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Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume Two
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fantastic collection of fairy stories retelling some of the childhood favourites from an LGBTQIA+ pov. The style chosen to write these stories in may not be for everyone but I for one enjoyed their content and their filling of a gap in the inclusiveness of literature generally. As a beginning piece in providing reading material for all, this is a definite plus, but it is also something that needs working on and improving, those coming after will surely be able to improve.
  
Tales from the Hood
Tales from the Hood
Michael Buckley, Peter Ferguson | 2017 | Children
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Grimm family is on the edge of finally freeing Sabrina and Daphne's parents from the sleeping spell they are under. Meanwhile, their friend the Big Bad Wolf is being tried for his crimes. This entire series is lots of fun, and it provides some nice twists to the familiar fairy tale characters. Aimed at kids, any adult will enjoy it.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-tales-from-hood-by-michael.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
The title implies that the story told within the pages is about Sleeping Beauty, it's not. While that fairy tale plays a small part, it's not really what the book is about. Featuring many fairy tales and mythical references, a tournament with diverse quests, and of course, magic, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY's main characters are Lily, the Godmother of the kingdom of Eltaria, Rosamund, the princess, and Siegfried, the Norse-like warrior "prince". Of all the characters, Siegfried is the one I got to know the best, who I liked the most, and was fully fleshed out, while Rosamund was flat with no personality; I honestly didn't care what happened to her. Lily was a promising character at the beginning, then she was almost abandoned, her personality lost, and thrown in here and there until the end, which is a shame.

The story was okay, it had its ups and downs. Sometimes it dragged, other times it kept at a brisk pace. Often the humor fell flat but there were a few smile-worthy moments. The "evil" was never fully explained and I never understood why the bad guy did what he did. As for the final confrontation, there didn't seem much to be overcome and it was over in almost an instant. I would have hoped for more of a bang instead of a whimper. The ending itself was pretty much how many people would expect a fairy tale to end, but it was too hurried and too confusing for me. The book is an enjoyable, light afternoon read, but one I'm likely to forget about. Not my favorite of the series by far.
  
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Dana (24 KP) rated Crimson Bound in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
CB
Crimson Bound
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I gave this review a 4.5 out of 5 stars. While I mostly enjoyed it, there was that pesky love triangle that always seems to make me like a book a little less.

This is a loose retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. While there are some major theme similarities and some small details that are the same, I didn't get the full feeling of Little Red Riding Hood like I did with Beauty and the Beast in Cruel Beauty. I still enjoyed the story though.

I liked how there was another fairy tale being woven into the story being told. And the mythology of the world was stunning. I loved the idea of the woodwives and how it is actually the women who were charged to save the world. Talk about girl power!

I liked reading about Rachelle's development as a character and how she is continuously battling the Great Forest inside of her. And Amelie's relationship with Rachelle was so sweet. It really felt like they were most themselves and most at peace when they were with each other.

I really enjoyed reading about the imagery and contrasts between the light and dark. It captured how the characters are living in the light, clinging to their hope for a better world while they live in a dying one.

I only wish there were more ties to Cruel Beauty and those story lines, especially since I fell in love with that world so easily.

I recommend this to anyone who like fun and interesting takes on fairy tales, folk tales, new mythologies, or high fantasy novels.
  
Body of Ash (Victoria Cage Necromancer #3)
Body of Ash (Victoria Cage Necromancer #3)
Eli Constant | 2020 | Paranormal
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fab series
Contains spoilers, click to show
Fire, fire, burning higher, fairy better fight.

Victoria’s a necromancer, fairy, Blood Queen… hot freaking mess. Her identity is so twisted up in supernatural nonsense, that all she wants to do is go back to embalming bodies and coffin brochures. Being in love should make things easier, but when your beau’s a bear and you’ve got a fairy suitor waiting in the wings, romance is just another complication.

While preparing the victims of a tragic fire for their funerals, Victoria discovers that their deaths were not accidents, as the police have ruled. Soon, she’s hot on the trail of a Firestarter who’s been scorching their way through the surrounding counties. It’s about more than murder and flame, though.

Bodies with their hearts missing. A dark coven. And a gate to hell.

It’s not long before Victoria goes from the hunter, to the hunted. But she’ll do whatever it takes to bring the arsonist to justice—even if that means getting a few burns along the way.

I love this series!!
Body of ash we rejoin Tori as she battles to stop killer arsonists and a hellmouth being opened. Tori is struggling to keep out of fey politics as well staying of the radar as a necromancer. Her personal relationships with Kyle and Liam are getting harder to seperate when she relies on Liam and the fey to save Kyle's life. Also things with Terrance the detective becomes a little bit strained when he realises the damage magic has done this time. I almost cried as we watched Tori home and family business burn.
Really good series!
Recommended
⭐⭐⭐⭐