The Stepsister Scheme - Jim C.Hines

You know how all those old fairy tales take you through lots of scary adventures till you finally reach that inevitable line: "And they lived happily ever after..." Guess what? It's not true. Life in never-never land isn't all sweetness and light. Cinderella - whose real name is Danielle Whiteshore (nee Danielle de Glas) - does marry Prince Armand. And (if you can ignore the pigeon incident) their wedding is a dream-come-true.

But not long after the "happily ever after," Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte, who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon. And though Talia - otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty - comes to the rescue (she's a martial arts master, and all those fairy blessings make her almost unbeatable), Charlotte gets away.

That's when Danielle discovers a number of disturbing facts: Armand has been kidnapped and taken to the realm of the Fairies; Danielle is pregnant with his child; and the Queen has her very own Secret Service that consists of Talia and Snow (White, of course). Snow is an expert at mirror magic and heavy-duty flirting.

Can three princesses track down Armand and extract both the prince and themselves from the clutches of some of fantasyland's most nefarious villains? 

My thoughts:

I am glad I finally read this Hines series cos this was funny. And it was fantasy! And it was fairytales.

Danielle aka Cinderwench aka Cinderella finally got her prince. And all is well. Well for a time.

Danielle was sweet, she was nice, she was nicer than I would have been, but hey she could throw a punch (not always literally) too.

Armand her prince, well he was not in it a lot since the poor bastard got himself kidnapped. Silly men always getting kidnapped so the women has to do the dirty work.

Talia aka sleeping beauty has a chip on her shoulder, but sure is good at her job.

Snow White, is a flirt, but great with magic.

Together these three must find Armand. Kick some butts. Meet some fairies. Meet some baddies and see if they can fix that Happily Ever after.

Conclusion:
Totally reading more of these. 

Cover

nice

Mass Market Paperback, 344 pages
Published January 6th 2009 by DAW
Princess #1
Fantasy
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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in Nov 7 2014 and 2 novella reviews

This challenge is organized by Felicia over at the Geeky Blogger's Book Blog

Saturday 30 min walk

Sunday 1,5 hour walk

Monday 5 km bike and 45 min zumba toning

Tuesday 5 km bike and 2 hour yoga

Wednesday 5 km bike and 1 hour walk

Thursday 10 km bike and 1 hour zumba

Friday 9 km bike

Sunday

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Reine knows marriage isn’t about love. It’s about making the best bargain you can with what you have and then living with the consequences. Wedding vows are alliances given voice, and I do is on the tip of her tongue.

Ennis is a man on a mission to woo the future Araneidae maven, whether she wants him or not. Her clan is wealthy, prosperous and in dire need of the one thing his people have to offer—protection. But one look at her and all thought of his obligations vanish. He’ll court Reine, but he wants the feisty heiress all to himself.

Forced to entertain offers from her bevy of suitors, Reine is torn between duty to her people and loyalty to herself. Ennis is the man she wants, but is he the future paladin her fragile clan needs? She can choose to lead with her head or, for once, she can follow her heart. 

My thoughts:

Honestly, so short, I do not have a lot to say.

Reine has to marry. She meets a cute guy. She talks to her friend. She falls for cute guy. The end.

Eh, it worked. And it was short.

ebook, 62
Published (first published August 30th 2014)
Araneae Nation 0.5
Fantasy romance
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free here now

Melinda Lightfoot, a preschool teacher with an unusual ability to flit in and out of fairy tales, never thought she would get into trouble...

...until the Fairy Tale Police arrest her while she is in Beauty and the Beast. They offer her a deal: Find Beauty, who left the story when Melinda trespassed into it, or be charged with the ultimate crime -- Fairy Tale Killer. If that's not bad enough the Beast tags along in search of his true love, and Melinda starts falling for the fairy tale prince. She must choose between doing the right thing and having her own happily ever after.

My thoughts:

Cute and fun. There is not a lot to say, since it was so short. The only negative thing was that I never saw how Melinda and the Beast fell in love. Cos like a day passed and suddenly love, and I was all what? But then it was a fairytale so I will give them that ;)

And who would not fall for the beast!? He has a library! Ok we did not see the library *sulks* But still.

It mostly takes place in our world as Beast and Melinda tries to find beauty. And everyone lives happily ever after, almost everyone. The end. 

ebook, 87 pages
Published December 8th 2010 by Smashwords (first published October 5th 2009)
Ever After #1
Fairy-tale /romance
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The Silver Bough - Lisa Tuttle

Nestled on the coast of Scotland, Appleton was once famous for its apples. Now, though the orchards are long gone, locals still dream of the town’s glory days, when an Apple Queen was crowned at the annual fair and good luck seemed a way of life. And outsiders are still drawn to the charming village, including three very different American women.

Enchanted by Appleton’s famously ornate, gold-domed library, divorcée Kathleen Mullaroy has left her cosmopolitan job to start anew as the town’s head librarian. Widowed Nell Westray hopes for a quiet life of gardening in the place where she and her husband spent their happiest moments. And young Ashley Kaldis has come to find her roots, and learns that the town’s fortunes turned when her grandmother was crowned Apple Queen–then mysteriously disappeared.

When a sudden landslide cuts Appleton off from the wider world–and the usual constraints of reality–the village reveals itself to be an extraordinary place, inhabited by legendary beings, secret rooms, and the blossoming of a rare fruit not seen in decades. Most unexpected is a handsome stranger who will draw all three women into an Otherworld in which luck and love will return to Appleton–if only one of them will believe. 

My thoughts:

I really like her style. It's so fairy'tale, but at the same time it fiction. It makes me believe.

This is the story of Appelton. Once it was a nice little town with orchards, now people are leaving. All because of the last Apple Queen and the bad luck that followed.

Our 3 heroines are: Kathleen, a librarian. Nell, who has a few apple trees. And Ashley who wants to know why her grandma left so suddenly and never came back there. They are all different, they are all skeptics, they are all outsiders and they will all meet a handsome stranger.

Because here it is where the magic comes in. There really is something special about this not so much an island anymore. There really are things hiding, and not shown. There really is bad luck over the island, and all cos of an apple. And as the story progresses, more things are shown, you can be a skeptic first, but then you see.

Conclusion:

Tuttle really needs to write more mythic books about Scotland. I like it. I like how it makes me want to believe that there still can be traces of magic, and other beings around :)

Cover

Nice

Paperback, 457 pages
Published March 1st 2013 by Jo Fletcher (first published January 1st 2006)
Fiction / Fairy-tale
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Carole Reviews: Bitter Greens - Kate Forsyth

Author: Kate Forsyth

Title: Bitter Greens 

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fairy-tale, Fantasy, and Romance

Pages: 496

First Published: 2012

Where I Got It: On my shelf (Given to me by an author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

"French novelist Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...

After Margherita’s father steals parsley from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off, unless he and his wife relinquish their precious little girl. Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death. She is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.

Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does.

Award-winning author Kate Forsyth braids together the stories of Margherita, Selena, and Charlotte-Rose, the woman who penned Rapunzel as we now know it, to create what is a sumptuous historical novel, an enchanting fairy tale retelling, and a loving tribute to the imagination of one remarkable woman"

Ooooooh, this was so much better then I thought it was going to be! I was a little worried, because this was a mixture of Historical Fiction and fairy-tale. The way the author blended the two was fantastic. The story revolves around Charlotte-Rose who is a writer and noble, but she has been banished to a convent for some offense she gave to the Sun King. Through her struggles another girl tells her the story of Rapunzel. This inspires Charlotte-Rose to continue writing. The story also focuses on the story of Margherita (aka Rapunzel) and even the witch gets to tell her tale.

I didn't really care much for Charlotte-Rose's back-story, I felt like it took away from the story a bit. However, I really did like Charlotte-Rose and I felt bad that she was forced to go to the convent. However....one knows never to piss of the King. Especially the Sun King for he had an ego problem and a sex problem. Such a man-whore and a spoiled-brat. ANYWAYS, I really want to read Charlotte-Rose's work now! I had never heard of her. Is she real? *goes and researches* Haha! She is. Okay, I admit I did not know where the original story of Rapunzel came from. I knew the Brother's Grimm made a rendition of it and so did Disney. 

There is so much to talk about this book, but not enough time. I really, really liked it. It was a lot of fun and I was highly addicted! It was hard to put it down. I truly loved Kate Forsyth's voice. She brings such life to the characters and she sucks you into the time period. Even though half of this is "fairy-tale", it did not feel like a fairy-tale at all. I am really looking forward to reading more by this author. :) 

This review is a little short, but I don't know what else to say without giving away too much. I really liked this book! I simply flew through it! I loved Rapunzel's POV and story the best. I did like Charlotte-Rose and I really want to read some of her works someday! I'm surprised, but glad the author included the witch's story. It made her much more "likable"...wrong word....understandable is more the word. A beautiful book and a beautiful story. I was sitting on the edge of my seat...I had to know what was going to happen next! 

In the end, I highly recommend this those that like historical fiction and fairy-tales. The blend was done wonderfully. I did skim a little through Charlotte-Rose's backstory at some points; not because they were boring, but because I wanted to know what happened to her and Rapunzel. The story was wonderful and I love the writing style of the author! I can't wait to see what else she has to offer! Out of five stars I stamp this with 5. :)

Favorite Character(s):  Margherita (aka Rapunzel), the witch (she was rather interesting), Charlotte-Rose, and Lucio

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Michel (I wanted to punch him! What an ass!) 

The Mysteries - Lisa Tuttle

A blend of mystery, thriller and fantasy that will leave you looking over your shoulder.

Laura Lensky’s daughter, Peri, has been missing for two years. For the police it’s a closed case – she wanted to run away – but for her mother and boyfriend, Henry, it’s a different story. When Laura hires private investigator Ian Kennedy, it is a last-ditch attempt to find her daughter before she leaves for America. Drawn in by strange parallels to an obscure Celtic myth and his first, almost unexplainable case, Ian takes the job. But his beliefs are about to be stretched to their limit – there are darker and more devious forces at work here than any of them imagined.

My thoughts:

Is it a detective novel? No. A thriller? No. Mystery? No. Fairytale? No. Fantasy? No. The truth is it's all of those things. Its seductive charm pulling me in, and not letting me go. Making me wonder, believe and disbelief. 

It's the story of Ian Kennedy, an American working in London as a PI. His new case is about a girl gone missing 2 years ago. Why did Peri go missing? She wasn't happy? Was it foul play? But then why did she call 6 months later? The more he investigates, the stranger it gets. And he is not new to strange. He had another case years ago that made him interested in things most people believe to be fairytales.

Scattered though out the book are small stories about people, I guess real stories? About people gone missing. People taken by the Fae. Yes  hello, I call myself Blodeuedd online, of course I love Celtic mythology. So stories about the Tuatha de Dannan brings out my attention. Makes me wonder about every hill and what kind of fairies might be sleeping there.

But this is a mystery after all. He gets closer and closer to the answer. Will he find Peri, or can she not be found? Is she dead? Murdered long ago? I kept reading and hoping. And then the end, aww yes I want to read more of her books. She has a lovely style of writing.

Conclusion:

Now who to recommend it to? Honestly everyone. If you like fantasy, yes. Fairytales, yes. Mysteries and detective novels, yes. Just normal fiction, yes. So, go read it.

Cover

works for this

Hardcover, 464 pages
Published September 4th 2014 by Jo Fletcher Books (first published January 1st 2005)
Fiction / fantasy /mystery
From the publisher for an honest review

Early review: Mistress of the Wind - Michelle Diener

Bjorn needs to find a very special woman . . .The fate of his people, and his own life, depends on it. But when he does find her, she is nothing like he imagined, and may just harbor more secrets than he does himself.

Astrid has never taken well to commands. No matter who issues them . . . She's clashed her whole life with her father, and now her lover, the mysterious man who comes to her bedroom in darkness and disappears to guard his mountain by day as a bear, is finding it out the hard way. And when he's taken by his enemies, no one is prepared for Astrid's response. 

It is never wise to anger the mistress of the wind . . . 

A captivating and magical adult retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

My thoughts:

I have always liked this fairy tale,  my earliest memory of it was the Psyche one, or the Swedish version (something prince hat under the mountain). They are both different but East of the Wind became my favorite of them. I guess when I heard it. I connected to the fairy tale better than any other.

And Diener sure made it her fairytale too, I do love remakes and this one stays very true and still not. It's the story about an enchanted prince named Bjorn, poor thing can't do much. Astrid, the poor woodcutter's daughter could be a savior, but as the story go, something happens. Maybe that is why I like the story, there is no damsel in distress. Instead it is Astrid who sets off on a journey to save her prince. It's not always easy but she does not stop before she is reunited with her love. So she is the hero of the story. Poor Björn is under his enchantment and even though he does get to fight a few fights, the stage is Astrid's.

The book is light and I read it fast. First, when I start a Diener book I always read 200 pages in a go, and then I have to do something else. Same thing this time, 200 pages and the rest later. The pages sure fly by fast.

Conclusion:

A delightful story with heartache and pain in it too. I'd love to read more.

Would I read more

Yes

Cover

Might be my fav cover of the year

Paperback, 342 pages
Expected publication: December 19th 2013 by Michelle Diener
Fairy tale
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Reviews: For I have Sinned - Darynda Jones + 8 - Michael Mullin

For I have Sinned by Darynda Jones

A Charley Davidson short story

Darynda Jones revisits the sexy, suspenseful world of supernatural shenanigans she created in her Grave series with For I Have Sinned.  In this Charley Davidson story, Charley helps a woman find out how she died and gives her the closure she needs to pass through to the other side.

Series: Charley Davidson #1,5, Genre: PNR/UF, Pages: 32, Published 2011 by St:Martin's Press, Source: My own

My thoughts:

This was a short story taking place after the first book, so if you haven't read that one you might be lost, or not.

As I never know how to review these I will just make it short: A woman falls down in Charley's flat. Why is she dead? Charley finds out and the woman finds peace. A nice short novella between me having read book 1 and waiting to get a hold of book 2.

We also see a glimpse as Reyes and that just makes me want to read book 2 even more. I need to know. I want more.

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8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf by Michael Mullin

Written in verse, this is the previously untold story of the previously unknown 8th dwarf, named Creepy. He is banished to the basement for being different and, well, weird. Yet he plays a vital - and of course previously unknown - role in the popular tale of Snow White – whose title character is an intruder Creepy refers to as "the Maid".

Pages: 7, Genre: Fairy-tale, Published: 2010

My thoughts:

Now this was a fun and weird short story. The 8 dwarf who the other dwarves found creepy and locked in the basement. The ones who yes is actually really creepy and who watched Snow White show up. A Snow White who sure is a bit of an idiot. Who falls for the same stunt over and over?

Fun and short is the word.

Review: The Man who Rained - Ali Shaw

Genre: Fiction/Fable

Pages: 304

Published: January 2012

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Source: For review

When Elsa's father is killed in a tornado, all she wants is to escape — from New York, her job, her boyfriend — to somewhere new, anonymous, set apart. For some years she has been haunted by a sight once seen from an aeroplane: a tiny, isolated settlement called Thunderstown. 

Thunderstown has received many a pilgrim, and young Elsa becomes its latest — drawn to this weather-ravaged backwater, this place rendered otherworldly by the superstitions of its denizens. In Thunderstown, they say, the weather can come to life and when Elsa meets Finn Munro, an outcast living in the mountains above the town, she wonders whether she has witnessed just that. 

For Finn has an incredible secret: he has a thunderstorm inside of him. Not everyone in town wants happiness for Elsa and Finn. As events turn against them, can they weather the tempest - can they survive at all? 

The Man Who Rained is a work of lyrical, mercurial magic and imagination, a modern-day fable about the elements of love.

My thoughts:

I read this first book, The Girl with glass feet and was smitten. He made me believe it all could be real. That in some parts of the world there was still magic that was not truly magic, it was just life. It's not like paranormal books where you just read it but do not believe. Here, here it is different. Perhaps men can rain, and perhaps rain can come to life.

His prose is lyrical and it sucks you in, it holds on to you and it also made me feel scared. This is a town filled with superstitious people who kill that of rain and thunder. While on the mountain there lives a strange man called Finn, who is our man who rained. I feared for him.

The story is about Elsa who comes to Thundertown to start a new life. She is nice and curious and meets Finn. Who is mysterious and sweet. He shows her a world that seems to exist only in these mountains. It's a book filled with magical realism and feelings of longing, love but also hate of the unknown. And here it truly shows. That which you do not know you fear and think is dangerous. Only some give it a chance and find that we are all alike in the end.

The book is great, the writing, the story, the people in it and the world he creates. It's a place were sunbeams come to life.

Conclusion:

It's a book I recommend because it is so real and still so magical. I can't wait for his next book and see what he comes up with then. It was simply enchanting, heartbreaking and lovely.

Cover: 

Pretty

Review: Peter and Max - Bill Willingham

                                                   A Fables Novel

Genre: Fairytale/alternate world/this world

Pages: 400

Published: 2009

A new stand-alone FABLES NOVEL from award-winning and wildly acclaimed author, Bill Willingham.

This story stars Peter Piper and his incorrigible brother Max in a tale about jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Set in two distinct time periods, prepare to travel back to medieval times and learn the tragic back-story of the Piper family, a medieval-era family of traveling minstrels. Then, jump into the present to follow a tale of espionage as Peter Piper slowly hunts down his evil brother for a heinous crime, pitting Peter's talents as a master thief against Max's dark magical powers.

Based on the long-running and award-winning comic book series FABLES, PETER AND MAX is its own tale. Readers don't have to be familiar with the comics to fully enjoy and understand this book.

I actually borrowed this one before I read my first Fables graphic Novel. And after reading this book I sure want to read those graphic novels. Because the world is wonderful.

This is then a novel based on the graphic novels. It is a standalone and it is about Peter and Max. The book takes place in this world, because the Fables (all those famous fairytale stories we know and love) fled to this world to get away from the war. Here they settled in new York. Peter is happy with this wife, but then he learns that Max is back. His evil brother. The book deals with his journey to find Max, and flashbacks to how Peter grew up in fableland, and and why his brother went crazy. It also has some lovely illustrations here and there.

I have only read one Fables graphic novel, and that one dealt with things before they came to New York, but I had no trouble with this book since it is about Peter's life, and we also meet the famous Pied Piper of Hameln.

I just love these stories, they are so much fun, and yes dark. The reason why we have fairytales is cos these Fables came to our world and magic kind of rub off and stories spread, not the real ones though. The story is cool, and I read and read, and still wanted more.

The world they come from is just like ours but with talking animals, evil orcs, or was it ogers, and magic. A fun novel, and you sure do not know what is gonna happen next.

Blodeuedd's Corver Corner. Fitting

Reason for reading: Library

Final thoughts: I really must read those graphic novels