Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

When a tornado picks  up her trailer home and deposits Amy Gumm in Oz, she can't believe it.  But this Oz is different than the one in the stories. Oz has become a dark and desolate place and it's all because of Dorothy. Now it's up to Amy trained by the Order of the Wicked to stop Dorothy from mining all the magic out of Oz and put an end to her cruelty. Because if one thing is for certain, Dorothy must die.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you," she said quietly, although her voice carried through the throne room. "This is where revolution will get you. In Dorothy's Oz, there is no room for the Wicked."

But then the Lion slunk through my field of vision - licking his chops and eyeing me, because apparently patrolling the outskirts and creeping people out was his preferred party activity-

I love a good retelling and/or fractured fairy tale and this is certainly no exception. While I've always enjoyed the Wizard of Oz, it is not one of my fairy tale obsessions. Still I thought I could get on board with an evil Dorothy and nightmarish Oz and I was right. It was definitely worth the read. It was a bit more violent than I expected and the dialogue needed a little more polish in places (the way some of the characters spoke was didn't gibe with me a few times) but I still really loved it. It seems to be mostly pulled from the books but I suspect a few elements of the movie sneaked in. Certainly Dorothy's red shoes are a nod to the movie.

Amy is a sort of the anti-Dorothy. She is a nice girl who had a rough upbringing but still wants to do the right thing and take of business. When she is brought to Oz by the tornado she can't believe it but she carries right on because she doesn't know how to do anything else. What she finds there is nothing like the movie portrayed as she finds that all of Dorothy's sidekicks have been turned into nightmare versions of themselves. The Scarecrow is an evil scientist, the Tin Man is made of sharp things and has no problem torturing people, and the Lion is a grotesque massive fear-eating beast. And Dorothy herself is power hungry and vindictive. But what happened to them? The book only touches on that at the end. It is a trilogy after all and so Amy isn't given her real task till then. Bits and pieces of the how the characters wound up like they did are thrown in.

But it's the prequel novella No Place Like Oz that provided some insight into what happened to Dorothy and I'm glad I read it. I bought it after I read the book and then reread the book after I read the novella. It explains a few things about Dorothy and how she came back to Oz and why Oz is the way it is when Amy arrives. Now I have a few more suspicions to go on for how the trilogy is going to play out.

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Mira longs to visit the town she was born in where her parents died saving her. But her godmothers have forbidden it along with so many other things. But close to her 16th birthday, Mira sneaks out of town and travels to Beau Rivage to find her parents' graves and learn more about her past. There she finds more secrets and lies in a town where fairy tales come true and the people are marked with their destiny. 

I pick this up on the recommendation of Twitter who said it was an amazing book. So because I love fairy tales and twisted retellings, I bought it. It was okay. I was frustrated with Mira. I wanted her to see more than she was allowed. I know that her ignorance of fairy tales can be explained by her godmothers' banishment of any of that kind from her house but it frustrated me nonetheless. I was also frustrated by Blue who was obviously going to become the love interest. His character was so alarming in the beginning and yet he just kept showing up. But in the end he won me over. 

I liked the dark tone set by the fairy tales. It is pointed out many times that fairy tales don't always have a happy ending for everyone involved and they can be quite violent. And this makes for a fairly interesting story for Mira. I think some of the actions are a little gross though given the fact that she is only 15. The story seems to lose sight of that on occasion. So it was a decent read especially if you love fractured fairy tales. It just wasn't the most engrossing one I have read.

The Snow Queen's Shadow by Jim C. Hines (Princess #4)

From Goodreads:
A broken mirror. A stolen child. A final mission to try to stop an enemy they never dreamed they would face.

When a spell gone wrong shatters Snow White's enchanted mirror, a demon escapes into the world. The demon's magic distorts the vision of all it touches, showing them only ugliness and hate. It is a power that turns even friends and lovers into mortal foes, one that will threaten humans and fairies alike.

And the first to fall under the demon's power is the princess, Snow White..

The last of the Princess series! I am sad about that. It was an excellent book and a great ending to the series. It really explores and twists the story of the Snow Queen.  All the elements are there from the story by Hans Christian Andersen, just remade to fit the story of Snow's possession of the demon who inhabited her mother's magic mirror and that demon's quest for power and Snow's desire for revenge. It was really well done how Hines managed to have the Snow Queen's story and yet make it about Snow White and fit the narrative of the series as a whole. I enjoyed how Talia and Danielle fit into the story and the exploration of Snow's past. She was the only princess prior to this book whose back story hadn't been fleshed out more and this book filled in that gap. There was a lot of action and definitely a lot of emotion. It was a good read and I am going to miss this series.

Princess
The Stepsister Scheme (#1)
The Mermaid's Madness (#2)
 Red Hood's Revenge (#3)

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Rosalinda Fitzroy is woken from a sixty-two year chemically induced sleep by a kiss.  Confused by her long stasis and grieving for her lost time and her long dead parents and boyfriend, Rose begins to confront the reason she was put in stasis in the first place and deal with a new threat in her current time.

I really loved this book.  It surprised me because I figured it to be some sort of science fiction Sleeping Beauty (which is was) but it was took the story and molded into something beyond the fairy tale. It became less of just a Sleeping Beauty retell and more of a story of abuse and lost love.  I was glad that there was no real romantic storyline other than the one in Rose's past because it would have felt more artificial.  When Rose develops a crush on, Bren, the boy woke her up, I was worried since it seemed less like her feelings and more like a contrivance, but that is cleared up eventually.  The "realest" relationship would be Rose's friendship with the odd alien-human hybrid, Otto.  That was a relationship that was enjoyable to watch progress. Overall, it was easy to see where the story was going, except for two details revealed at the end that I wasn't expecting at all.  It was nice to be surprised.  One of my few complaints was how heavy handed the Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose comparisons felt at times.  The story had all the earmarks of that fairytale without it being forcibly shoved into the story.  My only other complaint was an unresolved storyline that would be good for a follow-up book.  I certainly hope it gets written since I am curious about what happens to Rose next.

Provided by NetGalley 
Publish date: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick
ISBN: 9780763652609

350 Page

Cinderella, Ninja Warrior & Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer (e-books) by Maureen McGowen

"Thanks, but I don't need saving.  Really." She did need saving, but she planned to save herself.  p.97 e-book

A fractured fairy tale with a twist.  In this "choose your own plot" adventure, Cinderella is held prisoner by her evil wizard stepmother and made to be a servant in her own house.  She secretly begins practicing ninja skills and testing her magic abilities.  But a visit from a mysterious servant from the royal house starts a chain of events for Cinderella and her escape.

I loved Choose Your Adventure books when I was young and I love fractured fairy tales so this book seemed right up my alley.  I did like it.  It was very fun though I wouldn't so much call Cinderella a "ninja warrior" as much as a really amazing fighter.  The language felt too modern for the setting but that is my only real complaint.  It was an action packed adventure something you don't see a lot in fairy tales and, though I had a hard time picturing the fighting, it was still exciting.  The choose your own direction part was neat and though I didn't go through all of the possibilities, I will one day.

Hogwarts: History of Magic
E-book

The girl's first instinct had been to go for her stake, rather than sounding the alarm to bring help.  She admired Lucette's instinct to act, rather than relying on others to save her.  This girl had potential. p.306 e-book

Another twisted fairy tale with a "choose your own adventure" plot.  This one was also fun.  I love how the curse came from the neighboring vampire queen rather than an evil fairy queen and how the curse changed as well.  Lucette, Sleeping Beauty, is cursed to prick her finger at 16 and to fall asleep during daylight hours, but then wake during the night while everyone else sleeps.  So she essentially alone at night with the vampires.  But she learns to fight, much to her dad's displeasure, and becomes a vampire slayer. 
Once again I didn't go through all the choices, but I am definitely going to go through them soon.

Hogwarts:  Care of Magical Creatures
E-book


Both provided by NetGalley

Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines

The Princesses are back!  This time they must battle the notorious assassin The Lady of the Red Hood, whose story you might know as Little Red Riding Hood.  The Princesses are lead to Talia's home country after an assassination attempt fails and it seems that someone is out to get Sleeping Beauty.

     "She's known as the Lady of the Red Hood," said Talia.  "Having failed to kill Beatrice, it looks as though she's coming for you."
     Danielle stared.  "You're telling me Little Red Riding Hood want to kill me?"
     Asked Cinderella of Sleeping Beauty," Snow added with a smile.  p.24

I love these books!  By the third book of any series, especially a longer one than a trilogy, I begin to feel wary.  But Hines seriously delivers.  I think this one is even better than The Mermaid's Madness and I was happy to get more on Talia and to see the repercussions of her actions and explore more of her background.  It was nice to see more of the "Sleeping Beauty" story explored and built on.  I enjoyed the resolution for Talia and thought it was well done. 

I loved the theme of Red Riding Hood and how that story was twisted so that the Lady of the Red Hood, Roudette, becomes someone both villainous and sympathetic at the same time.  So well done.  It was nice to see a match for Talia, but, of course, I always wanted Talia to win.  I liked the whole straying from the path and how is was taken from a literal idea to a religious one.  Roudette was a great villain and a great character.

I was also glad to see Danielle have a little more to do in this book.  She is becoming a really awesome character and living up to the greatness of Talia and Snow.  I can't wait for the next book since it seems to promise a bit more on Snow though I hear that it is the last book and that makes me sad.  But still a great series so far on the whole.

Hogwarts: History of Magic
Library

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

The March sisters are hunters, after the werewolves responsible for the death of their grandmother and unsuspecting girls everywhere.  Scarlett is consumed by it, having face down a werewolf when she was 12, determined to kill them all and to protect her sister.  Rosie longs for a normal life but knows she owes her current life to her sister and continues on with the hunt.  But when Rosie reaches out for a more normal life, will her sister stand in her way?

I like libraries.  It's a comfort that knowledge can be saved for so long.  That what we learn can be passed on.  p.107

This is a kick ass book in more ways than one.  It was like Buffy/Underworld awesome.  I hadn't anticipated the level of violence but it is on par with The Hunger Games or Rampant.  That stuff doesn't bother me but just a warning if it bothers you.  Sisters Red is, of course, a Red Riding Hood fractured fairy tale.  It's an interesting Buffy-esque take on the tale, but that really lends itself to kick ass heroines and bad ass wolves.  There are some genuine laugh out loud moments combined with all the fighting action.  And, as a librarian, I really appreciated how much the March sisters like the library.  Very very cool.

*Possibly spoilery*
The characters were both strong and sad.  I really felt sorry for both Rosie and Scarlett, having face down a werewolf at a young age and surviving with the burning desire to kill them all.  Scarlett was so driven, both obsessed with the hunt and, to a degree, what her life would have been like otherwise.  I think she was the most complex of all the characters.  Rosie, on the other hand, was the more sympathetic.  She longed for something different, but had a hard time reconciling that longing with the idea that she owed her sister her life.  There were a few moments I wanted to shake them both, but I know they can kick my butt so I refrained.  Seriously. 

Hogwarts: Care of Magical Creatures
YA
Library
Colorful Reading

Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll

Walker lives in Vienna and falls in love with a beautiful girl.  But, slowly, mysterious things are happening to him and he is remembering incidents from past lives.  How does this related to the mysterious Papa and what will happen to Walker's girlfriend as someone seeks to destroy Walker and his life? 

"Loving someone brings you peace."
"Nope.  It makes life interesting and alive, but it doesn't bring much peace."
p.96

Walker begins to develop some new magical powers - clairvonce and phoetic dreams and the like and he doesn't know what to do.  As he dreams of old lives, he starts to wonder at who he really is and he starts on a trek with a shaman to find out more.  But tragedy strikes whenever Walker looks for answers, but when he finally figures out what is going on, then the story takes on an interesting fairy tale aspect.  

Written in 1988, this was one of my favorite books though it's been 14 years since I last read it.  It is a bit dated as some of the references to computers and technology are laughable now.   But that is a sign of the era in which it was written.   I still love this book.  It is so beautiful.  The questions Walker and his girlfriend, Maris, ask each other and the philosophy intoned in each page.  Lovely.  It's written as a narrative so it's like Walker is speaking right to you. Sleeping in Flames is a Rumpelstiltskin re-telling and it is definitely an adult book.  I see more in it now than I did when I was younger.  Of the things that the Rumpelstiltskin character addresses and the solution that Walker comes up with.  The how and the why and the who are so much more beautiful and sad.

Hogwarts: Transfiguration
Library

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

(I had the worst time trying to write my own summary.)

From Goodreads:
Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

Christian couldn't help laughing as he guided their steps toward a severe-looking figure in judge's robes with a noose tied to his waist.  For one thing,... it was just like Poppy to be jealous that her weapon was smaller.  p.198 ARC

As you may or may not know, I am a lover of all things fairy tales especially reimaginings of the classics so Princess of Glass is right up my alley.  It is definitely not the same old Cinderella tale and borrows a bit from the Twelve Dancing Princesses since Poppy was one of those same princesses.  But all that happened in the first book, Princess of the Midnight Ball which I have yet to read, but definitely will soon.  They call this one a companion to the first book, but it is more of an indirect sequel.

Poppy is a feisty and fun princess and I admired her willpower to be free and yet be a princess at the same time.  I felt so sorry for her and her sisters for what they endured and I was tickled by her friendship with Christian.  They are such a cute couple and I liked how their romance was allowed to grow naturally.

The twist on the Cinderella story was interesting and it felt more like an original fairy tale before the Grimms took hold.  It was darker and much eerier.  The Cinderella character, Ellen, had a similar background but there were no ugly stepsisters.  She is taken in by an evil witch who uses her to exact a revenge of sorts.  It was all very cool and the glass slippers were really horrible.  That was a great idea.

I look forward to reading more by Jessica Day George if all her books are like this one.

Provided by Traveling ARC Tours
Publish Date: May 25, 2010
Hogwarts: Charms
YA

Once Upon a Week (II): Why I love fractured fairy tales

Vanessa at Today's Adventure is once again hosting Once Upon a Week, a whole week of fairy tale related books.  This is one of my favorite genres so I'm participating again.  Throughout the week there will many reviews on fairy tale books so check out her blog for those.

I have always loved fairy tales.  I'm not sure if it is just the "Disney Culture" in me or what, but there is something about them.  I discovered the original, darker and much more grittier tales when I was a teenager and the lead to the discovery of the fractured fairy tale anthologies edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, such as Snow White, Blood Red.  I read as many of these as I could, captivated how such familiar tales could be reworked in so many different ways by so many different authors.  This further lead to the discovery of some of my now-favorite authors, Charles De Lint and Tanith Lee, among others.  I credit these short story collections with adding to my love of fairy tales and with introducing me to some really fabulous authors.  Without them, I might not have read Ash by Malinda Lo or the Princess novels by Jim C. Hines and I would have missed on some wonderful stories and authors.  There is something exciting to me about reading a familiar reworked into something that is the same yet different, the familiar with the new and tanalizing added.  It's just why I love them.

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children (audio)

Sol and Connie move to a new town with their father and stepmother and meet the old lady down the street whose dog is playing with a very strange bone.  When Sol identifies it as a human bone, it leads the siblings down a very strange path.

This was a very cute, fun book.  It's an updated reimagining of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.  Sol is very clever although lacking in confident after a failed science project and Connie is a typical little sister, although not unsympathetic to Sol.  They are stuck with their dim father and his new wife in a new home.  And when Sol discovers the bone of the neighbor's dog, they follow a path that readers will recognize from the Hansel and Gretel story.  I really liked it.  It only took a couple of hours to listen to and it was so much fun.  I would recommend it to kids or anyone who likes children's book and fairy tales.

The Mermaid's Madness (Princess Novels #2)

We all know the story of the little mermaid who fell in love with a human and sacrificed her life so he could be with another.  But the story is wrong.  Here is the story of a mermaid poorly used in her life and driven to madness by the magic used to turn her human and her love's betrayal.
It's up to Talia, Danielle, and Snow to save the queen and the kingdom and fight against the merpeople before it's too late for everyone.

Talia followed, throwing words like knives.  "And you didn't think to warn us about a murderous mermaid?" p.47

A very clever take on The Little Mermaid fairy tale, The Mermaid's Madness is based on the old original darker fairy tale, but twists it into a even darker and more delightful story.  The mermaid goes crazy and kills her beloved and then declares war on all humans.  So the three princesses try to stop her by finding the witch who originally turned her human.  There are all kinds of twists and turns and I love Danielle, Talia, and Snow.

I liked this sequel to The Stepsister Scheme.  It had a lot of action.  My only real problem was even though it was action packed, there were parts that felt bogged down and I can't explain why I feel that way.  Because something was happening on almost every page.  So maybe it was just me.  My only other complaint is that Danielle really didn't have a reason to be there.  She doesn't really do anything, but I guess she is the "official" princess on the ship so she had to be there.  I don't know, but I hope she does more in the next book.  There is a little unrequited love subplot that I am curious about and that I like a lot.  It makes it more emotional and adds some tension.


Hogwarts: Care of Magical Creatures
Take Another Chance

Into the Wild

Julie has been raised keeping the Wild under her bed and knowing that fairy tales are real.  After all, her mother is Rapunzel.  But now the Wild has escaped and is trapping people into fairy tale roles, Julie's mother included.  And it's up to Julie to rescue her mother and save the world from the Wild.

She couldn't walk into the Wild and intentionally use fairy-tale items.  She'd only be making things worse. p.76

I picked this up on the recommendation of Bookworm Nation and I'm glad I did.  It was a very cute book.  I liked the take on what would happen when the characters escape from their fairy tales and the idea that they are trapped there in an endless cycle.  It would be interesting to read the story of how they escaped.  That would make an excellent book. But the "what happens later" concept of this book was also fun.

Into the Wild was obviously written for a younger set than what I usually read.  It definitely has more of a kid's book feel to it.  It reminded me a lot of Labyrinth.  There are even some similarities in plotting and in the dénouement.  Julie is a fun and feisty character and I like how she used her difference from everyone else to help her mother.  And, of course, it was fun to see the fariy tale characters in real life and how they survived and what they became.  That was one of the main reason I liked this book.

Hogwarts: History of Magic
TwentyTen
Rainbow Challenge

Fairest (Audio)

Aza lives with her adopted family at the inn.  She is not an attractive girl, with her blood red lips, her pale skin and coal black hair, but she is an amazing singer in a country that values both beauty and singing ability.  When she is invited to the castle to be a companion to a duchess for the royal wedding, Aza befriends the new queen.  And through a series of unfortunate events find herself in a dangerous situation with the Queen.

An interesting version of Snow White where the main character is not valued for her beauty, but for her singing.  In Ayortha, where Aza lives, everyone loves to sing and often sing instead of talking.  They have group sings and sing healing songs and the wedding is even in song.  Given that, I cannot imagine reading this book.  It is definitely one of the few books that is a must in audio.  It is read, and sung, by a full cast and they do an amazing job.  Sarah Naughton narrates and plays the part of Aza.  She is truly a beautiful singer.  This is the second time I've listened to Fairest and I'll probably listen to it again. 

It was a good twist on the Snow White fable.  The queen isn't Aza's stepmother, but someone Aza befriends and tries to help.  But through the machinations of the magic mirror, Queen Ivi becomes the evil queen.  And it was interesting to see point A to point B and how it relates to the Snow White aspect of the story.  Another good twist is that Aza is ugly, but she is uglier in her own mind than in true life, I think.  She focuses so much on her attractiveness that she fails to see how people might actually view her.  I think that is the lesson of the book: that goodness on the inside will show on the outside.  Just because someone is attractive it doesn't make them a good person.

Rapunzel's Revenge

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel, the girl whose parents gave her away and was locked in a tower by an evil witch.  Well, what if instead of being rescued by a prince, Rapunzel gained some awesome fighting skills and saved herself.  And that's where this graphic novel gets good.  After growing her famous hair, Rapunzel rappels down the tower and almost immediately meets Jack, of the Beanstalk variety.  Determined to rescue her real mother, Rapunzel and Jack set off across the witch's land and meet a variety of people oppressed by her.  Through this adventures, they learn about the witch and decide that they must do something about her too.


Weirdly this is the first graphic novel that I've reviewed for this blog although I mostly read manga.  I liked the art in this book.  It reminds me of line art a lot.  I liked that Rapunzel was a red head and the western theme going on in the book.  Some of the adventure stop-offs felt tacked on, but they are there for a purpose and add some expedition to the story.  The ending was quick but dramatic and the very end was sweet.  I've heard there is going to be a sequel and I look forward to that.

Beastly

The story usually starts with Beauty.  But what about the beast?  Who was he before he was cursed and why is he all alone?  In Beastly, we get the Beast's side of the story.  Kyle Kingsbury was the ultimate popular guy, but he was cruel and mean for meaness' sake.  He aborred ugly and only valued what was on the outside.  When he crosses a witch, Kyle's ugly inside is reflected on the outside and he becomes beastly.  He has one chance, however.  Find someone to love and who loves him despite his appearance and he can change back.  But who could ever love a beast?

Favorite quote:

"And every night, when I got so tired the book fell from my hand, I lay in bed, feeling her hatred like a phantom walking the night hallways.  Maybe this was a bad idea.  But what other hope did I have?"   p.176

I've check this book out before and I've had it check out a long time.  Finally I decided to just read it or return it.  I am so glad I decided to read it.  I'm a big fan of fractured fairy tales and it was cool to see how Kyle went from a horrible person with no love in his heart to a beast who finds love and the meaning of true beauty.   It wasn't a sudden change or anything and he doesn't fall in love instantly with the girl as some books have been written lately, but it is a gradual change and so refreshing.  Lindy was such a sweet girl and was perfect for Kyle as his new self.  I liked how the witch stayed in the story and gave Kyle advice and I liked the tutor, Will.   It was a very sweet book.

Beastly is being made into a movie.  The casting seems okay.  I like Alex Pettyfer for Kyle and Neil Patrick Harris for Will, but I cannot agree with Vanessa Hudgens as Lindy who is suppose to have red hair and pale skin.  She is not who I pictured at all.  And since I am a Olsen fan (not so secretly) I am very happy Mary Kate is playing Kendra, the witch.

Ash

In a modern telling of Cinderella, Ash is subjected to the humiliations of becoming a servant to her stepmother when her father dies.  In her grief and desolation she wishes to be taken away by the fairies, but when she meets the King's Huntress, her wishes begin to change.

"As the people swayed and stamped and sung their way around the bonfire, Ash knew that this was what the fairies were always hunting for: a circle of joy, hot and brilliant, the scent of love in the deepest winter...How it must disappoint them; that they would never be human." p.247

Honestly, you know, the Cinderella tale has never been one of my favorites¹.  She is usually so weak and pathetic, very accepting and tra la la about her situation, just putting up with her stepfamily's abuse.  But Ash gave me a different insight.  It is about an abused girl who can't just walk away.  She has no one else and is usually young when her father dies so there is no where to go.  Abused children are helpless because they have no idea how to save themselves.   While Ash is not physically abused (well, not really) she is definitely mentally abused by her stepmother once her father dies.  Made to work in the kitchens and become their servant to pay off her father's debts, Ash has no way to escape this situation.  So she wishes and prays for the fairies in the forest to take her away where it would be better to serve them for many lifetimes than to serve her stepmother for one human lifetime.  So she actively seeks out the fairies, when conventional wisdom tell her that it is a dangerous thing to do and meets Sidhean, a beautiful fairy who befriends but does not take her into his world.  It is when she meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, that she begins to change her world for herself. 

The Stepsister Scheme (Princess Novels #1)

Danielle (aka Cinderella) has married her prince and is living happily ever after. That is until her stepsisters decided to take revenge on her for messing up their plans. They kidnap her husband and take him to Fairytown and try to assassinate her. It's up to Danielle and the Queen's "special forces," Talia (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow (White), to help her rescue her prince.

The stories of the princesses is based on the old school stories, not the cleaned up for the kids versions you hear today so expect some darker tones. You don't have to know exactly how those stories go, but I knew what had really happened to them before it was explained in the book. I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this book, but I raced through it. I loved how the princesses are portrayed and how Talia is such a badass. I loved the little details like Snow's snowflake shaped throwing disc and her mirror magic. And I loved how the dwarfs are fitted into the story. This was definitely a good read and I can't wait for the next book, The Mermaid's Madness.