[Spoilers] I've forgotten the title! Help?

[Sir Jerric he/him]

Some years back I read a neat fantasy book that had an interesting ending. I've mentioned it in conversations about the difference between stand-alone novels and series openers. This book caught my attention by the transition from appearing to be the later (a series opener) up until the epilogue, which in my opinion added the book the former grouping instead.

While I've referred to it a few times, I've had to do so without naming the book's title or author, because for some reason, both names have completely escaped me. I'm getting tired of that, and I'd like to reread the book. So I'm asking the local population of fantasy readers for assistance.

In the spoiler boxes below, I am providing a number of story elements that I can recall being in the novel. If spoilers for unnamed books don't bother you, would you mind reading through some of this and seeing if you can help me rediscover this story?

I'm tempted to say it was a middle-grade, perhaps YA fantasy.

First act spoilers

There was a prologue of a new wizard (male) gaining a powerful magic ring from an elderly wizard (female?).

The main character was a young girl.

The story opened in a village that was sheltered from danger between mountains, desert, and an enchanted forest.

The girl spent time in the forest with her mother.

The call to adventure comes from the discovery that the forest magic is fading, and the empire to the south will soon be able to send their armies to the village.

The girl winds up sallying forth to seek out the wizard of the magic ring, who had set up the barriers for the village generations ago. Her only tool to help locate this mighty wizard is a wooden spoon that can be used as a magic compass to point the way.

Second act spoilers

The magic of the forest was based on a population of unicorns, confusing males who entered the woods.

The girl and companion(s) traveled south by boat.

The greater ambient magic of the empire makes the wooden spoon incredibly powerful, and attracts the attention of the empire's wizards.

The girl has to carry the spoon to conceal its aura from the wizards.

The quest leads the girl and companion(s) through the capital and beyond, heading farther south.

The location that they are headed toward is the city where people go to die, on the southern coast of the empire. The empire fines people for dying outside of this city.

Third act spoilers

The quest leads the girl and companion(s) out into the ocean, where they find the island home of the now ancient wizard.

The wizard reveals secrets about the empire and the death city.

The whole system was set up to funnel the wild magic energies released by death out away from the empire.

The questers share news of their travels with the wizard.

The wizard rallies/revives himself, and takes the questers back to the empire's capital, where he eliminates the empire's petty, scheming wizards and revamps society.

The girl's importance is revealed in her power to negate magic.

The wizard retires and leaves the ring to a new wizard, who rebuilds the defenses of the village.

The girl and the new wizard are/become friends, and further adventures are teased.

An epilogue tells how this whole story repeats itself a few hundred years later, with another reluctant young woman who comes out of the desert to find that her village has been attacked by the southern empire.

So, if you happen to be familiar with this story, or if you happen to read this story in the future, could you provide the title for me?

Or, if you know some other community that you would recommend for searching for a forgotten book title, I'm open to those suggestions as well.

Thanks in advance for your help, however much it may be. =)

[Delightful]

The spoon and the unicorn thing sounds familiar, but the only story it brings to mind is Graceling but that's definitely not right. Possibly I read them at the same time or something. I'll think about it.

[+Quitecontrary she/her]

I think you mean The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente.

[Delightful]

I think you mean The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente.

That's quite an impressive title you've got there.

[+Quitecontrary she/her]

That's quite an impressive title you've got there.

 

And that's probably the reason why Jerric forgot the title - if this is the book. 

[Delightful]

I mean, it's a nice extravagant attention-grabbing title, but it hardly rolls off the tongue. Especially 'circumnavigated.'

[Sir Jerric he/him]

Certainly an impressive title. I looked up the plot summary, and I am afraid that isn't the story I am looking for. The one I read did not run the real world to fairy transition trope, and the boat I mentioned was a river trip through the enchanted wood. The spoon was a hand-me-down from within the girl's village, and wasn't unique either, as I recall.

Edited July 5, 2014 by Sir Jerric

[+Quitecontrary she/her]

Now you pose a challenge. I guess when you said Spoon, that was the story that came to mind. It's like if you said Frying Pan, I would've gone with Wee Free Men.