Tag: fractured fairy tales

REVIEW: How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen

REVIEW: How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Tachyon Publications in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

A collection of 28 fractured fairy tales as well as notes and poems from the author. Some of the material also ties back to the author’s other works. Reading this gave me the same feelings I felt when reading Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. You might not know the origins of all the stories, but there is a tone and cadence to them that feels familiar anyway.

Review

It’s difficult to summarize a collection of short stories, at least for me. I find that I enjoy some of the stories and others don’t click. It’s rare for me to love everything in a collection like this. My favorite fairy tales in this collection are:

Snow in Summer – A twist on Snow White with a satisfying ending I really enjoyed.

One Ox, Two, Ox, Three Ox and the Dragon King – A story of three brothers on a quest to save their mother.

Slipping Sideways Through Eternity – A time travel story that shifts from modern times to the Holocaust.

Sleeping Ugly – A Sleeping Beauty-esque story starring a beautiful princess with an ugly personality.

I love fractured fairy tales in general and have enjoyed many books in that style. This was an interesting collection of them, although many weren’t my style. This could be a great resource for writers, writing students and writing classrooms as well as for poetry work. I wish the collection had been arranged so the notes and poems were with their fairy tale counterpart rather than having the fairy tales at the front of the book and all the notes at the back. I also found that I enjoyed this more when I read only a couple fairy tales at a time and then let the stories sit in my mind for awhile rather than trying to read through the whole book as you would a novel.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Sadie: An Amish Retelling of Snow White by Sarah Price

REVIEW: Sadie: An Amish Retelling of Snow White by Sarah Price

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

The forest is Sadie’s favorite place to be. She loves being in God’s creation, listening to the birds and watching the wildlife. It’s her happy place.

Her home used to be a happy place, when it was just her and her parents. Even after they lost her mother, Sadie and her daed were close, making the best of their life. And the early days with Rachel as Sadie’s step-mother were good. But as the years went by without Rachel getting pregnant, her personality changed. She became bitter and resentful. And a lot of her anger was directed at Sadie.

So the forest is Sadie’s refuge from Rachel’s hatefulness. The forest is also where Sadie meets Frederick, an Amish man from a nearby community. He loves teasing Sadie and goes out of his way to spend time with her. But Rachel has her own plans for Sadie. When Sadie feels trapped by her own family and their expectations, she flees to the forest in search of a safe place to hide.

Review

While Ella remains my favorite book in this series, Belle and Sadie are terrific! The author does a masterful job of weaving the classic story – Snow White in this case – into a believable Amish context. I zoom through chapter after chapter to see what elements she’s going to use and how she is going to fit them in.

I enjoyed the character of Sadie. I appreciated her wrestling between generosity and obedience regarding her neighbor and her strong boundaries where she stands up for herself with her family and others. The situation with Sadie’s step-mother built slowly and intentionally to the point where I was holding my breath to see how far Rachel’s manipulation would go. I was completely invested in what might happen to Sadie.

I hope there will be more stories in this series. I have adored each book so far. I cannot recommend this series highly enough!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne

REVIEW: Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Worstley inherited the job of “Farm Boy,” caring for the barnyard (and cleaning up goat poop) from his brother, Bestley,  who was stabbed through the heart for being too handsome. But Worstley’s luck changes when Staph the pixie arrives and declares him the Chosen One. She even uses her magic to give Gustave the goat the power of speech.

Worstley and Gustave head off for adventure to save a sleeping princess from an enchanted castle. But things don’t turn out so well for Worstley. But at the castle, Gustave meets the warrior Fia and a bard named Argabella who’s been turned half-rabbit. The women and the goat then join up with the Dark Lord Toby, his clumsy rogue Poltro, and Grinda the sand witch for a quest. If they can survive, they hope to find the ones responsible for the sleeping spell at the castle so they can reverse the spell and maybe resurrect poor Worstley.

Review

This is one of the quirkiest books I have read in a long time. It’s full of odd characters, biting satire and sarcasm, and plenty of innuendo. There are trolls and elves, giants and ghosts as well as magic and violence and some gross humor. The adventurers face a lot of challenges on their quest, so the reader will really get his/her moneys worth out of the book in terms of a long read.

The characters were my favorite part of this – far better than the titular Farm Boy, Worstley, was at first. The band of adventurers becomes something of a family – except when they try to eat Gustave. They all start out focused on their own needs and challenges, but care well for each other (most of the time) by the end. The romantic storyline between two of the ladies in the group builds slowly and naturally through the whole quest.

This is a long book – or it felt like a long book to me.  It’s wordy, with a vocabulary that sometimes left me hunting for a dictionary and losing the flow of the story. The words worked for the voice of the book, but got to be a distraction when a simpler word would have sufficed. The violence is graphic at times as is some of the bodily function “humor.” I was hoping for a sharp, clever celebration – and skewering – of fairy tale tropes. Instead it felt like the authors were trying too hard to be funny. Some of the humor and gags were immature. I can handle that to a degree, but in this it sometimes felt never-ending.  There are hints at a sequel. I am undecided about reading one. I wouldn’t mind more time with some of the characters, but the reading experience as a whole wasn’t my favorite.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Belle AND Ella by Sarah Price

REVIEW: Belle AND Ella by Sarah Price

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of Ella from Netgalley and the publisher, Zebra. All opinions are my own. ]

Belle: An Amish Retelling of Beauty and the Beast – Summary

Belle’s father wasn’t really cut out to be a farmer. In his heart and his mind he is an inventor. Unfortunately, inventing doesn’t bring in any money if no one will buy his designs. As the youngest of three daughters still at home, Belle knows the best she can do is be sure the house is cared for, complete her chores, and hope maybe one of her sisters will get married. A husband could help with the things her father doesn’t do on the farm.

But an accident puts their whole family in jeopardy. Her father is woefully behind on the mortgage, his latest invention was destroyed in the accident before he could sell it, and in desperation he sold the family’s home and farm to the reclusive Adam Hershberger.

Belle knows the townspeople sometimes call Adam a “beast” because of his scars from a fire years ago. His gruff manner doesn’t help that reputation. But Belle is desperate to help her family. So she agrees to marry Adam if he will let her family stay at the farm.

Review

This was delightful! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite of the Disney princess stories. This Amish twist on the story was terrific. Early on, the parallels to the Disney version were almost too on point. But after the wedding, the story developed its own flavor and details that were original and perfect for the context.

I loved Belle and Adam. The Beast-ish moments – the growling, the secrecy, the anger and bitterness – were frustrating. Why wouldn’t he just TALK to her? I loved how Belle stood up to the people in the community for her husband even when she wasn’t sure where she stood with him. The only disappointment for me was the lack of a library scene!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella – Summary

Ella Troyer was a teenager when her father told her he was getting married again. Her mother had been gone for awhile and Ella needed a woman in the house to teach her all she would need to know as an adult in the Amish community. His new bride was a widow from another town who had two girls around Ella’s age. Even though her father had never met the woman before, they were to become a  family.

Six years later, Ella is a virtual servant in her family home. After her father’s death, Ella’s step-mother took over his business – the town’s general store – and Ella became the sole caretaker of the home She did all the chores around the house, tended the garden and the livestock, and did all the cooking.  If her step-sisters didn’t want to work their shifts at the store, she also did that. Between her fear of her step-mother and the promise she made to her dying mother, Ella felt she had to take the high road and suffer through all of the abuse without complaint, hoping God would eventually set things right.

When the store starts having money trouble, Ella’s step-mother starts looking into taking on a partner for the business. The family considering the deal sends one of their sons to check out the Troyer family and the business. Hannes is smart and funny. He makes Ella feel special and important. But Ella’s step-mother is determined to drive Hannes away – or claim him for one of her own daughters instead.

Review

This was fantastic! Even better than book one. I don’t read a lot of Amish fiction, but this series is so incredibly good I want to read it again and again.

The author does an excellent job adapting the original fairy tale to an Amish setting. I loved the nods to the classic – mice, a pumpkin, etc. – even though the magical elements are left out. And the way the author works in the “fairy godmother” and the “glass slipper” parts literally made me sit up and cheer. I could see the pieces start to come together, and when they finally did, it was perfect!

Ella’s situation through most of the story was infuriating. Her Amish step-mother used all the Amish traditions about hard work and peace and obedience to manipulate Ella, but didn’t apply them to her own daughters. I longed for them to be put in their places, and when it happened, I was supremely satisfied.

I highly recommend this for fans of romance novels, Amish fiction, Christian fiction and readers who enjoy re-fashioned fairy tales. This was a delight from start to finish. Book three – Sadie – which focuses on the story of Snow White is scheduled for Fall 2018. A new character mentioned in this book could be a hint at a fourth book in the series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Switched by Jen Calonita

REVIEW: Switched by Jen Calonita

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Rumpelstiltskin was run off, but he’s not gone for good. Gilly’s sister, Anna, and a bunch of other kids have followed him, ready to do his bidding as he tries to take over Enchantasia. And while Gilly has school and her friends to distract her, she is desperate to get Anna back.

One of the exciting things at Fairy Tale Reform School (FTRS) this term is a new library and the librarians coming to run it – Prince Sebastian (Beast) and Princess Beauty. Of course, since this is Enchantasia, some of the books are magic – and some are dangerous.

Gilly is convinced that if she can find a book on Rumpelstiltskin in the library, it will tell her what she needs to know to defeat him and rescue her sister. She’s certain that her past adventures mean she can handle whatever a simple book could throw at her. But villain origin stories can be more dangerous than Gilly can imagine.

Review

I have enjoyed this world since book one, Flunked. It feels a little like the Ever After High series, but without an over-reliance on fairy tale puns. I enjoy Gilly and her group of friends. The addition of Beauty and the Beast’s daughter, AG, and her personal development in the story was my favorite part of the book. I have high hopes for her character in the continuation of the series.

I was disappointed in Gilly in this book, though. At the beginning of the series, she’s such a terrific, tough and determined character. This time, she’s completely consumed with the rift between her and her sister and with rescuing Anna. She loses all rational thought. She ignores her friends – and her own past experience – in favor of voices that tell her what she expects and wants to hear. And that robs her of some of the strength she has had in the past that made me enjoy the character so much.

I think fans of the series will be content with this new installment, but they may miss the more adventurous action and tone of some of the early books. There’s going to be a new series in this world called the Royal Academy Rebels. Book one, Misfits, will release in fall of 2018. I’m looking forward to seeing what that adds to the world of Enchantasia.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Marabel and the Book of Fate by Tracy Barrett

REVIEW: Marabel and the Book of Fate by Tracy Barrett

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The celebration of Prince Marco and Prince Marabel’s 13th birthday is a big deal. Moreso for Marco as the Book of Fate says he is the Chosen One. Sometimes Marabel feels like an afterthought.  She has to hide that she is taking fencing lessons because her father thinks it is a waste of time. On the day of the party, Marabel see something suspicious during the screening of party guests, but no one takes her seriously.

Just before the clock strikes 13:13 – the moment of Marco’s birth – at the party, Mab, the queen of the Evils of the Desolate Barrens reveals herself and kidnaps Marco.

Marabel is determined to go after her twin, but the king orders her to stay out of the way and locks her in her room. Marabel, her maid and best friend, Ellie, and Floriano the unicorn sneak out of the castle anyway to track down Queen Mab and rescue Marco, no matter what dangers the Barrens hold.

Review

This was a delight from start to finish. I loved that the author acknowledged the usual fairy tale clichés right from the beginning. The tone of the book was fun from page one.

My heart broke for Marabel. She had a great relationship with all her siblings, but she was shunted to the side – or forgotten – over and over again. Her twin had to remind the king it was her birthday, too! None of this made Marabel bitter or mean. She’s a smart, kind and determined girl. All of those qualities helped her on her quest.

This reminded me of the Hero’s Guide series (by Christopher Healy) or the Wide-Awake Princess series (by E.D. Baker) in tone. I adored both of those series. Marabel’s story fits in with them perfectly. If you have fans of either of those series, I think you can hand them this book confidently.

There’s plenty of adventure, some magic (but a lot more smarts), and some fantastic creatures (the dragon, Hotshot, is my favorite). There’s a thread of girl-power through the story. I loved that none of it was at the expense of the male leaders. The wrap up was terrific. I’d read more stories with Marabel and her friends!

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read an electronic copy of Marabel and the Book of Fate for review purposes.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Fractured Fairy Tales

Posted on by Jaymie

I have mentioned many times that I love fractured fairy tales. These are the stories that take the well known tales like Cinderella or the Three Pigs and gives them a fresh look or a new twist. I have talked about some of these before when I wrote about the picture books I miss reading to students. Here are some of my favorites for all ages:

The Three Ninja Pigs – This book is perfect. It’s funny, the rhyme scheme is fantastic (not an easy feat), and it takes the basic story and gives it a fun martial arts shake up. My students always loved that it was the girl pig who saved the day in the end.

 

 

The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf and Grandma – A cat is enjoying the story of Red Riding Hood, but the dog has a lot of questions about the story. This would be a fantastic story to turn into a readers theater. It is funny! There’s lots of drama as the cat gets frustrated that the dog just doesn’t get this great story. My students loved this one every time I read it!

 

 

Don’t Read this Book! – One of the things I did as a librarian was a unit on fractured fairy tales where my students and I compared and contrasted different versions of a familiar story. This book was a favorite because it doesn’t come right out and tell the story of the Princess and the Pea. Instead it is about a royal storyteller who has lost the story for the king. The pompous king tells the reader to go away while they retrace their steps to find the story. This is unusual and a lot of fun to read out loud!

 

Ninja-rella – This is one book in a line of graphic novel fractured fairy tales. I picked these up for my students towards the end of my time as a librarian, and the kids almost wore these out. Graphic novels were tremendously popular with my students anyway, but they especially loved the twist on familiar fairy tales. The series is called Far Out Fairy Tales. They published a Goldilocks story and a Sleeping Beauty one back in December 2016. They are releasing some new ones later this year called Far Out Fables. They look very fun!

 

Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible – I adore this middle grade series about a hamster princess who wants to fight dragons and save the day. I reviewed the most recent book in the series, Ratpunzel, here. The next book, Giant Trouble, comes out next week.

 

 

Rump, the True Story of Rumpelstiltskin – This is a terrific take on the story of Rumpelstiltskin. This time Rump is a kid who is trying to overcome an unfortunate name and therefore an unfortunate destiny. This is a fun quest story. The author has also written the true stories of Red Riding Hood and Jack of beanstalk fame.

 

 

The Wide-Awake Princess – I love this series about the sister of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Annie is completely immune to magic. This makes her the perfect person to rescue her kingdom from the sleeping spell or save a prince who has been turned into a bear. The sixth and final book in the series came out this spring. Lots of fractured fairy tales to enjoy in this series!

 

 

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom – This series is hoot! Have you ever noticed that most of the princes in fairy tales are just called “Prince Charming?” Well, in this series you find out that they all are different guys with different names. It’s the singing, story-telling bards who have focused on the princesses and ignored the princes. But this time, the princes are going to be the ones to make a name for themselves when they save the day. There are so many fun twists and surprises in this three book series. I highly recommend them!

 

The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives – This series is celebrating its 10th anniversary with new covers and touched up stories. I read these faithfully when they were first released. If you like a certain TV show about fairy tale characters in the real world, you should check this out. Some of the ideas in the show were in these books first. I’m hoping my library invests in the re-issues so I can read them all again and not miss out on any revisions!

 

 

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles) – This series for teens takes the stories of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White and sets them in a dystopian future. The main characters are trying to save the Earth from an evil queen from the Moon, Levana. The third book in the series, Cress (the Rapunzel character), is my favorite, but the whole series is solid if you like your fairy tales mashed up with some romance and science fiction (which I totally do!).

 

Geekerella – This book just came out this spring and I reviewed it here. This is an awesome ComicCon/Fandom mashup with the story of Cinderella. I loved it!

 

 

 

The Big Over Easy – I wish there were more than two books in this series! I have several Jasper Fforde books (Tuesday Next series and Chronicles of Kazam) that I haven’t read, but the books in the Nursery Crime series I have read more than once. In fact, I think I might just read them again right after I finish this post. These are great mysteries for adults. The first book looks into the murder of Humpty Dumpty.

 

 

 

So, those are some of my favorite fractured fairy tales. There are BUNCHES more out there. What are your favorites?

 

 

REVIEW: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

REVIEW: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Elle is one of the biggest Starfield fans ever. She blogs about it. Her parents met because of the show. And her dad started ExcelsiCon to celebrate it. Going to the con this year – winning the cosplay contest – would be a dream come true. And it might even help her escape her nightmare life with her “step-monster” and step-sisters.

Darien is also a huge Starfield fan. But no one knows that. He’s famous for his soap opera work which gets him the role of Prince Carmindor in the Starfield movie. The Starfield fandom hates the casting. They think he’s a poser. There’s a blogger who blasts him online, and her posts have gone viral. And there are leaks and other troubles on the set. Darien can’t catch a break.

Until he starts texting the random girl he called by mistake. In their conversation, both Elle and Darien can be themselves, even though neither knows who the other is. It would be great if they could connect in real life like they do on the phone. But there are too many complications in the way.

 

Review

This was fantastic. Such a fun mashup of science fiction fandoms with the story of Cinderella and a nod to You’ve Got Mail tossed in.

It took a little time for me to get into the rhythm of the story. Elle’s “family” is horrible. She initially has no friends or support which was really sad. And it took a little while for me to warm up to Darien’s character, to really see him as a person rather than the role he had to play. Once the rhythm was established, I couldn’t put the book down.

The Cinderella pieces of the story were my favorite. The “pre-ball” melt down was so horrible and aggravating! But all the pieces – the pumpkin, the dress, the slipper – came together perfectly in fun, fresh ways.

This is a sharp, clever, and FUN story. Great for geeky readers as well as fans of re-worked fairy tales and great teen romance.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Anya and her sister lost their mother once upon a time. Their father remarried, and their step-mother was not evil, but she was prone to getting lost in her work. Then the king died. The girls’ stepmother remarried. And their “stepstepfather” was an evil sorcerer, consumed with growing more powerful and taking over the kingdom. And he has a habit of turning potential suitors into frogs!

Princess Anya promises her sister that she will find the latest prince-turned-frog. This leads her on an epic quest to brew a lip balm potion to restore her stepstepfather’s victims. Along the way she’ll meet robbers who steal from the rich and give to the poor, a Good Wizard, seven dwarves and an old wizard called Snow White, and a group of witches. She’ll also be challenged to put the former days of law and order back in place. But Anya can only do that if she can defeat her stepstepfather once and for all.

Review

I liked this! Princess Anya is smart, compassionate and dedicated to her quest and to keeping her word. The typical fairy tale pieces are given a creative twist – like magic carpets that roll their riders inside to fly or Snow White being an old, male wizard with a long white beard.

The quest was long. Anya picked up several companions on the journey. And she promised to help lots of folks. She had to secure a lot of potion ingredients. And at the same time, she had to avoid her stepstepfather and protect herself from those who would try to deceive or betray her.

The story dragged at times. There was just so much tied into the quest. I started to wonder if the quest would span over multiple books, but the story arc was resolved by the end. The world is interesting enough and the cast large enough for a sequel, but this story will stand alone. If you are – or you know – a fan of re-imagined fairy tales, have them give this one a try.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: March 21, 2017

Posted on by Jaymie

Plenty of great books releasing this week! Here are some of the ones I am looking at:

Books for Kids

All Birds Have Anxiety – Look at that face!! I have to read this book just because of that face! Using birds, the author explains living with anxiety to kids. I can’t wait to read this one. Not just because of the cover, but I am curious how the author does with making mental health and anxiety accessible to kids. Mental health issues are big in children’s literature lately, which I think is a great trend!
I Am (Not) Scared – Third book in this series after You Are (Not) Small and That’s (Not) Mine, this time the two friends go to an amusement park and think about what might be scarier than the roller coaster.
John Ronald’s Dragons: The Story of J. R. R. Tolkein – A picture book biography of Lord of the Rings author, J. R. R. Tolkien
We Are the Dinosaurs – A picture book version of Laurie Berkner’s song by the same name. I’m not familiar with this song, but the illustrations I have seen from the book are darling! I would definitely keep this in mind for any dinosaur fans you know!
Almost an Outlaw – Teddy Mars book 3  (final book in the series) about a boy who has to break a few rules to take care of some of his neighbors.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Big and Little Questions (According to Wren Jo Byrd) – A shy girl tries to keep secret the fact that her parents separated over the summer. This kind of story is a staple of middle grade fiction and I imagine I will love it!
Miss Ellicott’s School for the Magically Minded – In this new fantasy, a city’s sorceresses go missing, leaving the kids at Miss Ellicott’s school to save their kingdom. This sounds like a book I will love!
The Princess and the Pearl – Book 6 in the delightful Wide-Awake Princess series. I have loved the books in this series – perfect for a lover of fractured fairy tales, like me! In this book, Annie has to get a cure from a sea witch to save her family.
The Hidden Memory of Objects – A girl who can see memories from her brother’s belongings searches for answers about his death. This sounds like a fascinating YA mystery!

Books for Adults

The Collapsing Empire – The latest book from science fiction great, John Scalzi. This story of a universe where humans have ventured into space and left Earth behind as an interstellar empire forms sounds awesome!
Girl in Disguise – A female private detective fights to make her way in Chicago in 1856. Inspired by a true story.
If I’m Found – Suspenseful sequel to If I Run about a woman running from arrest for a crime she didn’t commit.
The Lucky Few – A family’s journey, following God through adoption of special needs children. This sounds inspiring!

 

Which book releasing this week is going on your TBR list?!