Wuv, Twue Wuv

Published:  July 15th, 2003 (First published in 1973)

The Princess Bride

By: William Goldman

Ballantine Books

ISBN-13:  9780345418265

What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride.  But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better.  He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about?  Fencing.  Fighting.  True Love.  Strong Hate.  Harsh Revenge.  A Few Giants.  Lots of Bad Men.  Lots of Good Men.  Five or Six Beautiful Women.  Beasties Monstrous and Gentle.  Some Swell Escapes and Captures.  Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.

Review

       Is this a kissing book?  No, seriously speaking, I had never read the book version of this story  before.  I had obviously seen the movie more than a few times as a kid, and was enchanted by Buttercup, Westley, and the rest of the crew.  I have had this book sitting on my shelf for quite some time (at least a couple of years) and am participating in a Goodreads challenge to help clear my to-read list and bookshelves.  So I picked this one up, hoping to finally read it.  I was not at all disappointed with this book - I really enjoyed myself!  One thing that I think is a make-or-break for a lot of people are the interruptions by William Goldman, the man "abridging" the S. Morgenstern classic, and I know even the original parentheses by Morgenstern annoyed some people.  I loved that literary device and the asides in the parentheses about history/inventions/etc. made me laugh more than once.  I loved the idea of an author pretending to be abridging a favorite book from childhood, a story within a story.  And Bill Goldman's sense of humor is sharper than a tack.

       As for the story itself, it had more depth to it than the film, which is to be expected when dealing in books vs. films comparisons.  We get to read more about Buttercup and Westley on the farm, before he leaves to make his fortune.  I got to read about her journey to being the "most beautiful woman in the world" and I agree with other readers that she's not at all likeable in the book.  The warmth and facial expressions of Robin Wright saved the character in the film version.  Book Buttercup has no such luck and is pretty stupid when it comes down to it.  Not to mention that she treats Westley like manure, right until she's "in love" with him - then she expects him to love her back.  I used to think the whole "As you wish..." thing was romantic, but now I see just how unhealthy and built on horrible behavior their relationship really is.  Good thing this whole book is pretty much a satire of fairy tales, not a real representation of relationships!

       That said, I loved the details behind the stories of Fezzik, the gentle giant, and Inigo, the Wizard of fencing who plans to avenge his murdered father.  We get to read more about their backgrounds, how they come to work for Vizzini and how they become friends/rhyming buddies.  I liked the scene with Miracle Max and Valerie, but I do think that Billy Crystal's improvisations of the lines originally in the book lent a little more flavor to the character.  I love Goldman telling us that he left out about sixty pages of packing/unpacking and clothing descriptions.  His observations on things really did make this book for me.  The base story stays the same, with Buttercup being kidnapped by Vizzini, Inigo and Fezzik, who are each bested by the mysterious Man In Black, who then absconds with Buttercup himself.  What does the Dread Pirate Roberts have to do with all this and how will Prince Humperdinck react?  Will Buttercup and Westley find true love after all?  Will Inigo avenge his father's death?  Will there be a happily ever after?  The dialogue was pretty much exactly the same and I loved reading the differences between the film and book.  Overall, as a fan of the film, it was definitely worth reading.  I kind of recommend watching the film first, otherwise you might not really like Buttercup too much and I feel like that'd negatively impact your enjoyment of the overall story.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Favorite Quotes

-  "Inconceivable!"

"You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."

-  "Cynics are simply thwarted romantics."

-  "Who are you?"

"No one of consequence."

"I must know."

"Get used to disappointment."

-  "Fool!" cried the hunchback.  "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders.  The most famous is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia,' but only slightly less well known is this: 'Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.'

-  "The dweam of wuv wapped wiffin the gweater dweam of everwasting west.  Eternity is our fwiend, wemember that, and wuv wiw fowwow you fowever."

And, of course, this one:

-  "As you wish..."

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Published:  September 30th, 2010
Dust City
By: Robert Paul Weston
Razorbill
ISBN-13:  9781595142962

When your dad is the wolf who killed Little Red Riding Hood, life is no fairy tale.

Henry Whelp is a Big Bad Wolf.  Or will be, someday.  His dad is doing time for the double murder of Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother so everyone assumes crime is in Henry's blood.  For years, he's kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves on the outskirts of Dust City -- a gritty metropolis known for its black market, mind-altering dust.  And the entire population of foxes, ravens, and hominids are hooked.  But it's not just any dust the creatures of this grim underground are slinging and sniffing.  It's fairydust.

When a murder at the Home forces Henry to escape, he begins to suspect his Dad may have been framed.  With a daring she wolf named Fiona by his side, Henry travels into the dark alleyways and cavernous tunnels of Dust City.  There, he'll come face to snout with legendary mobster Skinner and his Water Nixie henchmen to discover what really happened to his father in the woods that infamous night...and the shocking truth about fairy dust.

Review

     In case you didn't get it by the bunches of other reviews on fairy tale infused books on this blog, I'm a bit of a nut for anything involving fairy tales or magic.   So when I saw this book on the shelf at my library, I was intrigued.  The concept of a retelling (in an urban setting, with humans "hominids" and animalia [ravens, foxes, wolves, etc.] as each others' antagonists, mind you) was interesting to say the least.  And Weston does manage to establish a world that is fairly easy for the reader to picture.  He has a great descriptive turn-of-phrase, that really brought things to life for me as a reader.  But there was some slightly annoying repetition of language, and overall stupid decisions, especially on the part of Henry Whelp.  I liked the integration of characters like Jack, the one friend Henry has at the reform school.  Jack is a mischief maker, and obviously some form of the kid from the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story.  The Detective who is always waiting for Henry to slip up (she also put away his Dad) is Detective White, aka Snow White.

      The main story of this book is a mystery of what happened to all the fairies in the land.  They disappeared years ago, and with them went the magic that kept people's lives on track - and their hopes up.  Another mystery interconnected with it is what really happened that night with Red Riding Hood and her Grandma.  Is Henry's father innocent?  Was he coerced by an influence he had no prayer of ever controlling or subverting?  Just what sinister plan do Skinner and his Water Nixies, not to mention the manufacturers of the new, improved "fairydust" have for the city's animalia?  Overall, it was an enjoyable read if you like noir and fairy tales, and don't mind the two being mixed together.  As I saw another reviewer point out, it was far more of a children's book than I'd have liked, in its overall simplicity and slightly too easy character arcs.  The ending is also somewhat loose and left me unsatisfied.  I did enjoy the idea presented, I just wish it would have been better executed.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Beauty So Sharp It Hurts

Published:  January 28th, 2014

Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe)

By: Rosamund Hodge

Balzar + Bray

ISBN-13:  9780062224736

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom - all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father.  And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate.  Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex.  Her plan?  Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected.  The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle - a shifting maze of magical rooms - enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him.  Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him?  With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Review

     Nyx has spent her entire life feeling like an outsider in her family.  Since birth, she's been promised to marry the Gentle Lord, a demon who took over the kingdom of Arcadia nine-hundred years ago, in exchange for him making it so her parents could conceive her and her twin sister.  Nyx loves her sister, but resents her, their aunt and their father for not trying to save her from the deal.  Instead, Nyx is trained to kill Ignifex and free them all from a life of being sealed off from the rest of the world.  On her seventeenth birthday they marry, and Nyx goes to live in Ignifex's castle.  Nothing is as easy as it seemed though, and Nyx finds herself sympathizing with her husband and wanting to understand him better.  In a castle that is little better than a winding maze, surrounded by servants with their own agendas (especially the mysterious Shade, who is a victim of Ignifex), with demons in closed off rooms, and Gods overseeing the whole mess as it unfolds, Nyx is soon confusingly happier than she has ever been.  Can she bring herself to kill Ignifex and free her people?  Or will she choose her own happy ending instead?  And what if there is a way to subvert the entire problem?

     Wow!  This book was definitely what I look for in a fairy tale retelling.  My favorite things in such a book are superior world building, relatable and developed characters, and a detailed plot.  This book has all of those things going for it!  After all, why read the same story, retold the same way each time?  There has to be something special to set it apart, especially something as overdone as Beauty and the Beast.  This ended up having elements of Greek Mythology, in the form of demons from Tartarus, the Gods playing with mortals, the enchanted castle of Beauty and the Beast, the many murdered wives of Bluebeard, and even some of the real world tradition of more ancient times.  It was definitely an interesting mix and I enjoyed seeing it all woven together, especially the thing with the hearts of the elements in the castle.  Also, the idea of destroying the castle and the Gentle Lord, along with the way it plays into the overall fate of Arcadia was masterful!  It definitely took a turn that I was NOT expecting at all near the end of the book!

     The characters definitely drew me in to the story, made me care about them, and get pissed off at them respectively.  I loved Nyx and totally sympathized with her.  She always felt like an outsider in her family, like none of them really wanted her.  And who could blame her, as she is basically raised to be expendable?  And she believes she was chosen to die because her sister looks more like their dead Mother.  Talk about hurting on the inside!  I also loved the fact that Ignifex strikes bargains with people.  The fact that he thinks that everyone who sees him deserves what they get tells you just how bitter, and removed from humanity he initially is at the start of the story.  It's a prime example of "be careful what you wish for."  The loopholes in people's wishes are used to twist their wishes around, and destroy them.  Nyx is horrified by this, but Ignifex is unapologetic.  The dialogue between the two is full of tension and underlying chemistry, and the snark is absolutely wonderful!  I definitely had some laugh out loud moments while reading this.  It's a little slow going at first, but once the action starts, the story moves really fast.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one and I highly recommend it to fans of fairy tales, original or retold.  Probably my biggest confusion was with the magic-ish Hermetic Arts, which Nyx was supposed to use to kill Ignifex.  I won't say anymore, because I don't want to spoil the plot twists that happen near the end.  But fans of happy endings don't despair.  Rosamund Hodge gives you a decisively happy ending to this story! :D

VERDICT:  4.5/5 Stars

*I received this book from Balzar + Bray, on Edelweiss.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published on January 28th, 2014.*

Things Are Not What They Appear

 

Published:  May 14th, 2013

The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1)

By: Soman Chainani

HarperCollins

ISBN-13:  9780062104892

 

“The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.”

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

 

Review

 

     Sophie and Agatha aren't really even friends.  Sophie has taken Agatha on as her charity case, a good deed to make herself look better.  Because Sophie is expecting to be kidnapped by the schoolmaster, for the mysterious School for Good.  Agatha doesn't believe that the schoolmaster really exists or the School for Good and it's brother, the School for Evil.  Until they both get taken away that is.  And even more shocking, Agatha is sent to Good and Sophie is sent to Evil!  Trying to figure out what went wrong, Sophie hates Agatha for betraying her and does everything she can to scheme her way into School for Good.  But Agatha begins to wonder if she doesn't really belong at Good and if things are always as easy as what they appear to be.  Can the girls figure out who they are, their places in each other's lives and manage to not entirely destroy the structure of fairy tales in the process?

     I really enjoyed the concept of this book.  Two separate schools, one for good and one for evil, that train the heroes and villains from fairy tales.  Two girls, one inherently good and one with great capacity for evil.  But which one is which?  I liked the focus on friendship, but at the same time I felt like there wasn't much of a friendship to base things on.  Sophie is using Agatha, and she knows it.  So it felt really messed up when Agatha refused to let go of Sophie and insisted on acting like her friend, even when Sophie completely blames her for them being at the "wrong" schools.  And when the Prince starts paying attention to Agatha, all Hell breaks loose.  I guess in a classic fairy tale sense, it does seem like the right plot twist to have Agatha refuse to let go of the 'friendship' (due to her goodness and purity of spirit, etc.),.  It definitely doesn't make the characters much more than one-dimensional though or give them real room to grow out of their stereotypes. 

     The respective schools are full of the normal witches, hunchbacks, princes, princesses and lackeys of both good and evil persuasions.  We get to know witches in training, Anadil and Hester, and on the other side Prince Tedros, who Sophie becomes obsessed with.  There are others, but none that really distinguished themselves.  My main complaint about this book would be that it takes a really long time for anything to actually happen.  Once stuff does start happening, I feel like the author rushes through it sloppily.  At almost five hundred pages long, it definitely could have been paced better and Sophie's complete descent into evil could have taken longer and been more realistically written.  She goes from being somewhat stupid, airheaded and obsessed with manipulating her way into Good, to an evil mastermind and the most powerful witch ever.  Even the teachers are terrified of her!  The ending was abrupt and the simplicity of the characters, holes in the plot and overall youngness of a lot of it make this an awkward splice of YA and Middle Grade.  Overall I enjoyed myself, and I'm not going to say much more because I don't want to spoil it.  There were some issues with it though and I do think it's more appropriate for middle school and early high school readers than older teens and adults. 

 

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

 



**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

In A Land Far, Far Away

Published:  June 11th, 2013

Far, Far Away

By: Tom McNeal

Knopf Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13:  9780375849725

It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since.

After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm.

Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion.

And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings...

Review

 

     Jeremy Johnson Johnson lives in the small town of Never Better.  But things have definitely been better for him, with only his agoraphobic Dad left to take care of him and a Mom that ran off years ago.  Oh, and there's also the fact that he can hear ghosts.  Jeremy's constant companion is Jacob Grimm, one of the famous Brothers Grimm, who didn't pass on when he died.  Instead he's spent all the time since then looking for his brother Wilhelm.  But there is evil lurking in the town of Never Better, the kind only thought to exist in fairy tales.  With the help of Ginger, the girl Jeremy likes, and Jacob Grimm, can Jeremy find a way to defeat evil, win the money to save his family's bookstore and their house - all while staying alive?

     As a bit of a slow starter, I wasn't really all that invested in things at first.  I felt like it took forever for anything to actually happen.  But when it did, it was definitely an interesting ride!  I do like the narrator being Jacob Grimm.  It gave the story an interesting, somewhat outside perspective from Jeremy, Ginger and the other main characters of the novel.  That said, when a story isn't being told in a first person perspective of the main character (for whom you're supposed to be feeling everything and getting attached to) or in third-person omniscient (which allows you to get the emotions in many characters heads, with an overall deeper view) it can cause a serious disconnect from the outcome of what will happen to the characters in the end.  And unfortunately I felt that to a pretty large extent while reading this book.  One of the things that saved it for me was probably that I kept hearing Jim Dale's voice in my head when Grimm was narrating.  The whole quirky, small town with secrets thing drew a Pushing Daisies comparison - in a really awesome way!

     Jeremy to me was the basic, run of the mill, everyman or the stock orphan character.  I did like the fact that he could talk to ghosts and further into the novel I did feel like I got to know him better.  But I still feel like he was a pretty bland character in general.  Ginger was more interesting, because she made her own fun, pulling pranks and overall running amuck through the town.  She reminded me more of a normal teen than Jeremy but she was still fairly clichéd as a character type.  I would say just for lack of character depth or development that this book belongs as a middle grade novel.  But the main plot and the identity of the evil person in Never Better alone make this far too dark to be middle grade.  It definitely falls into YA territory when it comes to that!  All I will say is that while the MCs are starving to death in a hidden room of the person's house, I was still getting over their identity.  Looking back there was foreshadowing, but I kind of passed right over it.  That twist is what made this that much more like a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

     Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.  I liked what McNeal tried to do with the concept and I feel like he succeeded pretty well.  I can even get past the detached narration, because it makes sense when you think of Jacob Grimm being the ultimate storyteller who is detached himself.  At least until the very end, when he realizes what Jeremy means to him personally and his own journey.  Recommended for younger teens, late middle school or early high school aged.  Or anyone who just likes twisted fairy tales for that matter!

 

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

 



**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Never Happily Ever After

 

Expected Publication:  October 6th, 2009

Fables: The Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 (Fables Deluxe Editions #1)

By: Bill Willingham

Vertigo

ISBN-13:  9781401224271

 

 

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile.

Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters created their own secret society-within an exclusive luxury apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side-called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Bigby, Fabletown's sheriff, and a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to determine if the culprit is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.

 

 

Review

 

     Snow White is the Deputy Mayor of Fabletown, a community made up of the fairy tale creatures and people, who were driven into our world from their own by a great, destructive evil force (the Adversary).  Not all of the Fables are happy with this arrangement and its up to Snow White and Old King Cole (mayor) to keep the peace, whatever that entails.  But when it appears that her wild younger sister Rose Red may have been murdered, Snow will do anything to find out what really happened.  When it leads to some unexpected answers, what will Snow do with the truth?  Also, can she prevent a rather violent uprising of Fables out on the farm, where they keep their less townspeople?  Can everyone make it out of the situation alive, or will someone have to pay the price?  This was definitely up my alley from the start.  A graphic novel retelling of fairy tales, fables and folklore?  Count me in!  The artwork was wonderfully detailed and very dark, which made it more interesting than the average bubblegum fairy tale comics, etc.  I liked the complexities of the relationship between Snow and her sister, Red.  There was general feeling of an old film noir during the first story arc, and Bigby Wolf acting as detective for the fables was an interesting twist on perspectives of good vs. evil.  The second story arc, with rebellion on the farm, was very much like Animal Farm by George Orwell (the book it was modeled after).  The politics and usage of Goldilocks' relationship with the three bears was kind of disgusting, but a well drawn plot device.  The plots weren't necessarily unpredictable, but I very much enjoyed them all the same.   Highly recommended to fans of fairy tales, myths, legends and fables who don't mind a little bit of mature content.

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Will You Be The Next Wife Of The Dude Who's Not Henry VIII?

Expected Publication: March 12th, 2013

Strands of Bronze and Gold (Strands of Bronze and Gold # 1)

By: Jane Nickerson

Random House Children's Books

ISBN-13: 9780307975980

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Review

     Sophia Petheram's beloved Father has just died, leaving her and her siblings on the verge of destitution.  She receives an invitation to live with her mysterious Godfather, Bernard de Cressac, who lives in splendor on a plantation in Mississippi.  Once she's there, Sophie is enchanted by the beautiful gifts, and undivided attention that she receives.  But there are dark mysteries at the plantation as well, such as what really happened to Bernard's five dead wives.  And why is the ruined chapel kept locked, with no one allowed to enter into it?  Not too soon after arriving, Sophie realizes that Bernard is practically holding her prisoner, not allowing her out of the house to meet anyone but the servants, and holding back letters from her when it suits him to do so.  Almost overnight Bernard's demeanor changes to that of a jealous lover and Sophie is left to wonder if she will ever make it home again.  Will she be the next to die?  Never having read the original story of Bluebeard, this is the second retelling that I have put my hands and eyes upon.  I liked Sophie's snarky, yet sweet personality.  Her curious nature endeared her to me, because she refused to just blindly accept whatever Bernard told her and what everyone else wanted her to do.  The gradual descent into total isolation, dependence and abusive behavior is chilling in  just how believable it is written.  The depiction of the slaves and the treatment of them is unfortunate, but more than likely true in most cases of 19th century slavery.  Sophie's attitudes were great, but I echo similar sentiments to other readers that sometimes the slaves just seemed like plot devices and extra bodies for Sophie to meet/converse with.  Her relationship with the Reverend was intriguing and the developing of feelings for him was sweet and very old fashioned - in other words, tonally perfect for the novel.  The climax of the novel chilled my blood and was definitely gruesome enough to fit what little I know of the original tale.    One of my few complaints is the clinical nature the last few pages of the book took on, kind of 'where are they now' type of thing to try and tie up loose ends.  Overall, an interesting retelling and definitely one of the better offerings of recent YA fairy tale re-tellings.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is March 12th, 2013.*

Let Down Your Hair...

Expected Publication: February 12th, 2013

Rapunzel Untangled

By: Cindy C. Bennett

Cedar Fort, Inc.

ISBN-13: 9781462111565

Rapunzel is not your average teenager. 

For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is. 

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.

*SPOILER ALERT!*

Review

     Rapunzel is just a normal teenage girl.  If you ignore the fact that she's never left her house, lives locked in a tower, has hair fifteen feet long and her Mother thinks she will save the world someday.  But Gothel has also told Rapunzel that she has SCID - Severe Combined Immunodeficiency disorder which means that she will probably die if she goes outside the house.  Only supposed to use the computer for schoolwork, Rapunzel follows the rules to the letter until one day she stumbles onto Facebook and befriends a boy from the local high school.  When Fane begins to communicate with her, Rapunzel starts to realize just how much she's really been missing from the world outside.  As she questions the real reasons for why she's locked up and what the truth about her family is, Rapunzel gathers strength in realizing that she can have everything she's ever  wanted - if she can only break free!   Will Rapunzel be able to survive when the chilling truth is revealed?  This was an interesting concept - a modern retelling of Rapunzel, using Facebook as the outlet into the real world that introduces her to her 'prince' and liberates her.  I really enjoyed the fact that Rapunzel is not written as a stupid character, in an attempt to portray innocence.  The author showcases instead the naivness that her isolation has ingrained into her whole personality.  Fane was a fun, class clown type of guy and I was glad that he and Rapunzel's relationship was done so sweetly.  If he had been the least bit 'mature' about the situation in the typical ways, it would have turned creepy pretty fast.  Romantic moments between them were innocent, which was a a refreshing change, with how fast a lot of the YA book romances move nowadays.  The idea that Gothel is a deranged occultist was definitely not something I'd ever seen before (the immortality obsession in Tangled probably comes the closest).  The eventual showdown between Rapnuzel, Gothel and the cult leader felt more than a little over-dramatic and bordering on fantasy (which was a stark, obvious change from the rest of the book's realism).  Other than that hiccup in the inherent genre and pacing of the book, it was extremely well written.  My only other complaint would be the complete lack of resolution over the kidnapping with Rapunzel's real parents.  I was smiling almost the entire time I was reading and it was finished in almost one sitting.  I couldn't put it down.  Overall, this book was worth reading and fresh in the re-telling side of the fairy tale genre that keeps getting beaten like a dead horse.  At least this corpse was a horse of a different color.  I would recommend it to people like me who are huge fairy tale fans, but don't mind the modern age colliding with the classic tales.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is February 12th, 2013.*

You're Not MY Snow White...

Published: December 11th, 2012
Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem
By: Melissa Lemon
Cedar Fort, Inc.
ISBN-13: 9781462111459

Stuck in her family's apple orchards, Kat's got plenty of work to do and only pesky Jeremy to help. But when Jeremy convinces her to run away, Kat will discover that nothing---and no one---in her life is quite what it seems. Wonderfully reimagined, this is the magical tale of Snow White as you've never read it before!

Review

     One thing that I hate more than ANYTHING is a misleading synopsis.  It's a good thing that I didn't read this one before I read the book, because it is totally misleading!  Katiyana is the Princess of Mayhem, but she has grown up in hiding at her Great-Uncle Barney's apple orchard, with no knowledge of her identity, or the fact that her Mother tried to have her killed before her Father saved her (and died in the process).  But Barney went blind when Kat became a teenager and with that blindness came anger, alcohol and violence.  Now the only person that Kat can rely on is the hired hand, Jeremy Simkins, who is rejected by everyone but her because of his family name.  When he convinces her to run away until he can marry her, Kat is taken in by seven dwarves, who come to love her.  But the Queen's magic mirror (which has a real person trapped inside) slips up and the Queen learns Kat is alive.  Will he be able to find a way to warn Kat of the Queen's evil plan to get rid of her once and for all?  And is the assassin sent by the Queen really all that he seems?  This was definitely different from any other Snow White re-telling that I've personally read!  I did like that the story was told from the magic mirror's point of view, and his connection to Kat was an interesting turn.  But Lemon didn't use that device to the fullest.  The mirror never really describes anything for us, but just gives us the barest insights into Kat's feelings and actions.  It's annoying and somewhat boring to read basics.  One of my favorite characters was Pokole, the dwarf, but really even he was two-dimensional as a character.  The romance with Jeremy was flat and the almost romance with the assassin (who has a secret identity) was so barely there, it isn't even really worth acknowledging.  The ending has a few great plot twists and reveals, but I felt like the so-called 'battle' with the Queen was too anti-climactic and very disappointing.  Overall, the twists at the end are the only thing saving this book for me as a reader, at all.  One thing I will say, is that for such a mediocre book the cover is beautiful.

VERDICT:  2.25/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published on December 11th, 2012.*

Princesses Dancing In a Row

Expected Publication:  December 11th, 2012

Princess of the Silver Woods (Princess # 3)

By: Jessica Day George

Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

ISBN-13:  9781599906461

When Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist. Wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens who have entered their territory. But the bandit-wolves prove more rakishly handsome than truly dangerous, and it's not until Petunia reaches her destination that she realizes the kindly grandmother she has been summoned to visit is really an enemy bent on restoring an age-old curse. 

The stories of Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood get a twist as Petunia and her many sisters take on bandits, grannies, and the new King Under Stone to end their family curse once and for all.

Review

     Petunia is the youngest of the twelve daughters of King Gregor of Westfalin.  As such she is being smothered by her family, who insist upon overprotecting her after the nightmare with the King Under-Stone and the dancing shoes.  But that has been over for years and Petunia is ready for her chance at adventure, romance and excitement.  She gets her wish, when on her way to visit an elderly Duchess she met in the Russakan court, Petunia is waylaid by notorious highwaymen.  They are known as the Wolves of Westfalin and refuse to leave without jewels, money and anything of value.  The wolves are led by Oliver, the much beleaguered son of an Earl, whose fortunes were lost when the Andalusian War ended and his family's lands were divided/given away to foreign nobility.  Now to keep his family and his people alive, Oliver leads a band of thieves.  Sparks fly and Oliver finds himself unable to let Petunia go when the opportunity arises - especially when it appears that the new King Under-Stone and his Prince brothers have found a way to haunt the dreams of their prospective brides.  Looking for a way to come into the real world once and for all, it's up to Petunia, her sisters, their husbands and Oliver to prevent this from happening.  Can they work together to keep themselves free from the darkness of the Kingdom Under-Stone?

     I have read the other two books in the series (each one centered around an older sister - Rose and Poppy) Princess of the Midnight Ball and Princess of Glass.  They were pretty good and I didn't mind the fact that there was a sequel.  This one was unnecessary to the series.  Yes, it resolved things with an actual sense of finality, but at the same time a lot of parts left me extremely bored.  I felt like Jessica tried to cram in too many scenes, where-are-they-nows, and asides with previous characters.  That didn't leave much room for character building Petunia or Oliver, who are supposed to be the main characters.  Just as much time was spent split between Rose & Galen's and Poppy & Christians' relationships.  I was annoyed at how well Petunia took being robbed at gunpoint while on the road in her carriage.  She's tough, but I think she would have been at least a little freaked out.  Also, Petunia and everyone else's emphasis on the Nine Daughters of Russaka thing made me want to bang my head against the wall after the first couple of times.  It was unnecessary and quite frankly somewhat insulting to shove it in my face like I was too stupid to figure out the connection.  That sort of things makes me murderous as a reader.  The whole thing with the King Under-Stone and the Princes just felt like the same old stuff rehashed for a new book.  Not very thrilling and the ending was very predictable and cliched.  Overall, a very mediocre and disappointing end to what started out   as a decent series.  

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book 's expected publication date is December 11th, 2012.*

The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories # 1) by: Chris Colfer

Published: July 17th, 2012

The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories # 1)

Written By: Chris Colfer, Illustrated by: Brandon Dorman

Little, Brown Young Readers

ISBN-13:  9780316201575

Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairytales.

The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

Review

   Twins Alex and Conner Bailey are having a rough time since they lost their Dad.  As much as they're trying to do their best, Conner is falling asleep in class and getting in trouble and Alex is retreating even further into herself and her books.  When their Mom has to work on their twelfth birthday, their Grandma comes to stay the night with them and celebrate.  She brings their childhood storybook, The Land of Stories, with her to give to them as a present.  Alex is especially excited, until the book starts reacting weirdly to her.  Determined to explain it through science, Alex begins investigating.  But when Conner confronts her and they both  fall INTO the book, they have bigger problems than who was right or wrong.  Such as the fact that magic is real in this world and so are fairy tales.  But things aren't like our world thinks they are and the twins have to deal with homicidal witches, gangs of wolves and a Frog-man who may be hiding something important.  And when their only way home might be something called the Wishing Spell, Alex and Conner must race to beat the Evil Queen to the ingredients so they can return home.  Will they be stuck in the Land of Stories for good, or will they make it back to their Mom?  Are the twins connected to the magical world even more than they know?  And why does the Evil Queen need the wishing spell?  This was definitely an interesting book.  I didn't even realize until I read the author bio that it was written by the guy who is Kurt on Glee.  I just picked it up because of the major fairy tale elements involved in it.  Goldilocks is a fugitive, Red Riding Hood is vain nitwit whose Grandma runs her kingdom which is being terrorized by a vicious pack of wolves, there are three King Charmings (brothers) and Snow White's stepmother, the Evil Queen, has escaped from the dungeon.  Oh yeah, and there's a frog-man who used to be a Prince! :)  I thought it was fun that Colfer explained the multiple Prince Charmings (Snow White's, Sleeping Beauty's, and Cinderella's) as being brothers.  The hardships the characters faced after their happily ever afters are spotlighted and it makes them more realistic as characters, more fleshed out than in the original stories.  I absolutely fell in love with the Evil Queen's backstory and thought it was wonderful!  I liked the quest the twins went on and thought the plot was well-paced and had a good, cohesive beginning and ending.  Alex is a smart, bookworm know it all, whose starstruck emotions at seeing the fairy tale characters I could identify with.  Conner is a sarcastic, wisecracking kid who is insecure about his lack of book-smarts, but knows a lot more common sense then his sister.  They were very well-drawn characters for such a short book.  The twist that connected Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood and Jack (from the Jack & the Beanstalk story) was absolute genius.  But this book was very middle grade, which means that it was quite below my reading level and not my normal reading material.  I liked it, but it was overly simplistic at certain points and it did just make me a little more ambivalent than I might have been.  The family revelation that the twins discovered wasn't completely unexpected, but it was well written.  I am curious to read the next book in the series and I truly enjoyed this one very much.  I would recommend it to readers who love fairy tales and don't mind reading middle-grade fiction.

VERDICT:  3.95/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review.   This book became available for purchase on July 17th, 2012.*

Enchanted To Know You

Published: May 8th, 2012
Enchanted
By: Alethea Kontis
Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN-13: 9780547645704

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

Review

   Sunday Woodcutter is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.  But she feels alone and ignored as the youngest in a large family.  Sunday loves writing and telling stories, but even that becomes dangerous when it's apparent that she has the power to make them come true.  Then she meets an obviously enchanted frog who wants to hear all her stories and know all about her for a change.  They build a friendship and one night after Sunday kisses him, the frog becomes Prince Rumbold once more.  Too bad he's the Prince that her family blames for the loss of her older brother Jack.  Sunday is missing her friend the frog and wondering what happened to him, when all of the sudden Prince Rumbold, who has been missing for months, appears and states that he will be throwing a few balls to find a bride.  All the young ladies in the kingdom are invited.  But will he be able to win Sunday's heart now that he's a man again?  What is the mystery about the King and Godmother Sorrow, with such a sinister feeling?  And did Jack really die or is he out there somewhere?  Most of all, will they have a happily ever after?  This book was something that I expected to be a straight re-telling of The Frog Prince - boy was I ever in for a surprise!  This book had bits and pieces of that story, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, and probably one or two I didn't even pick up on.  It made the story slightly wacky, but definitely all the more interesting.  I never truly knew what was going to happen.  Sunday was slightly disconnected from me as a reader, but I found myself loving the plot and her sisters so much that I didn't even care.  The warring Godmothers were a nice touch and the twist about Sunday's Mother and her connection to them was unexpected to say the least.  I really enjoyed this book and all of it's magical twists and turns.  The romance between Sunday and Rumbold was sweet and light-hearted, even with the familial mis-understandings and tension.  The sub-plot with Wednesday and the King was creepy enough to send shivers up my spine and totally fairy tale, through and through.  The ending was cute and overall about what I'd expected.  I would recommend this book to fans of fairy tales, who would like to read something a little off the beaten path.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

Your Black Magic Is Off Target

Published: February 14th, 2012
Bewitching
By: Alex Flinn
HarperTeen
ISBN-13: 9780062024145


Kendra Hilferty, the witch who curses Kyle Kingsbury in Beastly, tells about her immortal existence-how she discovered she was a witch and the various ways she has used her powers to help people throughout the centuries. (Unfortunately her attempts have often backfired.) As it turns out, Kendra has actually had a hand in "Hansel and Gretel," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Little Mermaid"-but these are not the fairy tales you think you know! Kendra's reminiscences are wrapped around a real-time version of "Cinderella," except the "ugly" stepsister is the good guy. With dark twists, hilarious turns, and unexpected endings, Bewitching is a contemporary read for fairy-tale lovers, fantasy fans, and anyone looking for more Alex Flinn.

Review

   Kendra Hilferty has been around for a long time - so long that she lost her family to the Plague.  But she never died because she's a wtich, destined to live forever unless she's killed.  Kendra has been involved in many mishaps over the years, including some pretty famous ones.  She had a hand in the real events behind the stories of 'Hansel and Gretel', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Princess and the Pea' and of course, 'Beauty and the Beast.'  But nothing ever works out right and people only end up angry with Kendra.  So she's taking special care with her next project, the true Cinderella story of two stepsisters Lisette and Emma (but the 'ugly' stepsister is actually the good one).  Will she help or hurt Emma's chances of a happy ending?  And can Kendra find a happy ending for herself finally?  I was excited about this book because I really wanted to know more about Kendra.  I really love Alex Flinn's other books, so I thought this was a sure bet.  But I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.  Probably because the majority of the book is focused on Lisette and Emma's story.  Even though Kendra's involved, I felt like I was shortchanged.  This book could have been way more about Kendra and her previous fairy tale adventures.  Instead I got a story that I didn't sign up for and that was honestly pretty boring.  The parts set in Kendra's past had me laughing and interested.  But I felt like I was cheated.  I only recommend this one if you're a hardcore Alex Flinn fan and you don't go in expecting lots of time spent on Kendra.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.* 

Into The Woods, Toward the Creepy Ice Palace

Published: Spetember 27th, 2011
Breadcrumbs
Written By: Anne Ursu, Illustrations by: Erin Mcguire
HarperCollinsPublishers / Walden Pond Press
ISBN-13: 9780062015051


Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else.

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

Review

   Hazel's life is not what it used to be.  She used to go to a liberal private school where the students calle teachers by their first names, her parents were happily married and she had a great best friend named Jack.  Now Hazel's parents are getting divorced, her Dad has seemingly no interest in her at all, she's stuck in public school where all the kids hate her and they don't have money for ballet lessons that Hazel wants.  The one thing she really has left is her friendship with Jack.  Together they imagine fantasctic worlds filled with magic, dragons, knights, superheroes and villains.  One day at school a piece of glass from a magic mirror (broken by a crazy imp) gets into Jack's eye.  It magnifies all that's wrong with the world and begins to destroy his friendship with Hazel.  Then a woman who is a lot like The Snow Queen from the fairy tale convinces Jack to return with her to a Palace of Ice, that's far away.  Hazel knows something is wrong with Jack, but everyone around her tries to tell her that he decided girls and boys just couldn't be friends.  When she finds out what really happened, Hazel will embark on an odyssey through strange, dangerous and magical lands to retrieve Jack from the icy, numb world he's trapped in.  Will Hazel make it to Jack or will she fall to harm by the evil surrounding her?  And will she be able to rescue Jack from the cynical view of the mirror once she reaches him?  More of a middle-school age kid or children's book, this was still compelling stuff.  I read most of it in one sitting, because even though I felt detached from the characters themselvers the plot never stagnated.  It kept moving in a way that was interesting and the illustrations were not overused, complementing the written words.  The illustrator of this book has a supreme talent, but some may not like her cartoonish style of drawing (I loved it personally).  The way the original tale of "The Snow Queen" was woven into the plot worked very well.  A couple other fairy tales were alluded to as well, most obviously "The Little Match Girl."  I loved the way Hazel took charge of changing the girl's destiny herself.  This was a good book but fell short for me, most likely because of my age and more mature perspective.  A lot of children under the age of 13 will fall head over heels for this one.  As for adults, it's worth the read.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

* No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*