Puss in Boots

By K.M. Shea

Though she dreams of adventure, Gabrielle—a peasant girl—is given only a cat for her inheritance and is told she must marry, immediately. So when the cat, Puss, offers her a life of excitement in exchange for a pair of boots, Gabrielle jumps at the opportunity. Through Puss’s cunning and Gabrielle’s good deeds, they become celebrated heroes in small villages across the country.

Their adventurous life is complicated by Prince Steffen—a handsome prince who has a low opinion of love. He befriends Gabrielle and comes to grudgingly respect Puss as they work together to purge monsters and brigands from the countryside.

Disaster strikes when Steffen realizes his growing feelings for Gabrielle, and Puss and Gabrielle fight the evil ogre who rules the lands of Carabas. Can Gabrielle save Carabas? Will Steffen accept his feelings for her before it is too late?

K.M. Shea has quickly become my favorite writer of e-books and fairy tale retellings. I’ve never been a big fan of this fairy tale, so I think that is part of the reason why I ended up not liking this book as much as her others in this series. It’s also a story that happens before the second book in the series, even though this is the 6^th book, which made for a tiny bit of confusion as I read and tried to put things in their chronological order. Gabrielle is an interesting heroine because she just wants to find some adventure, she never set out to be a hero or take silly risks. She genuinely cares about people, but tends to be standoffish. It made for an interesting plot. Steffen was my favorite character, though I did enjoy the friendship between Gabrielle and Puss quite a bit.

This gets a 3 out of 5- it was average.

Unraveled

By Julie Daines

In the years since the fever that took both her family and her ability to walk, sixteen-year-old Bronwen has been relegated to the lonely status of cripple. But when a fortuitous encounter with a mysterious mountain witch reveals the magical possibility of regaining the use of her legs, Bronwen can’t help but envision the life she never had. Powerless to resist the promise of a second chance, Bronwen dons the enchanted but homely shoes the witch gives her and embarks on a journey that takes her from her small village in the countryside to the glittering court of the king—and from a lonely life of solitude to a life filled with attention from two very different young men. But when Bronwen’s desire to be accepted leads to compounding lies and a mountain of trouble, the power of true love is tested. Can Brownwen’s dream of being happy, whole, and loved ever be attained?

After looking at the cover for this book I was expecting some kind of twist on the Cinderella story, and that tinted my reading of the book, but in a good way. I felt like I was reading a fairy tale retelling but wasn’t quite sure which fairy tale. I liked this easy-to-read story and enjoyed the setting of Wales. Bronwen is a girl who gets the chance to see what her life could’ve been if circumstance and sickness hadn’t changed her fate. She is a cripple, and feels like she will never have the life she dreams of with a husband and family of her own one day. She knows that no man will want a crippled wife. So she sets about her daily chores trying to content herself with her home and the things she can still do. But when she is kind to a witch, she finds herself bequeathed a ratty pair of shoes that are much more than they seem. They give her healthy legs again, but at a cost. She sets out at the urging of her mother to present herself to the court. It is there that she learns how different life is for her now that others see her as ‘whole’. Throw in two different men who both care for her in different ways, and all the lies that she has told to keep her secret, Bronwen has found that life isn’t easy even when you’ve got two sturdy legs to stand on. This is a quick read that is more than just a romantic story, it’s a story about being honest and true to yourself and recognizing that strength is about more than being whole or broken.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Mechanica

By Betsy Cornwell

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her ‘mechanica’ to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: there’s a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.

There are literally hundreds of different retellings of Cinderella, and being the avid fairy-tale connoisseur that I am, how can I turn down a steam-punk version of the famous story? Mechanica is interesting because of the machines and world that was built to house a mechanical genius Cinderella. One of the more interesting aspects of the world building here is that there are still fairies and magic, but the mechanical is where the humans lean, and the mixture of the two is considered treasonous. While this version has all of the classic themes, like a ball, slipper, fairy godmother, and the stepmother and sisters, it has plenty of originality and a great twist ending that made this a really fun read. If you enjoy retellings as much as me, this one is worth a gander.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5 

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

By Christopher Healy

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

This is one of those satirical books that was pretty fun to read, though you need to be in a certain mood to really enjoy it. I admit, it took me a while to get into this book, but I was determined to finish it because my friend said that she and her husband read it out loud and couldn’t stop laughing. This would’ve been a great read-out-loud book. It’s about four princes, who are each known as their kingdom’s “Prince Charming”. Liam is a hero who is the darling of his kingdom, until he meets sleeping beauty, Frederic has never been outside of his own castle and fell for adventurous and sheltered Cinderella, Duncan luckily stumbled across Snow White, a hermit, in the woods, and Gustav is known for being rescued by Rapunzel, who healed his blindness with her tears. The princes band together to save their reputations and find out if they really are hero material. What ensues is a hilarious satire of fairy-tale stories and all the stereotypes that happen. It’s clever and well done, kids love reading about these unlikely Prince Charmings, and adults laugh at the way the story pokes fun at the genre. Again I had a hard time getting into the story, it was a little too dumbed down for me, geared for children and not adults. Some books can easily bridge the gap, but this one fell a little flat for me.

I give it a 3 out of 5  

Rumplestiltskin

By K.M. Shea

When Gemma’s drunken father tells King Torgen of Verglas that his daughter can spin straw into gold, Gemma assumes her life is over. Held captive in a room filled with straw, Gemma is ordered to spin it all into gold by dawn the following day, or she will be killed by the king’s orders. Rather than cry her eyes out over her sad fate, Gemma tries escaping, and becomes acquainted with a mysterious mage named Stil. Stil offers to help Gemma complete her task, for a price, and turns the straw into gold thread.

Unfortunately the gold whets the greedy appetite of King Torgen, who is determined to wring more gold from Gemma. Gemma is relieved when Stil agrees to help her a second and third time…but his requested payments for the task grow stranger and stranger…

Can Gemma outsmart the evil king and survive Stil’s unusual bargains?

What an interesting way to retell Rumplestiltskin! The trend right now is to make Rumple the good guy/love interest instead of the little trickster that he was in the original. This is no exception, and to boot, Stil (as he is known in this story), is a mage. A wandering sorcerer who hears of Gemma’s predicament and wants to help. You know what they say about good intentions, sometimes they end up making things worse. I enjoyed this novel a great deal, mostly because Gemma is so snarky and no-nonsense. She doesn’t place trust in anybody but herself, and will escape on her own thank you very much. Stil is ever amused by her and, obvious to everyone but Gemma, almost immediately starts to try and win her affection. It’s cute and fun, and boy am I enjoying Shea’s development as a writer. Her characters are getting more and more interesting all the time and a pleasure to read!

I give this a 3.75 out of 5

The Fairest Beauty

By Melanie Dickerson

Sophie has long wished to get away from her stepmother’s jealous anger, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be her chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

Gabe knows he defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the orphan girl has stolen his heart. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother’s future wife and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises to himself he will keep her safe, no matter what.

When the pair are forced to run to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Can they find a way to protect Sophie while also safeguarding their hearts?

I have found myself, like I so often do, devouring a series of books that I have found enjoyable to read. This is the latest in the series from Dickerson that I’ve read, based on the fairy tale Snow White. Her re-tellings are more fact-based and down to earth. Not magical, but practical. The villains are just people with evil intent. The good people are God-fearing and kind. I had a little trouble with this story because I liked Gabe but he seemed really wishy-washy. We’re told that he’s irresponsible and rash, but the whole time we as readers know him he is nothing but kind, respectful, and responsible. I was thrown by this, and a little irritated. Sophie is your typical nice sort of blah character. This wasn’t my favorite from Dickerson, but it doesn’t mean I won’t keep reading her books (eventually. I’m taking a break). Although it was fun to read about Rose and Wilhelm's children.

I give it a 3 out of 5 

The Little Selkie

By K.M. Shea

It is with great reluctance—and a lot of frustration—that Dylan, a selkie, saves the Ringsted Prince Callan when she finds him shipwrecked and drifting in the ocean. The experience is nothing but a bother, so she puts it from her mind and swims off on her merry way. Two years later, while chasing an evil sea witch onto land, Dylan’s pelt is stolen, leaving her unable to return to the ocean in her sea lion body. Rather than serve as the sea witch’s tool, Dylan asks a traveling enchantress to seal her voice. The enchantress complies, and Dylan is taken to the royal palace by one of the sea witch’s minions where she encounters, yet again, Prince Callan.

Between court games, a dangerous brush with a kelpie, and sniffing out the sea withch while looking for her pelt, Dylan’s days are a flavorful blend of treachery and boredom. But during her searches and investigations, Prince Callan befriends her, making her question her loyalties. Dylan always thought her heart was with the ocean, but can she defeat the sea witch and leave Callan forever?

K.M. Shea is my favorite go-to for a good fairy-tale retelling. I love how she’s able to keep true to the heart of a story but gives the reader enough little twists that it’s enjoyable to re-experience the classic fairy-tales. This is by far the best retelling I’ve read for The Little Mermaid. Hans Christian Anderson’s original is depressing to say the least, and Disney’s version is delightful. I really appreciated Shea’s decision to use a Selkie instead of a Mermaid, which to my mind made more sense anyway. This is the fifth book in her fairy-tale series, and I didn’t have high hopes for it, but I ended up loving this story. Mostly because of Dylan. Dylan is awesome. She is a girl who is bold and different. I love that Shea made her a bottomless pit when it came to eating. That was hilarious and endearing. She had so much personality, and a different personality! I had gotten used to the typical Princess who was either sick of being royalty and wanted to be normal, or was pushed around and had to find her own voice (with small variations). Dylan is loyal and knows who she is. She doesn’t care about things that don’t matter to her end goal. Falling in love wasn’t what she was waiting for, it happened and she dealt with it like a person. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed the characters in this book. Also, Callan is a perfect match for Dylan! I don’t want to spoil too much, but he’s just as different as she is and it’s an amazing to see how they work off each other and support/respect one another. Great job Ms. Shea. Bravo!

I give it a 4.25 out of 5 –for awesome original characters!!!

The Healer's Apprentice

By Melanie Dickerson

A young healer’s apprentice named Rose believes she will never marry…until she meets Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of her village. Hamlin is everything she could ever want—kind, understanding, and a man of faith—but her low station and the fact that he’s already betrothed to a mysterious woman makes their romance impossible. As Lord Hamlin seeks to find the sorcerer who cursed his future bride, Rose’s life spins toward confusion. A creative retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale.

This was my first read from Melanie Dickerson, whom I’ve been trying to read for about a year now. After reading this book I promptly read two more of her books. I’m a nerd about fairy-tale retellings. This was an interesting take, putting a Christian spin on the fairy tale as well as a medieval historical setting was intriguing. I was right there loving the story and the faith behind the characters up until the very end. Without spoiling anything, I just got uncomfortable. Demons came into play, and I’m really antsy about occult stuff. I like magic and fantasy as much as the next Harry Potter fanatic, but when someone starts in on possessions, pentagrams, and black magic, I back away as quickly as possible. This towed the line for me. In fact, it tainted an otherwise very likeable story.

Overall I give it a 3.5 out of 5 (would’ve been higher if not for the above mentioned stuff) 

The Merchant's Daughter

By Melanie Dickerson

An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf’s bailiff—a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff’s vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf’s future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

Hey look, I found another retelling of Beauty and the Beast! This is a Christian themed, and medieval set telling of the fairy tale. It is the second book written by Melanie Dickerson, The first of which is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. While I worried at first that Dickerson favored having her heroines’ virtue come into jeopardy, I was relieved to note that she always has them rescued and never has it go anywhere beyond being chased and sometimes hit. Being Christian myself, I enjoyed the religious aspect of this novel, especially how God answers Annabel’s petition to be able to read the Bible through placing her in a position to read it to Lord Ranulf. I particularly enjoyed the perspective of someone reading the Bible for the first time, it was sweet and endearing. Lord Ranulf’s back story was different than any other “Beast” character than I’d previously read and that made me like the story quite a lot more than I would have, but at the same time I didn’t like the story as much as The Healer’s Apprentice because of the horrible Bailiff that had ill intentions towards Annabel, which made me nervous the entire time I was reading. For a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it was alright, though not a favorite.

I give this a 3.5 out of 5- mostly for the religious aspect that I appreciated. 

Dearest

By Alethea Kontis

Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in Enchanted and Hero. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Firday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?

Alethea Kontis’s previous books about the Woodcutter sisters Sunday and Saturday were in turns charming, heartwarming, and entertaining. I admit that I enjoyed Sunday’s story the most, (Enchanted) and Saturday’s story was a little uncomfortable and not as engaging for me personally. Friday’s story, however, I was excited to read because she was always portrayed as so gentle and loving. I was a bit miffed at how they treated the love story, and I had hopes toward the end that it would not be as straightforward as I previously thought, but it ended up being a very contrived and destiny-driven love story. I’m not a fan of love at first sight. This was almost a forced romance. The story of the swans was a good choice for Friday, and I liked how it also mingled in with Swan Lake. This story occurs in sync with Saturday’s.  All in all, it was entertaining and fluffy.

This gets a 3 out of 5- Average.

The Light Princess and Other Stories

By George MacDonald

When the Light Princess was born, somebody messed up an invitation to her christening and left out her evil aunt, who was a witch. That evil aunt vented her anger by casting a spell on the Princess that left her immune to gravity. Which was a strange (and often inconvenient ) way for things to be -- more than once the wind caught hold of her while she slept, and you can go the most amazing places on the wind if you have no weight.
Then, when the princess got to be a young woman, she met a young prince and fell in love -- and the results of that love are the very essence of this tale . . . Also included in this volume are "The Giant's Heart," and "The Golden Key.”

I’ve been meaning to read more from George McDonald since I discovered that my own name was derived from one of his books. This is a collection of short stories, the main of which is The Light Princess. I adored the story of the Light Princess, and contrary to my initial assumption of her being a Light (as in the opposite of dark) princess, she is actually Light (as in the opposite of heavy) princess. It was funny and clever and felt like a classic fairy tale in every sense. It’s a story about levity and solemnity as well as the power of sacrifice and love. I’d recommend it to anybody who likes fairy tales. The other two stories included in the version I read were The Giant’s Heart and The Golden Key. The Giant’s heart was strange, but oddly endearing. It’s about two kids who set out on a journey to save themselves and other children from a child-eating giant by trying to find where he hid his heart. The Golden Key was a surreal story. It’s about two children who find themselves, for lack of a better word, in fairy land. Their journey is all to do with a Golden Key and what it unlocks. They encounter wonderful creatures and gods. It felt a bit disjointed, but I feel like I missed something and it makes me want to go back and read it again. It has a depth in the tone of the telling that I’m sure I missed the meaning behind it. This was, overall, a very satisfying read.

I give The Light Princess a 4.5 out of 5

I give The Giant’s Heart a 3.25 out of 5

I give The Golden Key a 3.5 out of 5

Wild Swans

By K. M. Shea

Elise is no hero. She would rather balance the castle’s expense accounts than become her country’s champion. But she doesn’t have a choice since her step-mother, a wicked withc, cursed the seven princes of Arcainia, Elise’s foster-brothers, and transformed them into swans. To free her foster-brothers Elise agrees to knit seven shirts made of stinging nettles. She must complete the shirts without uttering a word.

For the sake of safety and secrecy, Elise fless Arcainia and struggles to survive in the wild. Even though she is mute, trails seven wild swans, and knits like a mad-woman, Elise catches the eye of a foreign prince, who drags her back to his family’s castle where she is tormented by the prince’s evil father. With her step-mother hunting her foster-brothers and the foreign king threatening to kill her, Elise’s dedication to her task is sorely tested. But if Elise does not finish the shirts, Arcainia and her foster-brothers will be lost. Can a mathematician be the hero needed to save the day?

I have really enjoyed reading K. M. Shea’s books, and this is the book that goes between Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella and the Colonel. I was excited, but wondered why this book got lower ratings than the other two. After reading it I can understand why because having loved the two aforementioned books, this pales in comparison. I liked Elise, but the love story part of the book left something lacking for me. It was almost creepy. Elise has no romantic interest in her suitors because she grew up with them, knowing them as brothers. The story itself was good and I liked the self-sacrifice parts of the book. The brothers were well characterized, if a bit silly at times. My main (and very large) problem with the book was the ending. What a cop-out. After going through the novel and wondering with excitement who Elise will choose, we get to the end only to find ourselves in a choose-your-favorite-love-interest? WHAT? I was ticked. That authorial choice was poor in my opinion. It really lowered the book and the journey you took to figure out who Elise chooses. I hated that. I would’ve liked the book much more if the author had simply let Elise choose, or even told us in a round-about way in a later book. In my opinion, just skip this book and read the other two.

I give it a 2.75 out of 5- All because of the ending. If not for the ending it would’ve been a 3 or 3.5

Fairy Tale Christmas

By Michael Mclean and Scott Mclean

Santa Claus has been kidnapped!

Behind the plot are an evil queen, a wicked stepmother, a sorceress, a beanstalk giant, and, of course, the mischievous Rumpelstiltskin. They have a plan that will erase the term “Happily Ever After” from our storybooks forever.

But it’s nearly Christmas Eve, and time is running out. Can Santa and the fairy-tale heroes save the day and bring Christmas to all the children of the world? Will anyone have a “Happily Ever After” again?

True to Michael Mclean, this is a cheeky happy story that has a good moral and a snappy song. I read this is one sitting and I’m still shaking my head and smiling when I think about it. Fairy tales have gotten more popular of late what with the slew of retellings in the book industry, Disney movies, and the hugely popular TV show Once Upon a Time. Capitalizing on this, Michael Mclean has given us a witty story about the villains, who want their happy endings and will do whatever it takes to get it, including holding for ransom the jolly elf himself, Santa Claus. This is a wonderful book to read aloud to kids at Christmas and has a website in the end that has a lovely song that goes along with the moral of the book; about the hero in all of us. Feel good and warm-fuzzy inducing, this is a good book to have at Christmas, and if it does well we might see it hit the stage alongside The Forgotten Carols!

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

The Little Mermaid

By Jenni James

Is grass truly greener than ocean blue?

Pearl has always dreamed of visiting the land of humans, to walk with them, eat with them, and learn everything she can from them. But no one in the North Seas agrees with her. In fact, they are all convinced that the landfolk are a dangerous, scary group of people who would harm the mermaid if they could.

Keel, the great merprince of the North Seas, has never loved anyone as much as he loves Pearl. He knows of her fascination with mankind and realizes she will never be truly settled until she has walked among the humans. So he finally relents, giving her a potion to grow legs of her own so she can experience the world above the water. He vows to come on land and protect her, as he doesn’t trust humans and never will.

While this fairy tale retelling was more engaging than Jenni’s Rapunzel, I still was a tad let down at what I thought was a sort of cheapened view at what should’ve been a longer novel. It once more felt like the bones of a novel that needed muscle, nerves, and skin. Pearl feels like a half-formed strange character who for no discernable reason wants to be a human; she admits no one makes her feel the way Keel does and yet she is still idiotically obsessed with the land. Keel on the other hand, is a self-sacrificing character that only wants to help Pearl get over her obsession so she might have a chance to decide to be happy with him. The plot had potential but the carry-out was too simplistic for me to feel engaged as a reader. It was too easy.

I give it a 2.75 out of 5

Princess of the Silver Woods

By Jessica Day George

Petunia is the youngest of King Gregor’s twelve daughters who together battled their way out of a curse that had plagued the family for years. But while on her way to visit an elderly neighbor, Petunia’s carriage is ambushed by bandits and Petunia finds herself falling headlong into another conflict—this one between a hidden forest community and the powerful kingdom that has stripped them of their wealth. With the line between enemies and friends suddenly blurred, and a handsome young thief her only hope at escaping the clutches of the King Under Stone, it will take all of Petunia’s courage, and a little help from her eleven older sisters, to put an end to the curse once and for all and restore their kingdom to right.

This is the third installment from Princess of the Midnight Ball, and we get to hear from Petunia, the youngest of the twelve dancing princesses. This is a sort of Robin Hood/ Little Red Riding Hood retelling in a loose sense that I ended up enjoying more than the previous two books. Petunia is this little petite thing with a wicked aim and a big heart. She meets Oliver and things snowball from there. While I enjoy Jessica Day George’s books, this particular series is definitely not my favorite. From her fairy-tale retellings, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is my favorite, and I very much liked her Dragon Slippers books more than these. I do read a lot of fairy-tale retellings and these just aren’t my favorite. They aren’t memorable for me, just fluff and fun.

I give it a 3 out of 5- average 

Stolen Songbird

By Danielle L. Jensen

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fad from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cecile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cecile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting—she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods—part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cecile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

This is yet another story that had overtones of Beauty and the Beast, so how could I resist when it came on sale on my kindle for 1.99$? Reading this was a fun adventure and very emotionally yanking. Cecile is forced into a marriage that she doesn’t want, and is expected to produce the heir to the Troll throne that will save them all from their curse. Tristan, her husband, is cold toward her and barely civil. She becomes confused when she realizes that the part of their wedding that marked both of their hands was a binding deeper than skin, and she understands that she is able to tell where Tristan is and what he is feeling, and he can tell what she is feeling too. She realizes that there is more to Tristan than the mask he wears in public. His feelings betray him, and Cecile starts to see that things are not as they seem, and she begins to feel for him what she never thought she could: love. And if she isn’t mistaken, he is beginning to feel the same. While this is a neat take on the beauty and the beast story, it has some downfalls for me in the fact that it has some heated scenes between Tristan and Cecile toward the end that made me highly uncomfortable, and it will only get worse as the series continues. I hate sex scenes, as I’ve repeatedly stated, and so, with a sigh, I’ll leave this to those of you who don’t mind. It’s a good tale and will appeal to people who like teen fiction with a little bit of a steamy romance.

I give it a 3.25 out of 5- above average, but the steamy parts really lowered my score.

Cinderella and the Colonel

By K. M. Shea

The country of Erlauf is the enemy, as far as Cinderella is concerned. Since Erlauf took over her home country, Cinderella has been forced to manage her once opulent duchy like a tightly budgeted farm. Gone are the days of wealth and luxury. Instead, Cinderella dons servants’ clothes and sells all her luxuries to save her servants and her duchy from the mountain of debt she’s racked up due to Erlauf fines and taxes.

Romance and forgiveness are the last things on Cinderella’s mind. Unfortunately the rakish Erlauf Colonel Friedrich has other ideas.

Cinderella thinks she needs a pile of money to save her duchy, and for the Erlauf invaders to leave. What she gets is a debonair Erlauf colonel, a fairy godmother, four mice, two goats, a pair of glass slippers, and a pumpkin.

It’s funny, I never seem to get tired of Beauty and the Beast retellings, but I always go into a Cinderella retelling with huge misgivings if I even decide to read them at all. When I began this book I was shocked at what K.M. Shea decided to do to the original tale, and I wholeheartedly pumped my fist in the air at her decisions. This is, in my opinion, the best retelling of Cindrella. Period. Okay, maybe it ties with Ella Enchanted. But seriously, this is amazing and heart-felt and all things good for a retelling and a proper romance. I adore Cinderella, I’m pretty sure I fell in love with the Colonel, and the plot is just amazing. This isn’t just a romance or a fairy tale. It’s a story about the power of forgiveness. Please, please read this if you love fairy tales and need a little romance in your day, but don’t want just fluff. It’s such a breath of fresh air. I loved K.M. Shea’s Beauty and the Beast, but this, this was just awesome.

I give it a 4.25 out of 5

Hero

By Alethea Kontis

Rough-and-tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she’s the only one of her sister without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, “Did romance have to part of the adventure?”

This is the sequel to Enchanted, the story of Sunday Woodcutter. Now it’s Saturday’s story we get to see. Saturday is a tomboy and has always been frustrated that she was the only one in her amazing family who seemed to not have some magic powers. It turned out that Saturday’s birth gift, an axe, turns into a sword and that Saturday’s destiny is even more than she bargained for, and she was hoping for quite a lot. Brash and impulsive, Saturday sets in motion a terrible curse, and only she can set things right with the help of her pirate sister Thursday. Saturday is in the middle of a save-the-world quest, and with her is the strangest boy she could’ve met in Peregrine. The two very opposite characters have to rely on each other if they’re going to survive this adventure, and like Saturday laments, “Did romance have to be part of the adventure?” It’s cute and fun and has a tighter plot than the first book did, while still bringing the fun of fairy tales into the plot line. My only issue is the embarrassing lack of restraint that Saturday shows with modesty. She has no problem stripping in front of Peregrine to dive into a pool to take a bath. Peregrine is a lot more sensitive than Saturday, and it makes a few scenes awkward and a little ridiculous.  

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Rapunzel

By Jenni James

On Rapunzel’s sixteenth birthday, her parents are tuned to stone by the evil witch, Lady Vactryne, and the girl is taken to be forever hidden away in a tower. The young princess is afraid and all alone, and as the months pass by and her attempts to escape become more desperate, she begins to hope that anyone will come to save her.

Prince Jonathan of Balligyrn has loved Rapunzel since they were children and has vowed to battle the witch, bring Rapunzel back, and restore her kingdom, no matter the cost. It has been years since he last saw her and asked her to wait for him to return from school. Now Jonathan only hopes he is not too late.

The cunning witch has other plans for them both, one that does not involve losing her dreams to mere fools. Who will win—the woman bent on revenge, or the young girl determined to overcome it all?

So, I really enjoyed Jenni James’ first retellings so much more than her last few. This one fell flat for me, because it felt incredibly rushed and had so much potential to be something fantastic. I’ve read a few reviews that talk about how they appreciated how she handled the subject of depression, but I found it hollow and too sudden to be realistic or well-told. This is a story that tries to be a boy-next-store love story with a royal twist, and then a curse, and then Johnathan spends most of the story pining for Rapunzel and wandering around trying to find her. There is the barest trace of character development, most of what we know is told to us rather than shown because this was just bare plot bones showing through everywhere. There was just too much story for the length of book she wanted. I didn’t care for this one as much as her others. The Frog Princess was the last book she wrote that I really enjoyed.

I give this a 2.75 out of 5

Beauty and the Beast

By K. M. Shea

Once upon a time Elle made a mistake. A small miscalculation sends her through the roof of an enchanted Chateau. Stranded until her broken leg mends, Elle is forced to rely on the good will of the sour chateau owner—the cursed Prince Severin.

Prince Severin—the commanding general and staunch supporter of his brother the crown prince—is cursed to look like a beast until a maiden falls in love with him. However, he has given up all hope of shattering the curse after several painful and failed attempts to break it. As such he has only disdain for Elle, leaving her to the devices of his bossy servants. This suits Elle perfectly as she dislikes the entire royal family, Severin included.

Unfortunately for the unsuspecting pair, the chateau servants are determined to break the curse and spend the majority of their time pushing Elle and Severin together. After bonding over gardens, animals, and terrifying squirrels Elle and Severin show signs of friendship, and perhaps something more…

But not all love stories can end that easily. After all, Elle is not what she seems, and Severin’s life is placed in danger when hostilities flare between his brother and the monarchs of a neighboring country.

If they really want the love of a lifetime Elle, a loyal liar, and Severin, an indifferent beast, will have to use every trick they know to survive.

Yes, I’m at it again. I found another Beauty and the Beast retelling. But I’m on a quest! I will find the best one there is, or failing that I’ll eventually write it! That being said, this is in the top tier for Beauty and the Beast retellings. I’m talking top 3. This was a great way to approach the beloved tale (I’m not the only obsessed person out there okay!) by making Elle, our heroine, a mysterious figure who is not kidnapped by the beast, but rather rescued by him, although reluctantly. Prince Severin is himself an awesome character and has much more to him than being a Beast. The byplay between the two of them is the best; the squirrel scene had me laughing out loud. But, not only is this the beloved tale retold, it’s a new tale with merits all its own, and I for one fell in love with the telling and the characters with all their stupidities and strengths. Again, I think I can safely put this in my top 3, maybe even in the top 2. I liked it that much. I know a lot of people swear up and down that Robin McKinley’s Beauty is the best one out there, but this one easily tops it for me.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5- not generally, but for the genre of fairy tale retellings.