Book Review
Sep. 27th, 2015 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Ugly One
by Leanne Statland Ellis
This short YA novel is set in 15th century Peru and follows the story of Micay, a 12 year old Incan girl who is scarred on one side of her face from a childhood accident. Ashamed of her scar and bullied by the other children (who call her Millay, or The Ugly one), Micay isolates herself from her village and family. When a visitor to the village gives her a baby macaw to care for, things begin to change for Micay, leading to a new path as a shaman's apprentice.
The Ugly One was kind of meh. The only thing that I really foudn interesting about the book was the historical setting. The story itself was pretty predictable YA fare - young person with a problem has a series of experiences that change both them and their perspective on the problem. Also, a few important points of the plot development rest on the fact that no one has ever told Micay where her scars come from. There didn't seem to be any real reason for this information to have been withheld, and it struck me as ridiculous that in a small village a girl could have reached the age of 12 with major scarring without anyone ever telling her about it. It seemed as if the only communication Micay got regarding the scars was the bullying of other children.
by Leanne Statland Ellis
This short YA novel is set in 15th century Peru and follows the story of Micay, a 12 year old Incan girl who is scarred on one side of her face from a childhood accident. Ashamed of her scar and bullied by the other children (who call her Millay, or The Ugly one), Micay isolates herself from her village and family. When a visitor to the village gives her a baby macaw to care for, things begin to change for Micay, leading to a new path as a shaman's apprentice.
The Ugly One was kind of meh. The only thing that I really foudn interesting about the book was the historical setting. The story itself was pretty predictable YA fare - young person with a problem has a series of experiences that change both them and their perspective on the problem. Also, a few important points of the plot development rest on the fact that no one has ever told Micay where her scars come from. There didn't seem to be any real reason for this information to have been withheld, and it struck me as ridiculous that in a small village a girl could have reached the age of 12 with major scarring without anyone ever telling her about it. It seemed as if the only communication Micay got regarding the scars was the bullying of other children.
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no subject
Date: 2015-09-28 04:18 am (UTC)Is there some ritual reason for her not to know? Or is it literally just that the narrative requires it for purposes of drama?
no subject
Date: 2015-09-29 01:46 am (UTC)