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To Kill a Kingdom
To Kill a Kingdom
Alexandra Christo | 2018 | Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.9 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.
  
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Kyera (8 KP) rated Cinder in Books

Jan 31, 2018  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.
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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.
  
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Merissa (12066 KP) rated Mist on Water in Books

Apr 18, 2023  
Mist on Water
Mist on Water
Shea Berkley | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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
  
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.
  
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.7 (107 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.