Twisting a Tale as Old as Time: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)
Bloomsbury Kids, 2015

*ARC provided by the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2015 - thank you! This in no way impacted my opinions of this book.*

I guess you could say that it took me a while to get my thoughts in order about this book because I read it months ago but never wrote my review. Why is that? Well, largely because I have been recommending this book to fantasy lovers left, right, and center. In the first installment of her newest series, Sarah J. Maas crafts a dark, seductive, and enchanting faerie story rooted in one of my personal favorite tales as old as time: Beauty and the Beast.

In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre has no idea the trouble she's about to unleash when she kills a wolf in the woods near her home. Her thoughts are on survival, not just her own, but her father and sisters'. As she soon learns, it was no ordinary wolf, but a faerie in disguise, and one who served one of the fae lords at that. As punishment and to protect her family, Feyre is dragged across the border into the faerie lands and the estate of Tamlin, a faerie whose lands are subjected to a cruel curse. Feyre's feelings for Tamlin change from harsh hostility to pure passion, but if she's not careful, Feyre could be the one who lifts the curse as well as bring about even bigger dangers.

I flew through the pages of this novel, eager to see what happened next and desperate to keep up with the intense feelings flying between this faerie and fair human. I particularly loved how Maas twisted in aspects of the Beauty and the Beast story we know and love - I could clearly see what she was referencing in the traditional story, but she took aspects and made them her own, fitting and molding them to the world she's building. The narrative had a satisfying arc, making the book feel whole unto itself, but it also leaves a satisfactory number of questions lingering to be answered in future installments. If you're a fantasy lover and haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for?!

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading.

Sarah J. Maas's Website
Sarah J. Maas on Twitter
Sarah J. Maas on Tumblr

Twisted Sister: Fairest

Fairest by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles Prequel)
Feiwel and Friends, 2015

Yes I know this book just came out yesterday, but I already inhaled it and can't contain my excitement!! Cinder may be the first book in Marissa Meyer's epic Lunar Chronicles series, but the events that set our favorite cyborg's story in motion actually started long before she was even born and far away from New Beijing. It starts with an unhappy princess who hides from mirrors and is desperate to be loved, something she's never had before. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Levana.

Fairest is the story of Levana, the woman readers have come to know as the evil queen who has quite a twisted past. While this story is not long by this series' standards - 220 pages - it breathes a whole lot of insight into what made Levana into the horrible woman she is. The novel holds a classic question at its core: was Levana always evil, or did circumstances make her that way? It is my firm opinion after reading that it's a little of both. At times I was sympathetic to this young girl. Her older sister Channery is careless and heartless towards her and she has no friends, and these facts contribute to the choices she makes for the rest of her life, choices that she sees as justified and necessary, but any sane person can see are certifiable.

This novel is a welcome addition to the Lunar Chronicles universe, adding a lot to it. Though it is a prequel, especially given the first three chapters of the final book in the series Winter that are included here, I wouldn't recommend reading this book until after reading Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress. Doing so would mean spoiling some wonderful surprises that comes in those books. However, tucking Fairest in between Cress and Winter feels like perfect placement if you're reading this series for the first time.

I know this review is short and incredibly vague, but as a devout lover of this series, I don't want to spoil anything, it's that good! And now I'm even more excited for Winter, which I didn't think was humanly possible! Like I've been saying for years now, if you haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet, what the heck are you waiting for?

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Marissa Meyer's Website
Marissa Meyer on Twitter

Fairy Tales with Feminist Twists: Poisoned Apples

Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann
Greenwillow Books, 2014

I consider myself fortunate in that I grew up in a time where being a princess was something I always saw as an honest-to-goodness Job rather than only being about handsome princes and happily ever afters. Thanks to the likes of Princess Diana, Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries series, and now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, it was always clear to me that fairy tales, while lovely stories to get lost in, may not always be quite as they appear. I've been thinking about this a lot ever since finishing Poisoned Apples, a collection of 50 poems by Christine Heppermann inspired by classic fairy tales, but given contemporary and feminist twists.

While there are plenty of people out there who see fairy tales as detrimental to the minds of young girls, Heppermann's collection shows how the princesses in these tales are very much people too. Dealing with the pressures put on us by society and ourselves, some of the roots of these poems are more obvious than others, but each one packs a punch. The artwork that accompanies these poems adds to their emphasis, an additional reminder of how what we say, what we think, and how it looks on the outside can all be drastically different things.

I don't typically consider myself much of a poetry person - I can usually only appreciate it in small doses - but when I find something that speaks to me, it does so loud and clear. This is very much the case for many of the poems in these pages. Two in particular stand out, "The Woods" and "Nature Lesson", but I made copies of many others so I can draw from them in times of need.

Even if you don't consider yourself a particular fan of poetry or fairy tales, I highly encourage you to give this book a chance. It may be small, but it is fierce.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Christine Heppermann's Website
Christine Heppermann on Twitter

Poppies and Politics: Across a Star-Swept Sea

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
Balzer & Bray, 2013

Centuries after the wars that wiped out most of the world's civilizations, the lone survivors of New Pacifica remain deeply divided. Both the island nations of Galatea and Albion bear the long term effects of the Reduction generations before, but handle it in much different ways. On Galatea, a revolution is rising up against the aristocracy they blame for their ancestors' suffering. Not only are people dying, but the upper class is being Reduced themselves. Except some are being rescued by the mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy. Meanwhile on Albion, a young princess-regent struggles to maintain order in a court that limits her power. Luckily she has supportive friends, like Persis Blake, even if that girl is a spoiled and silly socialite. Except she isn't - Persis is the Poppy and far more clever than she can let on to keep her cover safe. When Persis's path crosses with that of Justen, a young Galatean medic seeking to distance himself from the revolution for more than a few reasons, he becomes her most important mission, but will all of their combined secrets cost her her country, her heart, or both?

This companion to For Darkness Shows the Stars is much more intricate than its predecessor. A retelling of the classic story The Scarlet Pimpernel, this tale is one not just of relationships, but of complicated political circumstances. As such, I had to read this book more slowly than the first. There's a lot to keep track of here - readers get in the heads of many different characters on both sides of this conflict, they all have secrets, and there's also the world building and science fiction aspects to keep straight.

The world Peterfreund has built here is a luscious and rich one, with layers of thought and intrigue. At times I did find it a bit overwhelming, but I eventually got the hang of it. The characters are what kept me engaged here. Persis is a remarkably smart girl and an adept spy in a nation that tells her because she is a woman - despite her aristo rank - she's not important. Her struggle with maintaining a facade as a stupid, silly thing was heartbreaking, especially in front of her parents who know how brilliant she really is. Justen too is at war in himself, feeling guilty over something he discovered and trusted to the wrong people.

While readers do not need to read Peterfreund's first book in this"series," I highly recommend that they do so - things will make much more sense if they do. (That book can stand on its own, whereas with this one, several prominent ccharactersfrom that novel come back in more than just a mere cameo appearance.) While Peterfreund confirmed to me on Twitter that there are no plans for a third book, I sincerely hope she changes her mind. I'm intrigued in this world and how it continues to evolve, and the ending of this novel certainly lends itself to more adventures.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Diana Peterfreund's Website
Diana Peterfreund on Twitter

Back to the Land of Lizzie: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick
Touchstone, 2014

Here we have a book based on a web series that is a modern adaptation of a classic novel. Sounds a bit meta, but trust me, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet still works and can stand on its own as the latest in a long line of homages to one of the greatest works of fiction of all time.

Lizzie Bennet is a 24 year old grad student studying mass communications and living at home with her parents in a small town in California. The video diaries she talks about start innocently enough (they fulfill the requirements for a project), but soon take on a life of their own. The vlogs showed hundreds of thousands of people Lizzie's views on her older sister's love life, her families financial struggles, her little sister's partying, and the eternal grumpy hipster William Darcy, but the videos didn't show the whole story. Lizzie's diary digs more in depth to what was happening when the camera was off.

While the book definitely serves as a companion to the Emmy-award winning web series, it does have what it takes to stand on its own if you're not up to watching the 9 hours of video/over 100 episodes that came out over the course of a year. You also don't have to have read or be a fan of Jane Austen's original work Pride & Prejudice to enjoy this book or understand what's going on, though I do believe there's an extra layer of richness if you are at least familiar with both the book and videos. This is a contemporary young adult story that serves as evidence that many of the issues people faced in the 1800s are still around today in one way or another.

One thing I will say about the book since I am such a fan of the web series was that the decisions Su and Rorick made to fill in those "behind the scenes" gaps differed a lot from the head cannon I'd built up over the course of the year of watching Lizzie's videos. Characters made choices that felt foreign to me, sometimes for the better, other times making me feel like I must have been watching a totally different show. For that reason, I view the book and vlogs as two very separate things. Like with any book/film adaptation, things will never line up perfectly for fans of the original.

This novel is a fun addition to the Austen universe, and I enjoyed it for what it was. If you didn't get enough of Lizzie Bennet before, then this novel is definitely worth checking out.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube

Charming and Kick-Ass: Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #3)
Feiwel and Friends, 2014

*ARC provided by publisher at ALA 2013 - THANK YOU!*

*This book is 3rd in a series, so there are some spoilers about books 1 & 2 ahead - you've been warned!*

When I was at ALA last summer, two of my roommates and I were completely on the same wave-length about one thing: If for some reason we could only get one ARC at the entire conference, it was Cress. We woke up extra early to get in line and the three of us were part of the first lucky 100 in line who got to walk away with this amazing, thrilling, heart-pounding, heart-wrenching, swoon-worthy third installment of Marissa Meyer's series which puts a science fiction twist on beloved fairy tales.

An outcast among Lunars because she's a shell, Cress's life has been isolated and lonely with only her netscreens to keep her company. A talented hacker, Queen Levana allows her to live only as long as she is useful living alone in a satellite and spying on the people of Earth. But Cress isn't exactly loyal to the royal - in fact, she's been helping Cinder, Scarlet, Wolf, and Carswell Thorne. When a daring rescue mission goes awry, Cress finally gets the freedom she dreamed of but the group is separated. With Kai's wedding to Levana growing nearer, these three girls may be the world's only defense.

It's impossible for me not to fangirl about this book because it just does so many things right! Our old cast of characters from Cinder and Scarlet have returned, and fantastic new personalities are introduced or expanded on here. Cress is a fascinating leading lady because she's the closest so far to a 'traditional' princess - or at least, that's how she sees it. Not that she's incapable - far from it - but that she dreams of having companionship and being saved by her crush, Thorne. While at first this put me off a little bit, I had no need to be nervous because Cress shows amazing growth over the course of the book as she learns that she has what it takes to save herself and others. She's charming and cute and totally kick-ass once she comes into her own. And of course she's right along side Cinder and Scarlet, making for a dynamic pack of protagonists. Each of them has a fantastic story in her own right, and they all intertwine masterfully.

Readers are treated to new settings and the depth of this saga continues to astound. Meyer moves seamlessly between characters and is a master of getting inside of everyone's heads. Though I read this book months ago, I still have strong reactions as I thumb through the pages. Every scene matters, every characters makes readers feel, and nearly every twist left me simultaneously shocked and awed. There's romance, intrigue, action, and awe on every single page of this book from start to finish.

Cress continues in the excellent tradition readers have come to expect from Meyer and my only complaint is that Winter, the fourth and final book, will not be coming out until 2015. I'll do whatever it takes to get my hands on one of those ARCs once they exist because I simply cannot wait that long! Consider this post my official plea. Like I said before - if I can only get one advance copy of anything for the rest of the year, that one is it.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Marissa Meyer's Website
Marissa Meyer on Twitter

Family and Futures: The Chaos of Stars

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Harper Teen, 2013

*ARC won from author in a giveaway - thank you so much, Kiersten!*

I love it when I read books that don't remind me of anything else I've ever read, even of other books by the same author. Nothing could be truer of my experience reading The Chaos of Stars - while I read her first book Paranormalcy and given the premise of this story I felt some Percy Jackson-esque flavors, this novel did a lot of things right in my mind and stands apart from other books I've read lately.

Isadora is the daughter of two ancient Egyptian gods and is convinced her parents don't actually care about her. If they really did, why won't they make her immortal instead of being totally content with letting her die someday? Then when her mom, Isis, gets pregnant, it feels like Isadora is officially being replaced, not good enough, unwanted. Timing couldn't be better that Isis has dreams that Isadora is somehow in danger and decides to send the 16 year old to San Diego to stay with her brother. Isadora is determined to soak in as much as possible about the modern world and leave her ancient, crazy family behind, but if if Isadora can't learn to embrace her heritage and family, she might not have a future.

There have been some mixed reviews on this book so far, but personally I really thought it was fantastic. I wasn't so sure about the structure of the story, snippets of mythology, and Isadora's occasional dreams at first, but it grew on me a bit with time. White does a fantastic job of having a protagonist who isn't necessarily terribly likable (at least at the beginning). Contrary to popular belief, a story can still be great even if the protagonist is a bit of a jerk, or in Isadora's case, a little closed-minded. She's so consumed by being angry at her parents, especially her mom, that she hardly leaves room for anything else. But in time, she does grow, and I particularly enjoyed how Sirius, Isadora's older brother whom she is staying with, serves as an example of how relationships are what you make of them and it's a matter of perspective. Isadora has a bit of an edge to her, she resists attachments and love, but her walls come down as she grows. The supporting cast and the friends she makes provided some comic relief and cause for hope. I loved the character of Ry and how his own particular story surprised me, and he was a great match for Isadora's personality.

In an interview she did with another author I love, Stephanie Perkins, White said that this book actually says a lot about her relationship with God and I think that going into this book knowing that actually made me like it more. This whole novel can be seen as a beautiful allegory if you so choose, or you can take it as it is on the surface as a tale of teens and their parents. Either way, if you stick with this story and give it an honest chance with an open mind, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what's in store.

Thanks again so much to Kiersten for sending this ARC my way, and thanks for a beautiful story that truly pulled at my heartstrings.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!


Kiersten White's Website
Kiersten White on Twitter

A Modified Myth: The Abandon Trilogy

The Abandon Trilogy by Meg Cabot (Point Publishing)
Abandon, 2011 (bought copy)
Underworld, 2012 (ARC from Blog-O-Rama - thank you!)
Awaken, 2013 (ARC loaned from Literary Lushes - thank you!)

Meg Cabot takes readers to the land of the dead in her Abandon Trilogy, a reimagining of the Persephone myth. While I usually don't review a series as a whole, this time I feel like I can make an exception. This blog started after this trilogy did, and now having completed the whole series, I feel that it's best to look at all three of these books together as one unit.

The premise: Pierce was 15 years old when she died. She arrived in the Underworld and reconnected with John - a death deity she first met when she was a child and her soul mate - but she escaped and came back to life. The trilogy follows their romance when they meet again 2 years later and her struggle with becoming queen of the Underworld and spending eternity there, being targeted by evil spirits known as Furies, and trying to keep her family safe.


Now I love Meg Cabot's writing generally. The Princess Diaries books felt like they had been written just for me, I adore many of her other YA novels, and as I've grown up I've enjoyed the handful of her adult novels that I've read. However, if I'm honest, this series was a tough one for me. In series, there is of course an over-arching saga that ties the books together, but to me a strong series means that each installment has an arc of its own. Here is where the Abandon Trilogy struggles.

If read in quick succession, the story makes more sense. Abandon is mostly backstory, explaining the connection between Pierce and John. Underworld is a typical second book, filling in more details about the world, introducing more new characters but seeming to leave a lot of the old ones we just got to know in the first book behind. Then finally Awaken brings back things we haven't thought of since book one, mashes them up with plot points and characters from book two, and thus wraps up (mostly) the story of the lord of the Underworld and his beloved.

The premise is interesting, but to me this is a case of a trilogy that is actually one book drawn out over three books. With some editing and condensing, this could have been a really fantastic stand-alone novel in my mind but as a series, it didn't quite hit the spot for me. What I can say positively is that this is a trilogy that mostly redeemed itself in the third book. Much of the tension in the relationship between the protagonists stems from lack of communication, but at least much of that is resolved by Awaken's conclusion. Old characters and newer characters blended together to form a colorful and quirky cast. Not everything was fully explained, but the main points were so I was mostly satisfied.

Overall, if you are a fan of Cabot's and haven't read this series yet, borrow it from your library if the mood strikes. It wasn't my cup of tea, but this trilogy was the reason Meg Cabot came to town a few years ago and I got to meet this rockstar author I've looked up to for a very long time. She even declared that I was the best librarian ever! For that I am eternally grateful.



Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading.

Meg Cabot's Website
Meg Cabot on Twitter

Brave and Bold: Scarlet

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #2)
Feiwel and Friends, 2013

*A HUGE thanks to MacMillian for sending me an ARC of this novel!*

In early 2012, I was lucky enough to win a copy of Marissa Meyer's debut novel Cinder, a sci-fi retelling of a fairy tale posing the situation of what if Cinderella were a cyborg. I read it, completely loved it, and have been insisting to everyone I know that this is a series that is not to be missed.

So when I was selected as a winner of an ARC of Scarlet, the next installment in The Lunar Chronicles, you can bet I knew how fortunate I was. There simply aren't words to express how much I have wanted to, needed to know what happened next. No second-book slump here for Meyer - people who loved Cinder will absolutely not be disappointed.

There's a whole new country and cast of characters joining those readers already met in book one. Scarlet lives in the European Union, not too far away from Paris, and her beloved grandmother is missing. But despite her best efforts, no one seems to care. No one, that is, except for Wolf, a street fighter who is as mysterious as he is lethal, and he may know who took the old woman. For some bizarre reason, it's believed Scarlet's grandmother could have information about the long-lost Lunar princess, but Scarlet knows Grandmere is just a farmer...right? Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, Cinder is trying to come to terms with the truth about her past, teams up with an American ex-soldier Captain Thorne to get out of New Beijing, and is determined to figure out a way to stop the evil Queen Leavana and keep Emperor Kai from making the worst mistake of his life.

Action, suspense, twists and turns with dashes of romance and tension here and there, this book has it all. Meyer has so masterfully merged these two story lines together in a way that it's still very easy to keep track of this large cast of characters and the plot. It will be interesting to see how this will hold up in the remaining two books of the series Cress (due out in 2014) and Winter (2015), but I have no doubt it will continue to be remarkable. It's agonizing to think that we'll have to wait so long to know how it ends, but I was lucky that my wait for this installment was two months shorter than a lot of others'.

As I've said on this blog before, sci-fi usually isn't my forte, but this series makes me reconsider that stance. This is sci-fi for the fantasy lover, with strong girls, charming princes, and a lot of action that makes it impossible to stop reading until you get to the final page. This is a five-star book in my mind, no doubt about it.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Marissa Meyer's Website
Marissa Meyer on Twitter

Reinventing a Classic: For Darkness Shows the Stars

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
Balzar & Bray, 2012

I was 19 years old the first time I ever read Persuasion by Jane Austen, and this novel is a perfect example of the right book at the right time. While I love Pride & Prejudice, the story of Anne Elliot, a quiet girl who suffers silently because she tried to do the right thing and it resulted in her sacrificing her heart was one that I felt an instant connection to. This girl and I were kindred spirits, and it's a book that means a lot to me.

So when I heard there was a retelling coming out last spring, I was skeptical. However, I had no need to worry - it became very obvious to me early in For Darkness Shows the Stars that Peterfreund loves Persuasion just as much as I do.

Elliot North is a second daughter of a proud, horrible Baron, making her a Luddite, the upper class which rules ever since a genetic experiment gone wrong led to the Reduction. Luddite's reject technology and "playing God" and are to care for the lower classes who suffered. But for Elliot, the lines between right and wrong became severely blurred after her mother died and the boy she loved from a lower class, Kai, ran away. He wanted her to come with, but she chose to stay behind and care for the people who counted on her. Now, four years later, hard financial times have pushed Elliot to renting one of her family's estates to the Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders which includes the man who now goes by Captain Malakai Wentforth. She still loves him, he seems to detest her, and again circumstances arise forcing her to choose once again between what she was raised to believe or to put her trust in the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

This book just does so many things right in my opinion. Elliot is a strong girl who struggles with her choices - everything about her world has become shades of gray. She cares deeply about the people on her family's estate, and they generally care very much for her as well, knowing that she's doing everything she can to keep them safe from her father. The writing is rich enough to give vision of this world, yet never burdensome in its attention to detail. I loved the sci-fi twist on how the class system is not just a matter of titles, but also genetics and science. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll simply say that I was so completely satisfied with this adaptation. While I would have liked a bit more towards for the end from Elliot and how she was able to overcome her stance on one particular but very important issue, I still loved this book and it is a beautiful homage to Austen's original.

If you are a Jane Austen fan who embraces adaptations as well as the originals, then For Darkness Shows the Stars is a must read.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading.

Diana Peterfreund's Website

Another Side of Neverland: Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Harper Teen, 2012

*ARC supplied by The Book Cellar - thank you!*

I doubt that when J.M. Barrie first penned Peter Pan, he knew how exactly the world he built in Neverland would come to shape future generations of dreamers. The tale of The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up is something that many of us are familiar with in one form or another (many via the 1953 Disney adaptation).

But Peter and his lost boys aren't the only inhabitants of Neverland. There's the girl who Peter loved before Wendy was even in the picture, and her story is beautifully told in Jodi Lynn Anderson's newest novel, Tiger Lily.

Fifteen year old Tiger Lily is a free spirit, one who has never fully fit in with her tribe. She doesn't do the things a girl ought to - she hunts, runs, gets dirty, and not outwardly warm or conventionally pretty. And she certainly doesn't believe in love, that is, until she meets Peter Pan. The leader of the Lost Boys and with a personality completely opposite of her own - loud, loving, and impulsive - she is soon risking everything to be with him. But just because Neverland is magical doesn't mean it guarantees happy endings. With the arrival of some Englanders and Tiger Lily's impending marriage to a horrible man in her tribe, Tiger Lily must choose between the life she's always known or an uncertain life with Peter.

This book made me physically ache, my heart not having enough room in my chest for all the feelings that were coursing through it. There are so many things about this book that Anderson just did so completely perfectly. For one, the choice to have Tiger Lily be the protagonist but having Tinker Bell be the narrator was simply genius - Tink is a reliable narrator, and her abilities as a fairy give us a unique and special view of these characters we've all grown up with and this place that lives within all our imaginations. Primary and supporting characters are all distinct and well rounded, even if they aren't on the page for very long. The descriptive language is exquisite from top to bottom - reading this book was like looking at a painting.

But more than anything else, the character of Tiger Lily herself was so powerful. Normally all of the attention goes to Wendy Darling as the leading lady in Peter's life, but Tiger Lily was someone I could relate to and feel for so strongly. She keeps her feelings inside and everyone else at an arm's length, but just because she doesn't say much doesn't mean she thinks or feels any less. She's confused by the feelings Peter brings up inside of her, she doesn't always do or say the right thing, she's incredibly passionate, and she manages to both run wild and be strikingly still all at once.

Tiger Lily also confirms my belief that Peter Pan is the real original bad boy of children's literature - I think every girl has fallen for a Peter at least once in her life, that boy who has so much charisma, is so full of life and makes everything a little bit brighter, but in the end those are also the qualities about him that end up breaking your heart.

If you like retellings of classic stories, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Tiger Lily makes readers see that J.M. Barrie only told one version of the events of Neverland. If I were one to give books star ratings, this one gets a 5 without a second thought.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Jodi Lynn Anderson on Facebook
Jodi Lynn Anderson on Twitter

Tale as Old as Time: Beastly

Beastly by Alex Flinn
Harper Teen, 2007

I love the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. I grew up watching the Disney version which isn't quite like the original, but still, what's not to like? A heroine with a good head on her shoulders and for once it's the prince that needs saving, but as it turns out, they actually save each other. As a result of my love for this story, I feel pretty protective of it. If someone does a retelling or adaptation, I am watching with a sharp eye.

Alex Flinn did her her homework when she wrote Beastly, a modern twist on the classic tale told from the beast's point of view. Kyle is Manhattan's pretty boy who has it all, raised by his father to believe that a person's looks and popularity are the most important things in life. As a result, Kyle is a pretty ugly person on the inside. However when he crosses Kendra, a witch who is disgusted with him, she transforms him into a hairy, ugly, horrible beast and he's given two years to find someone to love who loves him in return. Exiled to Brooklyn, over the course of his sentence he comes to learn what true beauty is, especially when his former classmate Lindy, a kind girl if not the prettiest one, is sent to live with Kyle in a deal he makes with her drug-addict father.

All in all, I really liked it as a one-time read. Had I read it perhaps when I was younger, I could see myself combing over this one time and again, but at this point in my life, once was enough. Kyle is not a likable guy at the start (which is, of course, the point), and while it can be a challenge to then want to stick with his story, if you do it just makes the growth he experiences over the next two years that much more obvious. However, I felt his falling in love with Lindy to be too much, too fast. I had a hard time believing he could change his mind about her so quickly, whereas her feelings changed more gradually and realistically.

It was the supporting cast that I was most taken with. Will, Kyle's blind tutor, is a man wise beyond his years and has the patience of a saint. He wants Kyle to succeed and believes in him even when Kyle has given up all hope. I also liked that Kendra showed growth and remorse for her actions as well. I loved that there was much more to this angry witch than meets the eye initially, and it's an element of the story I found to be the most realistic.

So if you like fantasies, fairy tales, and retellings with a twist and you haven't checked out Beastly yet, I say it's worth the read if your library has a copy.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Alex Flinn's Website

Be Bold: Scarlet

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Walker, 2012

As soon as I finished reading this book, my immediate thought was "I need there to be a sequel in my hands NOW! Stat! Ready go!" This is very much a case of almost wishing I had waited until the series was further along so that would be the case. Almost, but not quite because that would have meant missing out on this amazing book at the moment.

In her debut novel Scarlet, A.C. Gaughen puts a twist on a classic tale many of us are familiar with: Robin Hood. In this telling, Robin and his Merry Men are still teenagers, including Little John, Much, and Will Scarlet. Except this time around, it's just Scarlet - she only pretends to be a boy to the people of Notingham (only a few, including Robin's band, know she's a she) because she is someone with a past she doesn't talk about, a thief who is not to be messed with, and a master with knives that you really don't want to be on the wrong side of.

It's nearly tax time in town and the sheriff shows no mercy in continuing to demand everything of the people in his jurisdiction. Not only does the group have the challenge of getting the people food and money, but the thief-snatcher Gisbourne has been brought in from London to try and catch Robin and the band. Hard as it may be to believe, while this is bad news for Robin, it's actually much worse for Scarlet.

If retellings and twists on classics and fairy tales is the new trend, then please count me in! Gaughen does a fantastic job of giving a fresh face to a story that's literally hundreds of years old. I truly felt for these characters, delighting in seeing them up to the antics that are traditional to the tale but there are also plenty of fresh twists and turns. The relationships and friendships among this group felt incredibly real and relatable, even though the story takes place hundreds of years ago. My only criticism is the use of "dialect" by the narrator, Scarlet herself, because it didn't feel like a full commitment. Mostly, she seemed to substitute "were" for "was," like "I were going to keep waiting, but night was falling" - that sort of thing. As the story went on, it became very clear to me why Gaughen made this choice and I like that reasoning, but I'd like to see it as a full, true dialect in the future.

Given the cliffhanger ending this book has, there better be a sequel, though there's not one currently listed on Goodreads at the time of this post being written. If you like stories that put a new spin on the tales we all heard in childhood, then don't pass up Scarlet.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

A.C. Gaughen's Website
A.C. Gaughen on Twitter

Putting Her Best Foot Forward: Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Feiwell & Friends, 2012

*A big thanks to Page Turners Blog for supplying me with a copy of this book!*

Once upon a time, there was a girl who had a starring role in a fairy tale.

And then that fairy tale got a totally kick-ass makeover.

I almost don't even know where to begin my thoughts on this book because I'm so excited about it and the amazing potential for this series. But perhaps I should start at the beginning.

I'll admit (now shamefully) that I was a bit apprehensive when I first heard about this story. Another retelling of a fairy tale? Are YA authors starting to become like Hollywood writers who are completely running out of their own original ideas and are therefore just retelling stories we already have? But then this book started getting some serious buzz, even from other skeptics like me. I entered the Page Turners Blog's contest, happened to win a copy of this book along with gorgeous necklace by Charming Charlie, and cautiously started into this novel.

Before I knew it, I was completely hooked on this fantastic new spin on a tale we all know so well.

Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing, and for a very good reason - she's a cyborg, a girl who has many robotic parts enhancing her, most obviously a robotic hand and leg. Given her condition, she is technically the property of her step-mother, but she makes the best of it. She adores the younger of her two step-sisters, Peony, and she passes her days running a booth in the marketplace with quirky android Iko. It's a day like any other until two very big events happen: the handsome Prince Kai comes by and asks her to fix his android and not long after his visit, the whole market is forced to evacuate because another plague victim is spotted. Yeah, that's right, the plague. Before long, Cinder finds herself in the middle of an interplanetary struggle and learning secrets that can have a huge impact on the world's future.

Like I said, not exactly the story you remember from your childhood.

It's been a long time since I've been so delighted to be wrong about my first reaction to a book. In her debut novel, Meyer has taken this age old story and breathed new life into it. The sci-fi and futuristic twist were interesting and didn't scare someone like me who is usually a bit scared of reading science fiction. Cinder is a complex girl who is incredibly strong. She may be part robot, but she is still very much a teenage girl struggling to figure all the regular parts of growing up (not to mention trying to save her country and the planet on top of it). Prince Kai, too, is well rounded and fascinating, and I have a feeling we will see a lot of interesting things happen with him in the coming books. Secondary characters are well thought out and purposeful, the setting is brilliant (especially since it's believed that Cinderella started as a story from China involving traditional foot-binding practices), and the plot had an arc of its own while also leaving me completely anxious for the second installment in the series, due out next year.

The Lunar Chronicles are off to a fantastic start and Meyer has set up a great series. Full of smart characters, action, surprises, and rich details, Cinder mixes the past, present, and future in a captivating way that this reader throughly enjoyed.

Comments welcome and as always, happy reading!

Marissa Meyer's Website
Marissa Meyer on Twitter