The “Beastkeeper”, written by Cat Hellisen, was published on February 13, 2015. It is about a middle school girl named Sarah whose family is always moving from one place to another. Her mother hates the cold and so every few months her father would pack their bags and move after the sun. Due to their constant moving, Sarah has grown lonely and fascinated with magic.
She is longing for something enchanting or magical in her life like in the books she had read where magic would appear nearby or behind her closet door. However, when her mother left, her father had become strange and her family completely fall apart. She continues to attend school and manages to feed herself with bread most of the time while her dad develops an appetite for raw meat. As her family falls into pieces, all that she ever wanted was for her family to be whole again. And she will do it even against all odds.
This young adult fictional book is set in an ancient fairytale setting with a modern undertake setting it apart from other magical books. Sarah was ignorant about her family’s history and that was either a setback or an advantage for her because, either way, she tackled on all the estranged happenings that comes her way. From the puzzling boy Alan, who she keeps meeting whenever she is in a bind, to her witch-like grandmother who was old, suspicious and grumpy toward her, she will soon learn about her family history and the curse that will change her life forever.
For me, I find this book very interesting mainly because of Sarah’s family history and also Alan’s unique personality. Sarah’s courage and dedication to save her family was simply admirable and astonishing. Although, personally, the ending was a bit disappointing and the turn out of some parts was far from what I had expected, this was a sophisticated and truly perfect fairytale that no one would have expected. Like one of the characters said to Sarah, “No story ever comes to an end, at least not one so neat. . . . They do not tell you what happens when the children have eaten their way through the witch’s treasures and face another starveling winter, when the glass slipper no longer fits the crone’s swollen foot, when the beauty doesn’t fall in love with her beastly prince.”
I recommend this to every one who is looking for a perfect fairytale story and something quite far from a happy ending.
