The Ropemaker, Peter Dickinson

This is a fantasy story set in a magical land. Tilja, the heroine, grew up in the Valley, a peaceful place protected by the fearsome Empire by an enchanted forest. But one year, the forest begins to weaken, and Tilja, an ordinary girl, finds herself having the power to save the land from evil. I know, typical fantasy plot, right? But it was a good book. I liked the world that Peter Dickinson created; it felt almost like our world, only with a splash of magic added in. It felt very real; not over the top, and had a good and interesting plot. The world beyond the Valley that Tilja enters is brutal and cruel. I liked the character of Tilja as well as the Ropemaker, who the book is named after. One thing that was kind of annoying about the book was that Dickinson skipped long periods of time between chapters. A chapter would end, and the next chapter would start 5 days later, not telling you exactly what happened in between. But still, overall, a good fantasy story. 375 pages, 4.5 stars.