The Princess of Aenya
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"An epic fantasy focuses on a brutal usurper and a princess on the run."---KIRKUS REVIEWS Since...
fantasy
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The Brilliant Death
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For Teodora DiSangro, a mafia don’s daughter, family is fate. All her life, Teodora has hidden...
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Merissa (12048 KP) rated The Little Morgen (Fairytales of the Myth #2) in Books
Jan 27, 2021 (Updated Aug 7, 2023)
This one I didn't enjoy quite as much, and let me tell you why. There is just too much that goes on for the number of pages you get! This made the story feel a bit disjointed to me, the pace is slightly too quick. There were so many characters and I didn't really get a feel for any of them, including Thalliya and Ragnar. There was no time to build a connection between them, or for a relationship to develop. I also found the epilogue slightly confusing as I've only just read Burn Baby Burn and the names given for Bjerner's parents jolted me.
What I did enjoy was the amount of world-building Miranda Grant puts into every story. The details were amazing. One of my favourite parts was when Ragnar bit into an orange!
So, not one of my favourites, but still a great story if you like dark and twisted retellings.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 27, 2021
Rachael (0 KP) rated Myths and Legends in Podcasts
Dec 6, 2018
I'm a postwoman, so I spend roughly 6 hours of my day walking around outside, on my own. Finding this podcast had been a godsend. However, the adverts are a lot and I'm glad I have the option to fast forward 15 seconds to get back to the tale. I finally caught up with all the episodes without getting the membership and I do feel bad. Sorry guys, I may have to invest now that you've claimed so many hours of my life! It's taken me nearly a year to catch up and that's including your Fictional Podcast too.
I've tried to find similar podcasts but I've either found the person's voice grates on me or its not really what I'm looking for.
If you're after real, original fairytales, myths, legends (and what the differences are) you need to listen to this show.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Heartless in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Personally, this is my FAVORITE story about the Queen of Hearts that I have encountered. Romance, suspense, heartbreak...this is a thrilling tale that you won't want to put down. And even though we know who she becomes in the end...You can't help hoping that the story will end differently...Because your heart breaks for Cath and Jest. Marissa has painted a character that I want to love...That I want to cheer for...
If you love fairytales with happy endings that are all cupcakes and rainbows...This is probably not going to suit your style. But if you are like me, meaning you are a glutton for punishment and read books back to back that rip your heart apart and cause the river of emotions to flow in a torrential downpour. Then THIS is definitely the book for you!
I received a complimentary print copy of Heartless. I borrowed the audio version from my local library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
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Before she was the Queen of Hearts she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. When Marissa Meyer finished writing The Lunar Chronicles, a series of books loosely based on fairytales, everyone wondered what she would do next. Continuing along the lines of using famous stories, Meyer has devoted an entire novel to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. With thousands of references to the original tale, and a couple of other works too, Heartless is perfect for fans of Carroll’s salient characters.
Unlike most retellings, Meyer has focused on events prior to Alice’s accidental discovery of Wonderland. The resulting novel is essentially a theory as to how the characters turned out the way they did in the original story published in 1865. Drawing attention to the predestined Queen of Hearts, a young woman named Catherine, readers discover a reason for her development into an infamous villain.
Lady Catherine Pinkerton is completely unlike the character she is fated to be. She is a kind, thoughtful girl whose greatest wish is to open her own bakery. Unfortunately, this dream is just that, a dream. With the asinine King of Hearts resolved to marry her, there is little Cath can do to avoid her royal future. At first it may appear odd that Cath is so against marrying the ruler of Hearts, but she soon makes it clear she would much rather marry for love. So, when the court joker, Jest – a similar character to the legendary Hatter – catches her eye, Catherine becomes determined to control her own future.
Heartless is a humourous, yet romantic, young adult novel, full of both well-known and new characters. Set in a world with morals similar to the Victorian era, it works extremely well as a prequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Catherine is an admirable, feministic character who readers will struggle to believe will become such a notorious Queen. What could possibly happen to vastly alter her personality? Similarly, what is it that makes the Hatter go mad, and who is Jest? Being a character unique to this novel, there is a foreboding sense that this joker, and his poetry reciting raven – cue Edgar Allan Poe references – suffer a horrible demise.
Unlike Marissa Meyer’s previous books where the fairytales were not so obvious, the storyline in Heartless perfectly joins up with Lewis Carroll’s imagination. With references to mock turtles, the Jabberwock and other minor characters, there is so much to discover in Meyer’s interpretation of Wonderland – it even clears up a couple of scenarios from the original tale that may have bamboozled readers initially.
Admittedly, Heartless takes a little while to get going, but once it has, it is difficult to put down. Fans of Marissa Meyer may be disappointed that she did not stick to her futuristic storytelling, however all Alice enthusiasts will fall in love with this book – and probably with Jest as well. Overall, Heartless is a delightful book that reignites our inner childish imagination.
Before she was the Queen of Hearts she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. </i>When Marissa Meyer finished writing <i>The Lunar Chronicles</i>, a series of books loosely based on fairytales, everyone wondered what she would do next. Continuing along the lines of using famous stories, Meyer has devoted an entire novel to Lewis Carroll’s <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</i>. With thousands of references to the original tale, and a couple of other works too, Heartless is perfect for fans of Carroll’s salient characters.
Unlike most retellings, Meyer has focused on events prior to Alice’s accidental discovery of Wonderland. The resulting novel is essentially a theory as to how the characters turned out the way they did in the original story published in 1865. Drawing attention to the predestined Queen of Hearts, a young woman named Catherine, readers discover a reason for her development into an infamous villain.
Lady Catherine Pinkerton is completely unlike the character she is fated to be. She is a kind, thoughtful girl whose greatest wish is to open her own bakery. Unfortunately, this dream is just that, a dream. With the asinine King of Hearts resolved to marry her, there is little Cath can do to avoid her royal future. At first it may appear odd that Cath is so against marrying the ruler of Hearts, but she soon makes it clear she would much rather marry for love. So, when the court joker, Jest – a similar character to the legendary Hatter – catches her eye, Catherine becomes determined to control her own future.
<i>Heartless</i> is a humorous, yet romantic, young adult novel, full of both well-known and new characters. Set in a world with morals similar to the Victorian era, it works extremely well as a prequel to <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</i>. Catherine is an admirable, feministic character who readers will struggle to believe will become such a notorious Queen. What could possibly happen to vastly alter her personality? Similarly, what is it that makes the Hatter go mad, and who is Jest? Being a character unique to this novel, there is a foreboding sense that this joker, and his poetry reciting raven – cue Edgar Allan Poe references – suffer a horrible demise.
Unlike Marissa Meyer’s previous books where the fairytales were not so obvious, the storyline in <i>Heartless</i> perfectly joins up with Lewis Carroll’s imagination. With references to mock turtles, the Jabberwock and other minor characters, there is so much to discover in Meyer’s interpretation of Wonderland – it even clears up a couple of scenarios from the original tale that may have bamboozled readers initially.
Admittedly, <i>Heartless</i> takes a little while to get going, but once it has, it is difficult to put down. Fans of Marissa Meyer may be disappointed that she did not stick to her futuristic storytelling, however all Alice enthusiasts will fall in love with this book – and probably with Jest as well. Overall, <i>Heartless</i> is a delightful book that reignites our inner childish imagination.