Once Upon a Time: Red's Untold Tale (Once Upon a Time #4) by Wendy Toliver - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Disney Book Group/Kingswell Teen on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Once Upon a Time: Red's Untold Tale (Once Upon a Time #4)
Author: Wendy Toliver
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015

Synopsis: It’s Wolfstime, the foreboding period around each full moon when villagers must protect their homes and families against the giant, ferocious wolves that roam the forest. On the day Red turned thirteen, Granny gave her a special red cloak upon which a spell had been cast to protect Red from wolves.

Red is now sixteen and is desperately trying to fit in among her peers, save Granny’s failing bakery business, and, of course, protect herself from wolves. Her crush on Peter and her determination not to let the mean girls sabotage her blossoming romance cause Red to make some questionable choices.

Will these choices let the wolves in? Will Red pick the right battle? Will her skills be strong enough to keep her alive?

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Review: I really enjoy fairy tale retellings and reimaginings and I kind of love watching Once Upon a Time even though it sometimes (often) makes no sense and goes way off the rails. Red is one of my favorite characters on the show, and I've always wondered about her time in the Enchanted Forest. So obviously when it crossed over from TV into books, I knew I had to read Red's Untold Tale.

The story itself is interesting, but I felt like there wasn't much to it. It's basically a week or two in the life of Red as she tries to save Granny's baking business, not get attacked by wolves, and deal with her giant crush on her friend Peter. I enjoyed the flashbacks and seeing her life over the past several years and learning more about her part of the Enchanted Forest, but I just felt like there was something missing or that there could have been more. I have so many questions about Red's parents and her family that haven't been answered in the show either, and I wanted them to be answered in this book.

My favorite part of this book was seeing all of the parallels between the TV show and the things happening in the book. There were times when I knew more than the characters, and I was really hoping they would discover the things I already knew. Sometimes they did, but other times those revelations were outside the scope of the story. For example, there's more to Red's cape than the book gives away, but there was no reason for her to find that out in this story. I'm kind of hoping there's another book that starts to tie the show and the book more closely together, because I'd love to read about the times the show doesn't cover! 

Overall, I thought this was a nice read for fans of the show. I don't think it would resonate as well for people who don't know the characters and their histories (and even their futures), but it could still be a fun book for any fans of Little Red Riding Hood and fairy tales in general. It's a very easy read, and goes by fairly quickly. I'll definitely be looking out for more Once Upon a Time books though! 3/5.


--Ashley

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: The Shadow Queen
Author: C.J. Redwine
Recent Release Date: February 16, 2016

Synopsis: Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose. 

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Review: The Shadow Queen may be a Snow White retelling, but it is a completely new story that stands on its own. The basic elements of the classic fairy tale are present, but so much has been added that it's far from a simple retelling. There are dragon people. There is an ogre war. The magic system is very cool and inspired by the well-known imagery of the heart in the classic story. 

I am a huge fan of Fantasy YA and I love how prominent it is becoming, but as more is made tropes definitely seem to be recurring. This is another story of a princess from a fallen kingdom who must live a simple life and train until the most opportune moment comes when she can attempt to take back her rule. I've read a lot of these recently, but they are all unique. They take different twists and turns in their storytelling.

Lorelai has a magical psychic link to a gyrfalcon named Sasha. I loves Sasha's role in the story. She's a hot headed predator with some sass.

I really enjoyed the character of Leo and wanted to see more of him. Early on I was shipping Leo and Trugg. 

The magic is such a big part of this novel. The villain's magic is super creepy. I liked how the hearts of everything come into play. The magic is described so well that you really get a grasp on it. And at some points, the imagery is very strong and goosebump-creating.

Irina is a great villain. It's nice seeing her perspective and at least understanding where she is coming from, if not sympathizing with her. 

I give this book a 5/5. I highly recommend it. Definitely one of the great YA Fantasy novels out there now. The writing is wonderful. The worldbuilding is magical. The characters tug at your heart.


--PAUL

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay - Paul's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Princess of Thorns
Author: Stacey Jay
Recent Release Date: December 9, 2014

My Pre-reading

Synopsis: Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

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Review: I can't get enough of both fairy tale retellings and epic YA fantasy with awesome world building. This book is both, although its connection to a fairy tale is pretty loose. It is more connected to the original Sleeping Beauty that had ogres, but I am not as familiar with it as I am with the Disney-fied version that's fed to all of as as children. This book makes me want to delve into the original Sleeping Beauty tale, which it seems Jay was faithful to. Aurora is Sleeping Beauty's daughter in this book, which was confusing for me at first since Princess Aurora IS Sleeping Beauty in the Disney film. I advise doing a little research into the original tale before reading this book, but the book stands alone if you do not. 

This book reminds me of Ella Enchanted. The protagonist is fairy-blessed, but like all magic, the good comes with the bad. Her blessing has unintended results. I really enjoyed the way the "curse" plays out. 

There are 3 (or rather 2.5) POVs in this book. The "third" POV is almost unnecessary, but it gives an interesting look into the perceived villain's thoughts. 

With the protagonist masquerading as a boy,gender is at the forefront. I love when stereotypes are addressed and bring a conversation forward.  

I really enjoyed the world building. The ogres are much different than what you'd expect. I want to see more of the fairies. The politics of the world were also interesting and easy to follow. 

 I would love to see more books set in this world. I give this book a 4/5 and highly recommend it. I will definitely be looking into more books by Stacey Jay. 


--PAUL

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay - Paul's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Princess of Thorns
Author: Stacey Jay
Release Date: December 9, 2014

Synopsis: Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

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Why?: I LOVE Fairy Tale Retellings! This seems more like a sequel, but I'm sure the original fairy tale will have at least a few differences. Now that I think about it, and after quickly wikipedia-ing, I realize that I'm not that familiar with the original Sleeping Beauty story. So, I may have to find it or just research it a lot online while or after reading this. 

Expectations:I'm expecting an awesome fantasy fairy tale retelling with a strong female protagonist. I'm hoping for some awesome world building and some unexpected twists.    

Judging a book by its cover: I really like the thorns in the font of the title. I also like the ambiguity of the character on the front. I'm assuming it is the princess, but it may be a male character. The white hair reminds me of both Daenarys from Game of Thrones and the Winterians from Snow Like Ashes. 


--PAUL

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Puppet by Pauline C. Harris

Today is the release day for Pauline Harris' newest book, Puppet! Puppet is a retelling of Pinocchio, and we're really looking forward to reading this one now that it's out. 

Also, the Patchwork Press team will be hosting a release day Twitter chat with Pauline and would love for anyone interested in the book to stop by. Just be sure to follow Pauline and Patchwork Press! 

About the Book

Title: Puppet

Author: Pauline C. Harris

Publication: October 2014

Publisher: Patchwork Press

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Cover Design: Erica Crouch

Synopsis: Penelope lives in a world of advanced technology but many claim society has yet to catch up. Marionettes have advanced in the form of robots; lifelike creations remote controlled to perform super human tasks.

When Penelope makes a deal with Jed, a marionette-obsessed scientist, she doesn’t fully realize what she’s getting herself into. In order for Jed to take her away from the orphanage she lives in, she must first agree to undergo his experiments and tests, ultimately creating something no one ever dreamed possible; the first living marionette.

As Jed shows off his scientific creation to the world, concerns arise surrounding Penelope’s abilities and what she’s capable of doing. Ordered to somehow lessen her abilities, Jed makes a desperate attempt to change Penelope to make her more human, more vulnerable. After Penelope lies to the officials about her past, Jed makes sure it’s the last one she’ll ever utter. The truth is now the only thing she is capable of telling.

As Penelope struggles with her past, her disturbingly new present, and her uncertain future, she is thrust into a magically twisted world of mayhem in search of the one thing she wants, but knows she can never have. The chance to be just a girl again. To be normal. To be real.

About the Author

Pauline C. Harris is the author of middle grade and young adult science fiction novels and published her first book at the age of fourteen.  She's currently working toward a degree in English.  Other than writing, her time is consumed mainly by reading, playing the violin, watching old black and white movies, and trying to survive her college classes.  You can find her on Twitter at: @PaulineCHarris and at her website.



Thanks for stopping by! 


--Ashley & Paul