actually very solid. The cultures here include regions ruled by women, as well as a unique religion that holds the "magic" of the story. Dashti is really the best part. She is resilient, educated, funny, caring, and loyal to a fault. Not your typical flawless beauty wielding a sword, which was refreshing. Despite her role as servant, and attitude of servitude, her voice is the strongest. It seems there would be a limited scope to the story given the circumstances, but it's full of surprises.