fairy tale retelling

Review of Once Upon A Curse 17: Dark Faerie Tales

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Once Upon A Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales
An anthology of short stories by a multitude of authors

Overall Star Rating: 

Genre: Fantasy (Fairy Tale Retellings)
Number of Pages: 360

Date Started: June 16, 2016
Date Finished: June 22, 201630278687

Synopsis:(From Amazon)#1 Bestseller in Fantasy Anthologies and Dark Fantasy! Seventeen magical stories from NY Timesand USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors that will entice you to the darker side of faerie tales. More Grimm than Disney, in this collection you’ll find twists on Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, The Snow Queen, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, Alice in Wonderland, and Red Riding Hood, plus new tales paying homage to the old traditions.

Shadows cannot exist without light, however, and you’ll find enough happily-ever-afters to lift your spirits in this anthology full of adventure, dark powers, and ultimately the enduring power of true love.

Short Story Synopsis followed by my review: (each short story will have a review)

YARROW, STURDY AND BRIGHT by Devon Monk – Sweet music cannot hide a wicked heart…
Yarrow, Sturdy and Bright was quite well done.  It had excellent motifs and upheld what one would expect from a fairy tale.  It was quite enjoyable.  “Take the silver dagger.  Carry the copper lantern.  Wear a cloak the color of blood.”  This is an interesting epilogue style retelling of a tale, where the reader learns that all they thought the knew about the original story was off, and the reader cannot help but want Yarrow to succeed, for her own happiness, and that of her town.

FAE HORSE by Anthea Sharp – Faerie bargains can grant any desire, but be careful what you wish for.
I really enjoyed this story as you were immediately taken and put down right into the action.  There were times where I thought that our lovely female protagonist likely was being misunderstood, and other times where I felt that what was happening was (during that time period) justifiable.  I definitely became invested in the characters and wanted to see what would happen to them at the end.  This story is written as a faerie tale and has many elements thereof, but is not a retelling of any one story in particular, to my knowledge.  (Feel free to correct me if you see a correlation I’ve missed!)

THE QUEEN OF FROST AND DARKNESS by Christine Pope – Her heart is the only thing colder than a Russian winter….
The premise of this story is quite nice.  I love the tie in between the name Tatiana for a Snow Queen story when mixed with faerie magic.  There were some parts that were repetitive, “earned it and more” used twice as well as some general editorial/grammatical mishaps: “that didn’t mattered.”  The imagery of the Snow Queen’s lair would have been more gripping if it hadn’t been compared to the Novodevichy Convent and had instead been linked to something most readers would recognize and understand– like a hockey rink.

BONES by Yasmine Galenorn – Sometimes, your most cherished dream can turn out to be a nightmare.
Bones was an interesting read, and had a few good morals within, including: sometimes it is better to keep to the path and not try to run off and that if you get what you want by force it usually doesn’t end up being as soothing and perfect as you had hoped for.  This wasn’t exactly a retelling but moreso a tale written in the same style as many traditional faerie tales.

MAGIC AFTER MIDNIGHT by C. Gockel – The Wicked Stepmother is about to meet her match…
I very much enjoyed this retelling of Cinderella.  It’s nice to see a retelling in which Cindy believes herself to be a victim, but that things are hard on her stepmother and step-siblings too, whether or not she sees it.  I liked that Cindy is a typical teenage girl, and that this story showed how easily manipulated someone who is in a state of turmoil can be.  I didn’t like that the stepmother was constantly stamping her feet.  I found it jarring as most people don’t go stomping around when angry, and there are much better ways to show irritation and displeasure.  There were a few lines that were a bit hard to read and a few times where things were said instead of shown/experienced, but overall it was quite a good story.

DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Donna Augustine – When the devil makes a deal with a dancer, he gets more than he bargained for.
I love this.  I absolutely love it.  I would have bought the entire book just for this one short story.  Sometimes, all you need is to believe in yourself and let everything else fade away.  Or is that it?  I can’t say much about this one except that it is perfection, and I clearly adore it.

NO GIFT OF WORDS by Annie Bellet – Never steal from a witch…
No Gift of Words jolts a reader into a new world, and doesn’t do a great job of making it an easy to understand place.  The names were jarring and hard to get used to, and there was no basis of time as it seemed to jump forward without explanation.  Although there is a small moral of being nice to all creatures, overall, this one wasn’t as well done as the others, predominantly because of the disconnect between the reader and what time period/culture you are supposed to be in.  Had the author taken more time to make the land/culture accessible, it may have been more enjoyable.

THE GRIM BROTHER by Audrey Faye – Not all walks in the wood end well…
The Grim Brother is very well done.  I quite enjoyed the first person narrative about what can happen when one is not quite as good as everyone seems to think.  This is definitely worth the read, especially for people who love faerie tale retellings.

BEAST INSIDE BEAUTY by Danielle Monsch – Happily Ever After ain’t guaranteed when Once Upon a Time is here.
I love Beauty and the Beast.  I’ve mentioned before that it’s my favourite faerie tale and had been for quite some time.  This story, however, fell hard and flat.  There was really no relation between this story and any faerie tale, and it feels like the author used the idea of a connection between this story and a fairy tale to get traction, as she appears to be planning to do for her series that this story starts.  In one particular part of this story the author uses uncommon vocabulary, which is jarring since the story is, for all intents and purposes a modern story written in common vernacular.  Not a fan.

FAESCORNED by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson – The Morrigan, Celtic goddess of war and strife, must relive a painful memory that reminds her of what she can never have.
If you are going to skip a story, this one isn’t a bad one to consider skipping.  The story itself was alright, but could have been greatly condensed– probably to a few pages.  There is a lot of fighting and a lot of insulting but no basis for it in the beginning.  The story, even as the situation started to be explained, dragged.  It was a trudge to read this, in part because the vocabulary used was never explained, and you were expected to already know what the author was talking about.  Don’t bother trying to use the kindle dictionary to look up the words– they aren’t in there.

DRAWN TO THE BRINK by Tara Maya – Sajiana’s job is to hunt down monsters brought alive from paintings. She never expected to meet one so handsome… or to need his help.
Drawn to the Brink is a great telling of something like a faerie tale, without actually being one.  I really did enjoy this story, though it did have a small bit of grammatical issues.  There is a lack of romance in this story, which makes it even more interesting and entertaining.  While I definitely think this is worth the read, and I quite enjoyed it, I couldn’t help but think that the premise might have been entirely inspired by The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg.  This story is quite different in the use of magic, and quite enjoyable.  I highly recommend Holmberg’s novel series to anyone who enjoys this short story.

THE VARIANCE COURT by Alexia Purdy – Anna, a struggling college student, discovers a mysterious ring that turns her quiet life chaotic when the ring’s magic doesn’t do what it’s told.
The Variance Court is quite interesting.  I expected there to be some sort of romance or connection between our protagonist and the man she got the ring from, and was quite disappointed in what the ring was ultimately used for.  I think that the story had great promise, and it was squandered on trying to mesh it with an already existing story instead of doing something new and different and going its own way.

THE MORRIGAN by Phaedra Weldon – A young man discovers he has leprechaun blood – and is wanted by dark faerie forces.
The Morrigan is epic!  There’s a lot of Celtic/Irish language and culture mentioned but it’s explained in a way that draws the reader in and makes it understandable.  I liked that there was mention of the common myths that most people know, and how folklore has the information wrong, which is, “how we like it.”  Imagine being grabbed from regular everyday life and finding that you are an extraordinary leprechaun!  This is definitely worth the read!

ALICE by Julia Crane – A twisted tale of Alice and Wonderland. Facing madness and an ominous prophecy, Alice chooses to follow her heart despite knowing her world is about to change forever.
I enjoyed that Alice isn’t the girl we thought she was, but the shift in her relationship with the Red Queen makes the story difficult to get behind.  The tie in of twins was excellent, but I would have much preferred that the twin the Red Queen had wasn’t Alice, as Alice has a particular personality that this short story doesn’t have the time or depth to rewrite.

STILL RED by Sabrina Locke – When the Hunters come, can there be any escape?
I thought that this was a very interesting story, but perhaps not the best or most well done.  It was definitely a twist on the original Red Riding Hood story, but what Red is supposed to be is never fully explained, and what she was in the woods was also never explained.  In many ways this story seems like the ramblings of an insane woman… but maybe that’s the point.

THE FINAL STRAW by Jennifer Blackstream – To banish a gold-spinning demon, first you must guess his name…
The Final Straw was a very cute story.  I enjoyed the use of supernatural creatures and the explanation of what Rumpelstiltskin is.  There isn’t much I disliked about this story, nor can I say too much without giving the plot away.

THE UNICORN HUNTER by Alethea Kontis – Only Snow White knows what really happened in the forest…
The Unicorn Hunter showcases the vulnerability and stupidity of a young girl who doesn’t know anything and wants to trust anyone.  I liked the antagonist more than I liked her.  Snow White did seem to grow at the end, perhaps, so their is hope that maybe someday she’ll be a great queen.

TL;DR:  Of the 17 I strongly recommend reading Yarrow, Sturdy and Bright, Magic After Midnight, Dance With the Devil, The Grim Brother, Drawn to the Brink, The Morrigan, and The Final Straw.  7 out of 17 isn’t bad!

Author Bio:
For more information on any of the authors, click the link next to their name and you’ll get to their amazon page.  Sabrina Locke does not appear to have an Amazon page, which is why there is no link for her.

Review of Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher

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Bryony and Roses
By T. Kingfisher

Star Rating: 

Genre: YA Fantasy

Number of Pages: 216

Synopsis:(From Amazon)bryony
Bryony and her sisters have come down in the world. Their merchant father died trying to reclaim his fortune and left them to eke out a living in a village far from their home in the city.

But when Bryony is caught in a snowstorm and takes refuge in an abandoned manor, she stumbles into a house full of dark enchantments. Is the Beast that lives there her captor, or a fellow prisoner? Is the house her enemy or her ally? And why are roses blooming out of season in the courtyard?

Armed only with gardening shears and her wits, Bryony must untangle the secrets of the house before she—or the Beast—are swallowed by them.

Review:
I will give Kingfisher this: her concept was original.  I enjoyed how the rose played into the story, but in the end, a lot of the crowning originality of this novel played far too little too late a part in the story.  I am likely overly cynical of this novel, as I would be of any Beauty and the Beast retelling since it’s my favourite fairy tale, but part of my distaste is because T. Kingfisher’s The Seventh Bride (which you can read the review for here, and look at the book’s Amazon listing here) took many fairy tale elements and yet created a whole new world and story that was completely unique, which was what I had hoped for in reading Bryony and Roses.

Bryony is such a harsh name for a character most often referred to as “Belle” or “Beauty”.  Throughout reading the book, I found the name rather jarring.  Bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers, and not the most common of names.  The name Bryony could be seen as foreshadowing towards both the character’s abilities and the ending, which is in a way, quite clever, but it seemed very dissonant from the tone of the novel otherwise.

Bryony and Roses does follow closer to the original story of Beauty and the Beast than the Disney version most are familiar with.  Instead of merely being an angry, irritable beast, this beast has interests and wishes to make Bryony happy, and always asks her if she’ll marry him.  There is still a hint of Disney’s magic castle, but Kingfisher’s reasoning for that is quite sound, and not discovered until the end of the novel.

One thing I very much liked about this version of Beauty and the Beast is that Bryony herself was the one who entered the castle and had to give herself up to the beast since she’d taken refuge there.  The book does a good job of fleshing out the characteristics and personalities of Bryony’s father and two sisters (yeah, Beauty had two sisters– Disney forgot to tell you that).  The personalities of the father and sisters are reversed from what they were in the original story, which made for an interesting twist.  Having Bryony love and care about her sisters, and having her presence be detrimental to their well being, made more sense as to why she was so upset about having to leave the life she knew before.

The true gem of this story was the function of the rose.  Unfortunately, the mystery that could have and should have been building for the entire novel was quickly explained away, despite having been the whole reason behind why everything is as it is.  Had more time been spent on what was only glossed over in regards to the rose, I think the quality of this novel would have greatly improved.

Author Bio: (From Amazon)
T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon, an author from North Carolina. In another life, she writes children’s books and weird comics. She has been nominated for the World Fantasy and the Eisner, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, Nebula, Alfie, WSFA, Coyotl and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.

This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups. Her work includes multiple fairy-tale retellings and odd little stories about elves and goblins.When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.

www.tkingfisher.com

Review of Marry Your Billionaire: A Modern Cinderella by C. J. Anaya

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Star Rating: 

Genre: Romance

Number of Pages: 413

Date Started: March 11, 2016
Date Finished: March 13, 2016

Synopsis:(From Amazon)Marry-Your-Billionaire-2
Six years ago, Midge Knightly walked away from her trust fund, her Hollywood producer father, and the expectation that she would join the family business. Avoiding handsome playboys with hidden agendas was just an added bonus. Now one semester shy of graduation, she is shocked to discover her scholarship has lost its funding.

Her estranged father is having problems of his own. A contestant on his latest reality TV series has cancelled a week before shooting.

His solution?

Midge gets her trust fund back if she stands in as a potential marriage candidate for the dating series Marry Your Billionaire. Twenty women competing for one arrogant guy. Not Midge’s cup of tea. Agreeing to this proposition sucks her back into the world she happily broke ties from, but no trust fund equals no college degree.

Brody Prescott, CEO and owner of an online dating company, has recently been pegged a heartless playboy–among other things–by a disgruntled female after a disappointing date. In order to save his company and his reputation as an honest businessman, the billionaire must prove to everyone that he isn’t the naughty, bad boy they believe him to be.

His solution?

Become the first bachelor on Marry Your Billionaire and hope that one of the contestants holds some potential. So what is he supposed to do when the woman who intrigues him the most wants to be eliminated?

Review:
It’s easy to become embroiled in the lives of Madelyn and Brody, but there were several things that tend to pull you from the general story.  Some of these things are legitimately annoying, and others might just be ones that bothered me, personally.  Madelyn doesn’t swear, which I understand, but choosing to exclaim “Good gravy!” and “Cheese and crackers!” became jarring, as I’ve never known anyone to ever exclaim these things.

It is constantly mentioned that Madelyn is working hard to become a romance novelist, yet her schooling only ever mentions her studying English.  There is a vast different between the requirements and skill sets of a degree in English and a degree in Creative Writing, which is also a major option in both undergraduate and graduate levels of education.

There were obvious faux pas in the realm of how a reality show would work and how the contestants would function, although they can mostly be forgiven, for the main story’s sake.  What isn’t forgivable is the obvious lack of knowledge that the producer/director seemed to have of the characters, as a large part of their work would involve needing intimate knowledge of each contestant.  Though there were also multiple grammar snafus, which while a bit irritating, did not take over from the overall enjoyment of the book.

That being said, this is a unique and very cute clean romance, that I’d definitely recommend.  It becomes hard to put down as we see both Madelyn and Brody putting themselves out there, and trying to figure out if the other one is sincere.  There are many twists and turns along the way, and at some point you wonder whether or not there will be a happily ever after or a happily never after.

CJAuthor Bio: (From Amazon)
I began writing short stories for family and friends when I was thirteen years old. My vivid imagination and love of mysteries and romances eventually led me to following my own dreams of becoming a published author. I’m a huge fan of The Mindy Project, Hugh Jackman, and binge eating any and all things chocolate. Who isn’t, am I right?

As a mother of four awesome kids I’m usually playing beauty salon with my daughters (my four-year-old shaved my arm one time while I was helping another daughter with her homework. Yep. That happened) getting my fanny kicked in Mario Kart by my snarky little son, and making out with my deliciously handsome looking Latin lover, aka, my hubby.

Come visit me on my website where you can grab two romances for free. http://authorcjanaya.com

Review of The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

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The Fairest Beauty
By Melanie Dickerson

Star Rating: 

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling

Number of Pages: 336

Date Started: January 3, 2016
Date Finished: January 5, 2016

Synopsis:(From Amazon)15700446
A daring rescue. A difficult choice.

Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother’s jealousy, 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 Sophie’s one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl’s inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother’s future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what.

When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.

Review:
I’ll start by saying that this is part of a series of fairy tale retellings and I started in the wrong order.  If you want to start in the correct order, I believe the first on is The Healer’s Apprentice.

From the moment I started reading this book, I was enthralled in the world.  I wanted to know if Sophie really was who Pinnosa claimed her to be.  There were so many amazing twists and turns in this book, and although there was almost a dystopian feel, I absolutely adored it.  Although this book it very obviously marketed and listed as a fairy tale retelling, when wrapped deeply in the story and continuing on, I had forgotten that it was supposed to be a fairy tale when Gabe and Sophie reach the Cottage of the Seven, and it took me a few minutes to recall.  The fairy tale itself is expertly entwined with Dickerson’s plot, making this book a quick page turner, and hard to set down.

Again (and as I now suspect, in all of Dickerson’s Fairy Tale Romance stories) religion played a large role.  This time, religion almost played the part of a parent to Sophie, reminding her of morals and values, and that although she had been treated quite unfairly, she should not seek vengeance or harbour hatred in her heart.  Gabe also helped remind her of what God wants– for you to let go of all of your pain, and give it to him.  Everyone needs to learn, at some point, that no one is meant to weather everything alone, and sometimes it is easier to let things go, forgive, and try to forget.

The one inconsistency that drew me out of the novel was the mention of how having a crossbow meant that there would be no reload time versus a long bow.  A crossbow would be more deadly, and likely more accurate (easier to aim) especially on horseback, however, all traditional bows do need to be reloaded.  More importantly, traditional crossbows generally need to be either stepped on or cranked to set the draw string back, which means there would be a bit more time between each shot than if someone had a long bow.  Another inaccuracy mentioned is the arrows that Gabe would use for his crossbow– crossbows use bolts, which while comparable, are slightly different in that they are smaller and don’t have feathers.

71pR6EFJ7UL._UX250_Author Bio: (From Amazon)
Melanie Dickerson is the author of Historical Romances, and her favorite time periods are Medieval, which she has combined with her love of fairy tales, and Regency, which shows her love for Jane Austen and the fact that she has memorized the Pride and Prejudice movie–the one with Colin Firth, of course. She is a 2-time Christy Award finalist, a 2-time Maggie Award winner, winner of The National Reader’s Choice Award for 2010’s Best First Book, and winner of the 2012 Carol Award in Young Adult fiction. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama and has taught children with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee, and English to adults in Germany and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing, hanging out on facebook, and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama. Visit her on the web at http://www.MelanieDickerson.com.

 

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Review of Followed by Frost written by Charlie N. Holmberg

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By Charlie N. Holmberg

Star Rating: 

Genre: Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy
Number of Pages: 254

Date Started:December 4, 2015
Date Finished: December 5, 2015

Synopsis: (From Amazon)51XynnTk9cL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_
Seventeen-year-old Smitha’s wealth, status, and beauty make her the envy of her town—until she rejects a strange man’s marriage proposal and disastrous consequences follow. Smitha becomes cursed, and frost begins to encompass everything she touches. Banished to the hills, hunted by villagers, and chilled to the very core of her soul, she finds companionship with Death, who longs to coax her into his isolated world. But Smitha’s desire for life proves stronger than despair, and a newfound purpose gives her hope. Will regrets over the past and an unexpected desire for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm Smitha’s heart, or will Death forever still it?

Review:
I preordered this book as soon as I heard about it.  I absolutely adore Holmberg’s The Paper Magician book series, so naturally I had to read the next thing she wrote, which just so happened to be a retelling of a fairy tale– my weakness!

This book is an amazing detailed coming of age transformation of a once spoiled and conceited girl.  Do I think that Smitha deserved the curse she received?  Not really.  Do I think she grew because of it?  Absolutely!  Not only does Smitha learn how to rough it and try to take care of herself but she learns about other cultures, other languages, and learns that even when cursed, there is always a way to help others.

While I did adore this book, I wasn’t completely pleased or satisfied with the ending.  There is more to life than what Holmberg’s conclusions, both of this novel, and of The Paper Magician seem to suggest.

81PDVhH+GUL._UX250_Author Bio: (from Amazon)
Charlie N. Holmberg has a BA in English with a minor in editing.  She likes Star Trek and hopes to someday own a dog.  She is married and has a child.  The Paper Magician was her ninth book, but first to get published.

For more information on Charlie N. Holmberg, see her author page or go to her website.

 

 

 

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Review of Fallen by Ann Hunter

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Crowns of Twelve Book 3
By Ann Hunter

Star Rating: 

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 253

Date Started: November 19th 2015
Date Finished: December 3, 2015

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
One prince. One mistake. One… chicken?
20870200
A twisted retelling of the fairy tale, The Frog Prince, featuring your favorite villain from The Subtle Beauty & Moonlight, Sylas Mortas.

What would YOU do for love?

17-year-old Prince Sylas of Killeagh wants what every one else wants: control over his own life. When he tries to run away from home and escape an arranged marriage, the last thing he expects is to fall in love with a robber in the woods. Hiding behind a mask, the robber girl seems to lead a life of freedom Sylas has only dreamed of. Their adventure comes to an end when the Castle Killeagh guards hunt Sylas down and he’s forced to return home. He convinces his parents to allow him to find the girl again and consider her as a candidate for marriage, but he only has until the next full moon to find her, or all bets are off.

Death has a name, and it is Crwys. As a ban sidhe, her job is to visit the great houses of The Summer Isle and keen out the living to prepare them for death. King Sionnach has far outlived his days and it is time he cross to the Unliving World. When she arrives, a young prince named Sylas intervenes and offers to go in his grandfather’s stead. This break with tradition, and selfless sacrifice, move Crwys into loving Sylas, who looks so much like a shadow from her past. But when he crosses her to be with his true love, he invokes the wrath of a woman scorned.

Rós is just a little, aura-seeing, red hen whose master believes she is chosen by the gods. Her arrival at King Sionnach’s court is insignificant to Sylas at the time, but their destinies are interwoven. Can she help Sylas save himself from the curse Crwys has planned for him? Or will he become a fallen frog prince?

In this unexpected love story, Happily Ever After may not always begin with Once Upon a Time.

**THIS BOOK CONTAINS SOME MATURE SCENES NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL READERS.**

 
Review:
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing an honest review.  In receiving the book as such, I had not actually seen the official cover of this book until I went to grab it for today and I must say I was quite surprised!

The characterization throughout this book is straight on, with an excellent coming of age experience for Sylas, who has to learn his responsibilities as the crown prince, and not just as someone who can do whatever they want.  When Sylas finally does take up responsibilities (ones that perhaps he shouldn’t have) he finds himself locked into a complicated battle with Crwys, who is locked herself in her past and refusing to move on.  While Sylas tries to do what he thinks is just to save his kingdom from heartache and despair, he realizes that everything comes with a price.

Through about 60% of the book there is no mention of anything relating to frogs.  The story has so aptly ensnared that by the time the mention of the twisted fairy tale comes into play, there are already solid feelings in place about all of the characters thus far.  The greenness adds another dimension to the story, and the way in which it is accomplished adds depth to the addled state of mind of an aged crone.  Crwys was by far my least favourite character, and I felt no remorse in what ultimately happened to her.

There was only one particular place that I found myself not fully reading and skipping ahead, and that was one area with repetition of the same saying again and again.  While I understand why it was done, I was quite happy when it ended.

The names were somewhat of a deterrent to my overall enjoyment of the book, not because they weren’t lovely, but because with some of them I spent more time trying to figure out how to say them than truly identifying the name with the person.  Though it was a bit annoying, the names were quite pretty, and completely appropriate given the Celtic mythology seamlessly entwined with both the original story Hunter presented as well as the take on a fairy tale.

While the stories in this series are fairy tale inspired, they are also completely unique in a way that I have never really seen before and could stand on their own without any mention of fairy tales at all.

Author Bio: (from Amazon)
Multi-award winning author, Ann Hunter, is the creator of the young adult fantasy series Crowns of the Twelve (including the novels The Subtle Beauty, Moonlight, Fallen, with A Piece of Sky, Ashes, and The Rose In The Briar to follow). She likes cherry so
da with chocolate ice cream, is a mom first and a writer second, has a secret identity, and thinks the Twilight movies are cheesier than cheez whiz (which is why they are her guilty pleasure!)

She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and epic husband.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HER HOMEPAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/authorannhunter

AND MAILING LIST:
http://eepurl.com/VZsFn

 

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