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Lost in the Beehive
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I went into reading this book not knowing too much - I read all genres so I like to be surprised by stories. The cover and the title both spoke to me - I grew up on a farm and we had beehives and "raised" bees for our own honey and wax. I adore everything about bees and have always thought they were magical creatures.
Lost in the Beehive just made me love them even more. It's a wonderful thought to think that bees understand you, and are by your side during traumatic events, trying to steer you in the right direction. Gloria Ricci definitely needed some direction growing up, from anyone - or anything.
It is Vietnam era 1960's when we first find Gloria being sent to a mental asylum, to be "cured" of an "illness". We follow her through this experience, and quite a few other major life events throughout, and there always seem to be some bees hovering nearby, as if guiding her, protecting her.
Michele Young-Stones writing is exquisite. The witty banter between Gloria and her dearest friend Sheff had me laughing out loud, and the story flows so smoothly it's easy to find yourself lost in it all. The characters are so colorful, and you can feel the bees magical energy so much throughout the story, that it's just enough to make a sad story about finding yourself, feel like a mystical fairytale.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review Lost in the Beehive.
  
This book had a lot of meat to it, a lot to digest and think about as the story continues. It flowed well with the transition from the first book, picking up right where it left off at the beginning.
There’s a lot more development of the story, characters, what’s going on - you learn and understand quite a bit more as Everley continues her harrowing journey to reach her goals. Her goals and wishes seem to shift some in this part of the story as well and it brings others goals and stories more to light some.
Things get way more intense here in this book and it left me feeling a lot - so many emotions that I’m not sure what to do with them.
There are so many nods and spins and retellings on fairytale/ folklore stories/ stories I remember from my childhood etc, it’s fun and wild.
Even though this part of the series ended on a happy note, I have conflicting emotions about leaving this part of the story behind and I’m sad about parts of it too. I’m having a slight book hangover here and I’m nervous about what happens next when the end of this series comes out.
If you haven’t read the first in this series, Before the Broken Star then you need to get on that before you read this and get ready for some awesomeness mixed with all the emotions. You don’t want to miss this continuing adventure.
  
Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun
Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun
Cornelia Funke, Guillermo del Toro | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved the original film of this book (with the same name), so the thought of a book intrigued me, especially as it was written afterwards. And let’s face it, anything with fairytale connections is on to a winner where I’m concerned.

This book perfectly illustrates the cruelty and despair of the fascist regime under Franco. Ofelia tries to escape real life in her books, but this becomes increasingly difficult for her as her mother becomes more and more ill during her pregnancy. The brutality of her stepfather and his terrible methods of control is seen in the surrounding area and his own home: the lack of care for his wife, the plans to kill the anti-fascist fighters in the woods, and his methods of torture.

Ofelia escapes in to her imagination - or is Pan real? I loved this aspect and the tasks she was given to complete. I really enjoyed how the folktales were interwoven and alternated with real life (which had the harsher conclusions? Fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending), and gave an explanation to the origin of the Labyrinth.

The illustrations were beautiful too, and put faces to the characters - after all, it’s a long time since I saw the film. But this book stands so well on it’s own, and dare I say that you don’t need to have seen the film? Well, no, because I really enjoyed the film! So, read the book, and watch the film - you won’t regret it!
  
Geekerella (Once Upon a Con #1)
Geekerella (Once Upon a Con #1)
Ashley Poston | 2017 | Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
7.8 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fun, geek-tactic modern retelling. (0 more)
Fairytale meets fandom.
The blurb: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ONCE UPON A CON. When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield she has to enter.

First prize is an invitation to the Excelsicon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot.

Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmothers back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all. Not to mention a fan girls dream come true.

Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this year’s Excelsicon. He used to live for conventions, but know they’re nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets.

Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the die-hard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob.

As Excelsicon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake – until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, GEEKERELLA is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. ~~



Fairytale meets fandom in this modern day retelling of Cinderella.

I am always here for a new take on a well loved story, and Ashley Poston has delivered a faithful to the original story that also makes for a good tale on its own right.

I have to start by saying look at that cover! When I saw it on the shelf in Waterstones *other bookshops are available* I knew I had to buy it.

I love the modern versions of the well known characters, Elle is a Starfield nerd. Her love of the classic tv show comes from her parents, who originally founded the Starfield convention.

Catherine, the stepmother, and the stepsisters, Chloe and Cal are perfectly spiteful as overwork and under appreciate Elle.

The prince in this version is Darien, a young Hollywood golden boy with insured abs, while the fairy godmother role is filled by Sage, the punk wannabe-fashion-designer. I love Sage!

There’s also a canine sidekick, Franco, a.k.a Frank the tank, any story that includes a very good boy has the makings of a winner for me.

Ashley Poston gives a nod to the coach from the original story with The magic pumpkin, Sage’s vegan food van and the ending is perfect with the ball and even the glass shoe.

Obviously we all know how Cinderella goes but Ashley Poston gets us to the end via a geek-tastic tale of fandoms, fan blogs, cosplay conventions and the movie making world.

The way that Elle and Darien begin to get to know each other via text makes for a sweet romance, each not knowing who the other is – Darien, who Elle doesn’t believe will make a good Carmindor, and Elle, being rebelgunner the blogger who slated Darien – I’ve seen some reviews saying it’s not realistic that they fall for each other via text, and so quickly, but it does happen, and anyway, come on! This is Cinderella, and in the original her and the prince fall in love after just a dance.

Geekerella is such a heartwarming story, it’s not often I read a book again, but this is one I’ll definitely turn to when I need cheering up.

I’m giving Geekerella 5/5 stars and I can’t wait to read more of Ashley Poston’s work. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
2012 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Snow White has certainly been receiving a lot of attention this year and it’s been hard to ignore two films competing with each other to win the accolade of best cinema adaptation.

Julia Roberts has already starred in sickly sweet adaptation Mirror Mirror and here Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame takes on the lead role in the gritty, dramatic adaptation of the fairytale. But is it a good take on a children’s classic?

Snow White & The Huntsman opens as you would expect with a look back at the aforementioned Princess’ traumatic childhood, from the death of her mother, to witnessing the death of her father King Magnus, it seems like any normal child would’ve had a few problems after this but Snow seems a little more reserved.

Snow White’s father is killed at the hands of her wicked stepmother, played wonderfully by Charlize Theron who really gets her teeth into the role she’s been given and plays the character with a nice dose of evil intertwined with brief moments of sincerity. Those of you familiar with the story will no doubt know that Snow White hides with the seven dwarves to escape the clutches of her stepmother, but more on that later.

Chris Hemsworth, who seems to be getting more and more acting jobs these days does a nice job as the widowed, constantly drunk huntsman, though his accent is a little hard to assess, no doubt done to cover his Australian roots.

Hemsworth is sent by the wicked Queen to kill Snow White so that her eternal youth isn’t threatened but things run less than smoothly as he realises that he is being tricked, he and Snow then decide to go on the run, bumping into the seven dwarves along the way.

The Kingdom in which they live is beautifully realised in fabulous CGI, from the dark forest, to the towering stone walls of the castle and then further into the ‘sanctuary’ a place where people can go to relax and unwind. Fairies, badgers, foxes, rabbits, mushrooms with beady little eyes and moss covered tortoises are amongst the creatures here and ruling over them all is the spirit of the forest, a fabulous and very real looking white stag.

This is, however, where Snow White & The Huntsman falls short. Yes, the CGI is impeccable and yes the acting is good, but it all feels a little bit soulless. It’s all about the frills rather than creating a deep and meaningful story. It has the basics right but it’s impossible to care about the characters because there isn’t enough back-story. Each set piece is interspersed with a little bit of emotion, but it’s not really enough and because of this, the entire film feels disjointed.

This is made worse by the fact the film is stretched to over two hours when there isn’t really enough story to create a two hour film.

Unfortunately, these points detract from what is a wonderful and beautifully realised adaptation of a classic children’s fairytale. To compare it to Mirror Mirror would be unfair as they are both so different. Snow White & The Huntsman is like last year’s Alice in Wonderland, it all looks and sounds great, but is ultimately; decidedly average.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2012/06/07/snow-white-the-huntsman-review/
  
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Kyera (8 KP) rated Wintersong in Books

Jan 31, 2018  
Wintersong
Wintersong
S. Jae-Jones | 2017 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
6
8.3 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wintersong is a fairytale re-telling based upon the German poem Der Erlkonig and stories of the Goblin King. The author takes a relatively short poem and breathes life into it, translating the dark words into an entire world. Liesl has heard tales of the Goblin King from her grandmother since she was a small child. Even played make-believe in the Goblin Grove with her Goblin King, but as she grew older she lost her faith in the old stories. Even her brother and sister seemed not to heed the old woman’s warnings. She warned Liesl that she must protect both siblings - she would be faced with a choice and mustn’t choose wrong.

This dire warning and her later choices set her on a journey to the Underworld. It is dark, earthy and primal, full of creatures that Liesl does not understand or trust. The land itself is well-described and forms itself within the reader’s mind. Though you would never hope to call it home, it has its own ancient and crude form of beauty.

The characters are unique, although generally not faceted or well-developed in their personalities. Perhaps our main character just does not know them as well as she believes, for her view is quite flat. Her sister, Kathe is beautiful and cares only about similarly pretty and frivolous things. Her brother, Josef is a talented musician who fears his music is a “gift” from the Devil. Her grandmother is superstitious, her mother hard-working and aloof, and her father a drunk. Sadly, we don’t get to see or experience any depth of personality, nor are they given the chance to develop over the course of the novel. As our main character is in the Underworld, the lack of development is understandable which is why I wish they were more fleshed out initially.

Liesl herself is a strange mix of traits with her love of music and composition, intense lack of confidence and anger stemming from her belief that she is ugly and unwanted. Her choices are both selfish and selfless. She is a mass of contradictions and broken beliefs. While she is an interesting character, I don’t find her to be particularly relatable. I didn’t connect with any of the characters in the novel, although I enjoyed the story itself. I’m sure there are others who would find similarities between themselves and one of the characters, making this book more impactful.

Finally, the Goblin King himself – who seems to be like two people in one. At times, we see the younger, more open man that he was and could be again while at others the cold, quick to anger Trickster of the Underworld is at the forefront. More intriguing than his present is his story, you wonder how did he become the Erlkonig? For he is not the first, nor shall he be the last. He is more human than his subjects and thus this difference is what fascinated me. I wanted that story, more than him demanding Liesl in her “entire” and her being unable to give of herself, fully, yet.

It was an interesting story even though I didn’t particularly care for the characters. I recommend this book for older young adult/teen readers who enjoy fantasy and fairytale books. The writing is very poetic and beautifully descriptive. I don’t regret reading this book, but I also wouldn’t personally go out and buy a physical copy of it for my shelf.
  
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
2013 | Action, Comedy
7
5.8 (17 Ratings)
Movie Rating
In 2009, writer/director by Tommy Wirkola gained a cult following with his Zombie splatter film “Dead Snow”. Hollywood took notice and he was awarded with a larger budget and bigger stars for his follow up film “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”. The film chronicles the fairytale brother and sister duo after they escaped the gingerbread house and started hunting down witches. Originally supposed to be released in 2012, the film was pushed back to a January 2013 release in hopes of generating more buzz on Jeremy Renner’s rising star. When the film was complete, Renner had yet to appear in last year’s films “The Avengers” and “The Bourne Legacy”. A good strategy, if the standard TV trailers did not make this movie look worse than it actually is.

I have to be honest. I went into this movie expecting it to be terrible. Personally I do not have much faith in Renner (Hansel) as a leading man. I know he is somewhat hot right now but to me he is best as a supporting role. I also have only seen Gemma Arterton (Gretel) in “Clash of the Titans” (2010) where she was nothing more than a pretty face in that lack luster film. Perhaps it was because of such low expectations that together they worked. They were both “bad ass” as the brother sister bounty hunters. Not spectacular performances or anything but easily entertaining and likeable performances.

The story follows the duo as they attempt to hunt down some missing children form a small village that is troubled by witches. Famke Janssen (Taken 2) leads the supporting cast as Leader of the witches who is trying to cast a spell that will make the witches stronger than ever. The three clash it out and that is basically the story.

From a stylistic standpoint fans of Wirkola’s films will not be disappointed. The dark and grim fairytale world he creates is charming and helps us fall into the fantasy. Furthermore this film has several gruesome scenes that are shockingly comical in the way they are over the top. At no point do they feel unnecessary for shock value, but rather they happen in a way that seems normal and plausible in the world we are shown on film. Additionally the pacing of this film is fast. There was not a dull moment as the 88 minute run time is one action or story driven transition to the next. Together these aspects help the film feel fun, lighthearted and surprisingly entertaining. Also the 3D effects help the film and do not seem distracting.

The finished product accomplishes something that other fast paced ridiculous action flicks do not. It keeps it simple. Tommy Wirkola shows his talent by keeping various stylistic factors and pacing together in a way that makes the simplistic story complete. Often times in films like this there comes a point where your suspended disbelief is tested beyond its limits. But that is not the case here. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters delivers an entertaining fast paced movie that the TV previews do not to justice. If you are a fan of zombies, vampires, witches or any other supernatural type characters then you will not want to miss this film.
  
Strange the Dreamer
Strange the Dreamer
Laini Taylor | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.0 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mind blowing descriptions (3 more)
wonderful setting
Characters to feel for
some of the best writing I've seen in a while.
Dreams or Nightmares you want to behold Weep yourself.
Review Wow!
Seriously the only word I can think that sums up Strange the Dreamer. Laini Taylor has such a way with words that just pulls you into the amazing worlds she writes and Strange the Dreamer does this from beginning to end. The world she builds is honestly anything but a fairytale but the images she uses through out the book are just so vivid that even through all the horror you want to go there Weep is a place that holds nothing but awful memories but the way she writes it you want to see it feel and just breathe it all in.

The Characters she's created this time around are all so diverse and though you genuinely don't like a few of the characters you want to know more about for me it was Minya. She is hands down my favorite character from the book she is just so fascinating that I could read a series solely about her. Lazlo is also a favorite he is just such a wonderful protagonist that you want to get everything he does about and on that note, Taylor went above and beyond with Lazlo's dream sequences that I just wanted to jump right into the pages and live in them.

I could probably go on forever about how much I just loved this book and I am going to die to wait for the next book.