Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Plain Kate
    Unavailable
    Plain Kate
    Unavailable
    Plain Kate
    Audiobook8 hours

    Plain Kate

    Written by Erin Bow

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade"-a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

    For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate's father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

    Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: in exchange for her shadow, he'll give Kate the means to escape the town that seems set to burn her, and what's more, he'll grant her heart's wish. It's a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes that she can't live shadowless forever-and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 20, 2010
    ISBN9781441821379
    Unavailable
    Plain Kate
    Author

    Erin Bow

    Erin Bow is the author of The Scorpion Rules, which received three starred reviews and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and it’s sequel, The Swan Riders, which received two starred reviews. She also wrote the acclaimed Russian-flavored fantasy Plain Kate, which received two starred reviews and was a YALSA Best Book of the Year, and the terrifying YA ghost story Sorrow’s Knot, which received five starred reviews and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Visit her at ErinBow.com.

    Related to Plain Kate

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Fantasy & Magic For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Witch Finders

      Jul 16, 2020

      Beth pulled her cloak tightly around her. It was the very last day of October and the air was damp and chill. Dead autumn leaves lay in deep piles in the woods and smoke curled into the night air from her cottage. Not far to go now. She bent her head

      4 min read

    • Article

      HOT Beach Reads

      Jun 22, 2023

      HOT Beach Reads
      3 min read

    • Article

      Saving Freyfaxi

      Feb 1, 2024

      Saving Freyfaxi
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale

      Feb 4, 2019

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale
      9 min read

    • Article

      Come Stay

      Jan 16, 2024

      Come Stay
      23 min read

    • Article

      STEPPING Out

      Feb 12, 2020

      STEPPING Out
      9 min read

    • Article

      A Plain Little House

      Apr 8, 2019

      The house is real, not imaginary. But it is also a place lodged deep in the imagination, a dream place whose actual coordinates have been forgotten. In the last years of her very long life, my mother’s memory, eroded by time and general anaesthetics,

      3 min read

    • Article

      Never too LATE

      Oct 26, 2022

      Never too LATE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Cuckoo In The Nest

      Sep 5, 2021

      Cuckoo In The Nest
      3 min read

    • Article

      Sifting And Sorting With Joy

      Jul 20, 2020

      Friend Jan phones to ask if I’d like to buy his grandmother’s old pump organ. He is scaling down big time, he explains, moving house one last time. Actually, he corrects himself, it’s the penultimate move, the last one being the ABF (absolute bloody

      3 min read

    • Article

      Frost FAIR

      Jan 18, 2023

      Frost FAIR
      11 min read

    • Article

      Rose - Tinted Glasses

      Nov 10, 2021

      From the corner of her eye, Becca watched a small pack of drunk pixies adding salt into her grandmother’s bone china sugar pot. The sugar pot was the oldest thing in the house, even older than grandmother herself. There would be hell to pay if it bro

      12 min read

    • Article

      Murder Most Fowl

      Mar 12, 2023

      Murder Most Fowl
      2 min read

    • Article

      Read! Read!

      Jun 13, 2021

      Connor and Ethan are having a cosmically cool time selling ice cream on their summer holidays on board the world’s first orbiting city, Starville. However, the duo can’t resist a good mystery, and when they discover the space station is on a collisio

      1 min read

    • Article

      Book Extract

      May 16, 2022

      Book Extract
      5 min read

    • Article

      Give Me Shelter

      Oct 30, 2019

      Give Me Shelter
      4 min read

    • Article

      Snow Maiden

      Jan 1, 2024

      Snow Maiden
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Dullard

      Jun 5, 2019

      The villagers of Yockenthwaite knew him as ‘Jack Dull’, ‘Jack Dolt,’ or sometimes just ‘The Dullard’. His real name was John Dullard, last in a long, illustrious line of Dullards, and a man – so they said – of quite miraculous stupidity. The kind of

      7 min read

    • Article

      Vagaries

      Mar 1, 2024

      Vagaries
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Walled Garden

      Apr 30, 2020

      The Walled Garden
      4 min read

    • Article

      Making space FOR LOVE

      Mar 30, 2022

      Making space FOR LOVE
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Christmas Memory

      Nov 1, 2018

      A Christmas Memory
      18 min read

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      By the RIVER’S EDGE

      Mar 22, 2023

      By the RIVER’S EDGE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Smoking MIRRORS

      May 30, 2021

      The imaginary world of childhood is the backdrop to this sinister psychological thriller. It is set in a rambling old Edinburgh house where twin sisters El and Cat live inside a make-believe existence of pirate ships, witches, clowns and wild adventu

      1 min read

    • Article

      Falling In Love Again – In M&S

      Mar 6, 2024

      Jem Clarke is in his very, very early fifties, is five foot zero inches tall and has never left the family home in Cleethorpes, which he shares with his parents… Mother has revealed she was once engaged to the East Coast's most prolific housebreaker.

      3 min read

    Reviews for Plain Kate

    4/5

    208 ratings45 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      this is a good good solid book about grief and love (platonic love, familial love, love that is obsessive and sacrificial and all-consuming, and yes a little romantic love but that one does not feature as much)

      and i have!! so many feelings!! i love this book so much, i love Kate, who is fierce and sad and desperately compassionate (even when it's hard, even when she doesn't want to be) i love her carvings and i love Taggle, King of cats, and i love Linnay and his songs and cruelty and magic i love everyone in this bar and i just want them to be okay!!

      anyway, i agree with a lot of the other reviewers that content wise this is perhaps more YA than middle grade because uh there is quite the body count.
    • 5/5
      PLAIN KATE was marketed as a children/YA book, and judging by the cover, I thought it would be a fun and light coming-of-age type book. Well, it was very good and it's a coming-of-age book of sorts, but it's quite dark and not exactly "fun". I'm not sure I'd market it for kids.Plain Kate lives and works with her father, a woodcarver. However, her life is dramatically altered when her father dies of the plague. Not only does she have nowhere to go, but there are rumours spreading that she is a witch. Friendless and alone, she tries to find a home among the gypsies (who are themselves shunned), but her vulnerability has caught the eye of a magician with a dark purpose.The main story is rather melancholy, but the writing is intensely evocative and Bow takes you on quite a journey through a very simple tale. The characters are lovely, especially Taggle the talking cat - one of my favourite characters of all time. The ending is poignant on multiple levels.Telling you any more would spoil the book, so I'll just say that it's highly recommended!
    • 5/5
      I found this book in a catalog and ordered it from my local book store sadly I wasn't able to read this right away because my dad got to it first, a book made fore preteens/teens made my dad cry, you get attached to Kate and her wonderful feline. I'm a person to love romance but I fell in love with this book. The first few chapters are a bit boring but it does get exciting and you get with the story, I finished this book in the middle of my English class and nearly broke down in tears. This is a wonderful book that I feel many people would enjoy.
    • 5/5
      I just wrote the longest review of this book only to have it somehow lost and deleted by Good Reads. So sad. I don't think I can recreate my original response. In short:

      One of the most affecting books I've ever read. Full of hard truths about the world, about the way people behave when motivated by fear and desperation. Plain Kate is a wonderful character who endures so much misery and mistreatment that it can be hard to read. I worried about her long after I closed the book each night. The story is dark, way darker than I was prepared for and the magic depicted is truly frightening. The one tiny bright spot in this story is Taggle, Kate's companion and one true friend who happens to be a talking cat. His observations and general cat perspective are perfectly and humorously imagined by the author.
      I wholeheartedly recommend this book to fans of Fantasy and children's lit. But I warn you: it is not for the faint of heart. Prepare yourself for the emotional resonance and often bloody violence at the heart of this story. But don't let that keep you away, either. For it is a very well written and important story that is bound to surprise you.
    • 4/5
      This book started a little slow for me, it seemed as if it was going to be ANOTHER one of those magical Gypsy Witch girl books and I mentally rolled my eyes at least once. But then it got very, very dark and very strange. I like dark and strange, and it's done well here. It's a first novel, and there are places where that shows, but it's very well-crafted overall. I thought there was a lot of passion around certain plot points, and the afterword confirmed that. Avoiding spoilers, vagueness ahead: I think that particular aspect of the plot is incredibly well done given the background. It could not have been easy to write. On the other hand, the cat was an unmitigated delight. Except for that one part. Some of his lines had me howling.

      I want to read Bow's memoir. I want to read Bow's next book. And the book she writes after that. Then I'll read this one again.
    • 3/5
      Plain Kate is beautifully written, richly atmospheric and peppered with vivid, unexpected metaphors. The author, Erin Bow, wields her beautiful prose like a weapon and strikes at every character she creates. Plain Kate is one of the most unrelentingly grim books I have ever read. As a reader, I hardly had time to take a breath after one tragedy before the next would roll along.

      The first thing that happens, after all, is that Kate's father dies. Once he's gone, the carver's guild confiscates all his worldly goods and Kate has to go live in the bottom drawer of their open-air market stall, in the town square. She spends years living in the drawer, no home, no family, no friends, lucky to afford a stale roll to eat. And this is before the action - and by that I mean, all the REALLY bad stuff that's going to happen - even gets started. A couple of chapters down the line, the drawer years have become the good old days.

      The author tosses her protagonist Kate a few crumbs of human kindness - enough to survive, no more. I kept waiting for some payoff to all this suffering, for Kate to learn and grow as a person. It doesn't happen. At the end of the book, Plain Kate is basically the same person she was at the beginning. She's tougher, for sure, having survived so much, but her goals, beliefs, and priorities are the same. She hasn't re-oriented herself in any way.

      There are a few other points I'd like to talk about but can't without giving away any spoilers. I really wanted to see Plain Kate take a stand, but I was disappointed when the opportunity arose. I also really disliked the ending.

      I think fundamentally, though, this type of book is not for me. If I knew what I was signing up for, I would never choose to read a book whose plot consists almost entirely of finding new and horrible ways to make the protagonist suffer. But that's personal taste. And I have to admit, as I did at the beginning, that Plain Kate is very well executed - it pulled me right along, unwilling reader that I was. It was hard to put down. So I guess this review is the warning I wished I'd had, to leave this book for the people who are able to enjoy it.
    • 4/5
      Kate's world was built extremely well. As far as fantasy novels go, it was above and beyond many that I've read before. I'll even overlook (for now), the creep factor of the magic rules. The characters were authentic human beings, neither perfectly good or totally evil, and they didn't always do what you'd expect them to. I kept listening, long after I wanted to stop, because I needed to know how the story would play out. Some parts were obvious, and if you've read it, too, you'll know what I mean. But I was kept guessing about how other elements would play out, and I totally did NOT see them coming.Campbell's voice was a good match for Kate. Though it was sometimes hard to tell her voices apart from each other (there were several moments of confusion when I thought one character was speaking and it was another), there aren't enough different voices for it to have too much of an impact on the story.That brings us to my two star rating. Please do not get me wrong; this is a well-written fantasy novel that I'm sure would appeal to a wide variety of people. However, there were a few drawbacks for me. I am not the sort of person who enjoys hearing about bloody scenes. There are several instances of cutting one's skin and blood-letting/spilling, and since descriptions of these usually cause me to pass out, highly frowned upon while operating a motor vehicle, I was not particularly comfortable listening to them. I believe the technical term is "having the willies". This book should also come with a disclaimer on it: Do not read before an important engagement, since this book has been known to cause significantly puffy eyes and red face due to extreme crying.Recommendation: You've heard the good and the bad, and I'll let you form your own opinions. My own thoughts are to only read this book if you like to have your heart thrown on the ground and trampled on.
    • 5/5
      Summary: Plain Kate may not be beautiful, but she was trained by her father to be a skilled carver. However, when her father dies, Plain Kate is left to fend for herself, and suddenly her carving skills become evidence that there is something different about her... and different is a dangerous thing to be when her small village is stricken with hunger and illness. Kate knows her carvings aren't real magic - not like the magic being done by Linay, the strange man who appeared in town on his boat, and has offered to trade Plain Kate's heart's desire in exchange for her shadow. But when the whispers of "witch" grow too loud, Plain Kate has to leave town in the company of a band of Roamers. All Plain Kate wants is somewhere to belong, where she doesn't have to feel alone, but she can't survive forever without her shadow, and getting it back from Linay is not going to be an easy proposition.Review: This book was a wonderful surprise. It's mid-grade fantasy, which can be hit-or-miss for me, but in this case, it was a big hit. The setting is vaguely medieval, as is a lot of fantasy, but in this case, it's Russian-flavored medieval, which was an interesting change, and I liked the incorporation of eastern European folklore into the plot. The characters were great - Plain Kate's incredibly sympathetic, and Taggle is perhaps the best literary cat that I've come across in a long time (and I am not a cat person.)But what I thought was best, and what surprised me most, was the level of depth and of maturity throughout the book. I called it mid-grade, and there's nothing in the style or the content that would make it inappropriate for that age. But at the same time, it's a story that doesn't pull its punches, that puts its characters in some difficult places and forces them to make horrible hard decisions. It's a story that is not about black and white, but lives in the grey area, with understandable motivations on everyone's parts, and with even the heroine making some questionable choices. The writing style is also surprisingly mature - again, not anything that couldn't be handled by a kid, but more lyrical and lovely and poignant than I was expecting. It's a quick read, but it does take a fair amount of time before the book gets down to the business of the main plot. But I was drawn in by Bow's writing style and by her characters right from the get-go, and stayed totally absorbed until the last page. 4.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Definitely recommended for fans of young adult or mid-grade fantasy. It's an original story, not one that I've seen done before, although it does incorporate some folkloric elements, and it's beautifully told with some real emotional depth.
    • 4/5
      In an world where unusual can be marked by death, Kate is the daughter of a carver. She's not old enough to be an apprentice but she loves carving wood. She carves luck-pieces for sale and her work is well-regarded. Until her father dies and her world starts to crumble and rumours of witchcraft start to dog her. Then she has to flee and finds herself caught up in magic and a mystery.I loved this story, even if it was pretty short. I empathised heavily with Kate and really got caught up in the story. I liked how the legends were more eastern European as well.
    • 1/5
      After hearing that Plain Kate by Erin Bow had won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, I decided to pick it up. I had been hearing bits and pieces about this book for awhile, and I love supporting Canadian authors so that was enough of a push for me to head to my local library and pick up a copy.I can certainly see why Bow's writing impressed the judges. Erin Bow tells the story of Plain Kate, the carver's daughter in a beautiful and melancholic tone. Plain Kate's mother died when she was born and is being raised by her father, who teaches her wood carving. When life in their little town begins going badly and Kate becomes an orphan she makes a deal with a mystical stranger that will greatly impact her life.Without spoiling too much of the plot, I will say that there is a talking cat in this book. I know, I can hear you saying "How annoying!". I am the first person to dislike talking animals in books or movies, although if it happened in real life I'd probably be pretty thrilled. Erin Bow may have made a deal with a witch, or perhaps is just really talented, because the talking cat is not only not annoying but is truly impressive. He actually talks the way you might imagine a real cat to talk- aloof, slightly sarcastic and incredibly narcissistic. He was definitely my favourite character.Now is the part where you think I'd say "I give it a 10/10 and recommend it to everyone!". Sadly, not so much. The book was wonderful, awesome, well written- up to page 287. That is the page where the entire book basically falls apart- the characters suddenly go against how they've been acting throughout the entire book, the plot is unbelievable ( and not just in a fantasy book sort of way) and it just dissolves. It's as if there was a sudden change to a deadline and it had to be quickly finished, or Bow suddenly got tired of writing the book, thought " Forget this" and hastily finished it.Overall, I was really disappointed in this book. I feel like I invested my time in reading this book because I thought it was a great story, only to get the bait-and-switch and have a ill-written ending. It's like picking out expensive, high quality ingredients to make a cake, spending all that time shopping and baking and decorating it only to have the cake turn out absolutely tasteless. If you are someone who likes consistent quality throughout a book, or someone who feels disappointed if the ending is poorly done then I wouldn't recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Kate has woodcarving talents. When her father is killed, and Kate is accused of witchcraft she decides to leave the village. However, she has few provisions , and the only people not trying to kill her, are the old baker who introduces her to the Gypsies, and the mysterious albino stranger who buys her shadow and bestows the gift of human speech on Taggle, the cat Kate loves. The gypsies give her the family she desperately yearns for ....but for how long, and the mysteriousstranger asks a price that may cost Kate her life. A Fantastic story that keeps you wndering if Kate will make it or not right through to the last pages. I recommend this to older children and teen and adults
    • 5/5
      Katerina Svetlana is known to most as Plain Kate. Raised by her father after her mother passed away. She has a gift with woodworking and hopes to become a master carver just like her father. When he dies from the witch's fever Kate is left alone. Too young and poor to become an apprentice to the carver taking her father's place in town, she finds herself living in her father's vacant booth in the town square with only a kitten for company. When strange things happen the townsfolk begin to suspect Plain Kate of witchcraft. This sets in motion Kate deciding to trade her shadow for the tools necessary to flee the small town she called home. Kate sets off on an adventure full of both excitement and grief. As her shadow slowly disappears she realizes her secrets won't stay hidden for long. When Kate agreed to the trade she didn't realize how difficult a shadowless life would be. I'm not sure why I was under the impression Plain Kate was a middle grade novel. It turned out to be much darker than I had anticipated which was actually a good thing. I love books reminiscent of fairy tales, but laced with darker themes. It took me much longer than I would have liked to finish reading, but it wasn't because of the book itself. It was more life getting in the way. I found myself constantly thinking of what trials Kate would face next and eager to slack on responsibilities in order to spend more time reading. All signs of a really good read. Kate is your classic outcast. Orphaned with an appearance that leads people to make incorrect assumptions. The town seemed to tolerate her until her father's death. After that poor Kate was on her own and struggling for survival. When the unexplainable occurs people search for someone to blame. Kate's "witch eyes" made her an easy target. Kate is the ideal heroine for this genre and fits her role in the story to perfection. There is also a great deal of wonderful secondary characters that Kate meets over the course of her journey. The cast of Plain Kate is exactly what characters in books should be. Well developed instead of just "filler characters". They felt just as familiar as main character and narrator, Kate. This isn't something that can be said of all books especially fantasy. With so much happening sometimes the secondary characters don't get the attention they deserve. This is not the case with the cast of Plain Kate. There is also a talking cat! As far as I'm concerned cats and fantasy go together like peanut butter and jelly. Give the cat the ability to speak, and I'm one happy reader. The ending was executed perfectly. I loved that while the conflict was resolved it stayed true the novels darker tones. I do love a happily ever after, but I also appreciate it when an author doesn't feel the need to insert rainbows and sunshine just to appease readers. Combine all of these elements with an amazing setting and you have a fantasy novel done right! This isn't a book everyone will love, but I think fans of fantasy will truly appreciate what Plain Kate has to offer.
    • 3/5
      First, I have to say that Bow created a character that I cared about and a story that I wanted to follow to the end. However, the book failed to live up to the story's potential. I found the pacing of the story to be too slow. The beginning spark of the story seemed to just die away. It was hard for me to finish this story. I have a rule about life being too short to finish books you don't have to read. I stuck it out with this book because I did care about Kate and wanted to know how her story ended. The ending was the best part of the book - not because it was the ending, but because I didn't see it coming. Though not a happy ending, it is one where the right things happen.
    • 4/5
      The highest praise I can give a book is to favorably compare it to my all-time favorites - "Lips Touch: Three Times" and "The Queen of Attolia." Erin Bow's writing style is as simple and precise, with not one extra, unnecessary word, as Megan Whalen Turner's and her story is as grounded in folklore while being completely original as Laini Taylor's.The basic premise of the novel is that Kate, a lonely, orphaned child with no one to take care of her, is tricked by a witch into giving up her shadow in exchange for her heart's wish. When Kate realizes the consequences of losing her shadow, she tries to get it back. But, of course, it's not a simple task.For a middle-grade novel, "Plain Kate" is very dark. Prepare yourself for torture, witch burnings, dark magic and blood sacrifices. Kate's life is grim and full of adversity. It doesn't help her case that she is accused of being a witch. The only bright spot in this story is Kate's feline companion Taggle. He must be one of the best written cats in literature.In spite of the grimness, however, "Plain Kate" carries a strong message of hope, true friendship, forgiveness and perseverance.I will definitely read Erin Bow's future novels and might give them 5 stars if, while preserving her excellent writing style, the author creates stories with older characters and some romance (yeah, I am that type of reader).
    • 4/5
      Plain Kate is an odd child. She has different colour eyes and her skill with a carving knife are unusual for a girl of her age. In a time when magic is feared, any peculiarities in a person can be dangerous but it's not until her father dies of 'witch fever', and she has no one to protect her, that the town starts to turn against her. Then a strange man, Linay, arrives in town and even more odd things start to happen - the blame seeming to fall on Kate. Deciding to escape before she can be persecuted. Trading her shadow with Linay in return for some supplies and her 'deepest wish', which turns out that she just doesn't want to be alone, Kate acquires a talking cat, Taggle, and the two of them head out of town with the Roamers. Eventually though, Kate realises that she needs her shadow if she's going to survive and must get it back from Linay.Wood Angel is a very unique story and there's something very individual about the style of the writing. It's very atmospheric and magical.The story is very much about how Kate struggles to stay alive. Thankfully she's a fighter but it's not an easy ride for her. Taggle was my all out favourite character in the book providing companionship and advice to Kate and a somewhat light-hearted comical relief for the reader.
    • 4/5
      The Good Stuff * Well crafted, beautifully written and unusual storyline * You'll need a hanky near the end, especially if you are a big baby like me * The author truly understand the haughty arrogance of cats and you can pretty much tell the author is a cat lover * I love the cat! * Kate is a very unusual and strong girl, I didn't like her at first, but I grew to love her. * Cover is spectacular * A truly unique story, I can honestly say I haven't read anything quite like it before * Some nice dry humour added just when it is needed * Ok, one more time, I love that cat! * Very realistic secondary characters. * No stereotypical bad guy, you can somewhat understand the choices the villains make * Hopeful endingThe Not so Good Stuff * a little bit of a downer at times * took me a little bit of time to get into it, but once I did I was happy that I didFavorite Quotes/Passages"He turned - stepping on her spleen - and sat. "I am sorry," he said. "I don't like it. It is a new word, sorry. It should not be a thing for cats.""And then, because hope will break the hear better than any sorrow, she started to cry.""Musssssicians,' the cat spat. "Do you know what fiddle strings are made of? Bah! I'm glad he's gone. Let's eat."What I Learned * That I too am a Cat lover -- ok, I knew that already "Cat's rule, dog's drool"Who should/shouldn't read * Fans of Hunger Games and other dystopian YA literature will love * I'm just guessing but serious dog lovers might be offended ; ) * Not for those who like a light hearted story * Honestly, I also think fans of Philip Pullmans will find something to enjoy4 Dewey'sI received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review and I got my copy signed at the OLA conference. She was really nice to chat with too : )
    • 4/5
      A YA novel filled with superstition, witchcraft, and magic about a teenage girl "carver" who is set up to be suspected as a witch by an actual witch who wants her shadow. I liked the poetic writing and use of shadows and blood in magic, but was disappointed in the climax where (trying to explain without spoilers) all these new magic happenings seemed suddenly added in to make a happy ending.
    • 4/5
      Katerina was always known as Plain Kate, ever since her father introduced her, as a baby, to the butcher. She has eyes of different color, and her features are rather plain. Her father teaches her to carve, and carve well, but the townspeople are suspicious of her abilities. Then her father dies in a plague that the people blame on witches. Alone and poor, Plain Kate is again under suspicion when a sleeping sickness moves through the towns. A real witch offers to give Kate the desire of her heart if she gives him her shadow. Only after she makes this bargain does she begin to learn the cost.This debut offering has an interesting premise and wonderful writing. I enjoyed the descriptions, which used a few well-chosen words to paint a picture in my mind leaving me to fill in the details. Kate and her cat, Tangle, are delightful characters, though I wished more was made of the secondary characters, like Drina, Behret, and Linay. I wanted to know them better than I did, but instead felt like I was never quite sure what they were like, what they would do or choose. Tangle, on the other hand, was great. The very fact that he is a cat is never forgotten, and he made me laugh several times. This is definitely a writer I'll be watching.
    • 4/5
      "...hope will break the heart better than any sorrow..."Plain Kate is the type of book I wish I could have read when I was younger. As much as I loved Kate and her world now, I think it would have absolutely worked its way into me when I was a kid. At the same time, though, there's so much to the story that I appreciate as an adult that maybe would have gone unnoticed as a child.I love a good outsider story, and this one does it really well. Kate, of course, is an outsider, barely eking an existence out of her carvings, waiting for the day the world will turn on her. But she's not the only outsider in the story, by a long shot. Plain Kate is peopled with those who never quite fit in, or cannot fit in, who live on the edges and deal with their pain and Otherness alone. As a kid, I would have just seen that Plain Kate found some other outsiders to share her outsiderness with, but as an adult, I have to praise Bow for subtle injections of reality, even when reality isn't so pretty. I especially appreciated this when it came to Plain Kate's relationship with Linay.Linay is the villain of the piece, sure. Or, I suppose Linay is a villain of the piece, because really, there are plenty of people not shown at their best, especially in the cities. But Linay is the central Big Bad -- he's got possession of Kate's shadow, and he intends to use it to do some very bad things. But this is where it gets interesting, and where I began to respect Bow as a storyteller. Where most people would leave it at that -- Linay = villain, 'nuff said -- Bow weaves together this relationship between Linay, who is hurting and alone, and Kate, who is hurting and alone. As much as they both know that each wants to undo the plots of the other, they worry about each other and care in this weird, sometimes sweet, almost unhealthy, occasionally heart-breaking, utterly human way*. There's so much gray area in the relationship to connect to and explore on your own, and I absolutely love that. It's one of the most interesting and subtly complex relationships I've read in a book for this age group in awhile.But beyond impressing me in that regard, Plain Kate is a just-plain-fun read. I loved the characters -- Taggle, especially -- and the adventure. It's essentially a race against time, so there's that fantastic edge-of-your-seatness which makes it fun to read. There's also great world set up, and I liked exploring it with/through Kate. Bow took a culture (or, a couple of them, I guess) that are familiar enough to fall into, but distant enough to be intriguing, and she added her own spin. The only thing that knocked this back from near-perfect was the ending. Don't get me wrong, and don't let this hold you back from reading it, but I wasn't as happy with the end as I was with the rest of the book. And it's not necessarily what happens, either (though I was frowny-face at times); it's more that there was a sparkle and power to the rest of the book that I felt was a little lacking at the end. It was still good, but it -- hmm, there was a slight disconnect, if that makes sense.But all in all, a definite fun, fast read with characters you'll remember. I would especially recommend this to teachers for their classrooms, as I think a lot of school kids could get a lot of enjoyment out of this.*I'm sorry, that was a really long sentence. But I meant all of it.
    • 5/5
      The amount of love for this book in the book blogging community is huge. I keep seeing the name popping up and finally made the decision to cave and put it first and foremost in my pile of books - so I happily skipped off to the library and picked it up.I shouldn't have waited - seriously, this is a book to own. I cannot wait for my niece to get a bit older because this will be one of those books I'll be anxiously waiting to put into her hand.Filled with interesting lore, magic and a heroine who proves you don't have to be beautiful or fall in love to be interesting, Plain Kate had me spellbound from the first page. There's villains who still inspire sympathy, there are actions which cause conflicting emotions in the reader, and then there's Kate.Kate (who insists on being called Plain Kate) is a big of a ragamuffin who is a very talented carver. Little bits of Russian lore are woven into the story and provide the setting and history to make this a book rich with information for the young reader. As I read it, I was reminded a bit of how Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants affected me - it filled me with wonder, made me feel young again and left me with a touch of regret as I closed the book, having finished it.Plain Kate is a perfect addition to the middle grade world of books and one I'll be recommending left and right.
    • 5/5
      Orphaned Kate and her cat Taggle face trials and tribulation as she attempts to rid herself of a tinker's curse. Bereft of her shadow and stalked by a deadly sleeping sickness, not to mention the gypsy, Kate's survival depends on strength of will and her carving ability, but it may not be enough.In a word, powerful. In more than a word... not at all what I was expecting, but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. A clever, competent, and determined heroine and who could resist Taggle. I'll even admit to shedding a few tears. Not the unhappiest of endings, all things considered.
    • 5/5
      I wish someone who knew me well had read this book first and warned me that it was going to make me cry and cry and cry. I almost want to say I hate this book for that reason, but I can't hate it because it's so beautifully heartbreaking that it's brilliant. But I wish I could stop thinking about it and crying my eyes out
    • 5/5
      Aside from the whole Stalin thing, Eastern Europe is awesome. From Eastern Europe we get nesting eggs, czars, Anastasia, and Baba Yaga. Upon opening Plain Kate by Erin Bow, I was transported to the old country. Of course my brain went to my most pressing impression of Eastern Europe, "If I were a rich man,Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum." You may mock, but Fiddler on the Roof is awesome. Unfortunately, Rev Tevye does not make an appearance in Plain Kate, but that does not matter since this book just drips win.There aren't a lot of books on the market like Plain Kate, and while this makes me semi-sad, it also makes me more inclined to stand on my rooftop proclaiming my love for this book. Plain Kate is a carver, the daughter of Piotr, who calls Plain Kate, Katerina Star of My Heart. Things are going just swimmingly for the pair, minus the ignorant villagers who think Plain Kate's carving skills makes her a witch. Well, we all know this cannot last, so Plain Kate's father up and dies. Rudeness abounds, and Plain Kate is forced to live on the streets. Full of despair, she strikes a magical bargain with a male witch named Linay. Linay is pretty much a nutcase. Right-o. So Linay steals Kate's shadow, Kate gets some supplies to live in the wilderness. Oh, and what's that! Oh yeah, a talking cat. AWESOME. Sorry guys, but when animals talk I am sold. Anything that evokes the win that comprises Redwall and you can bet I will be plunking down my time on that.Plain Kate then goes on an adventure wrought with peril and new friends along the way. I just am going to put this out there right now. She comes across these people called Roamers, which of course are modeled after the Roma. Erin Bow, you rock for not using the term gypsy which as well all know is pejorative. I was actually struck by this and quite pleased. While I am in gush mode, let me continue on about Plain Kate. I keep calling her Plain Kate instead of Kate, because that is what she prefers to be called. Her moniker isn't an exaggeration, as Plain Kate really is plain. She's not a beauty and doesn't become a beauty. However, she has cleverness in spades. Can I just say that I love how this story says you can be a heroine and not be hot. I feel I read a ton of stories where the heroine is pretty much a babe, and smart, and fierce. I mean, that is awesome, hot people can do great things. It's just nice though, that Plain Kate isn't one of those, yet she is still shown to have value. I like that her self worth isn't tied up in her looks. It is a nice lesson to have. ALSO, there are no love triangles or romantic entanglements in this book. It is exactly as promised, a book about an orphan girl facing what seems to be impossible odds. Y'all I gobbled this up. And to be honest, I was not even going to grab this one at BEA, until I heard Erin Bow at a panel mentioning Ursula K. LeGuinn, so of freaking course I had to go wait in line for this book. I am so glad I did. This is another book which ultimately make my top twenty of the year.A few quotes from Plain Kate that made my heart pitter patter in joy:"The knife may slip. It may follow a grain and spoil the line. There may be a flaw deep in the wood that will snap your work in two. You will want to leave the tail thick and crude; that is safer. A master carver will be brave, and trust the wood. Things will find their shape. Kate, My Star. Lift your knife." pg. 185 - ARC version"Give me another reason," Taggle said, flicking his ears. "Give me a cat's reason. Keep in mind that we do not," he harrumphed, "run into burning buildings going 'bark, bark.'" -pg. 256 ARC version.I sort of get a kick out of cats making fun of dogs, and the whole bark bark thing makes me snort with laughter
    • 5/5
      I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine Program. I had heard great things about this book and it sounded like a wonderful fairytale-like premise. It was a great book. It starts out a little slow but ends up being a finely crafted and engaging story.Plain Kate is raised by her dad who is a woodcarver, from a very young age Kate practices carving and is set to become her dad's apprentice. Then a sickness rages through the village and her father dies. With everything her family owned going to the new carver from the Guild, Kate is left to fend on her own. She is a very good carver; so despite displacement from the guild she manages to eke out a living in the village with her only companionship being her cat, Taggle. Then one day a man, Linay, shows up. He wants Kate to do some carving for him and he wants her shadow. He forces events so that Kate is driven out of her village and accused of being a witch; he trades her shadow for her heart's desire. Kate ends up fleeing with her now talking cat Taggle. Kate must struggle to survive and on top of that she finds that Linay may be out to do great evil with her shadow; it is up to her to stop him.I will admit when I first started reading this book I found it to be a bit...well plain and boring. It is written in a very un-embellished style and written about a very plain girl. The style of the story is a cross between being folkish and fairy tale-like. When you start it you are kind of wondering what the point is and why we are following Plain Kate around as she ekes out a living in her village or makes a living among the Roamers (a gypsy-like people).Towards the middle though, Kate is forced to make some tough decisions and fight through some dire situations and things get a lot more interesting. As the story continues many of the seemingly random elements from the beginning come together to form a very cohesive and engaging story of death, betrayal, and sacrifices. There is some violence in the form of witch hunts and people being burned alive.Parts of the story are especially touching. The companionship Kate enjoys with her talking cat Taggle is cute, funny, and heartwarming. The sacrifices Kate and Taggle are forced to make to stop great evil are heartbreaking and had me in tears. As I progressed through the novel I found my reaction of cool indifference to the first half of the book transforming into an absolute love of these characters and admiration for how well put together this story was.This story is written in more of a folk tale or fairy tale kind of way. The words are simple, the description is minimal, and Kate herself is not a complex character. There are fairly clear distinctions between good and evil; but even, Linay, as the villain of the story has a history that makes you sympathize with him some. By the time I got to the end of this book I realized that these seemingly simple characters had more complexity to them than I initially gave credit for.Overall, I ended up loving this story and it is a keeper for me. The fairy tale like cast to it all, the Russian folklore included, and the companionship that develops between Kate and Taggle make it something special. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend to people who love the darker fairy tales and stories about plain girls overcoming great odds. It is appropriate for all ages, although it does address burning people alive as witches, so that may be too scary for younger kids. I loved this story and Erin Bow is definitely on my list as an author to watch.
    • 4/5
      The town of Samilae is one where its superstitious town folk believe in curses and stories of witchcraft. Katerina Svetlana was nicknamed Plain Kate by the town baker, and the nickname stuck. She spends her days with her father learning how to carve wood and creating talismans for customers who want to ward off evil from their homes or even for good luck. But when a deadly illness sweeps the town, Kate, not only loses her father, but she loses her home. Her neighbors who have always thought she was a witch because she knew how to wield a knife are even more suspicious after the illness kills many. With only her cat Taggle for company, she sets off on her own, but when food is scarce, the weather is harsh and loneliness leaves her feeling bitter, she finds herself striking a bargain with a stranger that will change her life forever. She trades her shadow for her heart's one desire. But we all know, nothing is ever that simple.I was fascinated by the beautiful storytelling I found in Plain Kate.Russian folklore seems to be the base of this story - but Plain Kate's adventure is one that I found to be original, dark and utterly captivating. I truly liked Kate. She's a wonderful heroine - she makes mistakes, struggles with the choices she makes, yet is always brave and strong. But I must say, Plain Kate's cat and sidekick, Taggle, well he stole the show. Some of the best moments revolved around Taggle.What great characters and stunning descriptions of the town and its residents as well as those that Plain Kate encounters along her journey. The writing was simple yet lyrical in nature. It is told in a way that makes it feel charming a quaint. This story has such fairytale feel to it. You feel as if the narrator is reading a story to you - one that, although at first glance feels like a coming-of-age story, ends up being so much more.One more thing that I found unique, was that Plain Kate did not have a love interest. I enjoyed that she was not pining over a boy, or the very popular love triangle, nor were there any vampires or werewolves. She was just a girl trying to live her life as best she could. The story had its ups and downs but nothing where you felt it dragged. As for the ending, it was bittersweet and heart-breaking but at the same time, it was perfect.No matter the age, if you love fairytales, fantasy and just good, old fashioned adventure, Plain Kate is the book for you.
    • 5/5
      Orphaned, alone, and suspected of witchcraft, Kate the carver makes a deal with a mysterious stranger: her shadow for the supplies she will need to survive on the road. With only her talking cat Taggle for company, Kate sets out to make her way in the world. After falling in with a band of Roamers, traveling horse-traders, Kate discovers what use the stranger might have for her shadow, and realizes that she must get it back -- at all costs. In this dark, haunting fantasy, Erin Bow creates a new folklore with an old-world feel. The characters are an intriguing mix, none entirely good or entirely evil (though it must be said that Taggle is entirely cat). This is a thought-provoking read that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.
    • 4/5
      I started Plain Kate thinking I’d be getting a fairly simplistic YA fantasy story. Instead this book ended up ripping my heart out and stomping on it!Kate is the orphaned daughter of a woodcarver who exists on the scraps of money she makes from her carving and the town residents’s good graces. But whenever Kate’s homeland hits hard times, murmurings about witches begin. And eventually someone is burned. As the crops fail, Kate begins to be blamed. In an effort to escape she makes a deal with a shadowy man known as Linay. She sells her shadow in exchange for the goods she needs to escape, but as her shadow fades away, she’ll look more and more like a witch.Plain Kate reminds me of the fantasy stories I grew up with, particularly those of Diana Wynne Jones. It’s not focused on action or romance (of which there is none) like the majority of current YA fantasies. It has something of a fairy tale about it, but it’s unexpectedly dark in that it doesn’t flinch away from showing the brutality and hatred of the witch hunts. It’s simply but gracefully told, and by the end I was unexpectedly emotional.Most of the genuinely intriguing elements of Plain Kate come in to play during the second half of the novel, limiting my ability to talk about them much here. I will say that the character of Linay took on greater depth than I initially supposed and became a surprisingly sympathetic villain. I also liked that one of Kate’s most important relationships was her friendship with another girl, as female friendship doesn’t often get such focus.Plain Kate is a gem of a book, one that I’d recommend for fans of old school YA fantasy like Garth Nix’s Sabriel or Diana Wynne Jones’s work. I would highly recommend it.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
    • 5/5
      I read this book in the right time, and it doesn’t always happen like that. This was exactly the story I wanted to read. I wanted something fairy tale-ish, something dark, something new and fresh, something that would sweep me away, and that was what I got.Plain Kate is like a fairy tale, it has all the right ingredients, and it draws a lot from folklore (both Russian and Gipsy). But it keeps the darkness of original fairy tales, it doesn’t sugarcoat things, it doesn’t try to make it all about rainbows and sunshine. It did surprise me a bit, as it is for young adults, and lately all the YA I’ve read is quite upbeat (even the darker ones). I loved the story. The story of Kate and how she was looking for her shadow, and of how she tried to fit in. She is a marvellous character, strong enough to go by herself, smart enough to know when she needs help, yet still needing to learn a lot, still making mistakes.It was not only Kate that was an amazing character. All of them were so real, even the most fantastical ones. Besides Kate, I loved Taggle and Linay, and my heart jumped at every mishap, at every twist. And speaking of twists, there are some of those, some I could see coming, some I didn’t want to see coming, some surprised me. Exactly in that order. Another thing that really pushed my buttons were the dubious characters. Dubious in the sense that you are not quite sure if they are the good guys. It’s not even that, is more like what Kate was going through, not knowing whether to help them or fight them, I was torn between rooting for and against them.The writing was really good, it sucked me in from the first chapter. It Sucked me in all throughout the book, until the bitter end. And bitter end is not just an expression. I was not expecting the way it ended. It has been ages since a book has made me cry as much as this one did.I really loved this book, bittersweet (and more bitter than sweet for me) ending and all. A marvellous story. Also at Spoilers and Nuts
    • 3/5
      Plain Kate's expertise as a woodcarver causes some to think her a witch and after an encounter with Linay, a cast out albino Roamer (gypsy), Kate takes up with the Roamers in an effort to survive. Along with her talking cat, Taggle, and friend Drina, Kate attempts to foil Linay's revenge plans on the city of Tov.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this story. It felt sort of like reading a fairy tale or old legend and I love to read anything that has a bit of gypsy and this book indeed does. I enjoyed the vocabulary used through out the book. I don't know any Russian or any of languages (or any besides English for that matter) so I don't know if they are actual words but they lent believability and potency to the story; made it deeper and more interesting.

      I enjoyed getting to know Kate and Taggle. This book is unique to young adult literature because it is so very different than anything else out right now. It is a story for a story lover...not a romance lover, a wolf lover, vampire lover...this book puts the story back in YA. I will look for my by this author in the future. You should too.