Kate was born to the local carver of Similae, and is quickly nicknamed Plain Kate by the townspeople. Under her father’s tutelage, she learns to carve like a master. Unfortunately, the townspeople view carving with suspicion, thinking that magic is often involved when it comes to skilled knives. When Plain Kate’s father dies and leaves her alone, she is forced to trade her shadow for protection. She has no idea what sort of journey lies ahead of her now that her shadow is slowly disappearing.

I had never heard of this book before going to BEA, but I attended two panels where portions were read aloud and I knew this was a book to be excited about. I was glad to get an ARC, signed by Erin Bow. It was the book I was most excited about coming home, and I saved it for last when I read down all my BEA books.

It was definitely worth the wait. Plain Kate is a gorgeous fairy tale, original and beautifully written. You all know that I’m not really a fan of fairy tales or fairy tale retellings, but this one definitely transcended its genre. It even made me, queen of the “I don’t like talking animals in books” mindset, love Kate’s cat, Taggle. Yes, he talks. But there’s a reason, and it’s understandable, and oh Taggle was such a wonderful character. That silly cat made me cry. Twice!

I love this book because the characters aren’t one-sided. The bad guy isn’t just a bad guy. He might not even be bad, depending on how you see him. The good people aren’t always good. Stress and pain can cause good people to do bad things. Fear and suspicion can turn your best friends and closest allies into enemies. Yes, it’s a fairy tale, but these things are not unlike the real world. How many of us have had friends turn to enemies over a miscommunication, a whisper, a doubt? How many of us have seen the worst come out of ourselves or the people around us when they are scared, hurt, or under pressure? Yes, it’s a fairy tale, but it’s not too far from reality.

Another thing I love: the idea that fear trumps logic, but love trumps fear. It was a wonderful circle! I got so frustrated with the townspeople as they accused various characters of being witches, even as the accused screamed that they were not. These people believed that witches couldn’t lie. If a witch lied, he/she would die. And yet, the accused were screaming out that they weren’t witches and not dying from that proclamation. Wouldn’t it logically follow that they must not be witches? But no. People tortured and/or killed them anyway. Too much fear, which is sadly perfectly realistic.

Historically, we have proved that fear trumps logic. I mean, look at the way we treated accused witches several hundred years ago. Think about how we would chain them to a rock and throw them in the river to drown. If they were a witch, we figured, they would save themselves. If they weren’t, they’d drown and…well, whoops. You’d think they’d realize after awhile that no one survived. But they didn’t. They were too scared to think logically.

So what happens when fear trumps logic? How do we overcome fear? With love. I can’t really talk about this too much without giving away spoilers from the book, so all I can do is say very vaguely that Kate and another character both swallowed their fear and instincts for safety out of love. I love that in the end, love is the highest factor, the thing that really has the power to save and protect.

Plain Kate is a beautiful book. It’s definitely one I will be rereading for years to come.