Review of The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Title/Author: The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
Publisher/Date published: Razorbill, February 23rd 2016
How I got this book: bought a shiny copy

Goodreads summary: She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

I'm always up for a good fairytale retelling and Aladdin is one of my childhood crushes, so obviously I needed to read this!

And I'm very happy to say that I totally loved it! I was a tiny bit hesitant cause another Aladdin retelling I read earlier this year left me with less than giddy feelings and I was definitely not looking for a repeat of that experience, but I didn't have to worry, because Jessica Khoury took parts of the tale I loved and then added SO MUCH GOODNESS and it was just amazing!

I loved Zahra, she's a 4000 year old being and obviously she's seen a LOT and has experienced major heartbreak, but it hasn't gotten her down yet. She hasn't become this bitter person, but instead is still willing to fight for the people she cares about and I liked that. I also loved discovering her backstory and hearing her talk to 'Habiba' in her mind, sort of narrating the story to her. Though I did guess at one point who exactly she'd been before she was the jinni of the lamp, it was still more complicated than I'd imagined and I loved it!

Obviously Aladdin was wonderful. I mean, he's a thief with a heart of gold and it really shows. He's just this amazing boy who has set himself on a path and Zahra pushes him along on it, but I love that he realises what exactly the important things are along the way. There's some definite character growth going on here and I always like that! And he's kinda dreamy, so I was totally shipping it!

I really liked how Jessica Khoury added to the fairytale of Aladdin with the system of the jinni and how it affects the world that Aladdin lives in. There's so much more to it than simply a boy from the streets trying to make his way in the world and a genie who grants wishes and of course has a desire to be free of the lamp. Even though I totally love the original tale as well. But I like when an author takes a beloved tale like this and than adds his or her own twist to it without it detracting from the orginal. And I feel that with The Forbidden Wish, Jessica Khoury has done exactly that!

So basically, I'm saying you should read this and I'll be on the lookout for more from Jessica Khoury as well as kicking myself for not having read anything by her before!

My rating: 5 stars

Mini-Reviews (14): These Vicious Masks, Night Study, Spinning Thorns

So sometimes I fail at writing reviews for the books I've read, and 2016 has me failing spectacularly (as did 2015). And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf (cause it's humungous, it's not even funny anymore).

Title/Author: These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks #1) by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas
Publisher/Date published: Swoon Reads, February 9t 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

So obviously I'd pick up a novel that's described as Jane Austen meets X-men. I mean, holy wow, two of my favourite things! And I was not disappointed, I really enjoyed These Vicious Masks!
The heroine is spunky and definitely has no idea what this thing is they call 'giving up'. She's hindered by society's expectations, and more specifically her mother's expectations (wow, that woman annoyed me), but she manages to get around this beautifully. I loved the idea of people having a specific super power and how it's sometimes not even all that clear to the person themselves what that super power is exactly. I loved how loyal Evelyn is to her sister Rose and how she's just willing to do everything she can to save her. And that she has two handsome gentlemen with her doesn't hurt. There's lots of lovely banter that made me smile and not so much of a love triangle that it bugged me, it felt pretty natural.
And OMG THAT ENDING!! I need the next book right now!

My rating: 4,5 stars

Title/Author: Night Study (Soulfinders #2) by Maria V. Snyder
Publisher/Date published: Mira, January 26th 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley and also bought myself a shiny copy of it!

As you may know, Maria V. Snyder = <3 basically. I haven't read a book by her that I didn't enjoy and Yelena and Valek hold a very special place in my heart, along with all the other characters in this world. And just when I thought she couldn't top what she'd did with them before, Night Study comes along and may just be my favourite out of all these books! It's Yelena and Valek as I love them best, and finally getting Valek's whole backstory and diving a little bit deeper into the mystery of his immunity to magic and I just LOVED it! I was so feeling for both of them through everything that happens in Night Study! I'm trying really hard not to say anything that might be a spoiler, but I just would love for everyone to pick up this series, starting with the original Study Trilogy and then just continue on and be immersed in all this awesomeness! I both dread and can't wait for the next book, because it will be the last! My rating: 5+ stars

Title/Author: Spinning Thorns by Anna Sheehan
Publisher/Date published: Gollancz, December 10th 2015
How I got this book: bought a shiny copy

So I was the only one of my book club to enjoy this. And I really did, it's far from perfect and I did struggle a bit to get into it, but then I was feeling it and second half was much better than the first in my opinion. I liked this twist on Sleeping Beauty, seeing what happened to our original Sleeping Beauty as she becomes the queen and has children of her own, mainly I just liked Willow. She's not much of a traditional princess, she's interested in magic, even though she's not really allowed to be and she's a bit too trusting at first and because of this and because of the unfairness of punishing a whole clan for the deeds of one fairy, things are getting set into motion.
It's a bit dark and there's a lot of build-up and also there's a really annoying sister and her fiancé who are like Barbie and Ken annoyingly 'perfect'.
But I really liked the story and the thing that grows between Willow and the unnamed fairy and I was rooting for the romance and towards the end had many feels about this.

My rating: 3,5 stars

Mini-Reviews (9): After the End, Nimona, Scarlet

So sometimes I fail at writing reviews for the books I've read, and 2015 has me failing spectacularly. And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf (cause it's humungous, it's not even funny anymore).

Title/Author: After the End (After the End #1) by Amy Plum
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, May 6th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

I really enjoyed this book, I have to say that as it's been about a year and a half since I read it, that I had to dig deep to rediscover why exactly, so stick with me.
I totally have a soft spot for Juneau's dogs, they are beautiful and smart and awesome. And so pretty much the whole book I was terrified that something would happen to them as is my default setting when encountering animals in books.

I was intrigued by this world that Juneau lived in and even more so when it turns out it has all been a lie. The why and how of Juneau's powers isn't fully explained and I really hope to find more answers to this in the sequel. I also liked the love interest, though I didn't swoon over him.
The pacing is a bit slow, but it didn't really bother me as I like Amy Plum's writing and I didn't get bored with the story.

My rating: 3,5 stars

Title/Author: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Publisher/Date published: Harper Collins, May 12th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

I haven't actually read a lot of graphic novels, but Nimona looked like so much fun that I knew I had to read this one! And it is a lot of fun, with Nimona being a shapeshifter and randomly changing into a shark because she feels like it (and also because "I'm not a kid, I'm a shark!", which is obviously much better).
I loved how the 'villain' and the 'hero' are over the top and a bit of a parody on the standard for them and it was just so entertaining! There's lots of mischief and things going wrong and just a lot of heart and I really liked it!

My rating: 4 stars

Title/Author: Scarlet (Scarlet #1) by A.C. Gaughen
Publisher/Date published: Walker Children's, February 14th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley and bought a shiny finished copy

THE SHAME! I cannot believe it took me so long to read this book, especially cause I'd been coveting it for a long time before it came out. But then my book club (which is awesome by the way), made me get my behind in line and settle down to read it. AND IT WAS AWESOME! While excited about it, I was also a bit wary, because Robin Hood was (together with Peter Pan) my first love (I'm not even kidding, I had a serious fictional crush on the fox version of him) and this tale is very dear to my heart.

But A.C. Gaughen managed to give me exactly what I didn't know I could wish for in a fairytale retelling and it was SO GOOD! I loved the relationship between Scarlet and the rest of the gang and especially Robin and OMG THE TENSION! I TOTALLY SHIP IT!
Also, writing this, I cannot believe I haven't read the sequels yet. I should get on with that.

My rating: 5 stars

Review of A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

Title/Author: A Whole New World (Twisted Tales #1) by Liz Braswell
Publisher/Date published: Disney Press, September 1st 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Welcome to a new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie?

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

I'm BACK! I know it's been almost two months and I'm very much embarassed by that, but after reading A Whole New World, I found that I had something to say again and I decided to just go for it :)

A Whole New World immediately caught my attention, because I LOVE Aladdin! It's one of my favourite Disney movies and I've watched it so many times, I can literally just mute it and still get all the words right, especially for the first part. Which is also why I noticed that the first 20% of this book is basically the same as the movie. Which was not very much appreciated by me. And that's because I was looking for a fresh take on this beloved tale of mine and not have the first 76 pages be something I know by heart, but in book-form. But then the twist comes when Jafar takes the lamp instead of Aladdin and I was like, ok, let's give this another chance. But in the end I didn't really warm up to this twisted tale.

I mean, in the original tale, I love Aladdin's heart and his bravery and resourcefulness and the romance with Yasmine is believable and sweet, but in A Whole New World I was very much not feeling it. While the instant infatuation works in the Disney movie, here it fell flat and Yasmine definitely shows a side of herself that I didn't find pretty at all in A Whole New World and I really couldn't find myself cheering for their lovestory. I mean, even Jafar, who I love to hate in the original tale was not his best villainy self. I mean, he's this big bad sorcerer now, how does he not just kill Aladdin, capture Yasmine and be done with it? Also, I HATED that he destroyed the magic carpet, who is still one of my favourite characters.

But most of all, I'm disappointed by the lack of shininess that was the genie. I mean, you get this sort of charm coming off him, but it's muted and I get that he has less chance to show his magic and humour and all when he's tied to Jafar, but this spark that he has was just missing and I'm kinda disappointed by how things ended for him.

But aside from this, I was just basically a bit bored by the whole story. It never really got exciting for me and the charm and sizzle that I remember from this story was just missing. I felt that the things that were added to make it into this twisted tale were not really interesting or needed to be there. What I'm looking for with all these retelling and twists on classic stories are things that make me go ooh, that's clever and capture the magic of the original thing, but also make it a little something more. And I never got that from A Whole New World, which is a disappointment as I'd really been looking forward to reading it.
I might just go and watch the movie and laugh over the genie's antics now.

My rating: 1,5 stars

Mini-Reviews (6) On the Fence, The Stepsister's Tale, Lady Windermere's Lover

So ever since June of 2014 I've been failing at writing reviews for the books I read. I know. And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf.

Title/Author: On the Fence by Kasie West
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, July 1st 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

I LOVE Kasie West's writing! She knows how to build an interesting story AND make me swoon over the romance! On the Fence was SO cute, while also dealing with loss and a one-parent family. And I really enjoyed reading about Charlie's family, the siblings really care about each other, I LOVED her brothers! And I loved her dad for trying to also do the girly thing with advice from his 'co-worker' and sometimes failing epicly, but still, he gets bonus points for trying!

I really liked the slowly building romance and how Braden and Charlie have a real history and a foundation for their relationship. They've known each other for ages and I loved the glances and the insecurity and misunderstandings and just the tension! And boys being dumb boys and just all of it! I really cannot recommend Kasie West's books enough, they are amazing!

My rating: 4,5 stars

Title/Author: The Stepsister's Tale by Tracy Barrett
Publisher/Date published: Harlequin Teen, June 24th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

I was intrigued by the premise of Cinderella told from the perspective of one of the stepsisters. I mean, history is written down by the victors right? And in the original tale, the stepsisters are definitely NOT the winners. And while I appreciated the concept, the execution could have been better. I almost DNF-ed this several times, mostly because the beginning was SO slow! Seriously, if it hadn't been for hours spent on a train while travelling through Morocco, I probably would have put this down. It really takes forever to take off, and everything was bleak and there was not even the least sense of hope and Ella was ANNOYING and weird and OMG I did not need 100 pages of them being hungry (I don't know if it was 100 pages, but it felt like it).

But then the story started to really come together and things started happening aside from them scavenging for food and it was VERY interesting! And I actually liked the second part of the novel, and there's a pretty cute romance, but I really cannot get over the slowness of the first half of the book. I'm glad I stuck with it for the later part, but I think it will turn a lot of people off.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Title/Author: Lady Windermere's Lover (The Wild Quartet #3) by Miranda Neville
Publisher/Date published: Avon, June 24th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

I hate to say it, but I really did not much like this book. And that's mostly because the hero, Damian, is an ass and then the heroine, Cynthia just takes his crap.
So Damian is pissed that he's being forced to marry a commoner to get back the property that he foolishly gambled away as a youth. Ok. Fine. But that's no reason to treat Cynthia, his wife, the way he did! Constantly demeaning her and just being insulting and snobbish and UGH! I really wanted to slap him. And she falls for him ANYWAY because he's 'so handsome'. SERIOUSLY??? I wanted to shake her to wake up and recognize his assness.

Then he leaves her for a year and in that year she decides to flirt with his best friend, who she kisses once and he doesn't believe that they haven't been having an affair all year long when she tells him. But because she's beautiful now he decides to seduce her (WTF?) anyway. There's also this vendetta he has against his best friend that's basically him blaming Julian for something his stupid drunk self did when he was younger. I mean, SERIOUSLY?? I'm not even sure why I finished this, I get annoyed again writing this review.

My rating: 1,5 star (half star extra for cute kitten that's in it)

Review of A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas

Title/Author: A Wicked Thing (A Wicked Thing #1) by Rhiannon Thomas
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, February 24th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept.

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

A Wicked Thing was one of my most anticipated debuts of 2015 and I'm sad to say that for me it didn't live up to all these expectations.

I LOVE fairytales and fairytale retellings and actually seeing what Sleeping Beauty would do after being woken up by a prince who's supposed to be her 'true love', but in fact is a stranger and OMG how did I not think about this as a kid? I mean, it sounds romantic and all, but WTF, how is it true love if they haven't even spoken once?? So I was all excited to start it, cause this is right up my alley and the premise is awesome and I was waiting for it to be awesome, but instead it was kinda... boring.

It is entirely possible that I'm not voicing a popular opinion here, but I was slightly bored while reading this. I was intrigued enough to keep going, because I believed it would get better at some point and it wasn't BAD, but it just wasn't what I'd hoped it would be. There is something about Rhiannon Thomas' writing that made me stick with A Wicked Thing, but as I'm looking back at the plot and what exactly happened, I'm justnot that impressed. It was a whole lot of Aurora sitting around, feeling sorry for herself and not doing anything about it. I mean, up until the end, it seems like she's waiting for a knight in shining armor to come save her and that's not my kind of heroine. I get that it's a whole lot to adjust to, waking up 102 years later and your whole family being gone and the world being significantly different from what you remember, I get it. But I had a problem with the lack of personality Aurora was showing.

I didn't really care for any of the 3 (yes 3, I know) love interests either. Well, one of them is slightly interesting. The prince was a bit bland and the guy in the tavern seemed interesting, but that didn't last. I just felt that they and most of the other characters were two-dimensional and from a real fairytale I get that, but from this retelling that should go more in depth about everything, I had expected something better. I mean, someone died and I was like 'eh', while I should have been heartbroken.

But like I said, it wasn't all bad. I am interested in finding out where we go from here, as Aurora finally started showing some spirit at the end. The hint of magic we see in Aurora is intriguing as well and there are probably plots within plots that we haven't seen yet, so I may pick up the next book in this series, but I just didn't love this as I'd hoped I would.

My rating: 2 stars

Review of Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen

Title/Author: Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen
Publisher/Date published: Henry Holt and Co, February 3rd 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Sarah has always been on the move. Her mother hates the cold, so every few months her parents pack their bags and drag her off after the sun. She’s grown up lonely and longing for magic. She doesn’t know that it’s magic her parents are running from.

When Sarah’s mother walks out on their family, all the strange old magic they have tried to hide from comes rising into their mundane world. Her father begins to change into something wild and beastly, but before his transformation is complete, he takes Sarah to her grandparents — people she has never met, didn’t even know were still alive.

Deep in the forest, in a crumbling ruin of a castle, Sarah begins to untangle the layers of curses affecting her family bloodlines, until she discovers that the curse has carried over to her, too. The day she falls in love for the first time, Sarah will transform into a beast... unless
she can figure out a way to break the curse forever.

I just love discovering a new-to-me author who manages to suck me into a story! This is one of my favourite things about reading! And Cat Hellisen managed to do just that.
One thing that diminished the experience of reading Beastkeeper for me has nothing to do with Cat Hellisen's writing, but with me working 36 hours in 3 days and not having any time or the ability to focus on a book. So I read some of it in bits and pieces and I didn't get as lost in it as I would have wanted, but that's all me, cause once I settled down with it for a longer period of time, I did connect with the story.

I picked this up because it sounded like a really cute MG, but with a little dark undertone. And guys, it's exactly that! It reminds me of the original Grimm fairytales, as in it's not all sparkly and bubbly and actually a little gritty and not the kind of happily ever after you'd expect. And I really liked that! Sarah has a LOT to deal with in Beastkeeper and she's just a girl! She just lost both of her parents and got dumped with her grandmother and OMG, I really don't think I would have handled everything as she did. That's one strong girl with a big heart!

I totally loved the concept of Beauty and the Beast but with a little added something AND with the girl as a beast! It's all so intricate and pretty harsh in the end and I just felt for Sarah as she was trying to figure it out and save everyone, including herself. And I really liked Alan, the boy in the forest who is more than he seems. I liked seeing him and Sarah form a friendship.
Towards the end I was like, surely my e-ARC is missing some pages cause how are they going to figure things out with so few time left?? There were shocking twists and turns and the ending was satisfying, but it did feel a bit rushed. I could have done with a bit more of an explanation and I just want to know what happens with Sarah after The End!

My rating: 4 stars

Review of Ensnared by A.G. Howard

Title/Author: Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A.G. Howard
Publisher/Date published: Amulet Books, January 6th 2015
How I got this book: bought it
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles... and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world - a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FIRST 2 BOOKS IN THE SERIES***

It's probably no secret that I have a LOT of love for this series. I've discovered a new love for Wonderland and creepy crawlies (as long as they don't come near me) and suprised myself by falling for the 'bad' guy. And obviously I couldn't wait to start Ensnared, especially after the ending of Unhinged!

So over the course of this series, my heart has been broken a couple of times, and I felt torn, like Alyssa, between Morpheus and Jeb, but Morpheus just has been holding a special place in my heart, especially since Unhinged. And Ensnared only proved that I was right to prefer our favourite moth, because HELLO LOVELY! OMG, Ensnared just filled my heart with ALL the Morpheus feels and I just wanted things to work out for him and hug him and let him be wicked and himself and just ALL OF IT OK? I saw him be a better person at times because he loves Alyssa while at the same time staying his wonderful self. And I just love him so much.
The reason I'm leading with all of these boy-related feels is that I just can't keep them in and because I felt that the one issue I did have with this book is that I was just waiting for Alyssa to get over Jeb and be with Morpheus, because OMG, WHY NOT??? I mean, I felt like Jeb had given up on them and was holding her back and just. I was just over him. So Alyssa trying to win him back was just not what I wanted her to be doing. But I guess he does have his moments and all... I'm just not fully convinced by how this love triangle was handled.

I was really hoping we'd spend a lot of time in Wonderland, but AnyElsewhere is a pretty good second, cause it also has lots of weird and quirky creatures and a whole lot of magical things for me to love. I love how A.G. Howard always mixes in the creepy and the dark twisty things, it's awesome. And I love how Alyssa has learned to embrace that side of her, the Wonderland side of her. How she can be dark and vengeful and jsut amazingly powerful and a true queen. I loved seeing her accept and treasure these qualities.

Also, while I get how her dad is being protective and such, I still think he's also pretty annoying. I mean, UGH, I just didn't like him, he was also really trying to hold Alyssa back, even after he gets his memories back and it didn't feel just protective, but like one of those people who don't want their loved ones to rise above them. It never felt like he accepted her for who she is.

I loved how there were twists and turns and you never knew if you could fully trust anything you were seeing/reading and so, SO many of these twists revolved around Morpheus and I just cannot over how much love I have for him! He IS Wonderland and amazing! I totally loved how A.G. Howard handled the two sides of Alyssa and the effect of this on her heart and learning more about Red and just EVERYTHING.

To sum it up, I pretty much adore this whole series and REALLY want to go re-read it as a whole and it's also made me excited about reading Alice in Wonderland with my book club this month, which I was dreading a bit. It's dark and twisty and swoony and just a whole amount of amazing writing that I could get lost in for hours at a time! Also: MORPHEUS. Go read it if you haven't already!

My rating: 5 stars

Review of Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Title/Author: Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard
Publisher/Date published: Amulet Books, January 7th 2014
How I got this book: bought it
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland — where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES***

So do you guys remember how much I LOVED Splinterd?? Cause I have so much love for that book, it's not even funny. And I was beyond exstatic to hear that it would be a TRILOGY instead of a standalone and I would be getting the answers to the questions I still had at the end of Splintered. So obviously I was doing happy dances when my pre-order came early!

And you guys, A.G. Howard did not disappoint with Unhinged! It was wonderful and mad and twisty and I just wanted to ignore EVERYTHING and read this whole book in one sitting. Alas, there were some things that demanded my attention, but this meant I could live in the amazing world A.G. Howard has created for several days, so it was all good in the end.

Alyssa is still her quirky, off-beat self, and I loved seeing the struggle between her human-side and her netherling-side and the pull she feels towards both Jeb and Morpheus. Well, she's not really fighting the pull to Jeb and while I did really love him in Splintered, I think my heart belongs to Morpheus in the end. There's just something about that boy that makes me smile and want to hug him and wants to shove Alyssa towards him so they can be happy in Wonderland together! For all of his trying to hide it, he's actually doing everything he can to help Alyssa and I love him for it.

There are so many secrets, secrets being kept by Alyssa's mother, by Morpheus, by Alyssa herself... It's an intricate web that obviously would come crashing down at some point and I loved seeing it unwind. There were some shocking revelations and I was SO feeling for Alyssa! It's all such a beautiful mess!
Also, I totally love all the Wonderland madness! It's dramatic and at times sort of straight forward and logical and at other times utter madness and it just makes my heart happy. I love the jewels and the wings and the talking insects and just YES!

I liked that we got to see so much more of Alyssa's homelife and while her dad annoyed me at times, he's actually a really good father and truly cares for Alyssa and her mother. And it was good to see Alyssa be so protective of her 'real world' friends and family and how scared she was as Wonderland came dripping into it.

What I'm trying to say: I freaking loved Unhinged and OMG THAT ENDING! AAAAH! I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS WAITING FOR THE THIRD BOOK! So if you haven't started this series yet: you should. Please. Because it is that amazing.

My rating: 5 stars

Blog Tour: Review and GIVEAWAY of The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon

Title/Author: The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon
Publisher/Date published: Touchstone, August 6th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: What if Rapunzel was Snow White’s evil stepmother? From the author of Godmother and Mermaid, The Fairest of Them All explores what happens when fairy tale heroines grow up and don’t live happily ever after.

Living in an enchanted forest, Rapunzel spends her days tending a mystical garden with her adoptive mother, Mathena. A witch, Mathena was banished from court because of her magic powers, though the women from the kingdom still seek her advice and herbal remedies. She waits, biding her time to exact revenge against those who betrayed her.

One day Rapunzel’s beautiful voice and long golden locks captivate a young prince hunting in the forest nearby. Overcome, he climbs her hair up to her chamber and they fall into each other’s arms. But their afternoon of passion is fleeting, and the prince must return to his kingdom, as he is betrothed to another.

Now king, he marries his intended to bring peace to his kingdom. They have a stunning daughter named Snow White. Yet the king is haunted by his memories of Rapunzel, and after the mysterious death of his wife, realizes he is free to marry the woman he never stopped longing for. In hopes of also replacing the mother of his beloved daughter, the king makes Rapunzel his queen.

But when Mathena’s wedding gift of an ancient mirror begins speaking to her, Rapunzel falls under its evil spell, and the king begins to realize that Rapunzel is not the beautiful, kind woman he dreamed of.

I'm so excited to be part of this blog tour!! Head all the way down to enter the GIVEAWAY for this book, believe me, youwant this!

Guys, I love fairytale retellings. I love fairytales and all these retellings are just adding that extra bit of depth to them that I so, SO love! And The Fairest of Them All was definitely a lot darker than the original tale!

I love that Carolyn Turgeon is combining two of my favourite fairytales: Snow White and Rapunzel. And seriously, we're told in the summary that Rapunzel turns into Snow White's evil stepmother, but really, I was so rooting for that girl! She had an unconventional upbringing by Mathena Gothel and actually had amazing abilities with also a really cool link to her hair. Mathena teaches her basic herbal treatments and some spells, women mainly visit them looking for a cure to their heartache.

Rapunzel mainly grows up surrounded by women and it pretty naive in spite of her hearing about other women's heartache over men and I could see how she would get carried away when she met the prince. I mean, sure, it all progresses VERY quickly, they forget to actually forge a relationship before falling into bed together. And of course, things can't end well and the prince ends up leaving to marry another girl, leaving Rapunzel heartbroken.

This experience and some of the awful things that happen to her after really shape the rest of Rapunzel's life. And I can understand how she could change into a less kind person. She has to be to get what she wants and she's been hurt herself. The mirror really does urge the jealousy on and Rapunzel gets caught up in it.

And then we have Snow White. Who I LOVED when she first enters the scene as a little girl, but then she changes as well and it's easy to see how Rapunzel, who I felt really wanted to love her, would develop a grudge against her. It's easy to see how things spiral out of control from there and it's a bit scary as well, because it makes the traditional evil queen seem so human.

I love how everything unfolds at the end, I love the dark twists to this beloved fairytales and I love how Carolyn Turgeon made it all come together and that ending! Seriously! That still kinda broke my heart, though it's also filled with a little hope for the future. This is definitely recommended, though keep in mind there is some very mature content.

My rating: 4 stars

Made me crave: rhubarb

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn Turgeon is the author of five novels: Rain Village (2006), Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story (2009), Mermaid (2011), which is being developed for film by Sony Pictures, and The Next Full Moon (2012), her first and only book for middle-grade readers. Her latest novel, The Fairest of Them All, comes out in August 2013 from Touchstone/Simon & Schuster and is about Rapunzel growing up to be Snow White's stepmother. She lives in Pennsylvania and New York and teaches fiction writing at the University of Alaska at Anchorage's Low-Residency MFA program. She's currently at work on a new novel about Dante's Beatrice, set in thirteenth-century Florence.

Visit Carolyn's website at http://carolynturgeon.com.
Visit Carolyn's mermaid blog at http://iamamermaid.com/
Follow Carolyn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolynturgeon
Follow Carolyn on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolynturgeonbooks

***GIVEAWAY***
(1) Signed paperback of The Fairest Of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon.

And guys, it's open internationally! What are you waiting for??

a Rafflecopter giveaway


So, Question of the Day:
What is your favourite fairytale? Would you like a retelling of it?

Review of The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Title/Author: The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom (The League of Princes #1) by Christopher Healy
Publisher/Date published: Walden Pond Press, May 1st 2012
How I got this book: bought myself a pretty copy
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary:
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, but you probably know them all as 'Prince Charming'. Well, all that is about to change as the hapless princes stumble upon an evil plot and get a second chance to prove themselves true heroes.

Seriously, reading this book was one of my better decisions this month! It was SO MUCH FUN!

First off, you guys should know that I love fairytales. LOVE. And I love any book that deals with them or reads like one and this novel getting deeper into the different prince charmings out there is just SO MY THING!

I don't read many funny books, and I'm not sure why not, cause this was hilarious! I laughed out loud a couple of times, which earned me weird glances from the boyfriend at times. I loved getting to know the characters flaws and all and they've all earned a special place in my heart. But to be honest, I think my favourites are Liam and Duncan. Liam is what I'd want my prince charming to be like and Duncan is just so sweet! All four of them are great characters, but these two stole my heart.

I loved that we get to see them in their full glory and get a little more of a backstory on the princes, because, let's face it, it's mostly all about the princesses in fairytales. Most of them don't even have a name in the story and that's what's adressed in The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom.

I read this in no time at all and was highly entertained the whole time. The writing if witty, funny and engaging, I really fell for these characters and was rooting for them! It's a bit of a silly romp, but sometimes you need that in your life and it made for a great read-a-thon read! I already have The Hero's Guide To Storming The Castle staring at me, so I'll be reading that soon :)

My rating: 4,5 stars

Review of Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title/Author: Splintered by A.G. Howard
Publisher/Date published: Amulet Books, January 1st 2013
How I got this book: bought it

Goodreads summary: This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers — precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

I always have mixed feelings before diving into a retelling, I'm both excited and worried the author has screwed up one of the stories I know by heart. I'd heard people rave about Splintered before I started it (namely Rachel @ Fiktshun whose taste in books I completely trust) and guys, IT WAS SO GOOD!!!

I absolutely love the tale of Alice in Wonderland and this darker, twistier version of what exactly happened is just my kind of story! A.G. Howard has managed to completely alter my perception of Lewis Carroll's tale, making me even more intrigued and gah, now I want to re-read his original tale! And this one! I loved the tale but couldn't get into the writing style as a kid, so I might just have to give it another try.

Alyssa is a little off-beat and I like that. I thought using bugs she traps and kills for her art was a little gruesome, but it fit into the story really well. I felt so bad for Alyssa, being afraid she would go mad like her mother and trying desperately not to resemble her in any way. I loved seeing her grow throughout the novel and embrace her identity, it was wonderful! I would have liked to have seen a little more of how things were the 'real world' before diving into Wonderland, but I can easily overlook this, cause the story really took off once we went down the rabbit hole.

Of course there are the boys: Jeb and Morpheus. And for once, while I'm usually all about the good guy, and I do love Jeb, I could actually imagine choosing Morpheus. That is one sexy winged guy! And he could relate to Alyssa's darker side far better and got her connection to Wonderland. I kinda loved his dual nature.
But Jeb stole my heart as well with his protectiveness and his genuine caring for Alyssa and just being selfless.

I really got lost in A.G. Howard's writing and her version of Wonderland! I kinda saw some of the twists coming, but was shocked by the ones I didn't! And it felt wonderful! I was so rooting for Alyssa, Jeb AND Morpheus (I can't help it, I love him) to figure everything out and I wasn't sure whether to wish for Alyssa to stay in Wonderland or to return to her home, but I was just so there in the moment with these characters! I love it when that happens!

I was kinda sad about one thing though:
***SPOILER! LIGHT UP TO READ***
Jeb forgot EVERYTHING that happened in Wonderland!! I mean, seriously? All the moments in which I adored him and he just doesn't remember any of it?? Also: how is Alyssa ever going to tell him about it? Is she going to tell him at all? I just don't want to let these characters go and want ALL THE ANSWERS!
***END OF SPOILER***

A.G. Howard's writing is vivid and amazing and completely lives up to the gorgeousness that is the cover of Splintered! With this as her debut, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I completely fell in love with this dark and twisty version of Alice in Wonderland and am already itching to reread it!

My rating: 5 stars

Review of The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas

Title/Author: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Throne of Glass #0.1) by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury Children's, January 21st 2012
How I got this book: of course I HAD to buy this!!

Goodreads summary: "A Throne of Glass novella.
On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She's been sent by the Assassin's Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes - and she will risk everything to right the wrong she's been sent to bring about."

OMG, I just totally squealed when I got to write the title of this post! Because seriously, I have been a fan of the Sarah J. Maas ever since she posted her first draft of Throne of Glass (then titled Queen of Glass) on FictionPress and I'm so happy for her she got a publishing contract and 2012 will be the year I get to add her first novel to my collection! :) I already pre-ordered it, only 164 days to go! (which really isn't that long, considering I've been waiting for about 8 years ;))
Basically Throne of Glass is a Cinderella retelling with the twist of having Cinderella be a feared assassin!

ANYWAY: of course I had to read the novella. And it is everything I wanted from it! This wasn't part of the story posted on FictionPress and I was really excited about getting to know a bit more about the Celaena she was before she got sent to the salt mines. And I loved how sassy Celaena is! She's such a memorable character!

The writing is amazing and I LOVED reading it, so if you're excited about Throne of Glass or if I've managed to convince you it's something to be excited about, definitely read it!

My rating: 5 stars

Cat's Tale by Bettie Sharpe

Title/Author: Cat's Tale: A Fairytale Retold by Bettie Sharpe
Publisher/Date published: Carina Press, June 27th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Once upon a time there was a scheming, lying tart who cared for nothing but her own pleasures and her shoe collection.
Once the peerlessly beautiful Lady Catriona, consort to the king, Cat's fortunes fall far when her aged husband dies. The king's wizard turns her into a cat and tries to drown her in the mill pond. Fortunately Cat is a clever survivor and enlists the help of Julian, the miller's youngest son, in her plan for revenge.
She originally sees Julian as a mere pawn for her plans to break her curse, but as they work together Cat comes to know and care for him. Even if the curse can be broken, can a good-hearted man love a woman who has been as vain and selfish as Cat?"

I almost never read novellas, because well, I like my books to be longer. I invest in getting to know these characters and connecting with them and I like staying with them for a while. This was a really quick read, I think it took me about 3 hours.

For a fairytale, this contained a lot of sex and lusty men and women. And I hadn't exactly expected this, so I neede a little mental adjustment, but after that it was alright, though I'd have liked it if the sex was a little less graphic.

Apart from this, the story was pretty nice. I liked that Cat knew exactly who she was and what she wanted and made no excuses for her behaviour. I really liked Julian and the way he cared for Cat when she was a cat. He's a loyal friend and wanted to do the honorable thing. I also liked Cat's stepdaughter, the princess, she was snarky!

This was an entertaining read without much depth to it, Cat as a cat was really amusing and I enjoyed the interaction between her and Julian.

My rating: 3 stars

Queen of Glass Trailer!

This was posted on the author's blog, one of her friends and fellow debut author, Kat Zhang, made it and it's awesome!
I am SOOOO excited about Queen of Glass coming out next year, I read it when it was still on FictionPress and thought it was amazing then. And after all the revisions she's been doing the last couple of years, it should be even better.

Queen of Glass is Cinderella with a twist: Celaena is an assasin. Trust me, it is awesome. So watch the video and then put it on your to-read/wish list :)



I can't wait for 2012!

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan

Title/Author: Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales #2) by Maureen McGowan
Publisher/Date published: Silver Dolphin Books, April 1st 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family."

Sleeping Beauty with a twist! Lucette isn't a damsel in distress in the stereotypical kind of way. Sure, she's distressed because of the curse and needs to figure out how to break it, but she's not sitting around while someone else figures out how to do this.
Lucette was cursed at birth by the Vampire Queen Natasha because she wasn't invited to the naming ceremony. If she pricked one of her fingers after turning 16 on anything whatsoever, she would fall asleep from sunrise to sundown and be awake the other part of the day, but then the rest of the kingdom would be asleep. The only way to break the spell is to prove that she's found true love. But it's kind of hard to fall in love if no-one's actually awake to fall in love with.
Because Lucette is a firm believer of taking matters in your own hands, she trains to become a vampire slayer, so she can protect herself and her parents when the curse comes to pass.

I absolutely loved Lucette! She's a really strong girl and doesn't mind a little deceiving to get what she wants: slayer-training. Of course, it's not done for girls to actually train at slayer school, the only one who will teach her is Tristan, a boy from another country. This is love interest number one, he's a very likeable boy and very knight-in-shining-armor-like.

Lucette's mother is very much anti-vampire and has always told Lucette they're evil and killing machines. Then Lucette meets Alex, a very nice boy vampire, who doesn't seem to want to drink her blood or anyone else's for that matter. This is love interest number two. I thought he was a pretty nice boy as well.

The thing is: I couldn't decide who I wanted her to end up with. A revelation towards the end points me firmly in the right direction, but otherwise I wouldn't have felt like it was fair on at least one of them.

In this book you can choose a couple of times what you want Lucette to do when she has to choose between two options. I've only read one way to the end, but I think there are about 8 different routes. I'll probably go back and choose differently, but I really liked the story as I read it this time.

I loved how we got to see why Queen Natasha cursed Lucette, it wasn't just plain hatefulness. There were some pretty well-kept secrets in Lucette's family. Her father was a bit overbearing and her mother a bit close-minded, but I could see where they were coming from.

Did I mention sometime that I LOVE fairytale retellings? Especially with powerful female characters. And Lucette is just that. The ending was a bit abrupt and slightly too easy in my opinion, but I really enjoyed this book and I'm gonna check out more by the author.

My rating: 4,5 stars (if it wasn't for the ending, I would have given it 5)

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

Title/Author:The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms #1) by Mercedes Lackey
Publisher/Date published: Harlequin, published May 1st 2010
How I got this book: it was sent to me by the publisher through NetGalley
Why I read this book: I LOVE fairytale retellings

This is a totally refreshing take on fairytales: everything is part of The Tradition (imagine scary music entering).
And I'm not kidding when I say the Tradition can be scary. There are people who are sort of chosen, around which the Tradition gathers potential, a power that drives them to follow a certain character type and storyline. And sure that can be nice, but not all fairytales end well. And not all ways of getting to the happy ending are without casualties. For example, you've probably all heard of the tale of Rapunzel (the one where the girl is locked in a tower and lets down her hair for the prince to climb up and save her), but do you remember the prince falling into a bush with thorns, blinding him and almost killing him, wandering the land without sight?

This is where the Godmothers come in (only the first in history were real fairies). They monitor the people the Tradition seems to be pushing towards a certain path and try to either bend the Tradition into accepting another role for the person in case or try to make it cause the least amount of harm. Sometimes the role of a Godmother is to test the prince on kindheartedness on his quest and sometimes it takes a bit of matchmaking to distract an Evil Sorceress from cursing a princess at birth.

Elena Klovis was supposed to be her Kingdom's Cinderella, sadly the prince wasn't suitable and she got stuck playing housemaid to her stepmother without a chance of rescue. That is, until her Godmother showed up and offered her a job: to train as her apprentice and become the next Godmother. And all goes smoothly for a while with Elena being a fast learner and handling matters after becoming Godmother herself. But the Tradition isn't done with Elena.

When Elena turns one questing prince into a donkey for his rude behaviour, she doesn't know what's she gotten herself into. Because she was meant to be a Cinderella, the Tradition tries to get her together with any prince within reasonable distance. But since she's a Godmother as well, the Tradition will force this prince into a nasty role in which he will most likely betray her and break her heart. What will they do when they find themselves drawn to each other?

I absolutely loved this book! I love fairytales and now I realise some were rather gruesome, which kids somehow don't pick up on most of the time. I'd never thought about the possibility of other princes attempting to rescue the princess and failing and sometimes also dying because they failed.

Elena is a really likeable character and the prince she turned into a donkey is as well after learning his lesson. I also loved reconnecting with all the fairytales I loved as a kid, a lot of them appear in the book.

It was a very smooth read, I'd never read anything by Mercedes Lackey before and was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was really original and I'm always looking for a nice new twist to the fairytales I know and love. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series!

My rating: 5 stars

Blog Tour: Fractured by Joanna Karaplis

Title/Author: Fractured: Happily Never After? by Joanna Karaplis
Publisher/Date published: November 1st 2010 by McKellar & Martin Publishing Group, Ltd.
How I got this book: the author sent it to me.
Why I read this book: I love fairytale retellings.

Goodreads summary: "Everyone knows a fairytale or two. They’re the kind of stories that seem to stick with you. Maybe it’s the magic. Maybe it’s the handsome prince. Or maybe they’re just the absolute perfect place to lose yourself for a little while.
But what would happen if Snow White were around today? Would Cinderella still need a fairy godmother? And would the Little Mermaid show up on YouTube?"

I've recently discovered I really like fairytale retellings, so I was excited when I heard about this book. It contains three stories, modern day retellings of 3 of fairytales I love the best (I've probably watched the Little Mermaid a thousand times). All three have highschool aged girls as their main character.

The Snow White retelling focuses on a girl who needs to learn to look past face value. The Seven Dwarves are seven boys who spend most of their time in the computer lab. The way she replaced the poison apple was genius!

The next one was a retelling of Cinderella, featuring a real-life show star as Prince Charming. This is written completely in chat-format or texting and because of that I found it harder to get into the storyline. I did think the 'fairy godmother' was pretty funny.

And last, but certainly not least: the retelling of the Little Mermaid. This was my favourite of the three. Our Mermaid is insecure about one part of her body and desperately wants to have it altered (and in her opinion improved) by a plastic surgeon. I think there's a very strong message here, there's a growing problem with people running to have surgery when they're not satisfied with something and there should be more attention for the darker side of this. Because it can all go horribly wrong.

Short stories aren't really my thing, I love connecting with characters and then follow them for a while and there's not enough room for that in a short story in my opinion. That said, I did enjoy this book, I thought Joanna Karaplis did a wonderful job in not only writing a good story, but also pointing out some things that are wrong with society right now. I thought her writing style was engaging, except for the Cinderella retelling, the chat-format wasn't for me.

My rating: 3 stars

Other stops on the blog tour:
Nov. 15:
Steph at Steph Su Reads
Jenn at Word bookstore

Nov. 16:
Stacey at Word of Mouse Book Reviews
Steph at Bella's Bookshelves

Nov. 17
Savannah at The Reading Girl

Nov. 18
Stacey at Page Turners
Tahleen at Tahleen's Mixed-Up Files

Nov. 19
Jami at YA Addict
Melissa at YA Book Shelf

Be sure to check them out!

The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt

Title/Author: The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt
Publisher/Date published: Carina Press, September 27th 2010
How I got this book: I got it from the publisher through NetGalley
Why I read this book: I have wondered what happens to the other people in fairy tales. It's actually a novella.

Goodreads summary: "Have you ever wondered what happens to the other people in the fairy tale?
Things look grim for Talia and her mother. By royal proclamation, the constables and those annoying “good” fairies have taken away their livelihood by confiscating their spinning wheel. Something to do with a curse on the princess, they said.
Not every young lady has a fairy godmother rushing to her rescue.
Without the promise of an income from spinning, Talia’s prospects for marriage disappear, and she and her mother face destitution. Past caring about breaking an arbitrary and cruel law, rebellious Talia determines to build a new spinning wheel, the only one in the nation, which plays right into the evil fairy’s diabolical plan. Talia discovers that finding a happy ending requires sacrifice. But is it a sacrifice she’s willing to make?"

I was a bit shocked when I saw the e-book only had 97 pages, I never read anything that short. But I decided what the heck, let's just find out, the summary sounded promising.

And I liked it. I really did. We're given a look at the life of the people in the fairy tale who are affected by the main events in the fairy tale. Talia looses her livelihood and her chance at marriage when their spinning wheel is taken away. This leads her to do a number of things I would consider bad choices. But for her it seems to be the only way.
The Sevenfold spell refers to the princess in Sleeping Beauty and how her 7 fairy godmothers never finished the spell to give her everything a princess needs. She lacks something essential, which I will not give away because that would ruin it.

I loved how Talia was loyal to people. She saved the princess without caring what it would do to her or that she could benefit from it herself. I'm sad the story wasn't longer, because I would have loved so see this more expanded and with more depth to it than can be accomplished in a novella in my opinion.

I laughed so hard at the part where Talia's mother whacks one of the fairies with a broom, that was amazing! Fairies are mostly thought of as annoying and troublesome where Talia lives.

Also, I absolutely LOVE the cover. After reading Halo I was a bit wary of judging a book by its cover, but this one actually lives up to it.

This is a quick, enjoyable reads for those of you who have also wondered what the normal folks get around to in the fairy tales we all love.

My rating: 4 stars