In All the Ever Afters, author Danielle Teller turns one of our best-loved fairytales on its head. Here, we are given a new spin on the story of Cinderella and her wicked stepmother, and, while this particular retelling takes a lot of the magic out of the story, I still found it an enjoyable read….
In Hunted, Megan Spooner, author of the Skylark and Starbound trilogies of books, attempts to restyle the popular tale of Beauty and the Beast as an action romp, with, unfortunately, little success. Set in ancient Russia, our heroine is Yeva, daughter of a rich merchant, who is at court as a lady in waiting to…
I have, most likely, given The Bear and the Nightingale one of the few low grades you will find for it. I did not do this lightly nor did I do it without reason. Part of it is simply that the book was badly marketed, at least for this reader. Hailed as being like Naomi…
a DIKlassic review review originally published on February 22, 2001 I was a little doubtful when I picked up Into the Woods, because it’s based on the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel.” Have you read it lately? “Hansel and Gretel” is about two children who are abandoned like an unwanted litter of puppies by their…
One wouldn’t immediately think of Hansel and Gretel as a fairy tale ripe for reimagining. What kind of romance story could come from the theme of child abandonment and having to fight an evil captor to survive? Fortunately author Katy Regnery knew there was a goldmine within the tale and brought it into present day…
When I saw Naomi Novik had a new fairytale style story out, I was intrigued. That’s not her usual milieu. Out of curiosity, I got Uprooted from the library. I am so glad I did! This is a terrific story, masterfully told. I’ll definitely be adding it to my collection of fairytale romances. In a…
Earlier this year I read and fell head over heels over head over heels in readerly love with Larissa Brown’s Beautiful Wreck. (Melanie’s DIK review is here.) Ms. Brown was kind enough to send me a copy of her latest work, a luscious treat, called Tress. This novella, just 21,000 words, from its opening line–Tess…
If AAR had a Special Titles Listing for “Books with no discernible plot in which 90% of the story is basically the protagonists lusting after each other”, then The Lady Meets Her Match would most certainly be on it. This is the second book in Ms. Conkle’s series of Georgian-set historical romances which are very…
A delightful mix of The Ugly Duckling and Cinderella, this story is in many ways a modern day fairytale. The best part is that our heroine is not just a passive good girl waiting for her Prince to come rescue her. She sets out to find something better for herself and along the way is…
This book was a hard one for me to grade. The story – a Beauty and the Beast retelling – held so much potential, and I stayed up late to finish it, which always means something positive. But a convoluted mythology, a weak insta-love-triangle and a multiple-personality heroine left me frustrated for what could have…
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