MIRANDA AND CALIBAN by Jacqueline Carey

Miranda and Caliban

by Jacqueline Carey 

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.

What I thought:

This is a retelling of The Tempest, but I went into it blind because I've never read the original. Not even the CliffsNotes. All I really needed to know was that Jacqueline Carey wrote it and I was sold. 

And then there's that cover. *swoons* 

Told from alternating POV's,  the book follows the lives of Miranda and Caliban from childhood to early adulthood. This is a slower, character-driven story, and I think it needs to be. I don't know how far Carey's story-line ventures from the original, but I have to guess that it's a fair amount. The language is stunning. I loved the build-up between Miranda and Caliban and the mounting tension as Miranda starts to follow her father's orders less and question him more.    

Beautifully done. Compelling and bitter-sweet.

Ultimately, I don't think this is the right story for people who need a clear-cut-tied-up-in-ribbons HEA. And don't expect Kushiel's Dart. But it's so well done and I loved it. 

Rating: 4.5 stars ****

*I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Check it out and let me know what you think. I love book recommendations. Drop me a comment or find me on twitter @chellypike.

Happy Reading,

Chelly