Book of a Thousand Days

By Shannon Hale

When a beautiful princess refuses to marry the prince her father has chosen, her father is furious and locks her in a tower. She has seven long years of solitude to think about her insolence. But the princess is not entirely alone - she has her maid, Dashti. Petulant and spoilt, the princess eats the food in their meagre store as if she were still at court, and Dashti soon realises they must either escape or slowly starve. But during their captivity, resourceful Dashti discovers that there is something far more sinister behind her princess's fears of marrying the prince, and when they do break free from the tower, they find a land laid to waste and the kingdom destroyed. They were safe in the tower, now they are at the mercy of the evil prince with a terrible secret.



Thrilling, captivating, and a masterful example of storytelling at its best. The princess's maid is a feisty and thoroughly modern heroine, in this wonderfully timeless story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: May 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781408812990

Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is best-selling author of fifteen children's and young adult novels, including the popular Ever After High trilogy and the funny, action-packed series The Princess in Black, which are co-written by Dean Hale. Shannon and husband Dean live in Utah with their four children.

Reviews for Book of a Thousand Days

[edensteffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good fairy-tale story!

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful story.....a mixture of Mongolia, Genghis Khan & Maid Maleen.

A young woman, Dashti, is bound by oath to Lady Saren, the daughter of a Lord...who is to be sealed in a tower for seven years. After three years they escape, only to find the town completely destroyed by the malevolent Lord who wishes to marry Lady Saren.

I won't tell you more, but the story was so compelling, I read it in less than 6 hours.

[thelibraryladies · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read a good number of Shannon’s Hale’s books. Not only the Princess Academy trilogy that I reviewed for this blog, but a few of her other YA stories like “The Goose Girl” and such. I’ve always loved her simple, yet beautiful, writing style, and as a fan of fairytale retellings, her work is always a hit for me. However, I don’t particularly love epistolary stories, which was the reason I held back on this one. I always have a hard time turning off my brain and not thinking about how incredibly unrealistic it is that anyone would write out entire conversations in their journal. But, I admit, I have been proven wrong in the past, and there are several books I can think of (“A Brief History of Montmoray,” for example) that I have enjoyed despite of this.For the first third of the trilogy, I didn’t even need to bother with this concern. Dashti and the Lady Saren have been locked in a tower. There isn’t much else to do other than write extensive entries in ones journal! While some readers might feel this section is slow, I particularly enjoyed this section of the book. Not only do we have tons of character development for Dashti that builds up a good foundation for her character which goes on to drive important decisions she makes later in the story, but I enjoyed the fact that the threat wasn’t really any sort of villain. The threat was simply the looming dark, isolation, and dwindling food that came with their imprisonment. Throughout this ongoing challenge, Dashti’s strengths are apparent. She is resourceful, optimistic, hard-working, and willing to find joys in small things.As the story progress, we move beyond the tower. I also enjoyed these segments, but I do think they were made better by what we had learned of Dashti and the Lady Saren as characters from their time in the tower. Further, as the story progressed readers are given more opportunities to fully immerse themselves in this world. I particularly appreciated the setting that Hale chose for this story, placing it in a kingdom that is similar to Mongolia. After reading a million and one European-set fairytale retellings, this choice was a breath of fresh air.This story is also a bit more dark than some of Hale’s other works. I thought this was another big point in its favor. While Dashti herself is an optimistic character, the challenges that she face are by no means simple or easy. The villain is truly terrifying, and the sacrifices that Dashti makes throughout the book are at times heart-breaking. This layer of darkness and seriousness provided a nice balance to Hale’s simple and clear storytelling.Beyond Dashti, the characters were excellent. As I said, the villain was worthy of the story and quite creepy. And Lady Saren was the type of character you could enjoy disliking. This was made even better by the fact that she was also a realistic character whom you couldn’t help but sympathize with. She is what she was made to be, and while that was frustrating, it also portrayed a very honest take on a character. There was also a cat, My Lord, whom we all at bookclub probably obsessed about more than is healthy.---“Book of a Thousand Days” was my first foray into Shannon Hale, and as an introduction to her work I found it to be pretty good! Though fantasy of this sort isn’t really my cup of tea, I was immediately taken in by the medieval Mongolia-like setting. Like Serena, I found it to be a nice change from the Euro-centric fairy tales and fairy tale re-tellings that the genre is kind of inundated with, at least in our culture and collective consciousness. I had never heard of the fairy tale that this was based off of, so I didn’t have the context of comparison, but ultimately that didn’t matter. Hale made this story her own, and she made the characters interesting in their own right.Character wise, I really liked Dashti. Perhaps it was because of her first person perspective vis a vis diary entries, but the way that her character changed and progressed was a really nice story to follow. She goes from being absolutely and completely devoted to Lady Saren, to a well rounded and independent person in her own right who can stand on her two feet. The choices she made, while sometimes frustrating and upsetting, were within the realm of her character. And then there’s Lady Saren, who I found to be incredibly unlikable and obnoxious. But even that characterization was wholly believable based on the way that she had been raised, and based on the dark stuff that she had gone through. They both came from various kinds of hardship and trauma in their lives, and Hale did a good job of showing different ways that we cope (without casting judgement).I did think that the tower part was a bit stronger than the time after. I will admit that I was kind of taken by surprise that they left the tower at all. That isn’t to say that the second part of the book didn’t have well done moments or was poorly written, I just liked spending a claustrophobic and tense time as Dashti and Saren started to wonder if their food supply was going to dwindle to nothing.And don’t even get me started about My Lord the cat.All in all I think that “Book of a Thousand Days” was a nice fairy tale retelling, and I see why Shannon Hale has the following that she does. I don’t know when or if I’ll pick up more of her stuff, but I’m glad that I can say that I have read her work.

[katya0133 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Based on an lesser known Grimm's fairy tale, this delightful story explores themes of duty, loyalty, and love.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really love Dashti. She manages to be unique in a somewhat cliche, or at least unsurprising, story. It's a delight to read. I love how strong Dashti is, her love for animals and spices, and how she grows throughout the story. Even Lady Saren has some likeable traits.I don't like it quite as much as The Goose Girl and the other Bayern books, but this one is still worth a read and can definitely hold its own as a good fairy tale novel.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fifteen-year-old Dashti, sworn to obey her sixteen-year-old mistress, the Lady Saren, shares Saren's years of punishment locked in a tower, then brings her safely to the lands of her true love, where both must hide who they are as work as kitchen maids.

My copy is coming in a couple of days and I just can't wait!! I loved The Princess Academy and The Goose Girl!! I am sure this will be just as good!

[kr_patterson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! I honestly never wanted to set it down. Shannon Hale is such a wordsmith. I love her lyrical language and the way she plays with words like they are her toys. That alone kept me entertained.

[laphenix · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rather simple, yet exciting. I grew to like the characters, and overlook the underdeveloped villain.

[susan259 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Shannon Hale and this might be my favorite of all the books she has written. Somehow it was satisfying and unexpected at the same time. I know will seek out the original tale on which it is based which is unfamiliar to me...

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

After her mother's death, Dashti the mucker leaves the desolate steppe in search of her fortune (or at least, survival). On her first day as a maid, she is assigned to Lady Saren--who is promptly locked in a tower for refusing to marry the formidable Lord Khasar. Although Saren is silly and clearly too traumatized to think straight, Dashti is so overwhelmed by their class differences that she lets Saren do whatever she wants, even eat all their food. To make matters worse, Khasar shows up outside their tower and swears he'll tear down the tower to get Lady Saren. Dashti is clever enough to figure out a way to escape the tower, and she hauls Saren along with her like dead weight. They make it to the city ruled by Saren's childhood friend, Lord Tegan. Saren (who is practically catatonic with shock) forces Dashti to switch places with her, and while Saren works in the kitchen Dashti is forced to pretend to be a lady. But then Khasar shows up at the city walls, demanding Saren, and Dashti's true identity is revealed.

Unique characters, a haunting and creepy story, set in a fantasy world that is not medieval Europe--I should have loved this. As it was, I could barely get through it. I think it's mostly because the target audience for this book is much younger than I. The book felt really manipulative, to the extent that I got extremely frustrated with Dashti for A)not realizing how damaged Saren was and B)being soooo perfect and humble. In fact, her wide-eyed amazement that nobility could ever deign to talk to such a low-class mucker as herself got really, really old really, really fast. Dashti is consistently smarter and braver than everyone else, and it got unbelievable that she never notices this.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good story but not as good as Princess Academy.

[bookish92-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book, though written really well, isn't what I was expecting, and it's not really the genre that I enjoy.
It did have some very interesting parts though, and I particularly liked the ending.

[zjakkelien · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can't say this was a bad book, really, but particularly in the beginning, it felt like it was meant for a lot younger audience than what I imagine YA stands for. Quite frankly, it was often boring, and the princess (Saren) is a real drip. Dashti was more interesting, but being locked up in a tower doesn't make for interesting reading. It got a bit better when they finally got out, but even then, everything seemed to be taking too long. Only in the last third did I think things got a bit better, and Dashti does some very cool things. In the last few pages even the princess wakes up a bit, but that took far too long for my taste. I would have liked this book a lot better if the two could have worked together, instead of Dashti taking care of everything. At least that would have made things less boring. I'm sure people will say that the characters develop well in this book, but I thought it was a bit contrived. Yes, Saren finally finds her courage by the end of the book and Dashti finally disobeys her mistress and learns that there are things more important to her than food, but the way it is described is as if this is a story that someone has thought up (which of course it is) and not as if it really happens. Anyway, I would have given this book 2 stars, except that the ending made it a bit better.

[simonealexis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book of a Thousand Days is a wonderful book about a familyless mucker Dashti who becomes the maid of Lady Saren from Titor's Garden. However, Lady Saren is banished to live in a tower for 7 years for refusing to marry Lord Khaser of Thoughts of Under. Book of a Thousand Days, told in the form of Dashti's book of thoughts tells of their days in the tower and what happens when they are able to break free. Its a wonderful story about humility, preservation, romance, and adventure. I would recommend this book to readers in 5th grade and older.

[pennylane78 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good friend of mine suggested this book to me. She was reading it with her high schoolers as part of their library book club. My friend has never steered me wrong when suggesting books that I might like. Upon starting it, I was afraid that this might be the first book that she recommended that I wasn't going to like. It starts slow (but what can you really expect? The main characters are locked in a tower from the beginning).

However, once the account of the tower days wraps up and the story begins it really picks up. I loved the way the story ended up. Very sweet. I would definitely recommend this a quick read, and one that you will want to share your with others.

[castiron_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A compelling read, with complex characters, excellent worldbuilding, suspense, and a satisfying resolution.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fantasy, young adult story, written by Shannon Hale, a Newberry honor book author. The story is a rewrite of Maid Maleen, a Grimm's Fairy Tale story. The story is inspired by medieval Mongolia. It is a romance story.

[jenw1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book! It's an old Grimm Brothers fairy tale retold by Shannon Hale. A young "mucker" girl (peasant from the hills) ends up in the city working as a lady's maid for a young "gentry" class girl who's being shut up in a tower for 7 years because she won't marry the man her father wants her to. The story is told in diary form by Dashti, the maid. It's compelling and the characters are believable. You want the hero to win and the villain to lose. It's how the author gets us there that is surprising! Vintage Shannon Hale.

[pussreboots · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Told in diary form, Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale follows the life and times of Dashti, ex mucker turned lady in waiting to Lady Saren. It begins with their imprisonment in a sealed tower, through their escape and settlement in Khan Tegus's estate.The world Dashti lives in is a mixture of western China, Mongolia, Tibet, European, and Native American cultures. The landscape itself seems to be a blend of the steppes and deserts of western China and the mountains and valleys of Utah. It's a fictional realm with its own history and geographic demarcations but it draws the landscape features of those places.There's a fantasy element to Book of a Thousand Days beyond it's imaginary landscape and mythology. The villain, Lord Khasar, is able to over run cities and armies with some magical help. The how and what he does is a big part of the book. There is also the power of healing power of song, something that Dashti excels at through her mucker upbringing.As everything is narrated through Dashti's point of view, the strength of the book rests on her voice. In print, her voice is perhaps a bit too earnest in places but is otherwise credible. In the audio done by Full Cast Audio, Dashti's performance is over the top to the point that it cuts into the enjoyment of the book.The book is a retelling of the Grimms' "Maid Maleen" which I have not read.

[lindap69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lady Saren and her maid Dashti are locked in a tower for 7 years because of Lady Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises. Hale uses a journal format with Dashti telling the story based on a little known Grimm tale. Page-turning plot and lyrical language make this another winner from Hale.

[aelizabethj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was darling. A little Tangled/Rapunzel, with a smidgen of Red Riding Hood, but mainly about the relationship between two young girls. Easy peasy read. 3.5 stars

[scote23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First of all, I think I would have enjoyed my experience a lot more if I had an audio version of it that didn't skip.
Secondly, if I had known that it took place in (a fictionalized) medieval Mongolia, I also would have enjoyed this book a lot more. Because I, for no reason in particular, love Mongolia.
Third, this was much better than the other Shannon Hale book I read, Austenland

Be that as it may, this is actually the first audio book where I took the CD from my car into my house because I was so engrossed in the story that I could not bring myself to turn off my car and end it.

A retelling of a lesser known Grimm's Fairy Tale, this is the story of Dashti and Lady Sauron, their time in the tower, and so much more. I really liked it, although with Diary of a Wimpy Kid in the running, I doubt it will win.

[wethereaders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book of a Thousand Days is based on the story Maid Maleen by the Brothers Grimm. It's the diary of Dashti, lady's maid to Lady Saren of the fictional realm Titor's Garden. The two girls are imprisoned in a tower by Lady Saren's father for her refusal to marry Lord Khasar whom she hates and fears. During their imprisonment, both girls undergo a slow transformation of spirit that colors their life and decisions thereafter. I admit that when I first started reading Book of a Thousand Days, I wasn't sure what I thought of Dashti's voice. The book is written in first-person, which usually gives me pause as I decide if I like the MC, but it hooked me. Dashti's personality was vivid and sturdy from the very beginning. With humor and strength, this girl was built to withstand gales in both her story-world and the literary world at large.Shannon Hale did a wonderful job making me sympathize with the characters, to the point that Dashti's choices seemed like my own if I were in her place. I became invested in her growth as a character and eager to see her discover more past her limited view of the world. I also appreciate that Dashti wasn't traditionally pretty, a stark contrast to the lovely, but frightened, Saren. Readers could see the flaws in both of the girls and very readily in Saren, in spite of her beauty. (There were times I hated Saren too, I must admit.)I thoroughly hated Lord Khasar and was as disgusted by him as Dashti herself was. I also absolutely loved Khan Tegus. He was a man who I would pick for myself, and I don't often find that in YA novels. This guy is pure gold. Honorable, noble, compassionate, gentle and caring. He held true to the personality the author had given him all the way to the end of the book. I appreciate that she didn't change him or spoil him just to create drama for the two girls. He was also fully-formed. He had his own problems, his own desires, his own responsibilities. He wasn't a flat character created for the MC to swoon over. Yes, there was romance in this book. I read and enjoyed a romantic sub-plot that was so twined with the main plot that it couldn't be separated. That's because I was truly fond of both characters involved. The romance was slow-building, formed from a genuine connection and spiced up by attraction and admiration. It was an incredibly sweet, incredibly moving romance and I wish I could find more like it.As for the world-building, I questioned a lot whether the culture was invented or just unfamiliar to me, and that means it was good. Because it reads from Dashti's perspective, we get a strong view of her belief system and her values, as well as how she changes from the beginning of the book to the end. My rating for this book was five stars, but it merits more.

[bluesalamanders · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dashti is trained as a lady's maid and meets her lady, Saren, on the day she is to be imprisoned for seven years for refusing her arranged marriage. Together they are sealed into a tower, and it's up to Dashti to keep them alive and sane.This is a retelling of a fairy tale that I am unfamiliar with, presented as Dashti's journal including both text and drawings. It's a great story. Dashti is a wonderful character and it's refreshing to read about a character who doesn't magically become beautiful at conclusion. Saren is a more difficult character but still achieves a degree of growth by the end.

[rbernard907 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be rather entertaining. The diary format in books make them a light and fun read, and it keeps you wanting more. For when you stop reading one entry, you see the first words of the second entry and it keeps your attention. The story itself was enjoyable. I liked the character of Dashti, though she does come across as the perfect heroine at times. The romance between Dashti and Teghis was very cute, but slightly rushed due to the books shortness and lots of other things going on. The flaws I saw were again the shortness of the book, and how annoying Lady Saren is through a majority of the book. She tends to whine quite a bit! Though I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, it is worth a one time read.

[haleywhitehall · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story is a retelling of a Grimm fairy tale. It is set in medieval Mongolia. Told through journal entries of Dashti, the lady's muckermaid who is imprisoned with her mistress in a tower for seven years by the lord of the land. But before those seven years are up, they run out of food. Dashti breaks them free to discover that the world has changed and their survival is up to her. This book is written more in a middle grade style than in a YA style. There isn't much romance which I found disappointing. Dashti and her mistress to be immature characters and not very likeable. They are complete opposites of each other. Dashti is a Pollyanna and her mistress is depressed and gloomy.

[herdingcats_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the 6th book I have read by Shannon Hale. I read it in one night. I stayed up too late reading it. I enjoyed it very much. I like the way Shannon is able to create complete characters in believable settings. The main character in this book is Dashti, who is a mucker girl from the Asian steppes who sings healing songs.She is locked into a tower for a sentence of 7 years with her mistress the 16 year old Saren who has been locked up because she refused her father's order to marry Khasar, who is cruel and evil. Dashti manages to keep herself and Saren, who is suffering mentally, alive in the tower. Both Khasar, the evil suitor and Kahn Tegus, the kind suitor whom Saren wants to marry, visit the tower and speak to Dashti. Dashti proves to be strong and resourceful as she keeps herself and her mistress alive. This lovely story has mystery, adventure, fantasy and romance. I enjoyed it as much as I did Shannon's other books.

[soybean7soybean · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

this became one of my favourite reads..i really liked how the characters maturity levels evolved and how rich the storytelling was..i also liked the cover and the book was so engaging throughout that i barely managed to put it down

[karenball_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in the steppes of central Asia, this is a re-imagining of an old fairy tale. Lady Saren has been shut into a tower for seven years for refusing to marry the tyrant her father has chosen for her. She is allowed to have her maid, Dashti, locked in the remote tower with her, and the story is told from Dashti's point of view. Sturdy and practical, Dashti does her best to keep Saren fed and warm through their long imprisonment. As Saren declines, Dashti must make choices for the both of them and attempt escape. Dashti is a wonderful character, loyal and honorable, but forced under desperate circumstances to lie, steal and cheat in order to save her lady and herself. Wonderful historical fiction choice!

[grnpickle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I finished this book and I was say it was just a book. There wasn't any super spectacular that stood out to me. Maybe the Asian/Mongolian type culture might be slightly interesting. A little bit of a love story but nothing fantastic....just eech!