Yzabel

(I got a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I liked this story well enough: it has the definite markings of a fairy tale, somehow reminding me of old legends from my home area. (I'm not German, but we do have our own tales dealing with similar themes, such as clever journeymen who manage to outsmart supernatural beings, etc.)

There was magic in the atmosphere here—no pun intended: though sorcery was obviously a strong theme, indeed, events and descriptions themselves, even of daily activities, always seemed to have been touched by something out of the ordinary. We get to discover this at the same time Krabat does, wondering more and more about his surroundings and why things are the way they are.

The writing style was fairly simple, easy to grasp and prompting imagery in an efficient way. Probably suffering from a "lost in translation" syndrome, though, as it sometimes felt a bit dry. (I tend to avoid judging harshly in such cases, since I wouldn't be able to compare with the original version.)

The downside (of sorts) is that, as in most fairytales, the characters aren't too developed, and used more to carry the story on their shoulders than as people with their own lives. For instance, we never get to know

which makes her appear as a symbol more than as a real person. The way the relationship develops is clearly a device, and not believable in terms of "falling in love the natural way". Also, Krabat and the other guys don't question the Master's motives that much, even though they live in fear during a certain period of the year.

It probably works better as a story for younger readers: frightening in parts, but not gory, with darker aspects but "appropriate" morals. However, at the same time, it left me longing for more. The ending was rushed, in my opinion,, and I would have wanted to learn what happened to everyone else afterwards.