.the princess portal.

The Good Witch of the West (Nishi no Yoki Majo) is one of my favourite Anime series. I wrote about it a while ago in a list of Princess Anime. Thus I was thrilled to learn that Tokyopop had set about translating the original novels on which the series was based!

I’ve just finished reading the English Translation of Volume 1, The Girl of Sera Field, and it has rekindled my love for Firiel, Adale and the magical world they live in. The story is somewhat like a classic fairy tale, a young girl growing up in a cottage in the wild north goes to her first ball, the right of every maiden on her 15th birthday, and there she discovers secrets about her past which lead to a series of events that change her world forever.

It is a little bit Cinderella and a little bit Anastasia, the tale is innocent and classic so don’t expect anything terribly original. It does however, possess that special captivating charm that draws you in and makes you dream of stars and queens and impossible castles. The anime had to squish a lot of plot line in to a short series, so I am looking forward to seeing how the political and court intrigue is played out in more detail over the course of the books.

Its hard to tell how good the translation is, as I suspect the original was written mostly to appeal to a young female audience, with flowery language and romantic notions (not that this bothers me in the slightest! Just don’t expect Dickens.) This is very indulgent fiction though, and has its uniqueness to me in being a Japanese interpretation of standard western fanatasy. Even the Dragons and Unicorns seem new and exotic, which is quite enchanting and hard to achieve.

I can’t wait to pick up a copy of Volume 2! What have you been reading lately?

I’ve just finished one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a very long time. I was originally attracted to it by the gorgeous cover art, the work of Kinuko Y. Craft, one of my favourite artists. I have found as a general rule, any book she illustrates the cover of is at least worth trying. I was well rewarded by Wildwood Dancing, the story of Jena and her four sisters living in rural Transylvania in their Father’s castle on the edge of the Wildwood.

Every month at full moon the girls open a secret portal in their bed chamber and cross a lake to join the faerie revels of the Other Kingdom. However, one winter with their Father gone to a foreign land the girls must fend for themselves, with sinister presences entering both their world and the magical kingdom they must untangle the mysteries around them before its to late, to keep their freedom and save eachother.

What I love about this book, is that it is an interesting retelling of The Dancing Princesses but it also weaves in a few other fairy tales that I can not mention without spoiling the plot! However, although it is based off these tales it is also a treasure in itself, and quite unique. The characters are all very real, and the main character Jena is a strong woman who nonetheless must learn a few lessons herself. I really loved the delicate balance the author established between traditional fairy tale morals and modern ideals. She also managed to include vampires in a way that was both subtle and fitting, which impressed me a lot as I am not fond of vampire stories usually.

I fully reccomend this book to anyone who loves fairy tales and fantasy, and especially if you love the tale of The Dancing Princesses, this is probably the most original and interesting retelling I have read! I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the author lives in my own city, by our beautiful Swan River. It makes the book even more special to me and I think I will look for some more of her works now!