The Hollow Kingdom

Oh, but now that I'm done bitching: you should all go out and buy The Hollow Kingdom, by Clare Dunkle. Unless you're terribly allergic to "children's literature" or fantasy. (Even if you are, the dialogue and characterization are far better than that of any realist fiction for adults I've read recently.)* Think of Jane Austen making a novel out of one of the Grimms' more disturbing fairy tales, and you'll get an inkling of the book.

*Okay, I should admit here that I find modern realist fiction for adults completely unreadable, and in fact I haven't read any recently. But if I had, I bet I wouldn't have found anything as good as Dunkle.