Ogress and the Orphans Review

This is the second Kelly Barnhill book I've read so far. The first one I read was The Girl who Drank the Moon back in 2021, which I gave 4 stars to.

The Ogress and The Orphans is set in a fantasy world in a small town called Stone-in-the-Glen, which has fallen on hard times ever since the town's library burned down and other buildings such as the school have mysteriously been destroyed, too. Now no one trusts each other and almost nobody ever leaves their homes. The town orphanage has also been struggling financially. The owners and the orphans are very supportive of one another, and they've been trying to get the town to come together again, especially on market days where they sell handmade soap and food from their mini-farm, but to no avail. At the same time on the outskirts of the town, an ancient Ogress has started to live there and she has noticed how the town has been struggling, so every night she secretly leaves food, baked goods, and handmade cards to the people of the town. For a while everyone is content, but everyone is starting to wonder who this mysterious bringer of gifts is and if they can trust them. Eventually, the orphans' and the Ogress's story come together when one of the orphans, named Cassie, runs away one night. Things are not the same after that.

Just like the author's first book of hers I read, this book had the same cozy magical feeling (not without the occasional high stakes every story needs, of course). I also love the way Kelly Barnhill writes--she writes as if it were a classic book or a fairy tale. If you like old school, whimsical vibes, I recommend this book. 

I gave it 5 stars. So far this is my favorite Kelly Barnhill book! The next book I have on my radar from her is The Witch's Boy.

Do you like book written in a classical/fairy tale-like way?