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Light & Kingdom (Royal & Piper #2)
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Over a year after the Piper of HameLonn disappeared, his secret is found out. In the capital of...
Fantasy Romance Fairytale Retelling Young Adult
I really enjoyed this retelling of Hera’s story. She wasn’t a woman to be messed with - and Zeus pushed her to her limits on many occasions. While she couldn’t punish the King of the Gods, she could certainly punish the women that he cheated on her with.
In the original stories, Hera is vilified, portrayed as unreasonably vengeful, spiteful even. In this version, we can see her motivations. She can’t possibly direct her revenge on her monarch - that would endanger her position and Zeus would deal with her like all those who acted against him.
Hera is complicated woman, and she acts in the only way she knows how to. Her anger has centuries to mature and grow, and there’s a real sense of the passage of time. It’s just that that passage is pretty meaningless to a God!
This novel doesn’t excuse Hera’s behaviour, but it certainly gives the reasons for it. I love Greek mythology, and Jennifer Saints retellings have been excellent. This is another great addition to the series.
In the original stories, Hera is vilified, portrayed as unreasonably vengeful, spiteful even. In this version, we can see her motivations. She can’t possibly direct her revenge on her monarch - that would endanger her position and Zeus would deal with her like all those who acted against him.
Hera is complicated woman, and she acts in the only way she knows how to. Her anger has centuries to mature and grow, and there’s a real sense of the passage of time. It’s just that that passage is pretty meaningless to a God!
This novel doesn’t excuse Hera’s behaviour, but it certainly gives the reasons for it. I love Greek mythology, and Jennifer Saints retellings have been excellent. This is another great addition to the series.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Bright Smoke, Cold Fire in Books
Apr 15, 2018
Fantastic Shakespeare retelling (3 more)
Excellent characters
Interesting worldbuilding
Romeo & Juliet + Zombies!
I read the description of this book somewhere and immediately requested it from the library - a re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet in a dying world with necromancers? SIGN ME UP. And it did not disappoint!
Hodge has written a few other books - Cruel Beauty, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and Crimson Bound, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. (She also has a novella that spins Cinderella.) You all know how much I like my redone Fairy Tales! Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, is a little different in that it's a Shakespeare play, instead of a fairy tale. I recently read and reviewed Miranda and Caliban, another Shakespeare reskin, but this, I think, is much better.
The Capulets have become the Catresou, and the Montagues the Mahyanai in this dark fantasy. The Ruining has killed every human outside the city of Viyara/Verona - only stopped by the mystical walls put up by a long-dead priestess and maintained by a mysterious cult of nuns.
My favorite characters in this book - and arguably the main characters - are Runajo (Rosaline) and Paris, rather than Romeo and the Juliet. (It's a title, not a name - her name was stripped from her as an infant when the magic was worked to make her "the Juliet.") The original play doesn't give either of them much time, and they are both fascinating characters in this novel - Runajo a little more than Paris, in my opinion. Runajo is a member of the Sisters of Thorns - the cult of nuns keeping the walls of Viyara up against The Ruining. When she accidentally brings the Juliet back from death, she becomes - or at least thinks she becomes - that which she and the city fear the most. A necromancer. Runajo and the Juliet both believe they will (and should) die for this crime, but still use the time they have left to try and save the city from the necromancers operating within.
Meanwhile, Paris and Romeo have found themselves bound by the magic that should have bound Romeo and Juliet, had it not gone terribly wrong. They can feel each other's emotions, see each other's memories, hear each other's thoughts. This is understandably awkward for Paris as he feels Romeo's grief for the Juliet's supposed death, and occasionally catches flashes of more intimate moments between the two. They decide to take on the city's necromancers in memory of the Juliet.
I liked how, similar to the play, Romeo and Juliet both operate for the entirety of the book under the assumption that the other one is dead. They both take risks and agree to things they would not have done if they didn't each welcome death in their own way.
I also very much enjoyed a side, non-binary character who I really want to see more of!
The book ended on an upsetting cliffhanger, which is really my only problem with it. The sequel is due out this summer (Endless Water, Starless Sky) and I will definitely be picking it up.
Great book, but you may want to wait a few months so you can immediately follow it with the sequel!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Hodge has written a few other books - Cruel Beauty, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and Crimson Bound, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. (She also has a novella that spins Cinderella.) You all know how much I like my redone Fairy Tales! Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, is a little different in that it's a Shakespeare play, instead of a fairy tale. I recently read and reviewed Miranda and Caliban, another Shakespeare reskin, but this, I think, is much better.
The Capulets have become the Catresou, and the Montagues the Mahyanai in this dark fantasy. The Ruining has killed every human outside the city of Viyara/Verona - only stopped by the mystical walls put up by a long-dead priestess and maintained by a mysterious cult of nuns.
My favorite characters in this book - and arguably the main characters - are Runajo (Rosaline) and Paris, rather than Romeo and the Juliet. (It's a title, not a name - her name was stripped from her as an infant when the magic was worked to make her "the Juliet.") The original play doesn't give either of them much time, and they are both fascinating characters in this novel - Runajo a little more than Paris, in my opinion. Runajo is a member of the Sisters of Thorns - the cult of nuns keeping the walls of Viyara up against The Ruining. When she accidentally brings the Juliet back from death, she becomes - or at least thinks she becomes - that which she and the city fear the most. A necromancer. Runajo and the Juliet both believe they will (and should) die for this crime, but still use the time they have left to try and save the city from the necromancers operating within.
Meanwhile, Paris and Romeo have found themselves bound by the magic that should have bound Romeo and Juliet, had it not gone terribly wrong. They can feel each other's emotions, see each other's memories, hear each other's thoughts. This is understandably awkward for Paris as he feels Romeo's grief for the Juliet's supposed death, and occasionally catches flashes of more intimate moments between the two. They decide to take on the city's necromancers in memory of the Juliet.
I liked how, similar to the play, Romeo and Juliet both operate for the entirety of the book under the assumption that the other one is dead. They both take risks and agree to things they would not have done if they didn't each welcome death in their own way.
I also very much enjoyed a side, non-binary character who I really want to see more of!
The book ended on an upsetting cliffhanger, which is really my only problem with it. The sequel is due out this summer (Endless Water, Starless Sky) and I will definitely be picking it up.
Great book, but you may want to wait a few months so you can immediately follow it with the sequel!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Louise (64 KP) rated Stealing Snow in Books
Jul 2, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review*
*This may contain spoilers*
This is another author where I have not read any of their work until now. Danielle Page is the author of ‘Dorothy must Die’ trilogy. I was anticipating this for all the wrong reasons, I thought this was a Snow White retelling which it is sadly not.
The main protagonist of this book is called Snow….obviously this is giving me the Snow White retelling vibes and that she names her medication after the seven dwarves. I forgot to mention Snow is currently detained in an asylum for young adults with mental health issues. The reason for her being there is pretty vague,sure she has anger issues and she bites but does that really mean she has to be incarcerated from the age of six! I was getting another vibe at this point – Alice in wonderland/through the looking-glass as she supposedly tried to walk through a mirror. At this point I was confused as to what the retelling actually was, was it Snow White? Alice in Wonderland?
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/LpX8q87YmnD20/giphy.gif"; width="400" height="200" alt="description"/>
Snow is not a very relatable character, she is young, she is naive and she falls in love with every boy that makes conversation with her…no word of a lie! She is in love with Bale who is also in the mental institution (His reason for being there is more believable) When she finds herself in the alternative world known as Algid she meets two other boys that are there to help her but obviously her hormones run away with her and starts swooning over the both of them whilst still loving Bane (That being the reason she is in Algid)
Obviously, when Snow gets to the alternative world she find out she is the chosen one and part of a prophecy. Snow being Snow who is really sarcastic and narrow-minded doesn’t care about the prophecy and only wants to find Bale. Her powers are to control Snow and she has to learn how to use these said powers….which just happen.
I am not a massive reader of fantasy novels but the world building in this was non-existent and when there was it was like it was an afterthought.I had no real idea of what Algid looked like other than it was covered in snow.
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/U6P3UehEHUoPm/giphy.gif"; width="400" height="200" alt="description"/>
I wasn’t particularly fond of the writing style and the amount of times that ‘I need to find Bale’ or some 20 other ways this could be written really got on my nerves,it was like we forgot why she was there every few pages.
So to wrap this up in a nutshell,this is a mash-up of retellings but mostly snow queen/frozen, the way that mental health was interpreted was very poor and would have loved it to have been more realistic. The characters were very unrelatable and the world building was lacking.
I will be not continuing on with this series, however don’t let this review stop you from reading it, this after all is just my opinion.
I rated this 1.5 out of 5 stars
*This may contain spoilers*
This is another author where I have not read any of their work until now. Danielle Page is the author of ‘Dorothy must Die’ trilogy. I was anticipating this for all the wrong reasons, I thought this was a Snow White retelling which it is sadly not.
The main protagonist of this book is called Snow….obviously this is giving me the Snow White retelling vibes and that she names her medication after the seven dwarves. I forgot to mention Snow is currently detained in an asylum for young adults with mental health issues. The reason for her being there is pretty vague,sure she has anger issues and she bites but does that really mean she has to be incarcerated from the age of six! I was getting another vibe at this point – Alice in wonderland/through the looking-glass as she supposedly tried to walk through a mirror. At this point I was confused as to what the retelling actually was, was it Snow White? Alice in Wonderland?
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/LpX8q87YmnD20/giphy.gif"; width="400" height="200" alt="description"/>
Snow is not a very relatable character, she is young, she is naive and she falls in love with every boy that makes conversation with her…no word of a lie! She is in love with Bale who is also in the mental institution (His reason for being there is more believable) When she finds herself in the alternative world known as Algid she meets two other boys that are there to help her but obviously her hormones run away with her and starts swooning over the both of them whilst still loving Bane (That being the reason she is in Algid)
Obviously, when Snow gets to the alternative world she find out she is the chosen one and part of a prophecy. Snow being Snow who is really sarcastic and narrow-minded doesn’t care about the prophecy and only wants to find Bale. Her powers are to control Snow and she has to learn how to use these said powers….which just happen.
I am not a massive reader of fantasy novels but the world building in this was non-existent and when there was it was like it was an afterthought.I had no real idea of what Algid looked like other than it was covered in snow.
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/U6P3UehEHUoPm/giphy.gif"; width="400" height="200" alt="description"/>
I wasn’t particularly fond of the writing style and the amount of times that ‘I need to find Bale’ or some 20 other ways this could be written really got on my nerves,it was like we forgot why she was there every few pages.
So to wrap this up in a nutshell,this is a mash-up of retellings but mostly snow queen/frozen, the way that mental health was interpreted was very poor and would have loved it to have been more realistic. The characters were very unrelatable and the world building was lacking.
I will be not continuing on with this series, however don’t let this review stop you from reading it, this after all is just my opinion.
I rated this 1.5 out of 5 stars
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Fall in Books
Jan 23, 2020
*puts on best announcer voice* Ahem.
I'd like to present to you the <b>most confusing book of the year</b>, <i>The Fall</i> by Bethany Griffin. It's a <b>very odd and peculiar book </b>based on Edgar Allen Poe's short story, <i>The Fall of the House of Usher</i>. In Griffin's retelling, Madeline Usher believes that she can break the curse on the Ushers, but then she wakes up in a fabulously claustrophobic box called a coffin.
In all seriousness, <i>The Fall</i> is actually <b>a retelling on one of Poe's stories </b>that I didn't actually read, but watched instead (so bad, it was good). From reading the synopsis of Griffin's retelling, <b>it sounded like Madeline Usher had spent most of her life trying to break free from the curse.</b>
I ended up with something different. At least, that's what I would probably end up with if I actually made it to the end of the book, which I chose not to. I totally admit I peeked at the last few pages just to see what would happen, and it was nothing special.
<b>Griffin starts us out right when Madeline wakes up in a coffin. The rest of the book, however, is all flashback from Madeline's childhood, starting from when she was nine. It's a little out of order, but has a pattern to it in a way</b> – one chapter is nine, the next is fifteen, and occasionally there's a diary/journal entry from Lisbeth Usher. I'm no fan of chapters being even remotely out of order (they can get confusing when you're busy and come back to the story a few days later), but <b>at least Griffin had a pattern.</b>
At least, until about page 150. <b>WHERE IS THIRTEEN AND WHY ARE YOU SKIPPED.</b>
Of course, we go back to thirteen in the next chapter and continue the pattern. In my little game of peek-ahead, I found out <b>there <i>is</i> no particular pattern. My hypothesis to all this is Griffin portraying Madeline's madness increasing as her age increases. As Madeline grows older, she becomes madder. </b>How's that for implementing science?
Anyways, about 50 pages later, I'm pretty much going, "Your point is..?" in a very uninterested mental voice that may or may not include a mental eye roll or two in the process. Here's all that I've found out from what I read:
<ol>
<li>Madeline wakes up in a coffin – Go figure.</li>
<li>She and her brother Roderick is cursed – Knew that.</li>
<li>The House of Usher is, well, alive – Knew that.</li>
<li>The House of Usher is malicious – Knew that, but this was ten times creepier from the cheesy short film.</li>
<li>Madeline has a desire to break the curse on her family – It's very subtle.</li>
</ol>
In the long run, <b><i>The Fall</i> is written in a scattered format (see my hypothesis!) to emphasize the fact that the House of Usher is alive, malicious, and will do <i>anything</i> to keep an Usher within its walls for all eternity. It's nothing remotely impressive if you read or watched the original.</b>
And this is when the book club kills me.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-review-the-fall-by-bethany-griffin/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I'd like to present to you the <b>most confusing book of the year</b>, <i>The Fall</i> by Bethany Griffin. It's a <b>very odd and peculiar book </b>based on Edgar Allen Poe's short story, <i>The Fall of the House of Usher</i>. In Griffin's retelling, Madeline Usher believes that she can break the curse on the Ushers, but then she wakes up in a fabulously claustrophobic box called a coffin.
In all seriousness, <i>The Fall</i> is actually <b>a retelling on one of Poe's stories </b>that I didn't actually read, but watched instead (so bad, it was good). From reading the synopsis of Griffin's retelling, <b>it sounded like Madeline Usher had spent most of her life trying to break free from the curse.</b>
I ended up with something different. At least, that's what I would probably end up with if I actually made it to the end of the book, which I chose not to. I totally admit I peeked at the last few pages just to see what would happen, and it was nothing special.
<b>Griffin starts us out right when Madeline wakes up in a coffin. The rest of the book, however, is all flashback from Madeline's childhood, starting from when she was nine. It's a little out of order, but has a pattern to it in a way</b> – one chapter is nine, the next is fifteen, and occasionally there's a diary/journal entry from Lisbeth Usher. I'm no fan of chapters being even remotely out of order (they can get confusing when you're busy and come back to the story a few days later), but <b>at least Griffin had a pattern.</b>
At least, until about page 150. <b>WHERE IS THIRTEEN AND WHY ARE YOU SKIPPED.</b>
Of course, we go back to thirteen in the next chapter and continue the pattern. In my little game of peek-ahead, I found out <b>there <i>is</i> no particular pattern. My hypothesis to all this is Griffin portraying Madeline's madness increasing as her age increases. As Madeline grows older, she becomes madder. </b>How's that for implementing science?
Anyways, about 50 pages later, I'm pretty much going, "Your point is..?" in a very uninterested mental voice that may or may not include a mental eye roll or two in the process. Here's all that I've found out from what I read:
<ol>
<li>Madeline wakes up in a coffin – Go figure.</li>
<li>She and her brother Roderick is cursed – Knew that.</li>
<li>The House of Usher is, well, alive – Knew that.</li>
<li>The House of Usher is malicious – Knew that, but this was ten times creepier from the cheesy short film.</li>
<li>Madeline has a desire to break the curse on her family – It's very subtle.</li>
</ol>
In the long run, <b><i>The Fall</i> is written in a scattered format (see my hypothesis!) to emphasize the fact that the House of Usher is alive, malicious, and will do <i>anything</i> to keep an Usher within its walls for all eternity. It's nothing remotely impressive if you read or watched the original.</b>
And this is when the book club kills me.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-review-the-fall-by-bethany-griffin/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
The original is better
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Six bestselling authors have taken on the task of writing modern retellings of the complete works of Jane Austen. Alexander McCall Smith has successfully taken on the challenge of bringing Emma into the 21st century. Although the settings and characters remain the same the contemporary clothing, vehicles and ideas are something that the reader can relate to.
As fans of Jane Austen will already know, Emma is about rich, single Emma Woodhouse who, despite the disapproval of her good friend George Knightley, enjoys interfering in the lives of others, particularly where romance is concerned. Her meddling backfires when her plan to match her friend Harriet Smith with the boring Philip Elton has disastrous consequences.
Alexander McCall Smith’s version of Emma has more focus on the life of Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, than the original did. He gives an account of Henry Woodhouse’s history and over emphasizes his anxieties about health and safety. Mr. Woodhouse’s concerns are constantly cropping up throughout the novel adding a little humour to the story.
One concern about this modern adaptation is that the writing style was overly formal. If it were not for the references to the current clothing fashions, motorcars and women attending university, the book could have been set during Jane Austen’s lifetime. Take, for example, the character Anne Taylor. Mr. Woodhouse hires Miss Taylor as a governess for his motherless daughters. Miss Taylor’s approach to the girls and her prim and proper use of language made her seem antiquated. She would not have looked out of place amongst other well-known governesses or nannies such as Mary Poppins or Nurse Matilda.
Occasionally it felt that Alexander McCall Smith was mocking the modern world, for example the activities of the younger generation or the way people speak. Whilst this may appeal to older readers who may disapprove of the recent developments and changes in the Western world; it alienates the teenagers and young adults who have grown up with modern technology.
There is no doubt that Alexander McCall Smith has done an excellent job at retelling such a famous novel, however to be a complete modern retelling I think everything needs to be brought into the 21st century. This would include all the characters and the style of language it is written in.
Six bestselling authors have taken on the task of writing modern retellings of the complete works of Jane Austen. Alexander McCall Smith has successfully taken on the challenge of bringing Emma into the 21st century. Although the settings and characters remain the same the contemporary clothing, vehicles and ideas are something that the reader can relate to.
As fans of Jane Austen will already know, Emma is about rich, single Emma Woodhouse who, despite the disapproval of her good friend George Knightley, enjoys interfering in the lives of others, particularly where romance is concerned. Her meddling backfires when her plan to match her friend Harriet Smith with the boring Philip Elton has disastrous consequences.
Alexander McCall Smith’s version of Emma has more focus on the life of Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, than the original did. He gives an account of Henry Woodhouse’s history and over emphasizes his anxieties about health and safety. Mr. Woodhouse’s concerns are constantly cropping up throughout the novel adding a little humour to the story.
One concern about this modern adaptation is that the writing style was overly formal. If it were not for the references to the current clothing fashions, motorcars and women attending university, the book could have been set during Jane Austen’s lifetime. Take, for example, the character Anne Taylor. Mr. Woodhouse hires Miss Taylor as a governess for his motherless daughters. Miss Taylor’s approach to the girls and her prim and proper use of language made her seem antiquated. She would not have looked out of place amongst other well-known governesses or nannies such as Mary Poppins or Nurse Matilda.
Occasionally it felt that Alexander McCall Smith was mocking the modern world, for example the activities of the younger generation or the way people speak. Whilst this may appeal to older readers who may disapprove of the recent developments and changes in the Western world; it alienates the teenagers and young adults who have grown up with modern technology.
There is no doubt that Alexander McCall Smith has done an excellent job at retelling such a famous novel, however to be a complete modern retelling I think everything needs to be brought into the 21st century. This would include all the characters and the style of language it is written in.
Louise (64 KP) rated Flame in the Mist in Books
Jul 2, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This was my first time reading anything by Renee Ahdieh, as usual I do things back to front. Her Wrath and the Dawn duology has got nothing but praise so when I saw she had another book coming out I jumped at the chance to read it.I was really intrigued as I heard it was a Mulan retelling and plus the cover is absolutely stunning.
Flame in the Mist follows Mariko, she is 17 years old and is destined to marry, she has had a sheltered life and brought up for the sole purpose to marry to support his social standing. She is on her way to marry a prince from another part of Japan when her litter and convoy are attacked by the Black Clan. Mariko manages to make it out alive, instead of returning home to her family she decides to disguise herself as a boy to find out who tried to kill her and why.
I found this story hard to get into at the beginning, I wasn't totally gripped and didn't have the inclination to carry on reading. I didn't know what to expect with Renee Ahdieh's writing style but I was pleasantly surprised and she had this knack for creating an atmosphere and world building. The downfall to this book was that Mariko was a very boring character. We were told how smart she was several times but we wasn't shown. She was headstrong and knew that she was born the wrong gender to be perceived as anything other than marriage material.
I liked the romance and loved the buildup of tension between the love birds even if it did have some problems. I didn't see the twist at the end coming. This is supposed to be a fantasy but there were no fantastical creatures and very little magic involved. The Mulan retelling is 'loosely based'.
I think for me I am going to have reread this book at a later date - it didn't hold my attention enough to take a lot of it in. I still would like to read her Wrath and the Dawn duology.
I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
This was my first time reading anything by Renee Ahdieh, as usual I do things back to front. Her Wrath and the Dawn duology has got nothing but praise so when I saw she had another book coming out I jumped at the chance to read it.I was really intrigued as I heard it was a Mulan retelling and plus the cover is absolutely stunning.
Flame in the Mist follows Mariko, she is 17 years old and is destined to marry, she has had a sheltered life and brought up for the sole purpose to marry to support his social standing. She is on her way to marry a prince from another part of Japan when her litter and convoy are attacked by the Black Clan. Mariko manages to make it out alive, instead of returning home to her family she decides to disguise herself as a boy to find out who tried to kill her and why.
I found this story hard to get into at the beginning, I wasn't totally gripped and didn't have the inclination to carry on reading. I didn't know what to expect with Renee Ahdieh's writing style but I was pleasantly surprised and she had this knack for creating an atmosphere and world building. The downfall to this book was that Mariko was a very boring character. We were told how smart she was several times but we wasn't shown. She was headstrong and knew that she was born the wrong gender to be perceived as anything other than marriage material.
I liked the romance and loved the buildup of tension between the love birds even if it did have some problems. I didn't see the twist at the end coming. This is supposed to be a fantasy but there were no fantastical creatures and very little magic involved. The Mulan retelling is 'loosely based'.
I think for me I am going to have reread this book at a later date - it didn't hold my attention enough to take a lot of it in. I still would like to read her Wrath and the Dawn duology.
I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Six bestselling authors have taken on the task of writing modern retellings of the complete works of Jane Austen. Alexander McCall Smith has successfully taken on the challenge of bringing <i>Emma</i> into the 21st century. Although the settings and characters remain the same the contemporary clothing, vehicles and ideas are something that the reader can relate to.
As fans of Jane Austen will already know, <i>Emma</i> is about rich, single Emma Woodhouse who, despite the disapproval of her good friend George Knightley, enjoys interfering in the lives of others, particularly where romance is concerned. Her meddling backfires when her plan to match her friend Harriet Smith with the boring Philip Elton has disastrous consequences.
Alexander McCall Smith’s version of <i>Emma</i> has more focus on the life of Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, than the original did. He gives an account of Henry Woodhouse’s history and over emphasizes his anxieties about health and safety. Mr. Woodhouse’s concerns are constantly cropping up throughout the novel adding a little humour to the story.
One concern about this modern adaptation is that the writing style was overly formal. If it were not for the references to the current clothing fashions, motorcars and women attending university, the book could have been set during Jane Austen’s lifetime. Take, for example, the character Anne Taylor. Mr. Woodhouse hires Miss Taylor as a governess for his motherless daughters. Miss Taylor’s approach to the girls and her prim and proper use of language made her seem antiquated. She would not have looked out of place amongst other well-known governesses or nannies such as <i>Mary Poppins</i> or <i>Nurse Matilda</i>.
Occasionally it felt that Alexander McCall Smith was mocking the modern world, for example the activities of the younger generation or the way people speak. Whilst this may appeal to older readers who may disapprove of the recent developments and changes in the Western world; it alienates the teenagers and young adults who have grown up with modern technology.
There is no doubt that Alexander McCall Smith has done an excellent job at retelling such a famous novel, however to be a complete modern retelling I think everything needs to be brought into the 21st century. This would include all the characters and the style of language it is written in.
Six bestselling authors have taken on the task of writing modern retellings of the complete works of Jane Austen. Alexander McCall Smith has successfully taken on the challenge of bringing <i>Emma</i> into the 21st century. Although the settings and characters remain the same the contemporary clothing, vehicles and ideas are something that the reader can relate to.
As fans of Jane Austen will already know, <i>Emma</i> is about rich, single Emma Woodhouse who, despite the disapproval of her good friend George Knightley, enjoys interfering in the lives of others, particularly where romance is concerned. Her meddling backfires when her plan to match her friend Harriet Smith with the boring Philip Elton has disastrous consequences.
Alexander McCall Smith’s version of <i>Emma</i> has more focus on the life of Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, than the original did. He gives an account of Henry Woodhouse’s history and over emphasizes his anxieties about health and safety. Mr. Woodhouse’s concerns are constantly cropping up throughout the novel adding a little humour to the story.
One concern about this modern adaptation is that the writing style was overly formal. If it were not for the references to the current clothing fashions, motorcars and women attending university, the book could have been set during Jane Austen’s lifetime. Take, for example, the character Anne Taylor. Mr. Woodhouse hires Miss Taylor as a governess for his motherless daughters. Miss Taylor’s approach to the girls and her prim and proper use of language made her seem antiquated. She would not have looked out of place amongst other well-known governesses or nannies such as <i>Mary Poppins</i> or <i>Nurse Matilda</i>.
Occasionally it felt that Alexander McCall Smith was mocking the modern world, for example the activities of the younger generation or the way people speak. Whilst this may appeal to older readers who may disapprove of the recent developments and changes in the Western world; it alienates the teenagers and young adults who have grown up with modern technology.
There is no doubt that Alexander McCall Smith has done an excellent job at retelling such a famous novel, however to be a complete modern retelling I think everything needs to be brought into the 21st century. This would include all the characters and the style of language it is written in.
Merissa (12339 KP) rated Blossom and the Beast (The Alder Tales #1) in Books
Jun 8, 2023
Okay, so this book is a Fairy Tale Retelling of Beauty and the Beast. With that in mind, I thought I had a fairly good idea of what to expect. Boy, was I wrong!
In Blossom and the Beast, Blossom is the youngest daughter of a clan chief. Her father has a fox for a totem animal, her three brothers are bears(!), and it is suspected that Blossom will be the same. She has a very inquisitive mind and struggles against the rules and traditions that bind her under the canopy. On a trip out of camp (when she shouldn't have been) she is spotted by Kaide. He immediately wants her in his life and does whatever it takes to ensure it. He is determined to win her over though, so he treats her with every respect.
With political manoeuvrings galore, plus a sweet and sensual romance, this book is more than just a Fairy Tale Retelling! This is an amazing book in its own right, and should definitely be recognised as such. Amazing story, with well-rounded and believable characters, this story will entice and enthral.
I will say one thing about the ending without giving out any spoilers - BE CAREFUL!!! When I finished the ending, my Kindle nearly went for a burton! It was so close to hitting the wall as I stomped around my home in disbelief. Without giving too many details, I sort of knew how it was going to end, without knowing the specific details. When those details came to life, I screeched as I couldn't believe it. It was a train wreck that I could see happening, without any means of stopping it! I was actually complaining to Blossom (my Kindle) about her actions and what she should have done instead - much to the amusement of my husband may I just add!
With no editing or grammatical errors that I found, this story certainly deserves its 5-star rating. Absolutely fantastic and I really, REALLY, can't wait for the second book to see where it will go.
* 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!
May 31, 2016
In Blossom and the Beast, Blossom is the youngest daughter of a clan chief. Her father has a fox for a totem animal, her three brothers are bears(!), and it is suspected that Blossom will be the same. She has a very inquisitive mind and struggles against the rules and traditions that bind her under the canopy. On a trip out of camp (when she shouldn't have been) she is spotted by Kaide. He immediately wants her in his life and does whatever it takes to ensure it. He is determined to win her over though, so he treats her with every respect.
With political manoeuvrings galore, plus a sweet and sensual romance, this book is more than just a Fairy Tale Retelling! This is an amazing book in its own right, and should definitely be recognised as such. Amazing story, with well-rounded and believable characters, this story will entice and enthral.
I will say one thing about the ending without giving out any spoilers - BE CAREFUL!!! When I finished the ending, my Kindle nearly went for a burton! It was so close to hitting the wall as I stomped around my home in disbelief. Without giving too many details, I sort of knew how it was going to end, without knowing the specific details. When those details came to life, I screeched as I couldn't believe it. It was a train wreck that I could see happening, without any means of stopping it! I was actually complaining to Blossom (my Kindle) about her actions and what she should have done instead - much to the amusement of my husband may I just add!
With no editing or grammatical errors that I found, this story certainly deserves its 5-star rating. Absolutely fantastic and I really, REALLY, can't wait for the second book to see where it will go.
* 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!
May 31, 2016
tapestry100 (306 KP) rated Star Wars: The Rise of a Hero in Books
Aug 2, 2017
Originally reviewed on http://www.frommybookshelf.com
A very simplistic retelling of Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope told entirely around Luke Skywalker's actions in the movie, Star Wars: The Rise of a Hero is an extremely quick read and one that I think most adult readers will probably skip, only because it is so simplistic. However, for early readers who are fans of Star Wars, I think this would be perfect. Since the story is not bogged down by all the myriad details of the movie and is written in such a way as to make everything easy to understand, and is only told from one character's perspective, beginning/early readers should find this volume extremely accessible. And while from an adult reader's POV, I found the story a little too streamlined and the art a little too basic (I know Walt Simonson's art is generally very straightforward and linear, this is even more pronounced here and not up to his usual levels of detail, IMO), I know I'm not the target audience and know for the right reader, this will be a perfect reading experience.
A very simplistic retelling of Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope told entirely around Luke Skywalker's actions in the movie, Star Wars: The Rise of a Hero is an extremely quick read and one that I think most adult readers will probably skip, only because it is so simplistic. However, for early readers who are fans of Star Wars, I think this would be perfect. Since the story is not bogged down by all the myriad details of the movie and is written in such a way as to make everything easy to understand, and is only told from one character's perspective, beginning/early readers should find this volume extremely accessible. And while from an adult reader's POV, I found the story a little too streamlined and the art a little too basic (I know Walt Simonson's art is generally very straightforward and linear, this is even more pronounced here and not up to his usual levels of detail, IMO), I know I'm not the target audience and know for the right reader, this will be a perfect reading experience.