Review of Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey

Read for: Netgalley/ Requested Review

 

Synopsis: "Miranda is a lonely child. For as long as she can remember, she and her father have lived in isolation in the abandoned Moorish palace. There are chickens and goats, and a terrible wailing spirit trapped in a pine tree, but the elusive wild boy who spies on her from the crumbling walls and leaves gifts on their doorstep is the isle’s only other human inhabitant. There are other memories, too: vague, dream-like memories of another time and another place. There are questions that Miranda dare not ask her stern and controlling father, who guards his secrets with zealous care: Who am I? Where did I come from? The wild boy Caliban is a lonely child, too; an orphan left to fend for himself at an early age, all language lost to him. When Caliban is summoned and bound into captivity by Miranda’s father as part of a grand experiment, he rages against his confinement; and yet he hungers for kindness and love."

My Review:  It has been years since I studied Shakespeare and I can't even remember when I last read The Tempest but I jumped at the opportunity to read this re-telling. It has been so long since I read the Tempest that I don't remember any details so it was almost like reading a whole brand new story. It is a very slow moving story but it was beautifully written and the pages just keep turning. I absolutely adore Caliban's character and his development throughout the story. I must admit that I really, really disliked Miranda, her weakness and lack of striving for knowledge drove me a little crazy. I did really appreciate Carey's fearless writing though in developing the characters and their relationships but giving a more realistic ending and leaving it open for the readers.

 

My Rating: Being as I haven't read the Tempest in so long, I didn't remember how it ended, but clearly it is a tragedy.  I really enjoyed this one and give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

 

 

 

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

You can find out more about Jacqueline Carey and her work on her Goodreads Page or Website.

 

Miranda and Caliban is scheduled for release next week on February 14th but you can pre-order your copy in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.