Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Title: Cruel Beauty
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Received From: Library

Synopsis:  Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.  

 Review:
I am always hesitant to read books that are really hyped up. This is one of the reasons that I took so long to read Cruel Beauty. I was worried that it wouldn't live up to all of the hype and I was going to be disappointed. I shouldn't have worried though because Cruel Beauty was even better than I could have ever imagined.

I am a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings ever since I read Beauty by Robin Mckinley when I was younger. Cruel Beauty isn't a complete retelling of Beauty and the Beast but it has a similar arc to the classic story.

Overall I LOVED Cruel Beauty but I did have some small issues that I want to get out of the way so I can gush. I felt like the ending was a little rushed. I wish it had more of a slow burn rather than a fast a furious finale. I also had a few issues with the lust at first sight aspect to this book but neither of these things dampened my love of this book even a little.

The world building in this book was incredible. I am huge fan of fantasy and I love seeing how a world is developed.  This book was exquisitely crafted. No huge info dumps or anything like that. Just a slow release of information when the time called for it.

Nyx was a great character. She undertook the situation as I could see a real teen dealing with it. She had actual feelings and didn't just go along with what was happening to her. I like when a character gets angry and has real reactions to the things that are happening around her.

I think everyone who likes fairy tales should read this amazing retelling!

Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson Review

Title: Strands of Bronze and Gold 
Author: Jane Nickerson 
Publisher: Random House  
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Received: From Netgalley
Summary:  The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale. 

 Review:  I love historical novels so when I heard that Strands of Bronze and Gold was both a historical novel and a retelling I knew I had to read it!

I had never read the story of Bluebeard before reading this book so when I started reading it all I knew was that Bernard was creepy as all get out. I could see how Sophia could find him alluring but I was screaming at her to get away from the first couple chapters.

I think the pre-civil war setting really fit the story. It made Bernard's actions not seem so erratic and more normal for that time. I also adored all the detail that was in the descriptions of the abbey and the grounds. It made me feel as if I was there, which honestly was not always a good thing.

In the beginning I found Sophia to be very vain and silly, but as the novel progressed I came to understand her better and even to admire her for what she had to go through. I also really liked how she felt the needs of others even before her own. I think that showed a lot of growth and courage to do what she did.

I am happy with how the story ended though I am unsure how there would be more books. I will definitely be picking them up though!

Strands of Bronze and Gold is a must read for fans of the classic Bluebeard story and those who like a little creepy with their historical novels.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer Review

Title: Scarlet (Lunar Chroicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer   
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends  
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Received: For review in return for a honest review  

Summary:  Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Review:  If you have not read Cinder you need to go do that. If the words sci-fi Cinderella retelling don't make you want to read it maybe my review will. Either way if you have not read Cinder I am warning you that this review will contain spoilers for Cinder, not for Scarlet just Cinder. 

 Scarlet was just as good as Cinder. A lot of the time second books tend to drag and not be nearly as good as the first book. But Scarlet does not fall into that trap. Maybe it is the introduction of a new POV or maybe it is the added cast of characters, but Scarlet manages to stay fresh where others fail. 

In case you could not figure it out, Scarlet is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. A retelling that will blow your mind with how different it is from the source material. It takes place in the same world as Cinder just in a different country.  Scarlet is just as sassy as Cinder but they are different she is less insecure and even more kick-ass if you can believe it. If you fell in love with Cinder then you will like Scarlet. She is sassy and I swear I want her red hoodie. 

There are also some other new characters such as Wolf who is not all he seems, and Thorne who I thought was going to be annoying but I really liked getting to know. And don't fret, there are still some of your favorite characters from Cinder such as Iko, Queen Levana (though if you like her *side eye*) and of course Kai. 

 The two stories of Scarlet and Wolf looking for her grandmother and Cinder trying to escape Queen Levana may seem like they would not come together but they fall in place perfectly and are told through alternating chapters interspersed with chapters about Kai. 

Basically if you liked Cinder get ready for even more fun in Scarlet. Also while some questions are answered you will be joined with me in wanting Cress which does not come out till next year. 

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce Review

Title: Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3)   
Author: Jackson Pearce   
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 4, 2012  
Received: For review from publisher  

Summary:  Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.  


Review:  I love a good fairytale retelling. Seeing a well known story reimagined is so fun and interesting. So naturally I love Jackson Pearce's Fairytale Retellings series. 

The first two books in this series were very good. I like how all three books go together in small ways but they are completely different stories. The ways they go together are surprising and not like anything I would expect. 

Fathomless is a retelling of The Little Mermaid. I enjoyed seeing the homages to the classic story and I enjoyed how Jackson Pearce worked them into her existing world. The multiple POV's were also nice because it let me get to know all the characters better and gave more depth to the story. 

The dynamic between Celia and her sisters was very interesting and I liked how their bond was tested but not shattered. The mythology of the ocean girls was very interesting and getting to understand what was going on was one of my favorite parts of Fathomless. 

Jude kind of annoyed me, I know he was important and one of the main ties to the original Little Mermaid but his personality bugged me a little though not enough to ruin it for me.

Overall I really enjoyed Fathomless and I cannot wait to see where Jackson Pearce takes the world in the next book!

I'm not going to lie, while I don't hate the new covers I wish they had kept the old concept because they were gorgeous.

Check out my reviews for the first two books in the series Sisters Red and Sweetly.

 

Two and Twenty Dark Tales Review

Title: Two and Twenty Dark Tales  
Editors: Georgia McBride and Michelle Zink   
Publisher: Month 9 Books  
Release Date: October 16, 2012
Received: Netgalley  

Summary:  In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young.

Review:   
I love retellings. It is really interesting to see how different authors take classic stories and make them new and different. So I was super excited to read this anthology of Mother Goose nursery rhymes retold to make them darker and expanding them.

I enjoyed all of the stories but some of my favorite were by Leigh Fallon, Leah Cypess, Angie Frazier, Jessie Harrell, Lisa Mantchev, Michelle Zink, and Suzanne Lazear. I loved Leah Cypess' and Jessie Harrell's because when I read them I could totally see the stories as full novels that I would totally read. Leigh Fallon. Angie Frazier, Lisa Mantchev, Michelle Zink, and Suzanne Lazear had great stories as well because while I could not see them as full length novels the short stories were so awesome and expanded on their nursery rhyme so well that I could read them again and again. 

All the stories in Two and Twenty Dark Tales took these nursery rhymes and expanded on them in such varied and interesting ways that I never would have thought of. The authors that I had read books by before I see their styles and it was fun to see their takes on these nursery rhymes. I was also introduced to some authors that I had never heard of before that and I am totally going to pick up their books because I really enjoyed their retellings.

One of the coolest things about this anthology besides the awesome concept is that the proceeds of the first 5,000 books go to YALITCHAT.ORG which fosters the advancement, reading, writing and acceptance of young adult literature worldwide. 

 Two ad Twenty Dark Tales is an awesome anthology that will surprise you and enchant you with each new story.

Check out my interview with Jessie Harrell one of the authors in this anthology and enter to win a copy of Jessie's book.

Cinder

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Release Date: January 3, 2012
Received From: Publisher in return for a honest review

Summary: 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Review:

Happy New Year!

Today I have a review of a book I read back in October but comes out this week! I loved this book and definitely recommend you pick it up! Now onto my review:
I adore fairy tale retellings and this is one of my favorite ones I have read so far! This is a semi retelling of Cinderella, but it is so much more than that! There is romance, action, mystery, an evil stepmother, a land on the brink of war, and a deadly disease that is ravaging New Beijing.
I also liked how this wasn’t an “oh I need to be rescued” storyline. Cinder is a kick butt awesome character! She is self-sufficient but not cold, she lets certain people into her life and those she lets in, and who appreciate her she is loyal to.
The plague angle was a twist I would not have expected to have gone as well as it did, it was fully integrated into the storyline and added intrigue and an extra bit of leverage for the Lunars.
I have to admit I figured out one of the major plot twists in the story pretty early, but since I kept wavering about whether it was true or not it didn’t ruin it for me.
The dynamic between all the different characters I really liked. And I LOVED Kai, he was so sweet and down to earth, yet willing to do anything to protect his people.
Overall I loved this book and am left clamoring for the next book!
(Also I adore the cover!!!!)

Sweetly Review

Title: Sweetly

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publisher: Little, Brown

Release Date:  August 23, 2011

Received From: ATWT

Summary: 

SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.
Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.
Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.
Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

Review:

I love retellings! It is really cool to see how different authors interpret the same story and how they make it their own. I have also liked Jackson’s other books so I was really excited for this book!

I liked this take on the classic Hansel and Gretel story because of the differences  from the classic story. The story starts with Ansel, Gretchen, and her identical twin sister going into the woods, the sister is taken and that one even really shapes the rest of the book, because the different ways that Ansel and Gretchen deal with the grief are prevalent throughout the story and keep the plot going.

I really, really liked the characters in this retelling. Especially the character growth in Samuel and Gretchen.  All of the characters were very different and were products of their upbringing and lives which is sometimes neglected in today’s stories.

There were a lot of twists in Sweetly. I went in thinking one thing, and left with something completely different, I really liked that, books that I can figure out right away annoy me.

Only thing I didn’t like about Sweetly was Ansel and Sophie’s relationship, I get that it was vial to the storyline but it really annoyed me it was trivial (IMO) and childish. But it was important in the end so I can appreciate why it was in the story.

A really good book especially for fans of Sisters Red and fairytale retellings.

And that cover? Beautiful and creepy!

 

 

A Long, Long Sleep

Title: A Long, Long Sleep
Author: Anna Sheehan
Publisher: Candlewick
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Received From: NetGalley

Summary:
Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for 62 years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically-induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose - hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire - is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes - or be left without any future at all.

Review:

This book was a blend of science fiction and dystopian. It was a pleasant combination that made this book unique.

Anna Sheehan created a book that combined mystery, romance, and intrigue. But even within that there was an underlying thread of abuse. It was a different kind of abuse that was not obvious at the beginning to anyone but it was totally there. It killed me to read about this abuse, especially because I know that there is similar types of abuse everyday and there is no way to prove it. Just like in this novel.

Even with the abuse this book was not completely sad and depressing it was a story about the path of reconstructing what happened in Rose’s past and learning to move past it no matter how hard it might be.

Rose was an interesting protagonist. She was down on herself like many other  main characters in YA literature today, but it was different. Once the story started to come out her self deprecation was understandable and she eventually developed into a strong character. I liked that because it made her seem more real, her having a reason for the way she felt about herself and the way she thought herself to be perceived.

There were many red herrings in this book. I never knew who the bad people were till the end and there is a surprise at the end of the book that I never expected in a million years. It brought me to tears a couple of times.

As you can tell I loved this book. It had strong characters, a strong message, and a strong plot that twisted and turned. While the ending may not be what you would love for it to be. I was satisfied with it, I think it was the perfect ending to a very diverse book. A must read!

 

 

My Unfair Godmother

 

Title: My Unfair Godmother
Author: Janette Rallison
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 12, 2011
Received From: ATWT

---

Summary: Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother.

Review:

I loved My Fair Godmother and all of Janette’s books are hilarious and fun filled! So I was super excited to read this follow-up!

I liked My Unfair Godmother even more than the first book! Chrissy was back and in full force, “trying” to do good but just causing more chaos. I definitely liked Tansy as a character, while whiny she was filled with spunk and was very relatable. Her non Chrissy caused problems were things that many teens deal with everyday.

One of the things I love about these books are the fairy tale retellings. There are a huge variety of stories retold in this one book but they all seem to fall into place. From Robin Hood to Rumpelstiltskin, each story brings even more hilarity to the scene.

I enjoyed Tansy and Hudson's relationship so well, especially how it went from the police station and grew into so much more.

There were a couple issues between Tansy and her father that I wish had been dealt with a little more but the story did not lose anything from that not being dealt with.

Overall this was another great book by Janette!

 

 

Once Upon A Week Review: Sisters Red (Re-post)

Title: Sisters Red

Author:  Jackson Pearce

Publisher:  Little Brown

Release Date:  June 7, 2010

Received From:  ATWT



Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.


Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

So ever since I found Jackson's blog I have been waiting to read her books, I read As You Wish and loved it, so I was even more excited to read this fairy tale retelling!

While the story of Little Red Riding Hood has never been my favorite fairy tale, I was very interested to see this new spin! Jackson really put a cool twist on these characters, they were fun, tinged with the seriousness of the storyline. The little love story really added something of realism to this otherwise totally out of there plot. As opposed to other stories where the romance adds nothing, so I really appreciated that.

This book is written from both Scarlett and Rosie's points of view, which was cool because they both had so different perceptions on hunting. I also really enjoyed the different take on the "werewolves" many of the books that have been coming out lately, show werewolves only in a positive light so it was refreshing to read a book where they were just raw, evil, monsters.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it, definitely pick it up when it gets into stores! I also cannot wait for Jackson's next book, and the next book in this series!

Cover: I love the cover! It is so pretty and a definite change from many red and black covers!

This was re-posted as part of Once Upon A Week! Go check it out!

Sarah Beth Durst Author Interview

I recently read Ice by Sarah Beth Durst and absolutely loved it. Now it helps that my favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast, but I absolutely fell into the story. So today I have with me the author of that fantastic book         Sarah Beth Durst!                                                                      * Please describe Ice in 5 words or less

Beauty and the Beast meets Arctic adventure.  Okay, that's more than five.  How about: girl, true love, frozen North.

* Cassie goes through some really big mental changes, and has to go through so many difficulties to survive. What inspired you to create such a feisty and resilient character?

I love stories about girls who kick butt.  For one thing, I think they're fun.  For another, I think they're empowering.  When you read about girls like Alanna in the Tortall books by Tamora Pierce or Harimad-Sol in The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, you internalize the idea that you can achieve your dreams.

For this story in particular, I needed a VERY resilient character.  Cassie is alone in the Arctic and faces some pretty serious life-or-death situations.  It would have been a bummer if my protagonist had died halfway through the novel.  :)

*Definitely! Ice is a love story but it is more than that, what was the feeling you were trying to convey?

I wanted to show a specific kind of love: real love, the kind that takes work and sacrifice and requires life choices, the kind that changes you and causes you to grow up.

* Was there a defining point or time in your life when you realized you wanted to be an author?

Yes.  I was ten years old and reading authors like Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, Diane Duane, and so forth, when I thought to myself, "I want to do this."  Picture a cartoon light bulb blinking on over my head.  It was that sudden.

*Wow, that is really cool! Those are some of the most inspiring authors to me as well. Is there a particular reason that you write Young Adult fiction?

It's what I love to read.  I think I'm drawn to the energy of it, as well as the sense of optimism that pervades a lot of it.  I believe it's important for writers to write the kinds of books that they love. 

* What do you hope people get from reading your books, especially Ice?

I hope they get a journey.  For however many hours it takes them to read, I hope they get the chance to plunge into another world and escape from whatever is hurting them in the real world.  People talk about escapism as if it's a bad thing, but I think it's a noble and important goal for a writer -- I want to cast a spell and take readers someplace else.

* Is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming book Enchanted Ivy which comes out in October?

Enchanted Ivy is a story about getting into college. You know, taking the campus tour, talking to the gargoyles, flirting with the were-tigers, riding the dragons...  I'm very, very, very excited about it!  It's set at Princeton, and it's about a 16-year-old girl named Lily who discovers a magical gate to a secret realm.

*Finally what is your advice for any aspiring authors?
Write what you love.  Finish what you write.  Don't wait for the muse.  And most importantly: don't give up!  I firmly believe that the most important trait a writer can have (beyond intelligence, eloquence, talent, sense of humor) is stubbornness.

Thanks for doing this interivew! 

Make sure to check out Ice as well as all her other books. A keep an eye out for Enchanted Ivy in October!

Find Sarah:

Website: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/

Blog: http://sarahbethdurst.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @sarahbethdurst

Sisters Red

Title: Sisters Red

Author:  Jackson Pearce

Publisher:  Little Brown

Release Date:  June 7, 2010

Received From:  ATWT



Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.


Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

So ever since I found Jackson's blog I have been waiting to read her books, I read As You Wish and loved it, so I was even more excited to read this fairy tale retelling!

While the story of Little Red Riding Hood has never been my favorite fairy tale, I was very interested to see this new spin! Jackson really put a cool twist on these characters, they were fun, tinged with the seriousness of the storyline. The little love story really added something of realism to this otherwise totally out of there plot. As opposed to other stories where the romance adds nothing, so I really appreciated that.

This book is written from both Scarlett and Rosie's points of view, which was cool because they both had so different perceptions on hunting. I also really enjoyed the different take on the "werewolves" many of the books that have been coming out lately, show werewolves only in a positive light so it was refreshing to read a book where they were just raw, evil, monsters.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it, definitely pick it up when it gets into stores! I also cannot wait for Jackson's next book, and the next book in this series!

Cover: I love the cover! It is so pretty and a definite change from many red and black covers!

5/5

Sing Me To Sleep

Title: Sing Me to Sleep

Author: Angela Morrison

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: March 4, 2010

Received From:  ATWT


THE TRANSFORMATION Beth has always been “The Beast”—that’s what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth’s only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she’s selected to be her choir’s soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.
THE LOVE AFFAIR
When Beth’s choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek’s untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek’s eyes? She’s not The Beast, she’s The Beauty.
THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?
THE HEARTBREAK
The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek’s been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything.

I think that if a book makes you cry, it should get at least four stars! Because in order for me to cry I have to be totally involved with the story, and have fallen in love with the characters! I cried near the end of this book! It really made me think about how lucky I am.

Besides that I really wanted to read this book because I thought it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which I absolutely love! Which it kind of was, but it was so much more! It was a story of tragedy, confidence, love, and finding yourself.

The characters were amazing, I fell in love with every single one of the main characters! I wanted Scott to be my best friend, and Derek to be my boyfriend. I think the feelings that Beth had at the beginning of the book are very common, especially for Teens. I really appreciated this story and I hope it will encourage all kinds of people!

Overall an amazing book, with so many messages! You have to check it out!

5/5

Princess of the Midnight Ball By Jessica Day George

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.

I absolutely adore fairy tale retelling! I am really excited that so many of them are coming out. This a retelling of the 12 dancing princesses.

I really enjoyed this book it was a good retelling and did not change it that much from the original story but I really enjoyed it more than other retellings of this same story. This version has many elaborate descriptions and attention to detail. Another thing is the fact that each character has a personality which can be hard to portray in a story with so many characters. While some of the middle girls mixed together they each were their own person with their own ideas.

I enjoyed this book, while parts of it were slow it was overall a really enjoyable read.


4/5

 

A Curse as Dark as Gold

 
"If you'll allow me to demonstrate, I do think I could be of some help to you here."

I smiled tightly. "You'd have to be able to make gold appear from thin air to be much help to us now, I'm afraid."

"Gold, you say?" he said quietly. "Well, not out of the air, maybe, but--" He reached toward Rosie and drew a length of straw free from her hat. From out of a pocket in his jacket appeared an old-fashioned handheld drop spindle, the kind no one uses anymore, and he sent it spinning with a turn of his hand. Slowly, as we watched, he drew out the straw and spun it--spun it! 

As if it were a roving of wool! Rosie and I stood there and watched him, moment by moment, as the spindle bobbed and twirled. Something pulled out from the brown straw and through his knobby fingers, and where it should have gone onto the spindle, the finest strands of gleaming gold threads appeared. Round and round the spindle went, and the gleaming of gold turned with it. I don't know how long we watched it, turning and turning, flashing gold with every revolution. I could not take my eyes away.

 This book was very good, I like Fairy Tale retellings. This book debuted last year and won the debut award! So I had some high expectations that were definitely met!   

There are not very many retellings of Rumpelstiltskin so I was excited to read this, the characters were well developed and the story was told well. I enjoyed the twists in the Rumpelstiltskin story as well they added intrigue and interest. The book also focused on the girl who was being tricked more than anything else which was a great turn from the traditional story. 

I really did not find anything wrong with this book it was well written and very interesting, the only small problem was that small parts of the book were boring but those were greatly overshadowed by the good points!

5/5 

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

This book came out a long time ago and I always wondered what it was about so I picked it up. I have always live the story of Beauty and the Beast so I was intrigued to find out that there was a retelling of the book from the beast's point of view.

This book was very heart wrenching in my opinion because you see Kyle getting kicked out of his home and his life and being completely left alone except for a maid and his blind tutor. This book really opened up my eyes to what the experience would have been like for the Beast, not just Beauty.

The only problem I had with this book was that he was really, really whiny throughout most of the book which I guess was warranted some of the time but not all of the time. Overall a good book!

4/5

(Make sure to check out the movie coming out in 2010!)