Tag: fairies

REVIEW: Cinders and Sparks: Magic at Midnight by Lindsey Kelk

REVIEW: Cinders and Sparks: Magic at Midnight by Lindsey Kelk

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It all started with a sink of dishes that washed themselves.

It was a typical day for Cinders – her haughty step-mother criticizing her, her step-sisters acting like they are better than her, and her father refusing to take her to the castle where he works.

Then the dishes washed themselves. Sparks the dog started talking. And Cinders met her fairy godmother, Brian.

It turns out that Cinders has magic. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. The royal family is about to host a ball.

Review

This is a cute kick off to the Cinders & Sparks series. The opening follows the Cinderella story with a few notable wrinkles, including Cinders’ magic. But from there Cinders is launched on an adventure to find out who and what she is and how that will impact her kingdom and her new friend, the prince.

There’s a hint of a mash up here – the kingdom has electronics and social media and DMs. But otherwise it’s a typical fantasy kingdom with magic, witches, fairies, and creatures. There are some mentions of other fairy tale characters – Hansel and Gretel, Belle, Jack and Jill, Jack (from the beanstalk) – that I think readers will enjoy. This is a young-feeling middle grade story which I believe will also be a good fit for chapter book readers who are ready for longer stories. Fractured fairy tale fans should check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Thornwood by Leah Cypess

REVIEW: Thornwood by Leah Cypess

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

If you went by the standard fairy tales, you might think Sleeping Beauty was an only child. After all, she’s the focus of the story and all you hear about. But Rosalin – Sleeping Beauty – has a younger sister, Briony.

On Rosalin’s 16th birthday, she’s supposed to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and sleep for 100 years along with the rest of the castle. And Briony remembers the start of that day. But when she wakes up in the tower with a spinning wheel and a fairy, she has no memory of the birthday or what happened to Rosalin or the kingdom.

While the prince is there when Briony wakes up, and he wakes Rosalin with a kiss, the Thornwood surrounding the castle is as robust as ever, even trying to grab Briony and pull her in. But when she starts to work on a plan to get out of the castle, Briony discovers that nothing is what she expected – not the curse or the castle or the prince.

Review

This was so fun! I’ve read other “fractured” or re-imagined fairy tales (I love them!), and this one felt fresh and had some nice twists to it.

I liked Briony and her friend Edwin. I found the repeated dismissals of Briony by her family and others in the castle to be frustrating. It fits with the kids fiction emphasis on protagonists who save themselves, which I love. But this felt cruel, and I didn’t like it for Briony.

The reaction of the other folks in the castle to their plight was a clever piece of this story. I don’t want to give anything away, but it was probably my favorite feature. It’s a great example of what makes this story feel fresh and different.

Fans of The Wide Awake Princess series, The Hamster Princess series, The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, and other fractured fairy tales should not miss this one! This is the first book in a new series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Power of a Princess by E. D. Baker

REVIEW: Power of a Princess by E. D. Baker

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The fairy Queen Suriner and King Darinar are moving their kingdom back to the human world. And their half fairy, half pedrasi granddaughter, Princess Aislin, will be a big part of operating their new kingdom.

As such, Princess Aislin gets to choose her guards/ladies-in-waiting to help her. And her choices are pretty revolutionary – a fairy, an orc, a living doll, and a giant just to name a few.

But a mysterious “She” is trying to cause trouble for the new fairy kingdom. Whoever she is, she’s spreading ugly rumors and provoking attacks on creatures who are friendly to Aislin or her family. But she has something much more serious than nasty rumors planned for Aislin. And this unknown “She” is willing to use a familiar face to get what she wants.

Review

This was so fun! I loved Aislin once again. And her guards, her “mestari,” are just as terrific. This is a great girl-power story with an emphasis on character qualities like kindness and loyalty.

This is also a great fantasy story. There are great creatures like manticores and griffins as well as giants and fairies. There’s magic and spells and curses and such. But none of the magic is more enjoyable than the character and the leadership of Princess Aislin.

It takes awhile for Aislin and her friends to get the information they need on the villain for this story. But the slow build on that front was offset by the building of Aislin’s team and some fun fairy world building. The battle is wrapped up by the end – no cliffhanger. But the war is not yet over. There’s more adventure to come for Aislin and her mestari. And I am here for it! You can read my review of book 1, More Than a Princess, here.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: More Than a Princess by E. D. Baker

REVIEW: More Than a Princess by E. D. Baker

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Aislin is half fairy and half pedrasi. She may not be able to do the sorts of magic her fairy best friend Poppy can do, but her pedrasi connection to various stones gives her strength and magic all her own.

Long ago, the fairies left the human lands to live as a people set apart in their own lands protected by magic. But one day as Aislin and her friends are playing, the forest animals announce there are humans in their forest! Princess Aislin places herself in danger to save her friends. And she is “rewarded” when the human king she saves in turn take her to his kingdom.

Aislin is willing to do almost anything to keep her family and her people safe from the humans. So she endures taunts and thinly veiled insults from the nobility of Morain. But it becomes clear that the king is planning for war with another kingdom. And Aislin’s people could be caught in the middle.

Review

In the first few chapters, I was worried about keeping up with all the names and figuring out the magic of this world. But I was quickly caught up in Aislin’s story, and all the rest fell into place.

Aislin is a fantastic heroine! Smart, fiercely protective and confident. She might play things cool to gather information, but she also feels secure enough to stand up to the bullies, both adults and teens. I loved watching her fight for her people and learn what her magic could do along the way.

There’s a ton of action here. I loved the pacing of this – never too fast or too slow. And Aislin rises to each challenge she faces. Fantasy fans should be sure to check this series out.

I picked this up at the library when I was approved to review book two, Power of a Princess, which releases next week. I’ll be reviewing book 2 next week as well. Be sure to come back and see what I thought.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½