Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4) by Jackson Pearce - Paul's Review

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Title: Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4)
Author: Jackson Pearce
Year Published: 2013

My Cold Spell (#4) PRE-READING
My Fathomless (#3) REVIEW
My Sweetly (#2) REVIEW
My Sisters Red (#1) REVIEW

Ashley's Cold Spell (#4) REVIEW
Ashley's Fathomless (#3) REVIEW
Ashley's Sweetly (#2) REVIEW
Ashley's Sisters Red (#1) REVIEW

Synopsis: Kai and Ginny grew up together–best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora–a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved–and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

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Review: This book is a wonderful adaptation of The Snow Queen. I really liked how I could match the characters with their fairytale counterpart. Pearce continues to expand the mythology she has created. I loved all the connections to her already existing mythology as well as all the new and interesting things she introduced. I like how we get more details each book. 

I really liked the main relationship in this book. I loved all their little quirks and how some of those nuances came into play at the conclusion of the book. 

There were so many unique and interesting characters. I especially liked the chapters from Mora's point of view.

This book was an easy and fun read. Some things happen too easy, but it's still an enjoyable read. I think Pearce's books have only gotten better. I liked Fathomless more, but I think that's only because of the subject. 

I'm waiting for an epic team up book where all these awesome characters from each Fairy Tale Retelling come together to take on the Fenris. This needs to happen!

I hope Pearce continues to reinterpret fairytales into modern stories. I give this book a 4.5/5 and it's a must read if you've read Pearce's other books. If you like fairytales and haven't, I'd suggest starting at the beginning though. They are each their own stories, but the experience of reading them as a series is so much better.


--PAUL

Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4) by Jackson Pearce - Paul's Pre-Reading

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Title: Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4)
Author: Jackson Pearce
Year Published: 2013

My Fathomless REVIEW
My Sweetly REVIEW
My Sisters Red REVIEW

Ashley's Cold Spell REVIEW
Ashley's Fathomless REVIEW
Ashley's Sweetly REVIEW
Ashley's Sisters Red REVIEW

Synopsis: Kai and Ginny grew up together–best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora–a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved–and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

Why?: Pearce does a wonderful job of retelling classic stories in new and interesting ways. I've enjoyed all of her books that I've read and I think they've improved. So, I'm really excited for this one. I just read the original Snow Queen story so I'm excited to see how Pearce twists the tale.

Expectations: I'm expecting subtle references to her prior Fairy Tale Retellings. I'm also expecting an interesting take on the Snow Queen story in modern times. 

Judging a book by its cover: I like the cover with the broken mirror, but I wish it had a cover to match my Sisters Red and Sweetly books. I really liked the style of those covers. 


--PAUL

Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4) by Jackson Pearce - Ashley's Review

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Title: Cold Spell
Author: Jackson Pearce
Year Published: 2013

My Cold Spell Pre-Reading

Synopsis: Kai and Ginny grew up together–best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora–a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved–and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

Jackson Pearce, author of the acclaimed Sisters Red and Fathomless, has returned with a unique vision of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” one about power and redemption, failure and hope, and the true meaning of strength.

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Review: This book was the first in the series that I actually had to go read the fairy tale before I read the book. I mean, everybody knows Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, and The Little Mermaid (even if they only know the Disney versions). The Snow Queen, though? I'd never even heard of it. And that's such a shame, because the original story is actually really good and more kids should know it. 

That being said, this book was absolutely phenomenal. Jackson Pearce has done it again, and I think her conclusion to this series was by far the strongest book of the whole set. Like the others, it follows the original tale pretty closely, but still has a unique, modern, spin. Having read The Snow Queen immediately before reading Cold Spell, I definitely picked up on some parallels and references that I might otherwise have missed, and I think that made me enjoy it infinitely more. 

Another thing that I really loved about Cold Spell was how interconnected it is with all of the other books in the series. Sure, you could read this as a standalone. The cross-over characters are given enough background so that you don't have to know who the Reynolds are or how important they are in the fight against the Fenris, and you don't have to know anything about the ocean girls and how they're related to the Fenris, or anything else in order for this book to make sense. But I loved seeing mentions of Rosie March and Lo's favorite ship in Fathomless and just all of the other subtle things. Seriously Jackson, well freaking done. 

I also really liked that this book is told from 1.5 perspectives. We mostly see Ginny's side of things, and we're in her head and trying to save Kai right along with her, but we also get a few glimpses of what Mora is doing and why she does the things she does. Although she's the villain in Ginny's eyes, I really found myself enjoying the chapters about her and actually feeling kind of sorry for her. I do wish we had gotten to see a little bit more of her past and her human life, but I guess we can't really know what she doesn't really remember.

I could really go on about how much I loved every part of this book for a really long time, but I think you should just go read it yourself. But first, read Sisters Red, Sweetly, and Fathomless, and familiarize yourself with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen." I know, that's a lot of reading just to read one book... but trust me. It will be worth it. Anyone who loves fairy tales and/or retellings of them should definitely check out this series while I go cry in the corner because it's actually over. 5/5! 


--Ashley

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce - Ashley's Review

My Pre-Reading
Paul's Pre-Reading
Paul's Review

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I have been looking forward to reading Fathomless since I first heard that Jackson Pearce was using "The Little Mermaid" as the inspiration for her third book in the "Fairytale Retellings" series. I loved her takes on "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel," and this was no exception. I've always enjoyed Disney's take on "The Little Mermaid," and although I hadn't heard the original fairy tale until more recently, I think the darker spin on it makes it even more interesting. I loved how she took the idea of mermaids and made them all her own, and how she subtly tied Fathomless to Sisters Red and Sweetly.

I've always been interested in meeting the Reynolds girls, and I'm so glad we finally got to learn more about them and their place in the story. I thought that Celia was the most interesting of the three, and I'm very glad that one of the perspectives in this book was hers. Although her situation reminded me a little bit of Rosie March and her struggle with her sister, I think it was done very well and the story wasn't too much like the sibling relationship in Sisters Red. I also liked the each sister could see the past, present, or future and that each learns to control her powers in different ways.

Lo was probably my favorite character in this book because I have no idea if I should like her or hate her. It's sometimes hard to tell if her intentions are good or bad, and if she as actually a creature to be feared. She's such a dynamic, round character, and I really enjoyed reading the sections from her perspective.

The way Pearce writes this book is also really interesting, and I don't think I've ever read anything like it. I've heard it described as being from "2.5 perspectives," and I agree with that. I don't want to give anything away with that, but if you've read the other two books in the series, it will make perfect sense.

Although I kind of knew where this story was going, after having read Sweetly, I thought that the background and the explanation of the "mermaids" was very well done. Especially when it's revealed to the main characters how they are formed and what they later become. The pacing was excellent, and I never felt like the story dragged or had too many erroneous details.

If you've read the rest of Pearce's Fairytale Retellings, you should definitely pick up Fathomless. If you haven't, this book can be read as a standalone, but you won't get as much out of it (so go read Sisters Red and Sweetly)! I would give this a 5/5 and definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of either Jackson Pearce or twists on classic fairy tales.


--Ashley

"There is some madness in love."

Paul's Review
My Pre-Reading

Going into this book, I was ready for a new take on Hansel and Gretel that had some sort of tie-in to Sisters Red. What I got, however, was quite a bit more than that. I'll try not to include many spoilers, but there are a couple minor ones. And I apologize for anything that might be a little confusing... read the book and you'll understand!

I really enjoyed  that Jackson Pearce changed up the style of the novel from Sisters Red and didn't write it from two different perspectives. Although it worked in Sisters Red, I really don't think it would have worked as well here. I think Ansel was less three dimensional than Gretchen, and having the entire story told from her viewpoint really made everything come together much more than I think it otherwise would have. She was still able to capture the sibling relationship very well though, and I think that says a lot for Pearce - she can write in many different ways but still get the same point across.

The way that the two worlds were tied together was done very well, and even though I figured it out pretty early on, I thought that it the reveal to Gretchen was appropriate. Like "oh hey, I'm not afraid of the woods anymore!.... well crap. There are still scary things out here." And then having her face her fears and confront them... I just thought it was all done well. Probably even better than Sisters Red.  Actually, definitely better than Sisters Red.

I was wondering how Pearce would tie the two novels together (apart from the Fenris), and I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of a Reynolds boy. As soon as Samuel mentioned his brothers and father being woodsmen and each having specific traits, I figured he was Silas' brother. And of course, once I realized that  Silas' last name was also Reynolds, I knew he had to be. So that was pretty cool.

Sophia was the most interesting character to me though. The way Pearce makes her out to be the traditional sweet-making witch of Hansel and Gretel mixed with a new Fenris related twist made me both like her and fear her. I was very intrigued by her back story until the moment it was revealed, and I appreciated the way Pearce started to set up Fathomless with the explanation of why Sophia does the things she does.

All around, I would definitely say Pearce did a much better job with Sweetly than with Sisters Red. So, 4/5 on this novel. And a recommendation to anyone and everyone who read Sisters Red. Which, if you haven't and you like modern re-tellings of  classic fairy tales, I suggest you read. And then go pick up this one.


--Ashley

A single, shared heart.

I am really bad at keeping up with blogging. It's been almost a month since I finished Sisters Red and I'm just now writing my review of it. Stupid classes and teaching getting in the way of fun things.


As always, here are the links to the other blog posts about this book:
Ashley's "Pre-Reading" Post
Paul's Review
Paul's Halfway Post
Paul's Pre-Reading Post


This is so bad because I barely remember what I thought about this book once I finished reading it. I mean, not that I didn't enjoy it. I've just read 3 other books since then and have been having nightmares about the quotient rule. 


I'm kind of a huge fan of the Little Red Riding Hood story, and I really enjoy all of the different takes on it. I've never red one quite like Pearce's though, and I like how she takes such a traditional fairy tale and turns it into something modern and paranormal without going too far into the OMG WEREWOLVES thing. The wolves are something completely different than werewolves, and I really liked how she made it so obvious that anyone could be a Fenris... even the people you least expect.


I really enjoyed the way that the book was written. Having a novel told from two perspectives that are similar and yet so very different has always been really neat to me. I like the way that Jackson Pearce tells the story from Scarlett's "KILL ALL THE WOLVES" viewpoint and also from Rosie's "I just want to be normal... but still kill all the wolves" viewpoint. It also helps the reader understand the relationship between the two sisters better, I think. 


*SPOILER ALERT*


The only thing I didn't really like was that it was super easy to figure out that Silas was the Potential. I'll admit, the fact that he was the 6th son of a 7th son kind of threw me for a little bit, but I kind of just dismissed it and figured it would resolve itself later... which it did. I did like that she made the Woodsman character into a potentially evil character though. Everyone has the "potential" to be the bad guy - it just depends on the choices they make and how they live their lives as to if they will actually be the bad guy or not though.


The ending was very YA - for the novel being pretty dark, the ending was all nice and happy. Except for the part where Scarlett and Rosie aren't hunting together anymore. But both of them are happy with their new lifestyles, so I guess it wasn't too bad. And they still write and see each other when they can. Kind of the way real sisters are when they grow up and get lives separate from each other.


I would definitely read another one of Jackson Pearce's fairy tale novels, and I'm kind of really excited for Fathomless to come out.


And now, I'm only six blogs behind schedule!


--Ashley

Sisters Red... finally.

Title: Sisters Red
Author: Jackson Pearce
Year Published: 2010

Synopsis: The story of Scarlett and Rosie March, two highly-skilled sisters who have been hunting Fenris (werewolves) -- who prey on teen girls -- since Scarlett lost her eye years ago while defending Rosie in an attack. Scarlett lives to destroy the Fenris, and she and Rosie lure them in with red cloaks (a color the wolves can't resist), though Rosie hunts more out of debt to her sister than drive. But things seem to be changing. The wolves are getting stronger and harder to fight, and there has been a rash of news reports about countless teenage girls being brutally murdered in the city. Scarlett and Rosie soon discover the truth: wolves are banding together in search of a Potential Fenris -- a man tainted by the pack but not yet fully changed. Desperate to find the Potential to use him as bait for a massive werewolf extermination, the sisters move to the city with Silas, a young woodsman and long time family friend who is deadly with an axe. Meanwhile, Rosie finds herself drawn to Silas and the bond they share not only drives the sisters apart, but could destroy all they've worked for.

Why?: Paul chose this book way back in August because he follows Jackson Pearce on YouTube and thinks she's hilarious. I'm reading it because I have to.

Expectations: I expect this to be a nice, modern take on a classic fairy tale. I love all of the different ways Little Red Riding Hood can be interpreted, and I like that the girls aren't helpless & innocent and actually hunt the wolves instead of being hunted by them. I expect that, like all YA novels, the romance will be a pretty big part of the plot. The sister thing will probably be a central theme as well. Otherwise, what's the point of even having sisters? Why not just have one Little Red?

Judging a book by its cover: Like Paul, I really like how the cover is constructed. It's fantasy enough to attract the crowd that loves the supernatural vampires/werewolves/etc genre, but it's also got enough to draw in the crowd that's so over all of that. I think the fact that all three characters are mashed into one drawing mean that there is some deeper connection between the two girls and the wolves. Or something.




Judging a book by its cover is way more difficult when you've already read the book. As is trying to remember your expectations. I really need to do this first blog before I start reading the books I'm blogging about.



--Ashley

Sisters Red (Review)

I have finally finished "Sisters Red"!

Here are links to my last two blog posts about this book:
Before Reading
Halfway


I enjoyed this book. It was a nice take on a classic fairy-tale. Pearce added mythology and character to a bland story about staying on the path. My mother teaches preschool and uses the Little Red Riding Hood story at the beginning of the year to get her 3-year-olds to stay in line. This novel addresses each person's path, but not necessarily how to stay on them but to question them. Scarlett has her path of hunting and Rosie comes to terms with her feelings toward the hunting lifestyle. Pearce did a wonderful job of portraying both sisters' perspectives. 


SPOILERS (Ashley, you don't read anymore until you have finished this novel)


I really liked how the traditionally helpless Little Red Riding Hood wields the ax. The ending was unfortunately happy. I guess I am fine with everyone surviving, but the way Pearce wrote it I was not sure if there would be a happy ending until the church bells rang. I enjoyed the use of Plato's cave throughout the novel. Silas did end up being the Potentail, just as I initially suspected. 


Overall, I liked this book and will probably read more of Jackson Pearce's works. Her videos are amazing! Here is a link to her youtube channel: JacksonAPearce .


-PAUL

Sisters Red (Halfway)

So, Ashley is a cheetah when it comes to reading and I have been pretty tortoise-like recently.


I have finally reached the halfway mark of Sisters Red.


From this point on I'm going to just discuss a few things about the book where I am at right now. So Ashley, you don't read the following until you have read half the book which will probably take you 5 minutes once you get a hold of it.


I haven't read much "paranormal romance" and so far there's only a small romance plot. It took me a little while to get into this book, but I think I'm there now. I like how the book is narrated by both sisters, alternating each chapter. I enjoy the Rosie chapters more, but really like how Pearce made them actually feel like two different people.


The Rosie-Silas love story has just reached the part where she admits her love. It will be interesting to see where it goes. She is younger than him, but it's nothing like Aria and Ezra (Pretty Little Liars). 


Before this chapter, I was thinking that Silas may be the Potential. But now I'm thinking it might be someone Rosie meets at one of her classes. 


I like the little funny quirks Pearce throws in there that remind me of her youtube videos.


I'm looking forward to continuing to read. Hopefully I'll finish it before Ashley reads a whole library.


-PAUL

Sisters Red

Title: Sisters Red
Author: Jackson Pearce
Year Published: 2010
Synopsis: For Scarlett and Rosie March, the world is not what it seems. Werewolves, called Fenris, live among them in the form of good-looking men who prey on pretty young girls. When a Fenris attacked the March girls, it killed their grandmother and left them emotionally and, for Scarlett, physically scarred. Since then, they have taken action and revenge. With the help of a friend, Silas, the girls are on a mission—to destroy as many Fenris as they can. This goal becomes more complicated when they try to unravel the mystery behind the pack and prevent the next "Potential" from transforming fully into a soulless, evil monster. 

Why?: Although this will be my first Jackson Pearce novel, I have followed her on youtube for the past few months and she is hilarious! She is awesome on many levels, from taking circus classes to controlling an army of talking manatees. I just hope her humor translates well into her writing.
 
Expectations: I expect  to laugh. I also expect this to not be a lovey dovey YA romance. It is about werewolves, and this does worry me. I have not read any of the Twilight books or seen any of the movies. So much YA recently has turned into love triangles and it sounds like there is only one potential love interest from the synopsis, so hopefully the story will be filled with interesting well formed characters. I am also interested in how she will portray the sisterly bond. It seems like it will be a big part of this novel and I am an only child. Maybe Ashley will connect with that aspect more when she reads this. 


Judging a book by its cover: I really like the colors on the cover. There are three characters present: the two sisters and a werewolf. The black-haired sister is blended with the werewolf so maybe she becomes a werewolf, is killed by a werewolf, or falls in love with a werewolf. This is a book I would pick up and look at because of the bold colors. 


-PAUL