East by Pattou

This is a book for hardcore fairytale lovers. It's length is somewhat off-putting and it drags in the middle, but the writing is passable and the story is charming, though predictable. East is a Beauty and the Beast type tale. Rose is a young farm girl in Norway who is taken to an underground castle by a polar bear in exchange for her family's well-being. The bear is, naturally, a prince who's been cursed by the troll queen. The bear can be freed only through certain conditions, which Rose is there to fulfill. The twist occurs when Rose violates the terms of her enprisonment and the troll queen whisks the bear off to the north pole to become her king. Rose feels guilty and sets off to rescue the bear. This is about the time that the pacing of the book slows. While you learn a lot about life and culture in Greenland, some readers will really wish Pattou cut to the chase. The book is sweet, but plodding. If readers can get past the predictability and skim through the middle, it's not a bad read.