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An atmosphere that draws you in (2 more)
Beautiful prose
Interconnected short stories
Fairy tales for grown ups
This collection of short stories is set on the island of Neverness. All of the stories are interconnected and characters reoccur as adults after they were in a story as children. We see how an experience in one story then becomes a cautionary tale or a fairytale in another. I loved the atmosphere in this book: menacing, dreamlike, happy, sad - like a fairytale really.
The language used was really very poetic. If you're attracted to this as a Fantasy reader, the language is weighted more on the 'Literary Fiction' side. I like both, and this didn't even occur to me until I read another review on Goodreads! There are plenty of Fantasy writers out there whose prose can be lyrical!
I also liked how the beginning and the end of the book were connected. Very clever, original writing, this is a short story collection that didn't feel to me as though they were short stories. Well worth a read!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this gorgeous book!
The language used was really very poetic. If you're attracted to this as a Fantasy reader, the language is weighted more on the 'Literary Fiction' side. I like both, and this didn't even occur to me until I read another review on Goodreads! There are plenty of Fantasy writers out there whose prose can be lyrical!
I also liked how the beginning and the end of the book were connected. Very clever, original writing, this is a short story collection that didn't feel to me as though they were short stories. Well worth a read!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this gorgeous book!
David McK (3175 KP) rated Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) in Movies
Dec 31, 2019
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall … "
A reworking of the Snow White fairytale, with Kristen Stewart taking the lead role and Chris Hemsworth taking time out from his Thor duties to portray the part of the Huntsman ordered to capture her and bring her back to the evil Queen (here portrayed by Charlize Theron) before instead becoming her protector.
And, yes, there are seven dwarves in this, although Snow White does not live with them at any stage nor are they given names such as Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy, etc ...
A reworking of the Snow White fairytale, with Kristen Stewart taking the lead role and Chris Hemsworth taking time out from his Thor duties to portray the part of the Huntsman ordered to capture her and bring her back to the evil Queen (here portrayed by Charlize Theron) before instead becoming her protector.
And, yes, there are seven dwarves in this, although Snow White does not live with them at any stage nor are they given names such as Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy, etc ...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Beguiled (The Fairest Maidens, #2) in Books
Feb 23, 2021
What a fantastic book!
I Loved Jody Hedlund's take on this classic fairytale. It was beautifully done, and really was not that similar to the original story which I enjoyed as the original is not my favorite. Both main characters were detailed and well laid out, with fun and interesting twists that kept me engaged. Highly recommend read this one if you like stories of love, hope, and finding who you are.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
I Loved Jody Hedlund's take on this classic fairytale. It was beautifully done, and really was not that similar to the original story which I enjoyed as the original is not my favorite. Both main characters were detailed and well laid out, with fun and interesting twists that kept me engaged. Highly recommend read this one if you like stories of love, hope, and finding who you are.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated To Kill a Kingdom in Books
Feb 13, 2019
I really didn't know what to expect from this one but everyone I know all agreed it was good and while a fairytale retelling it was still unique enough that it felt like it's own story. and I have to agree 100%. The characters were all great but my favorite by far was Lira the main character.
The plot was fun and the writing was great I honestly did not want to put this down, my favorite thing by far was there was no instalove and each character grew but still stayed on the darker side.
The plot was fun and the writing was great I honestly did not want to put this down, my favorite thing by far was there was no instalove and each character grew but still stayed on the darker side.
Re-Read Update:
I am in love with this series, all over again. I have been wanting to re-read this series for a while and my recent-ish read of Wires and Nerve reignited my love of this series. It had been a while since I was in the world and I had forgotten how much I loved these books.
I love fairytales and Marissa Meyer’s retellings of the classic tales we’ve all grown up with are fantastic. She turns the mousey girl from the original fairytale into a relatable character that we fall in love with. Cinderella is not one of my favourite fairytales because I prefer my heroines to have a little more spunk and backbone, but Cinder is just perfect.
Kai is one of those characters that is just so good. He is incredibly kind to Cinder, even when he believes that she is just a mechanic with a grease mark on her forehead, despite his station in life generally lending itself to an air of superiority. Prince Kai only wants what is best for his people and the Commonwealth, willing to sacrifice himself for their well-being if need be. He is definitely one of my favourite male characters, although if I’m being honest I probably have a lot of those.
Most importantly, we meet Iko the droid with the faulty personality chip that we couldn’t fall in love with more. Her loyalty and pure desire to just be a person are heartwarming. (And also sad, because she is a droid and not treated like a person by anyone but Cinder.)
We don’t see much of the world that Cinder lives in beyond New Beijing aside from small, throwaway comments. The world building that is done though is vivid and allows the reader to see the city grow in their mind. As this is a re-read, I am also aware that the world building is expanded extensively over the course of the novels and can understand the more rudimentary foundation being laid here.
I appreciated the effortless melding of elements from the classic fairytale into this unique science fiction world. It is wonderfully done and the story is well written. I would highly recommend this series to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fairytale retellings, science fiction, and intricate, interconnected stories.
_
This is one of the books that I saw on display at my local library and completely judged the book by its cover. I didn't know what it was about, but it looked interesting and I put it on my mental TBR list. Many years later, I have finally gotten a chance to read it (and the rest of the series.) This book was completely worth the wait. As a fan of fairytale retellings, like Beastly by Alex Flinn, I had high hopes for this book. It gave the reader wonderful little homages to the classic fairytale while weaving the story through a world and characters all its own.
The world building in this novel, while not expansive was wonderfully done. As a reader, I could imagine Cinder meandering down the dingy, packed streets of New Beijing while Kai fretted over his father in the ornate, sprawling palace. There were a number of important characters and none of them were overlooked. You were able to learn about their personalities, histories, or relationships in a way that gave each depth.
Recommended for anyone who liked YA, romance, fairytales, sci-fi, or good books.
I am in love with this series, all over again. I have been wanting to re-read this series for a while and my recent-ish read of Wires and Nerve reignited my love of this series. It had been a while since I was in the world and I had forgotten how much I loved these books.
I love fairytales and Marissa Meyer’s retellings of the classic tales we’ve all grown up with are fantastic. She turns the mousey girl from the original fairytale into a relatable character that we fall in love with. Cinderella is not one of my favourite fairytales because I prefer my heroines to have a little more spunk and backbone, but Cinder is just perfect.
Kai is one of those characters that is just so good. He is incredibly kind to Cinder, even when he believes that she is just a mechanic with a grease mark on her forehead, despite his station in life generally lending itself to an air of superiority. Prince Kai only wants what is best for his people and the Commonwealth, willing to sacrifice himself for their well-being if need be. He is definitely one of my favourite male characters, although if I’m being honest I probably have a lot of those.
Most importantly, we meet Iko the droid with the faulty personality chip that we couldn’t fall in love with more. Her loyalty and pure desire to just be a person are heartwarming. (And also sad, because she is a droid and not treated like a person by anyone but Cinder.)
We don’t see much of the world that Cinder lives in beyond New Beijing aside from small, throwaway comments. The world building that is done though is vivid and allows the reader to see the city grow in their mind. As this is a re-read, I am also aware that the world building is expanded extensively over the course of the novels and can understand the more rudimentary foundation being laid here.
I appreciated the effortless melding of elements from the classic fairytale into this unique science fiction world. It is wonderfully done and the story is well written. I would highly recommend this series to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fairytale retellings, science fiction, and intricate, interconnected stories.
_
This is one of the books that I saw on display at my local library and completely judged the book by its cover. I didn't know what it was about, but it looked interesting and I put it on my mental TBR list. Many years later, I have finally gotten a chance to read it (and the rest of the series.) This book was completely worth the wait. As a fan of fairytale retellings, like Beastly by Alex Flinn, I had high hopes for this book. It gave the reader wonderful little homages to the classic fairytale while weaving the story through a world and characters all its own.
The world building in this novel, while not expansive was wonderfully done. As a reader, I could imagine Cinder meandering down the dingy, packed streets of New Beijing while Kai fretted over his father in the ornate, sprawling palace. There were a number of important characters and none of them were overlooked. You were able to learn about their personalities, histories, or relationships in a way that gave each depth.
Recommended for anyone who liked YA, romance, fairytales, sci-fi, or good books.
Merissa (11612 KP) rated Mist on Water in Books
Apr 18, 2023
This is a fairy tale going back to the ways of old - there are layers of meaning with this tale and not a Disney princess in sight! Reading this story, I am immediately reminded of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen - Fairy Tale Tellers Extraordinaire who seemed to specialise in tales with a twist, a darker kind of fairytale, the kind that gave you shivers as you huddled beneath your blankets as your parent read your bedtime story.
This book is split into three different sections - Ryne, the Nix and Nari. Ryne is our young hero whose whole life has been affected by tales of the Nix, although he has yet to see any proof that she exists. The nix is the villain of the piece that I actually felt sympathy for. Yes, she was evil and twisted but there were reasons for that, which just about broke my heart! Nari is our spitfire heroine, not content to sit back and be rescued, she is the one doing the rescuing.
Well written and with a smooth plot and timeline, this is a new 'old' fairytale that I thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 8, 2015
This book is split into three different sections - Ryne, the Nix and Nari. Ryne is our young hero whose whole life has been affected by tales of the Nix, although he has yet to see any proof that she exists. The nix is the villain of the piece that I actually felt sympathy for. Yes, she was evil and twisted but there were reasons for that, which just about broke my heart! Nari is our spitfire heroine, not content to sit back and be rescued, she is the one doing the rescuing.
Well written and with a smooth plot and timeline, this is a new 'old' fairytale that I thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 8, 2015
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dawning Ascent ( The Pearson Prophecy book 1) in Books
Oct 24, 2022
196 of 230
Kindle
Dawning Ascent ( The Pearson Prophecy book 1)
By Jen L. Grey
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Power comes with a price.
Treated like an outcast in her own kingdom, Ariah learned to live in the shadows. But as she comes into her powers, she catches the eye of her life long crush and an unlikely ally. Trusting either of them could help her along a dangerous journey... or could bring her journey to a dangerous end.
When enemies come to light and distrust spreads, Ariah's safety is put in jeopardy. If she places her trust in the wrong people, her hidden powers will be unveiled to those who wish to use them against her.
To survive, Ariah must learn who has her best interests at heart. If she chooses wrong, it could mean not only her own death, but the crumbling of the entire country.
I did enjoy this book it had a good premise and the characters were easy to get along with. My one issue was this, the world building suggested it was very fairytale kingdom without modern technology etc which was great! But the author then throws in a coffee machine and a shower yet things like hospitals and modern equipment is not there. Just didn’t really make sense to me and took away from that fairytale feeling. It should be all or nothing I think.
Kindle
Dawning Ascent ( The Pearson Prophecy book 1)
By Jen L. Grey
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Power comes with a price.
Treated like an outcast in her own kingdom, Ariah learned to live in the shadows. But as she comes into her powers, she catches the eye of her life long crush and an unlikely ally. Trusting either of them could help her along a dangerous journey... or could bring her journey to a dangerous end.
When enemies come to light and distrust spreads, Ariah's safety is put in jeopardy. If she places her trust in the wrong people, her hidden powers will be unveiled to those who wish to use them against her.
To survive, Ariah must learn who has her best interests at heart. If she chooses wrong, it could mean not only her own death, but the crumbling of the entire country.
I did enjoy this book it had a good premise and the characters were easy to get along with. My one issue was this, the world building suggested it was very fairytale kingdom without modern technology etc which was great! But the author then throws in a coffee machine and a shower yet things like hospitals and modern equipment is not there. Just didn’t really make sense to me and took away from that fairytale feeling. It should be all or nothing I think.
Kate-Grace (10 KP) rated A Court of Thorns and Roses in Books
Sep 10, 2017
Characters (2 more)
Plot
Descriptions of places
Loved it
Well where to begin?
At first I thought this would be a generic rewrite of Beauty and the Beast- but, while it holds hints of the fairytale, it is completely it's own thing.
The characters seem extremely realistic to me, they have depth and interesting backstories. The descriptions of the areas within the story are so well written that I find myself picturing them easily and whisking I could be there.
I love the surprising twists and turns that the plot takes it isn't predictable and that makes me want to read more.
Overall I adore this book.
At first I thought this would be a generic rewrite of Beauty and the Beast- but, while it holds hints of the fairytale, it is completely it's own thing.
The characters seem extremely realistic to me, they have depth and interesting backstories. The descriptions of the areas within the story are so well written that I find myself picturing them easily and whisking I could be there.
I love the surprising twists and turns that the plot takes it isn't predictable and that makes me want to read more.
Overall I adore this book.
Red (24 KP) rated Tiger Lily in Books
Aug 10, 2017
An Untold Tale
I didn't know, judging by the title, that the story would in fact be told from quite a different point of view. You not only get one untold side from Neverland, but two. Once I got into it, it was hard to stop reading which made it a short read. However, it was still one of the best teen books I've read in awhile that was involved in the fairytale realm. Any fan of Disney & the story of Peter Pan should read it!
Beth Ingham (28 KP) rated The Bear and the Nightingale in Books
Jul 9, 2018
Strong female protagonist (1 more)
Reminiscent of Grimm Fairytales
Favourite book read in 2018 (so far!)
The first thing I have to say about this book is wow. I went into it not knowing what to expect but was completely blown away by the storyline of Vasya as she navigates becoming a young woman who is powerful, in a time when women were not; whilst using old school magic to try to help her people.
The Russian folklore gives this book a modern fairytale feel, however the darkness echoes that of the original Grimm Fairytales.
Altogether, this is a very well written epic, not to be missed, and that I very much enjoyed.
The Russian folklore gives this book a modern fairytale feel, however the darkness echoes that of the original Grimm Fairytales.
Altogether, this is a very well written epic, not to be missed, and that I very much enjoyed.