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Merissa (12066 KP) rated Princess of Athelia (Unfinished Fairy Tales #1.5) in Books
May 8, 2023
This is a short but sweet addition to the Unfinished Fairy Tales series, starring "Uncle Ed and Aunt Kat". That part won't actually make sense unless you've read this novella, but trust me, it is just one of the many scenes that made me smile.
Kat is still bumbling her way through the atrocities of royal etiquette, in equal parts both charming and horrifying the court and the members of parliament. I love this about Kat - she is learning that things she took for granted could have a real impact here. Her heart is in the right place, and Edward is certainly keeping it safe for you.
I loved the insight into their relationship before they got engaged or married, although I'm not sure if I would be as strong as Kat is and be able to have a happy face on considering that she knows that she will have to leave when they get married.
Well-written and smoothly paced, this took me right back to the joys and woes of Athelia. Thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to Ever After.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 8, 2015
Kat is still bumbling her way through the atrocities of royal etiquette, in equal parts both charming and horrifying the court and the members of parliament. I love this about Kat - she is learning that things she took for granted could have a real impact here. Her heart is in the right place, and Edward is certainly keeping it safe for you.
I loved the insight into their relationship before they got engaged or married, although I'm not sure if I would be as strong as Kat is and be able to have a happy face on considering that she knows that she will have to leave when they get married.
Well-written and smoothly paced, this took me right back to the joys and woes of Athelia. Thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to Ever After.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 8, 2015
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The year’s best Fantasy and Horrror 2006 19th annual collection in Books
Dec 19, 2021
208 of 250
Book
The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 19th annual collection
An anthology of stories edited by Ellen Datlow, Gavin J Grant and Kelly Link
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
The legendary anthology is back, with witches and warlocks, fairy rings and gothic tales. The Years Best Fantasy and Horror 2006 presents the best short stories and poetry published in this genre, and takes readers into the most fantastic realms imaginable. Culled from thousands of annuals, acclaimed writers and genre specialists Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant offer a broad range of fantastical and horrific fiction, including work from Jeffery Ford, China Miville, Bruce Sterling, Mark Samuels, Barbara Rhoden and many more. In addition, this critically renowned series offers an extensive overview of the year in fantasy and horror. The Years Best Fantasy and Horror 2006 is the best source for fans or nascent readers of fantasy and horror.
There weren’t many that I actually enjoyed reading if I’m completely honest. Loved Adam Nevill’s short but this is one I’ve read a few times. These are great for finding authors I have a few on my tbr list now. Overall it was very average.
Book
The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 19th annual collection
An anthology of stories edited by Ellen Datlow, Gavin J Grant and Kelly Link
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
The legendary anthology is back, with witches and warlocks, fairy rings and gothic tales. The Years Best Fantasy and Horror 2006 presents the best short stories and poetry published in this genre, and takes readers into the most fantastic realms imaginable. Culled from thousands of annuals, acclaimed writers and genre specialists Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant offer a broad range of fantastical and horrific fiction, including work from Jeffery Ford, China Miville, Bruce Sterling, Mark Samuels, Barbara Rhoden and many more. In addition, this critically renowned series offers an extensive overview of the year in fantasy and horror. The Years Best Fantasy and Horror 2006 is the best source for fans or nascent readers of fantasy and horror.
There weren’t many that I actually enjoyed reading if I’m completely honest. Loved Adam Nevill’s short but this is one I’ve read a few times. These are great for finding authors I have a few on my tbr list now. Overall it was very average.
Blossom and the Beast (The Alder Tales #1)
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Blossom Frane is only weeks away from her transformation. On her eighteenth birthday, she’ll find...
Paranormal Romance Fairy tale Retelling
The Mad, Bad Duke (Nvengaria, #2)
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London, 1820 Miss Meagan Tavistock doesn’t believe the talisman her friend purchases from a...
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Stepsister in Books
Aug 16, 2019
Review by Disney Bookworm
I took a break from the Disney Twisted Tales collection to check out a new novel by the New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Donnelly and wow am I glad I did!
Judging purely by the title of the book: the cynical side of me expected this to be a retelling of the traditional fairy tale from the viewpoint of the “ugly stepsisters”. Perhaps with a remorseful twist and a concluding reconciliation. I could not have been more wrong.
This is possibly the first time I should have judged a book by its cover: the iconic glass slipper casting fragmented shards across the jacket should have certainly forewarned me that this will not be just another Cinderella story.
Unlike the twisted tales and the villain series, Step Sister is, as far as I know, not connected to the Disney enterprise at all. This makes it an edgier read by far but also allows the novel to lean as far away from the traditional fairy tale as it dares: smashing just a couple of stereotypes along the way.
Oh, and just a quick point: the novel opens on Isabelle and Octavia disfiguring their own feet, at the command of their mother, with the aim to fit into the glass slipper and marry the Prince. See what I mean- edgy right?
Stepsister is told from the viewpoint of Isabelle: a headstrong girl with an ambitious mother, an intelligent sister Octavia and a kind, sweet sister, Ella. Isabelle is a disappointment to her mother: a plain girl who prefers riding and fencing to corsets and suitors. A number of flashbacks to the girls’ childhood also suggests that Isabelle, Octavia and Ella were once very close, leading the reader to wonder how the relationship became the poisonous one we are so familiar with.
Unsurprisingly, their Maman’s plan to mutilate her way to the palace does not succeed and Ella takes her rightful place by the Prince’s side, claiming her ‘happily ever after’. But what is to become of the family she leaves behind? Maimed and outcast, Isabelle and Octavia struggle to carry on once their actions are brought to light and they are promptly labelled the “ugly stepsisters” by all around them.
Desolate and lost, Isabelle mistakenly believes that her life would improve if she were more attractive and makes a wish to the fairy queen Tanaquill, who promises to grant her desire when Isabelle finds the three missing parts of her heart.
Thus, begins Isabelle’s mission to reclaim her heart and turn her life around. The stepsister’s road of discovery is a bumpy one however, and is not made any easier by an old crone named Fate and a young man named Chance, both of whom seem to have an unhealthy obsession with her progress and a strange, almost friendly rivalry over the possession of Isabelle’s life map.
Jennifer Donnelly introduces us to a number of characters throughout Isabelle’s journey, all of whom are exquisite: Chance is an eccentric debonair with an entourage that may have just stepped out of The Greatest Showman; Octavia is every nerdy, sarcastic girl’s dream and even Fate is strangely likeable. It is truly impressive how Donnelly can make us feel like we know these people within the space of 470 pages.
I was also impressed with how different Jennifer Donnelly’s characters are from everything I have read before. Even Tanaquill is not the fairy godmother we all know and love. She isn’t even the slightly bonkers Helena Bonham-Carter version! There isn’t a bibbidi bobbidi boo in sight for this talon-fingered shapeshifter and she certainly does not grant wishes easily.
As a result, the reader does not quite trust the fairy queen: there is always an aspect of her that seems evil. Alas, this is another stroke of genius by Donnelly: the fairy queen doesn’t look like Tinkerbell or the Blue Fairy and so we don’t trust her- even when she is helping Isabelle and why is that? Because of her appearance? Well that makes us just as bad as those who persecute Isabelle!
Ella features very little in the novel. This is not wholly unexpected: it is not her story after all. She is frequently referred to and heavily present in Isabelle’s evolution but, out of all the characters, we know Ella the least. This is not to say that Donnelly presents Ella as a 2D character in order to prevent us from preferring her to our feistier protagonist: in fact, Ella slowly reveals a darker side to her own tale. Simply put, she does not have the depth and human rawness that Isabelle has. Isabelle appeals to the insecure teenager in us all: never believing that she is good enough, focusing on her flaws and judging herself based on the opinions of others.
When Isabelle finally finds the pieces of her heart and has to literally fight to achieve her happy ending, she automatically looks to one of the male characters to lead. After all, it has always been instilled into her that she is “just a girl”. However, Chance and his entourage have educated Isabelle as to the potential of her sex and it is through this inspiration that Isabelle and the reader realise that the answer has been there all along: the answer is Isabelle. All the childhood flashbacks of riding and fighting have been breadcrumbs for the reader: Isabelle is a warrior- her life is not mapped out by Fate or Chance anymore; she can decide her own path.
Step Sister holds up a gigantic mirror to the way we judge beauty and shows us what it really means to be a girl. Jennifer Donnelly proves that being strong, brave and, most importantly, true to yourself is what makes you beautiful. In fact, it is not until Isabelle accepts herself that she is described as beautiful and, by standing up for what she believes in, everyone achieves their own happy endings. As a mum of two young boys I really appreciated how Octavia’s love of science and math and Felix’s creativity and love of art directly contrasted with Maman’s old-fashioned desire to “marry off” her daughters. This story is no fairy tale: it is real, it is edgy and it is telling all generations that life is what you make it.
Judging purely by the title of the book: the cynical side of me expected this to be a retelling of the traditional fairy tale from the viewpoint of the “ugly stepsisters”. Perhaps with a remorseful twist and a concluding reconciliation. I could not have been more wrong.
This is possibly the first time I should have judged a book by its cover: the iconic glass slipper casting fragmented shards across the jacket should have certainly forewarned me that this will not be just another Cinderella story.
Unlike the twisted tales and the villain series, Step Sister is, as far as I know, not connected to the Disney enterprise at all. This makes it an edgier read by far but also allows the novel to lean as far away from the traditional fairy tale as it dares: smashing just a couple of stereotypes along the way.
Oh, and just a quick point: the novel opens on Isabelle and Octavia disfiguring their own feet, at the command of their mother, with the aim to fit into the glass slipper and marry the Prince. See what I mean- edgy right?
Stepsister is told from the viewpoint of Isabelle: a headstrong girl with an ambitious mother, an intelligent sister Octavia and a kind, sweet sister, Ella. Isabelle is a disappointment to her mother: a plain girl who prefers riding and fencing to corsets and suitors. A number of flashbacks to the girls’ childhood also suggests that Isabelle, Octavia and Ella were once very close, leading the reader to wonder how the relationship became the poisonous one we are so familiar with.
Unsurprisingly, their Maman’s plan to mutilate her way to the palace does not succeed and Ella takes her rightful place by the Prince’s side, claiming her ‘happily ever after’. But what is to become of the family she leaves behind? Maimed and outcast, Isabelle and Octavia struggle to carry on once their actions are brought to light and they are promptly labelled the “ugly stepsisters” by all around them.
Desolate and lost, Isabelle mistakenly believes that her life would improve if she were more attractive and makes a wish to the fairy queen Tanaquill, who promises to grant her desire when Isabelle finds the three missing parts of her heart.
Thus, begins Isabelle’s mission to reclaim her heart and turn her life around. The stepsister’s road of discovery is a bumpy one however, and is not made any easier by an old crone named Fate and a young man named Chance, both of whom seem to have an unhealthy obsession with her progress and a strange, almost friendly rivalry over the possession of Isabelle’s life map.
Jennifer Donnelly introduces us to a number of characters throughout Isabelle’s journey, all of whom are exquisite: Chance is an eccentric debonair with an entourage that may have just stepped out of The Greatest Showman; Octavia is every nerdy, sarcastic girl’s dream and even Fate is strangely likeable. It is truly impressive how Donnelly can make us feel like we know these people within the space of 470 pages.
I was also impressed with how different Jennifer Donnelly’s characters are from everything I have read before. Even Tanaquill is not the fairy godmother we all know and love. She isn’t even the slightly bonkers Helena Bonham-Carter version! There isn’t a bibbidi bobbidi boo in sight for this talon-fingered shapeshifter and she certainly does not grant wishes easily.
As a result, the reader does not quite trust the fairy queen: there is always an aspect of her that seems evil. Alas, this is another stroke of genius by Donnelly: the fairy queen doesn’t look like Tinkerbell or the Blue Fairy and so we don’t trust her- even when she is helping Isabelle and why is that? Because of her appearance? Well that makes us just as bad as those who persecute Isabelle!
Ella features very little in the novel. This is not wholly unexpected: it is not her story after all. She is frequently referred to and heavily present in Isabelle’s evolution but, out of all the characters, we know Ella the least. This is not to say that Donnelly presents Ella as a 2D character in order to prevent us from preferring her to our feistier protagonist: in fact, Ella slowly reveals a darker side to her own tale. Simply put, she does not have the depth and human rawness that Isabelle has. Isabelle appeals to the insecure teenager in us all: never believing that she is good enough, focusing on her flaws and judging herself based on the opinions of others.
When Isabelle finally finds the pieces of her heart and has to literally fight to achieve her happy ending, she automatically looks to one of the male characters to lead. After all, it has always been instilled into her that she is “just a girl”. However, Chance and his entourage have educated Isabelle as to the potential of her sex and it is through this inspiration that Isabelle and the reader realise that the answer has been there all along: the answer is Isabelle. All the childhood flashbacks of riding and fighting have been breadcrumbs for the reader: Isabelle is a warrior- her life is not mapped out by Fate or Chance anymore; she can decide her own path.
Step Sister holds up a gigantic mirror to the way we judge beauty and shows us what it really means to be a girl. Jennifer Donnelly proves that being strong, brave and, most importantly, true to yourself is what makes you beautiful. In fact, it is not until Isabelle accepts herself that she is described as beautiful and, by standing up for what she believes in, everyone achieves their own happy endings. As a mum of two young boys I really appreciated how Octavia’s love of science and math and Felix’s creativity and love of art directly contrasted with Maman’s old-fashioned desire to “marry off” her daughters. This story is no fairy tale: it is real, it is edgy and it is telling all generations that life is what you make it.
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy (Villains #4) in Books
Sep 28, 2019
YES SERENA!
Mistress of Evil is precisely the book I wanted from the villain’s tales series: it had everything – an intriguing backstory; familiar characters as well as new ones who were pivotal to the plot; and of course, magic.
I couldn’t put this book down and I am so relieved that I can finally be super positive for the first time since Fairest of All.
Mistress of Evil takes place immediately after Poor Unfortunate Soul (these books have an order for a reason people!) and, with the odd sisters temporarily out of action, we learn that Maleficent must appeal to Circe and Nanny for assistance with a spell. However, it is soon revealed that Nanny, Maleficent and the odd sisters share a history.
What I loved most about this book is that Valentino spends a lot of time in Maleficent’s backstory, and it was evident that she took a lot of pride in the younger fairy she created. Maleficent is not 100% bad. Don’t get me wrong, she isn’t 100% good either, but the reader witnesses the circumstances that have made her this way. We observe abandonment, bullying and rejection but overall we witness prejudice against someone who is different and I feel it is this that really humanises Maleficent.
Familiar characters are also introduced; namely Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Now, Merryweather has always been my favourite of the three fairies: something about her sarcastic and feisty personality calls to me. However, young Merryweather is a bit of a cow and, although I didn’t want to, I loved this twist. As usual, Valentino’s world is not black and white: if the good fairies had always been good, events may have turned out very differently.
Snow and her mother also play a role in the progression of the underlying story throughout all these tales: the one of the odd sisters. It wasn’t a complete surprise that Valentino brings one of her previous characters into the story, after all each tale has led into the next. However, it was really interesting to meet Queen Snow and glimpse at her life since we left her in Fairest of All. Also, a book from the odd sisters that possibly binds all our heroes and villains together is pure genius- particularly for someone who was obsessed with Once Upon a Time.
The level of detail in Valentino’s writing is superb. You can really picture the village in which Maleficent was raised- an experience that I haven’t felt in the previous tales. She also doesn’t neglect Aurora just because she is asleep but creates a dream world of mirrors that for some reason conjured images of Labyrinth for me. I also appreciated that, although snippets of the original story are included, they are just snippets- not a retelling.
I think it’s pretty clear that I loved this book. It wasn’t perfect (I still just don’t “get” Tulip and Popinjay and the timing at the start of the book was confusing) but it was pretty close! A prequel to Sleeping Beauty, complete with a fairy school, tree lords, dream worlds and fallouts that would make Jeremy Kyle wince? What more could you want?
A MASSIVE twist? You got it! I always knew no-one would be that angry over not being invited to a christening….
Mistress of Evil is precisely the book I wanted from the villain’s tales series: it had everything – an intriguing backstory; familiar characters as well as new ones who were pivotal to the plot; and of course, magic.
I couldn’t put this book down and I am so relieved that I can finally be super positive for the first time since Fairest of All.
Mistress of Evil takes place immediately after Poor Unfortunate Soul (these books have an order for a reason people!) and, with the odd sisters temporarily out of action, we learn that Maleficent must appeal to Circe and Nanny for assistance with a spell. However, it is soon revealed that Nanny, Maleficent and the odd sisters share a history.
What I loved most about this book is that Valentino spends a lot of time in Maleficent’s backstory, and it was evident that she took a lot of pride in the younger fairy she created. Maleficent is not 100% bad. Don’t get me wrong, she isn’t 100% good either, but the reader witnesses the circumstances that have made her this way. We observe abandonment, bullying and rejection but overall we witness prejudice against someone who is different and I feel it is this that really humanises Maleficent.
Familiar characters are also introduced; namely Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Now, Merryweather has always been my favourite of the three fairies: something about her sarcastic and feisty personality calls to me. However, young Merryweather is a bit of a cow and, although I didn’t want to, I loved this twist. As usual, Valentino’s world is not black and white: if the good fairies had always been good, events may have turned out very differently.
Snow and her mother also play a role in the progression of the underlying story throughout all these tales: the one of the odd sisters. It wasn’t a complete surprise that Valentino brings one of her previous characters into the story, after all each tale has led into the next. However, it was really interesting to meet Queen Snow and glimpse at her life since we left her in Fairest of All. Also, a book from the odd sisters that possibly binds all our heroes and villains together is pure genius- particularly for someone who was obsessed with Once Upon a Time.
The level of detail in Valentino’s writing is superb. You can really picture the village in which Maleficent was raised- an experience that I haven’t felt in the previous tales. She also doesn’t neglect Aurora just because she is asleep but creates a dream world of mirrors that for some reason conjured images of Labyrinth for me. I also appreciated that, although snippets of the original story are included, they are just snippets- not a retelling.
I think it’s pretty clear that I loved this book. It wasn’t perfect (I still just don’t “get” Tulip and Popinjay and the timing at the start of the book was confusing) but it was pretty close! A prequel to Sleeping Beauty, complete with a fairy school, tree lords, dream worlds and fallouts that would make Jeremy Kyle wince? What more could you want?
A MASSIVE twist? You got it! I always knew no-one would be that angry over not being invited to a christening….
Kyera (8 KP) rated Beheld (Kendra Chronicles, #4) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Beheld by Alex Flinn is the fifth book in the Kendra Chronicles. Readers were first introduced to the witch in Flinns Beauty and the Beast retelling, Beastly. Since then she has been involved in a number of other famous fairy tales like Cinderella and Rapunzel. In this book, readers follow Kendras life as she finds the love of her life, loses him and repeats the cycle. Each time she encounters him, readers are treated to a short retelling. The first is Little Red Riding Hood, which is set in Salem, Ma during the witch trials. The second is Rumplestiltskin, which is set is Bavaria and features a Prince. The third is East of the Sun and West of the Moon, which is set primarily in Britain during the Second World War. The final tale is the Ugly Duckling, which is in modern day Miami.
My least favourite aspect of the book was actually the interludes linking each story together, or Kendras tale of trying to find her love. Each retelling would have been an interesting (if short) read, even if she were not a character and the magic was introduced in another fashion. Personally, I felt that these tales would have been better served as novellas because the thread linking them felt forced. The stories themselves felt rushed at times, perhaps because all four had to be combined into one cohesive story and if they were more detailed than the novel would be much too long.
The characters were likable and the world was believable, but neither was particularly developed. I wish that the author had taken the time to delve more deeply into the worlds and build an entrancing narrative. Overall, the book was enjoyable but there were times that it was slow and I had to force myself to pick it back up to continue.
I would recommend this novel, and the series as a whole, to young adult/teen readers who enjoy magic and fantasy in their books, as well as fairytale retellings.
My least favourite aspect of the book was actually the interludes linking each story together, or Kendras tale of trying to find her love. Each retelling would have been an interesting (if short) read, even if she were not a character and the magic was introduced in another fashion. Personally, I felt that these tales would have been better served as novellas because the thread linking them felt forced. The stories themselves felt rushed at times, perhaps because all four had to be combined into one cohesive story and if they were more detailed than the novel would be much too long.
The characters were likable and the world was believable, but neither was particularly developed. I wish that the author had taken the time to delve more deeply into the worlds and build an entrancing narrative. Overall, the book was enjoyable but there were times that it was slow and I had to force myself to pick it back up to continue.
I would recommend this novel, and the series as a whole, to young adult/teen readers who enjoy magic and fantasy in their books, as well as fairytale retellings.
Eventide 2: Sorcerer's Mirror (Full)
Games and Stickers
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FANTASTIC HIDDEN OBJECT PUZZLE ADVENTURE GAME FROM THE CREATORS OF ENIGMATIS AND GRIM LEGENDS! ...
Eventide 2: Sorcerer's Mirror
Games and Stickers
App
FANTASTIC HIDDEN OBJECT PUZZLE ADVENTURE GAME FROM THE CREATORS OF ENIGMATIS AND GRIM LEGENDS! ...