Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection: The Little Mermaid

"Is Grass Truly Greener than Ocean Blue?"
 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Pearl has always dreamed going to see the people on land, even if that means leaving behind the merman, Keel, who wishes to marry her. But, when he decides to give her what she's always wanted, it is a dream come true and ignores the warnings of the dangers of land. When she get there, will it be everything she ever dreamed or will the warning of her loved ones prove true?

Author - Jenni James

Publisher - StoneHouse Ink

Age Group - 14 and up
 
Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Pearl and Keel lie to their families. Pearl is a bit gullible which get her and Keel in trouble once. Some fighting. Pearl and Keel are willing to make sacrifices to save each other. The both learn the truth about the world, changing their perspectives and being open to more then they originally thought.

Personal Opinion - This retelling of The Little Mermaid had a lot of the hallmarks of the original tale with a few twists. And isn't that just a beautiful cover? Keel, the leading merman, is a real prince in shinning... ah... scales, while Pearl's curiosity tends to get the better of them. While Pearl is curious and determined to live her dream of visiting land, there was one moment in the story I thought she was kinda dumb but don't want to go into details because of spoilers. Mostly, this story is well told and well built but I did have a couple of things that I wish had been different. This book had a lot of kissing and cuddling and it seemed over kill. It also took long time for them to get on land, like half the book. The people were presented as cruel and the reader doesn't get to know what the people are saying (because Pearl and Keel can't understand their language and vice versa) which can be good but it makes me wonder what was said and if there was a miss communication that blew out of proportion. I wish there had been more on land time and mix of people and maybe a point of view of someone who knew what was going on that the merfolk didn't. For a lot of the book, the world is full of terrible people who only look out for themselves. But, at the end, there was some hope when one character showed kindness. This was close to the end with very little time to get to know that character and have hope that there is some good. I like Jenni Jame's writing, this being the third book of hers I've read, and I will read more but this one is not my favorite and could have been better.

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Other Reviews for this Author - Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection: Beauty and the Beast - Review

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5 Enchanted Roses

"Rediscover the Enchantment"

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - A rose to mark the enchantment that turned men into beasts and only a woman can free them. The second collection of fairy tale retellings from Rooglewood Press takes the traditional tale of Beauty and the Beast and sets in in various and strange settings. Sailing on the high seas is a pirate ship curse by mermaids. A castle is threatened by the underworld and stone. A ballroom is filled with stone guests while the cursed master and lady-in-waiting must find who did this. Deep within the jungle, a Jaguar watches over one in danger. A Wulver in Scotland is running out of time to break an enchantment done out of jealousy. With each is unique, the collection brings back the story of healing love when all that is seen on the outside is an ugly beast.  

Editor - Anne Elizabeth Stengl

Author - Kaycee Browning
               Savannah Jezowski
               Jenelle Schmidt
               Dorian Tsukioka
               Hayden Wand

Publisher - Rooglewood Press

Age Group - 16 and up
 
Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Almost each story had some jerk trying to attack the main female protagonist. The women were strong in their morals and stance on the situation and stood their ground, loving and, sometimes, forgiving the beastly men who were cursed. Defending the innocent and doing what was right was popular in the stories.

Personal Opinion - A great collection of five retellings of Beauty and the Beast told by some up and coming authors. The range of these stories followed the traditional tale to unusual. My personal favorite was a paranormal take of the tale which surprised me because I usually don't go for that genre. Even though they each told the same story, each was unique in who was a beast, why they were cursed, and how it was broken. They were beautifully brought together and gave new light on the situation and message a traditional fairy tale. A couple of times I felt some content in the story was reflective of Disney's movie more than the original tale. Also, guys were leering (or even came close to attacking) the heroine almost in every novella. That was a bit irritating and unnecessary in my opinion and makes these retellings for an older teens and up. Those are perhaps my biggest dislikes about the collection. Yet, this is a great read especially if you want to read a whole story in a day and read multiple versions of a fairy tale.

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Other Reviews Concerning These Anthologies - 5 Glass Slippers

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Winter's Child

"'Once Upon a Time' is Timeless."

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4.5 Worms

Storyline - Deirdre was just a child when she became the Winter Child, destined to right a wrong not of her own making that would take her across the world. Ky and Grace grew up together as close friends even though Ky is open to possibilities and likes to fix things while Grace focuses on reality and dreams of journeying to the horizon. When these three cross paths, it will take strength, determination, and faithfulness to their task to find love and their place in the world.

Author - Cameron Dokey

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Age Group - 14 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* A couple of the characters lie to escape dangerous situations. The meaning of love and sacrifice and friendship are tried. The faithfulness to their missions are tested.

Personal Opinion - A fabulous retelling of The Snow Queen while keeping close to the original story yet being different and its own tale. All the characters struggle for what it means to love selflessly and sacrificially. Each is struggling with understanding this and has to live with the consequences of their choices and the choices of others. The author had several character points of view but also used the first person narrative for each person yet was able to keep who was speaking straight with chapter headings similar to those from the original story. Unfortunately, the ending was partially not set up so it felt like it came out of no where, making seem like it was just thrown into the story. This is a unique and beautiful tale of friendship, determination, and love that, while based off the same story as the movie Frozen, is its own story while still keeping close to the original fairy tale.

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Note: This book is difficult to find in paperback for a reasonable price in a good condition. You can find it cheaper for worse condition.

Other Reviews for this Author - Golden - Review
                                                    Wild Orchid - Review
                                                    The Storyteller's Daughter - Review

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Golden

"'One Upon a Time'

is Timeless"
 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Rapunzel has lived her whole life peacefully with a witch who has loved her like a daughter, despite her ever bald head, the one thing she wish was different. But, when things get difficult in town, it is the witch they blame and they have to run with the help of the Tinker and his assistant, their only friends. That is when Rapunzel learns the truth of what the witch wishes of her, to help her free her real daughter who is imprisoned in a tower. As time begins to run out, Rapunzel will have to dig deep to find the truth of love and beauty before the witch's daughter with the long golden hair is trapped forever.

Author - Cameron Dokey

Publisher - Simon Pulse; an imprint of Simon and Schuster

Age Group - 15 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Some magic spells and curses. Needing to over come jealousy and own self concerns. Accepting who oneself is and helping others.

Personal Opinion - This is a unique way of retelling the fairy tale of Rapunzel. I think it did a good job of examining love, what it truly is outside of the whimsical way we think of it, and even beauty. It really did a fine job of challenging those ideas into something real. I would recommend it for that reason. Yet, I found the beginning long to finally get to the tower and then not enough time spent there to truly develop clearly and perfectly the ideas that were being brought out. I also didn't like the lie the two girls made and never cleared up. That is an issue. But, this was a fun retelling and has a great amount of potential and beginning talking points on love and beauty

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Other Reviews for this Author - The Story Teller's Daughter - Review
                                                    Wild Orchid - Review

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Frostfire

"Hidden Deep in the Heart of a Snow-Covered Wilderness Lies the Secret Kingdom of the Kanin - A Magical Realm as Beautiful as it is Treacherous..."

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 3 Worms

Storyline - Having never been completely accepted among her kingdom because she is both Kanin and Skojar, Bryn dedicates herself in her work as a Tracker, who leaves the safety of the Trolls' home to find and return with the Changlings placed in our world as babies once they have grown old enough. But, when on a routine mission, she comes face to face with the man who tried to kill her father and stabbed her years ago, Konstantin Black. Unsure what he was doing following a Changling, Bryn tries to focus on events and duties at home but something is wrong. As Konstantin continues going after Changlings, she and the other Trackers have to keep the kingdom safe. Yet, while Bryn wants to bring Konstantin to "justice," there is something that isn't right. Mysteries and fantasy abound in this first installment of The Kanin Chronicles.

Author - Amanda Hocking

Publisher - St. Martin's Griffin

Age Group - 17 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Several characters have "romantic encounters" casually. Swearing every few pages. A diversity in gender preferences for relationships. Faithfull to country and protecting those in danger. Determination to do their duty. Wanting revenge but sees there might be more to the situation that can be seen.

Personal Opinion - Filled with intrigue, action, and mystery, Frostfire was one of the most engaging and captivating books I have ever read. Even though this is based off a fairy tale yet, it is so light and woven together so well, it is its own story. The life of Bryn is complicated and so are the morals and practices of the world, creating conflict. I like how it takes place in our world yet is hidden. The author is also Minnesotan, my home state, which is just cool and, in my opinion, give credibility for writing a world filled with snow and, later, a country with water, two major parts of MN. However, I did rate this at only 3 stars and my reasons for that is the morality presented in the novel. *May Be Spoilers* Within the first chapter, a character makes a video call and connects with another character who is just finishing a "nooner". While there was nothing explicit, all the while presenting this as no big deal, just their way of life, it felt like in appropriate material, this event and subsequent references or desires that were clearly hinted yet not detailed, for teens. People do have different ideas on appropriateness of this stuff but I was uncomfortable with it being in a book meant for this age group. That was my number one issue and is making me question if I will continue reading the books even though I want to know what happens next. Second, there were some laws broken in our world that the characters did in order to escape trouble and they have the philosophy of "the ends justified the means" going for them. There were lastly a few swear words every several pages which I can usually live with so this was not a make it or break it issue. I think I may continue reading the series, not only to see how the story goes and understand the mysteries set up but also to see how the morals of the characters and the practices of the society, the Changling practice which causes some friction between characters, is covered. I want to know if the world created still thinks these ways are still okay or if their way of thinking and seeing things change even though, right now, they are defending them.

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A Wish Made of Glass

Releasing August 14, 2015

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Izzy's world is turned upside down, her once joyous life with her mother and evenings dancing with the mythical fey folk in the woods, is destroyed when her mother dies. Yet, her father brings back some of that happiness until he marries someone else. Determined not to share with her father with anyone else, Izzy deplores her stepmother and sister, even when a budding friendship with the woman's daughter. As tragedy continues to strike, she can find very little to be happy about and is alone. Can Izzy truly open her heart and trust someone else, especially the secret of her friendship with the fey, with someone else or will this be destroyed as well?

Author - Ashlee Willis

Publisher - Dewdrop Books

Age Group - 15 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Jealousy and vengeance is often on the mind of Izzy. Overcoming past hurt and regret is a battle within each person. Love for each other and finding happiness in other's joy is found.

Personal Opinion - After being a host for the cover reveal of this novella, I really looked forward to the release. Now, having read it, it is a magical retelling of Cinderella with a twist, SPOILER it is not from the view point of Cinderella but the stepsister END SPOILER. While dark and heartbreaking at times, this version explores the motivations behind the main characters, making the ones usually disliked sympathetic and human, not just evil and vindictive. The one thing I did not like about it was how much it was told to the reader. While it was in a first person point of view and revealed a lot of how this character felt and saw the situation, a lot of it was kinda straightforward. But, it had a beautiful message and an unusual, and interesting, take on a well known story which suggests a rethinking of how the reader understands the events and idea of unfairness while keeping to the original themes.

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Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the author.

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5 Glass Slippers

"One Beloved Story
Five Exciting Writers
A Collection to Cherish"

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - The tale of Cinderella is timeless and beloved. In this collection of five novellas, her story is revisited and retold in surprising new ways: 1) she has no interest in the prince or going to the ball, 2) the slipper fits the wrong girl, 3) reclaiming the throne from an imposter prince, 4) drilling on an alien planet when a ship arrives with a famous captain, and 5) freeing those imprisoned in an enchanted circus. Each is unique yet faithful to the original. Enjoy the magic once again on these spellbinding tales.

Editor - Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Authors - Elisabeth Brown
                Emma Clifton
                Rachel Heffington
                Stephanie Ricker
                Clara Diane Thompson

Publisher - Rooglewood Press

Age Group - 15 and up
 
Content - *May Contain Spoilers*

Personal Opinion - This collection of Cinderella stories, all varying in style, mood, and even genre, really bought out the character and story in a variety of ways. She is shy, a dreamer, and even someone who faces her fear. She lives where magic exists, the real world, and even outer space. She is also loved, hated, and even disliked by her step-mother and sisters. Talk about a wide vision of Cinderella and, yet, each story was special, unique, and fun in its own way. I particularly loved A Cinder's Tale in this collection. Not only did I get to read great versions of this tale that goes in depth of the story with each one being able to read in about a day, but also get to know new authors, some of who it was there first story published. I will keep this collection and re-read the story for a while and am looking forward to the next collection by Rooglewood.  

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Breadcrumbs

"Once Upon a Time"
 

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 3 Worms

 

Storyline - Through her imagination and her best friend Jack who she has lived next door to most her life, Hazel survives the demands of school, the dislike of her peers, and her mother's pleas to grow up. But when Jack is suddenly no longer her friend, ignoring and insulting her, her world begins to fall apart. When Jack disappears, should she believe the reasonable answers given to her and remain in the real world or believe in a magical winter witch who took him to an enchanted world that is more dangerous than what she has read in her books?

Author - Anne Ursu

Publisher - Waldon Pond Press; an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

Age Group - 13 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* A creepy woman cuts Hazel's cheek. Hazel throws a pencil case at someone. Parental figures have no idea what is going on. Hazel makes sacrifices to help others even when it might hurt her. She loves her mom and wants to please her. She stands by her best friend even when he has turned his back on her. Hazel doesn't give up even when the journey becomes difficult.

Personal Opinion - Breadcrumbs retells the fairy tale The Snow Queen while mixing real life with fantasy and the struggles of growing up. Being let into Hazel's life, her family struggles, the loss of a friend, and being expected to grow up, was done perfectly and beautifully to reveal the change that overcomes someone when it seems they are leaving a part of themselves behind. Mixing the fairy tale elements to mirror this struggle, made it that much more insightful. The determination of standing by her friend when he was in trouble and facing the difficult journey is a positive one for others to learn to keep going and learn and discover what they should do even when things go wrong. While Hazel wasn't perfect, she tried to do the right thing and do what she thought was she should, even if it meant stop being herself. One thing that was interesting was, in the real world, she turned to fantasy to thrive; but, in the enchanted world, she turned to the real world to strengthen herself.

The ending was a bit confusing. I couldn't tell if she found a boundary between being her imaginative self and living in reality or if one won out over the other. Besides that, there were a few things I personally felt uncomfortable with. Some of the people Hazel meets on her journey are just creepy and she wasn't always respectful of authority figures but it is hard to be respectful when someone wants you to fit into a mold. While this novel is mostly based off The Snow Queen fairy tale, a couple other Hans Christian Anderson tales where also mixed in. This was interesting but almost had too much happening, especially when so much already happens in the main fairy tale. The last thing that made me uncomfortable, and this is purely personal, was the reference to The Golden Compass only because I have an issue with that book.

All and all, this story beautifully wove reality and fantasy together to reveal the struggles of growing up and being yourself as well as helping your friends and making sacrifices.

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Awards - Publishers Weekly Best Book
               School Library Journal Best Book
              Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
              Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
              NPR Backseat Book Club Selection
             

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Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection: Beauty and the Beast

"A Prince by Day &
A Wolf by Night"

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

 

Storyline - Prince Alexander has been cursed by a witch to become a beastly wolf at night because of his arrogant behavior. With only one year to find someone who loves him as a wolf, he finds himself drawn to the one girl who has always detested him, Cecelia. But when he begins to see her with new eyes as a wolf, love begins to grew in both of their hearts. Cecelia has been disappointed and embarrassed too much in life yet finally feels loved by a strange wolf. If only Prince Alexander, who is suddenly being kind to her, would leave her alone. Will Cecelia choose the wolf or the prince and her choice will affect the prince forever.

Author - Jenni James

Publisher - StoneHouse Ink

Age Group - 14 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* One man asks another if he did anything in appropriate with a maid when he was alone. The Prince got violent and strikes someone he is angry with. Someone becomes jealous and tries to kill the Prince and Cecelia. Cecelia is determined to help and see the good in others but feels foolish because others have betrayed her. Prince Alexander sees the wrong he once did and tries to be a better, more honorable man.

Personal Opinion - A charming, sweet, and enchanting read. From the first time we meet Cecelia, I totally got her spunky personality because I act like that. I just loved the interaction between her and the beast because the dialogue was so fun (it made me laugh at times) and sweet. Prince Alexander is a bit violent when he is angry at times but he learns that this can only get him in trouble. There were a couple of times I didn't buy the events in the story. SPOILER when Cecelia is told the prince made fun of her behind her back after she thought he changed, he visited and she was mad at first then just melted and kissed him END SPOILER. I think it made her a weak female character at times. besides a couple of spelling errors, there was one word that kept being used that didn't make sense which was "gel" where "girl" would have worked just fine. In fact, I had to go on the Oxford English Dictionary to discover it is a form of "girl." A bit confusing mixing modern language with old. Even with these errors scattered throughout, I think this was a great retelling which stuck to the original story and yet had a few unique qualities of its own to make it an enchanting read.

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Disney Frozen: The Cinestory

"Do You want to Build

a Snowman...?"

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Sisters Anna and Elsa have lived under the same roof but separated. Elsa hides away in her room and Anna doesn't understand why she's left her alone. What Anna doesn't know is that Elsa has powers to create snow and ice she can't control. When the king and queen, the girls' parents die, Elsa is to become queen. During the party, Elsa's powers are revealed and she runs away. Anna goes after her but it might be harder to convince her sister to come home than she thinks. With an array of characters assisting Anna, the two girls go on a discovery on what it means to truly love another.

Publisher - Joe Books Inc.; HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

Age Group - 10 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Elsa hides for most of her life and runs away when things go wrong. Anna is determined to help her sister, weather she wants it or not. Others are out to destroy Elsa because she is different and they are afraid of her.

Personal Opinion - This book was fun. I love the movie Frozen so, when I saw this book, I kept thinking about it and wanted to read it. Taking the cartoon and turning into a comic book was a fascinating idea and lets those who are older enjoy a tie-in book as well. Most of the pictures were nicely picked to include in the book and the adaption of most of the songs into speech was done well, keeping the original thoughts and feelings behind them in the new dialogue. It gave it a new insight into the characters and situations. Speaking of new insights, internal thoughts and fears where also conveyed in the comic book, letting readers read what Elsa and Anna might have been thinking at different events in the story.

Unfortunately, when it was night out in the story, some of the frames were too dark to really see much of the picture which made it irritating. There were a couple of changed I would have made personally. One, I would have tried to save space by adding dialogue to the same frame instead of the next one because the frames could take up a fourth of a page. There were also frames with no dialogue between spots when characters were talking which didn't seem necessary to me. Two, The beginning song with the ice harvesters didn't resemble the message at all but was just pointless conversation between the men. It took up too much space and I love that song so it was not a good beginning. Third, I would have liked to have seen some frames take up more space on the page, SPOILER like Elsa's ice palace at one point was contained in two to three frames and I would have liked to have seen it in one that took up half or two-thirds the page END SPOILER. It would have given a more dramatic effect.

Now, this adaption was good and fun, I had a hard time putting it down, I'm just thinking these changes would have made it better. Still, if you like Frozen, you would probably like this comic book of the movie where there are internal insights into the characters and lots of fun visuals from the movie.

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GIVEAWAY!

Because I enjoyed the comic version of Frozen, I'm giving away a paperback copy of Disney Princess Treasury, containing 800 pages of comic book stories of the a bunch of princesses we love (check out the Amazon page to learn more). Just enter using the Rafflecopter below.

P.S. If the winner would prefer the Frozen the Cinestory or the Pixar instead of the Disney Princess, making this alternative is welcome.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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East

"Rose Has Always Been Different "

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Rose is the youngest in her family and wilder than anyone. The love to explore and be free and create beautiful weaving makes her happy, even though it causes her family anguish. But when hard times fall on her family and a talking white bear makes her an offer which will help the ones she cares for, Rose is ready to sacrifice everything she holds dear. When her promise to the bear begins to challenge her curiosity, everything might fall apart. And a mysterious prophecy might be her undoing.

Author - Edith Pattou

Publisher - Magic Carpet Books

Age Group - 15 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Mother is really superstitious and, yet, despite her family telling her it is nonsense, most of the suspicion come true. Despite nothing happening, a girl knows someone is sleeping in her bed with her. Rose is willing to risk her life and freedom for the ones she loves.

Personal Opinion - Mixed with fairy tales and legends of the Inuit and Norse, East is one of the best fairy tale retellings I have ever read, blending these elements so seamlessly that it feels like this story could have happened in the real world. The cover is what first caught my eye for the novel... And the story does it justice. It enchants right away with suspense and characters whose concerns and experiences are relaitable. From the several points of view, the reader is given the perspectives and growth of each character which is masterfully done. East is written in straight forward telling but its building of  suspense and mystery kept me at the edge of my seat, wanting to know what happens next. There were a few slow spot but I wanted to know how it would end. Rose is an adventurous girl who dreams big and will not let anything stop her. The White Bear is a mystery through much of the novel yet it charming from what you do learn about him. That is actually one of my biggest complaints is that I wish we had gotten to know White Bear more with more of his perspective in the story. I wish I had seen more of his change, struggle, and growth. The only other thing that got to me was the novel began not doing the same time as the events of Rose and her family but it wasn't developed. But, East has found a place among the retelling of fairy tales that it rightfully deserves.

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Awards - A list can be found on the Author's Website

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