Book Review: The 10th Kingdom by Kathryn Wesley

Title:  The 10th Kingdom
Author:  Kathryn Wesley
Genre:  Fantasy/fairytale retelling
Publisher:  Kensington
Pages:  479
Acquired via:  PaperbackSwap

Rating:   

Synopsis (from goodreads):  The novel of the BkyB and Hallmark co-venture 'The 10th Kingdom' is a contemporary drama set in a fantasy world where magic and fairy tale characters come to life. This is an Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups and children alike, a witty and satirical reflection of contemporary society told as an epic tale of good versus evil. Follow the thrilling adventures of Virginia and Tony, a father and daughter from New York, who unwittingly find themselves in a parallel universe known as The Nine Kingdoms. Virginia and Tony join forces with a schizophrenic man-wolf, and Prince, a handsome golden retriever formally known as Prince Wendell, grandson of Snow White until his wicked stepmother turned him into a dog. The unlikely heroes then embark on an epic quest to save Prince from the evil Queen and restore him to the throne.

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I've wanted to read this book ever since I saw the miniseries in college.  It's actually a novelization of the miniseries The 10th Kingdom.  Which I love.  I definitely recommend it.  (You will fall in love with Wolf; you just will.)

Mostly, I wanted to see if the author would expand certain parts or change things or add more details to the book version.  And she did... a little.  But for the most part, the book really is a straight-up copy of the miniseries.  The biggest difference is that the author gave the reader insight into what the different characters were supposedly thinking during all of those situations.  So while the dialogue is almost word-for-word from the show, the characters all get way more depth and development.

It's a fun, mostly fast-paced read, and there are lots of recognizable fairy-tale characters throughout.  But the characters and stories are closer to their original versions - darker and more violent.  There's also plenty of humor and a sweet romance.

My biggest problem with the book though is that the ending is incredibly rushed.  As I was reading, I was really enjoying the details and descriptions, the inner thoughts of the characters, the steady pace of the story, but I got about two-thirds of the way through the book and realized that there was still A LOT of story to be covered and not a lot of pages left.  Which meant that final third of the book crammed a ton of action and events in, while sacrificing all those details & descriptions & character development that had made the beginning so good.

If you haven't seen the miniseries, then you might not love The 10th Kingdom novelization and its crazy, rushed ending.  But if you have seen the show, then you'd probably enjoy the book.

Book Review: Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

Title:  Seeking Persephone
Author:  Sarah M. Eden
Series:  The Lancaster Family #1
Genre:  Romance/historical fiction/mythology & fairy-tale retelling (?)
Pages:  288

Rating:  B+

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  The Duke of Kielder has more influence than Parliament, higher social standing than the Royal Family. No gentleman dares face him on the dueling field, nor risks testing his infamous temper. But His Grace is in need of a wife. Combine his fearsome reputation with a terribly scarred countenance and finding a lady willing to accept his hand becomes all-but impossible. When the Duke manages to secure a bride through a bit of trickery and an obscene amount of money, he is certain his problems are behind him. Except his purchased bride proves to be nothing like he expected. What is a man like the Duke to do with a bride who is gentle, loving and absolutely impossible to live without?

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So I'm not sure if I should classify this as a mythology retelling or a fairy-tale retelling or both.  Seeking Persephone is first and foremost a historical romance, but the Hades/Persephone storyline was also there, as well as Beauty & the Beast.  But I guess you could also argue that most Hades/Persephone romances are essentially Beauty & the Beast in the Underworld.  Whatever.

What I Enjoyed

• The characters  -  This book has a great cast of characters with depth and personality.  Persephone and Adam are wonderful main characters that I was able to connect with because the author gave them good emotional depth and development.  Persephone is believable as a sweet and vulnerable young bride who decides to make the most of her marriage.  Adam is so cranky that it makes him both humorous and lovable.  His scars and past have left some deep personal wounds that he deals with by never letting people in.  The two of them are so perfectly matched for one another; I loved that the story is told from both of their points-of-view.  The secondary characters are mostly much smaller parts and only there to provide necessary insight to Adam and Persephone when needed.  Except for Adam's best friend, Harry.  Harry is a great secondary character; he's funny and kind and unafraid of Adam's temperament.  He provides the comic relief, and his banter with Adam is hilarious.
• The romance  -  The romance between Adam and Persephone is sweet and endearing and believable.  There's no love-at-first-kiss or ridiculously fast-paced relationship; instead, their love grows over time and after facing obstacles.  Because the romance is slow-building, it's filled with emotional and physical tension that's spine-tingling.  It's also full of those frustrating moments (the misinterpretations, the keeping distances, the not telling each other anything) that make you want to scream but also make the romance that much more satisfying when they finally get it together.  I definitely think this is one of the best versions of the Beauty & the Beast theme, even if it's not what the author intended.

What I Disliked

• The mediocre writing  -  This book would have definitely gotten an A if it had not been for the quality of the writing and the tendency at the end for melodrama.  Eden was able to create interesting characters and a beautiful romance, but her writing often broke the "show; don't tell" rule.  It felt like she could have used a good editor to weed out the cliches and overly dramatic moments.  But even though the writing wasn't spectacular, I still loved the book.

Seeking Persephone is a sweet historical romance with a fairy-tale feel to it.  It has humor, tension, drama, and heart.  I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good love story or regency romance or the story of Beauty & the Beast.    B+

Book Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title:  Scarlet
Author:  Marissa Meyer
Series:  Lunar Chronicles #2
Genre:  YA dystopian/Fairy-tale retelling
Pages:  452

Rating:  A+

Synopsis (goodreads.com):  The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...  Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the 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 or 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 is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

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Aaaa!!  I don't know even know where to begin!  Scarlet is a phenomenal book; I only put it down once and that was only because it was my dad's birthday.  I really enjoyed the first book of the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder, but I think Scarlet is so much better.  That could be primarily due to the addition of Wolf, and I'm not ashamed to admit that, but there was just so much more action and drama and romance and everything!  I just feel the need to gush about this book.

The action is fast-paced and almost non-stop in Scarlet.  I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  And I never felt like the story got jumbled or confusing, even though there were several new characters' storylines being interwoven with the original characters'.  The introduction of new people was one of my favorite parts of the book.  Cinder and Kai are both great characters, but Scarlet and Wolf added a lot more depth and layers to the story.  And "Captain" Thorne provided some much-needed humor to break the tension in this gripping book.  I especially enjoyed the way each person's unique personality and background worked and blended together, or even better, the way they sometimes clashed.

If only last week's Top Ten Tuesday topic (favorite fictional crushes) had been for this week instead.  I would totally have bent the rules and added an eleventh entry for Wolf.  Loves him!  Another blogger mentioned that his personality reminded her a little of Wolf from The 10th Kingdom, and I definitely see where she got that.  They share so many character traits, but Wolf (from Scarlet) is so much more intense.

Overall, I think Scarlet is an incredible sequel.  I loved how it used the Red Riding Hood fairy-tale with Scarlet's red hoodie and her grandmother being missing.  And the continuation of Cinder and Kai's story was also really interesting too, although I preferred Scarlet and Wolf's.  I also loved that the book left me breathless at points from all of the excitement and danger.  Any time a book grips me like this, where I don't want to put it down unless I absolutely have to, it's a success in my eyes.  If the rest of the series is like Scarlet, then the Lunar Chronicles will be one of my favorite series ever.  A+

Book Review: Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Title:  Cloaked
Author:  Alex Flinn
Genre:  YA fairytale retelling
Pages:  341

Rating: C+

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  I’m not your average hero. I actually wasn’t your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.

It all started with the curse. And the frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

There wasn’t a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I’ve ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Keys.

Don’t believe me? I didn’t believe it either. But you’ll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got CLOAKED.

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I loved Beastly by Alex Flinn so when I saw that my library had a few more of her books, I couldn't wait to read them.  But Cloaked did not live up to my expectations.  While I did enjoy the fact that Flinn adapted lesser known fairy-tales in this book, it didn't change the fact that the story was corny, full of stereotypes, and horribly cliched.  Now, I realize fairy-tales themselves are often cheesy, stereotypical, and cliched, but as an adaption, Cloaked could have avoided some of the cliches and given the characters more development (I'm not sure there's a way to remove the cheesiness from this plot).

The main character, Johnny, is the only character with any sort of depth to him.  He's your typical, hard-working American teenager... who wants to be a world-famous shoe designer.  His attraction to the hot princess and her money lead him on a crazy adventure, and his cynicism and baffled reactions towards the magic and events surrounding him is real and believable.

The rest of the characters are two-dimensional stereotypes.  The prince and princess are spoiled brats with ridiculous accents and Disney-princess/prince looks; the girl-next-door is obviously into Johnny but nowhere near pretty enough to tempt him; the villains are either bumbling idiots or wicked witches, all with stupid "Zalkenbourgian" accents.

What kept me from really disliking the book were the magical animals and the lesser-known fairy-tales.  The talking animals were funny, sarcastic, and a breath of fresh air.  I think I would've preferred an entire book about just them.  And the use of other fairy-tales besides the typical ones (Cinderella, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.) was refreshing and fun.  I especially loved the story of the six swans who are rescued by their sister.

According to other Flinn fans, Cloaked is not her best work so I still intend to check out her other books (especially since I loved Beastly).  I'm just really glad this wasn't the first book of Flinn's I ever read, because I would have never given her other books a chance.  C+

Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title:  Tiger Lily
Author:  Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre:  YA fantasy/retelling
Pages:  292

Rating:  C

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . . Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything--her family, her future--to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

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I usually love retellings and revampings of classic stories, but I definitely did not love this one, even though I really wanted to.  Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson is not just the story of Peter Pan told from a different point-of-view.  It's a complete overhaul of the original story; the characters, Neverland, the plot - everything is changed.

I did like a few things about the story.  Two of the secondary characters were my favorite.  Nibs, one of the Lost Boys, and Pine Sap, a friend of Tiger Lily's, were both great characters; their kindness and compassion made them likable.  And even though I know most people disliked the fact that the story is narrated by Tink, I actually enjoyed it.  It was interesting getting inside her head and seeing things from her perspective.

Unfortunately, Tink's narration could have been better had the writing been better.  So many cliches, so much heavy-handed thinking.  Almost all resemblance to the original story has been removed; there's no magic, no flying, no John & Michael.  And there wasn't a lot of action or really much of anything to grab my interest and hold it.  I can usually read a book this size in a morning, but it took me three days to read because I kept putting it down.  I just couldn't get into this book.  Another good reason for that was the characters.  With the exception of Nibs and Pine Sap, I thought most of the characters were annoying or wooden.  I especially disliked Peter and Tiger Lily; Peter for being such a needy jerk and Tiger Lily for having no personality at all.  And the inconsistencies throughout the book drove me nuts.  Tiger Lily's tribe was perfectly okay with a man who wanted to be a woman, but how dare Tiger Lily not act more like a girl?  They're so open-minded about transgender people, but also perfectly okay with forcing a young girl into marriage with an abusive, womanizing slob.  And finally, I wish these authors would keep their political/social agendas out of fantasy novels.  I pretty much expect to find that kind of thing in contemporary fiction, but seriously, in a story about Tiger Lily and Peter Pan?

If the writing had improved during the book, or there had been more action, or the characters not been so unlikable, this would have been a better book.  C

Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Title:  Entwined
Author:  Heather Dixon
Genre:  YA Fairy-tale retelling
Pages:  472

Rating:  B

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

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I was very excited to read Entwined when I found out it was a retelling of the fairy tale of the twelve dancing princesses.  So many other fairy tales are adapted and retold, but this one rarely gets touched.  Needless to say, I was intrigued, but I didn't really love the book.

The book has a great premise.  After their mother dies and their father leaves for war, the twelve princesses discover a magic pavilion run by the dark and mysterious Keeper, where they can dance to their hearts' content to forget their sorrows.  But it turns out that there's more to the Keeper than they realized, and now they're trapped into doing his bidding.  I loved this concept, the overall plot, and the action; the final climax was awesome.  The romances that developed between several of the princesses and their suitors were also sweet or funny or both, depending on the situation.  I'd fall in love with Mr. Bradford too!

The only problem with the book was the princesses themselves.  The littlest ones didn't really have personality, and the middle sisters just whined and complained a lot.  If the book had simply been about the three oldest princesses- Azalea, Bramble, and Clover (yes, they're in cliched alphabetical order and named after plants)- I probably would have enjoyed Entwined so much more.  Even though Azalea is the story's main character, these three princesses each had a distinct and unique personality that got a chance to shine.  Sadly, Bramble & Azalea both tended to become bratty at points too, especially when dealing with their father, but overall I liked both their characters.

Perhaps if the author had taken more time to give the nine younger sisters more character development, rather than spend a lot of time describing the dancing they did, the book would have been better.  That being said, I still thought it was a good read, with its magic, battles, mystery, and romance.  B