Title: Chalice
Author: Robin McKinley
Year Published: 2008
Year Published: 2008
Genre: Young adult, fantasy
Mirasol is a beekeeper and the newly appointed Chalice
of the demesne. Inexperienced and untrained, she attempts to perform her duty
while finding her place in the Circle, for as Chalice she holds the most
important office of the twelve members. The story begins with the arrival of the
new Master – a Priest of Fire who is drawn back home only because of the death
of his brother. The demesne is suffering, and Mirasol tries her best to assist
the Master, bind the Circle, and soothe the land.
The world that McKinley has created is a strange
but compelling one. The magic and the governing structure of the Circle aren’t
your typical fantasy clichés, and what is revealed of them throughout the book
only leaves you yearning for more. Each tidbit about the world was revealed
naturally and gradually, as morsels to be rolled around the mouth and savoured.
However, this can be frustrating at the same time – you never find out, for
example, what all the members of the Circle do. I’m not really sure how I feel
about this: on the one hand, it’s annoying, but on the other, it’s kind of nice
to be left wanting – the wonder and the mystery is preserved.
Not much happens, I’m afraid. What does happen
happens very slowly, with a lot of ‘action’ taking place in the past and a lot
of passages focusing on the bees and honey that form part of Miraol’s identity.
Mirasol’s relationship with the Master is one of the key parts of the book, but
at the same time, it feels underdeveloped. Strangely, you wonder how that can
be. What they have is gentle, sweet and slow, and you can easily interpret
their relationship as a platonic one. The ending is where everything happens,
and it’s almost too sudden – despite the whole book leading up to it, I felt
that there was not enough build up.
While not particularly exciting, Chalice is still a pleasant story, good
for when you want to relax and wallow in something quiet and girlish. It’s the
sort of book I’d classify as a comfort read – fantasy with a domestic feel and
a gentle sort of atmosphere that lulls you. It’s not my favourite Robin
McKinley, but it is very McKinley-esque.
Alex’s
Rating: 3/5
