This is a Beauty & the Beast remix. Belle never returned to the castle and instead stayed in her town and married Gaston. Years later, a fae warrior cThis is a Beauty & the Beast remix. Belle never returned to the castle and instead stayed in her town and married Gaston. Years later, a fae warrior captures Belle's granddaughter, mistaking her for Belle. When her true identity is learned, he has to pass her off as the real Belle to try and finally break the curse.
By itself, this is a great fantasy with its own worldbuilding and a great romance. The Beauty and the Beast elements are mainly just little easter eggs, like a reference to a chipped teacup. I've read a lot of fantasy this year and most of them were overbearing, but this was developed enough to stand on its own while still feeling familiar and comforting. A new favorite!...more
I read this so fast I didn't get a chance to mark it as currently reading on here.I read this so fast I didn't get a chance to mark it as currently reading on here....more
I really liked this! I don't read many retellings anymore, and especially not many about mermaids so I don't have much to compare this to though. It dI really liked this! I don't read many retellings anymore, and especially not many about mermaids so I don't have much to compare this to though. It did take me a few chapters to get into - until we actually meet a mermaid. A lot of it did feel predictable, especially considering the title, but it played well with elements from the original Hans Christian Andersen tale and the Disney movie, and overall I did enjoy myself.
I loved this! So perfect for Christmastime. I loved how this was not only a retelling of A Christmas Carol but also analyzed the tropes and archetypesI loved this! So perfect for Christmastime. I loved how this was not only a retelling of A Christmas Carol but also analyzed the tropes and archetypes from the original story. There were several quotes in this book that struck a chord with me, which of course I have no hope of finding them since I listened to the audiobook and didn't stop to note them.
Although I think some of the stories could have ended stronger, this is my favorite collection of novellas for any series ever. I read the original 3 Although I think some of the stories could have ended stronger, this is my favorite collection of novellas for any series ever. I read the original 3 stories when they were published online and LOVED them at that time and asked Leigh once if she'd ever published a collection of Grisha tales. I'm so happy this happened! They were even better the second time around, and the new stories were magical as well. You can see which classic fairy tales inspired some of these stories, but they all have their own twists and style. Although a few specific locations are mentioned, I don't think you need to have read any of the Grisha books to understand these stories. And the illustrations were gorgeous!...more
I'm sure someone is going to ask, 'But Trina, why did you even pick this book up when you didn't like the first one?' No, I was not planning on continI'm sure someone is going to ask, 'But Trina, why did you even pick this book up when you didn't like the first one?' No, I was not planning on continuing this series, but I was one of the judges in the 2016 YA BookTube Awards and I had to fill in for the Retellings category, so alas, I HAD to read it.
In short, I liked this better than the first book. The story had now moved past some of the tropes that annoyed me so much in book 1. The writing was fine, the characters were fine. This book was fine. But I just wasn't invested in it - probably because I disliked the first book so much that I couldn't form any connection to care about how things ended up.
In long: -I did like that Ahdieh didn't waste time in having her characters carry out one of their main objectives. -I became ok with the relationship. -I didn't like how rushed the ending was. 2 books is probably too short of a series to properly deal with a war plot. It was a Breaking Dawn type of ending where this big event is built up and then quickly fizzles out. -I didn't feel the magic system was explained well. -I still don't view this writing as the super special thing most other readers point out. A lot of time IS spent on descriptions, but I didn't feel they were more flowery than standard. The descriptiveness just felt like filler to me. I skimmed for the dialogue at some points because I was ready for the scenes to just get to the point already. -I hated that the ending did one thing, and then IMMEDIATELY hit the undo button just to redeem a character. Nope. Too rushed for redemption for me, sorry. -Every side character was just there to serve Shazi's will instead of being their own full character. -TARIQ NEEDS TO QUIT. Seriously, go home, Tariq.
So yeah, it's fine. I didn't hate it. But I couldn't love it because I hadn't formed any attachment to this story or the characters in the first book. Will check out Ahdieh's next book, but this series just wasn't for me....more
Trigger warnings for this book if you need them: -Violence in the romantic relationship (go Video review (spoiler free) - https://youtu.be/v3tP4j2w95I
Trigger warnings for this book if you need them: -Violence in the romantic relationship (goes unchallenged) -Infertile women referred to as "broken" and "damaged" (this idea is challenged, but still giving you a heads up since it's a sensitive topic)
I was sent an early copy of this book by the author for review. All opinions are my own.
My real rating of this book is 3.5 stars. I loved a lot about it, but had to lower my rating because the one thing I disliked was that it portrays violence in the romance we are supposed to support without ever showing it as wrong, and strengthening the relationship afterward. I'll talk more about this in detail in a minute, but first let me tell you what this book does well.
Retelling This is probably my favorite retelling of The Little Mermaid that I have ever read, as far as the story goes. It's told from a different angle and the world is inspired by Norse mythology, both of which allow the story to have room for surprises. Even though it's very different, you can see how major plot points line up with the original tale. It's one of the better done retellings I've ever read because it's both loyal to the original but still feels new.
I also adored the mermaid setting. So many TLM retellings turn the story into a contemporary and that usually loses me. I love mermaids and loved seeing this underwater world.
Plot The story was fast paced. It's a short book but a lot happens. It took me a few chapters to adjust to the underwater world (mermaids swim instead of walk places, which my brain was not used to) but once I did, I was hooked. It was very engaging and exciting.
The setting has a dystopian theme based around the mermaids being valued for their fertility. As I mentioned above, I think some triggering language is used in showing this society, but I did enjoy that the story was challenging this sexist culture.
Diversity This is #ownvoices bi representation. I can't personally speak to whether it's good representation or not, but other early reviews seem to be saying it's great. There's also fat rep, though as a fat girl, one line bothered me and I keep forgetting this rep was present because it was rarely mentioned. There's also a side character who uses they/them pronouns
Violent Relationship Back to this. As I haven't seen any other reviews point this out yet, this will be a bit long. Since I had an early copy of the book, this quote is subject to change, but here is the main scene I took issue with. Ersel and Ragna punch each other in the face: (view spoiler)[
"No!" My hands curled into fists, and suddenly I wanted to punch her. "I'm going back to the fortress. I'm going to fix things. For everyone, not just myself."
She snorted dismissively. "Good, then maybe you're not such a coward after all. I thought that maybe you were, because of how easily you let that merman drag you away."
That wasn't fair, not after the things I'd done for her on the ice shelf. My knuckles collided with her cheek. She stepped back, pressing her hand to the place where I'd struck. Behind us, several members of the crew gasped. I started to apologize, but suddenly my head snapped back, so violently it seemed my neck would break.
Cursing, Ragna shook out her fingers. My jaw burned, and pain radiated up through my teeth (page 191-192)
Further down the same page, this is the only discussion of the violence we get. (view spoiler)[
We glare at each other; hostility crackled in the air. Finally, Ragna let out a slow breath. "There's something a little monstrous in both of us. And maybe it has to be that way for us to survive."
...
"Gods," Ragna swore, but all the venom in her voice had vanished. She wiped a trail of blood from my lip. Blushing, she looked at the deck. "Your teeth are red. I shouldn't have hit you."
"I hit you first." I cranked my jaw to loosen it. "I won't do that again. I have enough enemies. I'm still exiled from the ice mountain. Plus, you punch better than me." (page 192)
Ragna's only sorry she drew blood. Ersel's more concerned that she doesn't punch as well as Ragna. No one acknowledges it as having been wrong, and the violence is excused away as a character flaw. This was not enough of a discussion about physical abuse for me because in real life habitual abusers promise to never do it again, and yet they are repeat offenders. A few pages later, Ersel intentionally causes pain for Ragna again, though it wasn't through punching.
Physical abuse in the main ship is brushed aside quickly and the relationship deepens afterward, which you could argue romanticizes it. This is a harmful portrayal of romance, especially in a book marketed toward a young adult audience.
I was sensitive to this because I have experienced an abusive relationship in my past (I really hate that I have to keep mentioning this and reliving it due to YOUNG ADULT books). If you don't think this was an abusive act, I ask you to picture either of the characters as male. Would you be upset then? There are so many other ways to show that characters are hot headed or show them having conflict without making them punch their romantic partner in the face. These lines could have been cut out and the scene, plot, and characters wouldn't have changed in any way. So why perpetuate an unhealthy ideal?
I'm so irritated by this because I was REALLY shipping these characters together at first! And there are so few #ownvoices bi romances out there and many people are anticipating this book and some will pick it up already shipping this couple. There is definitely room for books to discuss abuse in relationships, but it deserves a much more nuanced examination than was included in The Seafarer's Kiss.
Would I recommend it? I would highly recommend this as a Little Mermaid retelling. If you like The Little Mermaid, Norse mythology, or are looking for an #ownvoices bi main character, then you will probably like this.
Sadly, I cannot recommend this as a romance, which is its main genre. It portrays an unhealthy relationship. If you are looking for a YA fantasy with a fairy tale feel that has an #ownvoices f/f romance that does not involve abuse, I would recommend Of Fire and Stars.
Tropes used include the love triangle (which I felt was only built up on one side), and the not-like-other-girls trope (which was challenged). Even if you hate these tropes, I do not think you'd hate their use in this book.
Very mixed thoughts on this book. It had good and bad things, but unfortunately the bad thing was quite damaging and really lowered my rating....more
This story had a strong fairy tale vibe with its fantasy world, fantastical creatures, and curses but it did not stick too close to the original BeautThis story had a strong fairy tale vibe with its fantasy world, fantastical creatures, and curses but it did not stick too close to the original Beauty and the Beast tale. Yes, you could easily tell who some of the characters were and assume some information about them, but it really made the world and characters their own. I think it would be great for those who LOVE fairy tales, but want a story that is still its own thing.
Personally, my favorite aspect of this was that the Beast was an actual animal beast. Too many retellings, even in the fantasy genre, just turn him into some angsty rude guy.
I also chuckled at a discussion of Beauty falling for her captor. Though, I have to say that the way this story built Beauty and Beast's motivations did not feel as Stockholm syndrome as the classic tale.
Although this worked great as a retelling in my opinion, it was pretty weak in terms of direction. The curse was not explained sufficiently for me, the answer to everything was so obvious but took the characters until the end to realize, and the ending felt a bit rushed. The story could have definitely used some more development.
Despite the plot's weakness, I was absolutely hooked while reading this. It was one of those experiences where every time I read it I would say "just one more chapter, I'm tired" and then I'd end up reading 5 chapters because I could not put it down! Spooner's writing has some quality to it that propelled me through. I did not mind the slower bits around the middle because I would have gladly spent 600 pages in this story.
Also, I loved the Gaston character. He was not a sleazeball. (No love triangle.) And Beauty has a dog companion that follows her through most of the book that a lot of readers might love!
Overall, though I wanted a bit more from the curse storyline, this was an enjoyable retelling and the kind of reading experience I crave. I would love to read more that Spooner has solo written and hope she does more retellings!...more
I found this confusing to get into because there are many different characters that come and go quickly. Some elements to the story that it lingered oI found this confusing to get into because there are many different characters that come and go quickly. Some elements to the story that it lingered on never really seemed to serve much purpose. The audiobook production was amazing though - a full cast and sound effects - and that kept me going.
I really enjoyed how Ani was able to sit with the hand she'd been dealt. She found joys in where she was and bade her time. She wasn't consumed with revenge or sorrow, but in the end she knew how to step up to try to make things right. The ending was very fulfilling and gripping to me....more
This started off so wonderfully that at only a few chapters in I was thinking this could possibly be one of my favorite books of the year. I3.5 stars.
This started off so wonderfully that at only a few chapters in I was thinking this could possibly be one of my favorite books of the year. I loved the characters and the eeriness and how it got right into things. However, as the book went on it started to feel less focused. It was a very accurate MacBeth retelling, but by the end I felt like the characters were just puppets going through the motions. I lost any connection with them. Additionally, the plot with the spirits felt weak. I kept waiting for more of a revelation or reason behind the events. I get that it was a retelling but I needed it to make sense in THIS context too, not just for the sake of staying true to MacBeth. I can't tell you why any of this happened. (view spoiler)[ So the ghosts of the people who died in the fire were killing school kids just for the sake of being evil? Was it for revenge? But then why target the school kids? Why did they choose Maria? And Maria kept saying how the connection needed to be closed, but since she died before doing so I guess we're supposed to assume the ghosts continued haunting Acheron but no further accidents happened in the year gap between the end and the epilogue? Mmmkay. (hide spoiler)]
This has gotten lots of recs as a diverse book so if you would like to know what representation you can find here, the 4 POV characters are a mixture of Hispanic and white, able bodied and physical disability, fat and thin, and they are in m/m (pretty sure both ID as gay) and f/f (I think one is bi and the other is lesbian) relationships....more
This was a perfect companion to The Lunar Chronicles series! A must read for any fan!
My favorite stories were The Keeper, The Little Android, and SomeThis was a perfect companion to The Lunar Chronicles series! A must read for any fan!
My favorite stories were The Keeper, The Little Android, and Something Old Something New. The Keeper - I loved that we got to see Cinder's origin story, essentially. I'd always wondered how it was pulled off. The Little Android - This was a re-read for me, and it is definitely my favorite short story of all time. It doesn't tie into the other characters in the series very strongly, but as a retelling of The Little Mermaid, it is perfect! Meyer captured a feeling of longing SO WELL. Something Old, Something New - What a fulfilling ending the series! If you don't read any of the other stories, read this one!
SUGGESTED READING ORDER In my opinion, the order of these short stories is completely wrong! The way they are numbered is not only chronologically incorrect, but doesn't flow well. If you are currently reading the series for the first time and want to know my opinion on the reading order for the novellas, this is the order I would recommend:
1. Cinder - Book 1. It all starts here. Many of the novellas occur before these events but you won't know any of the characters or world yet to care about those stories until you get into the story. 2. The Mechanic - This would fit well right after Cinder because it's a scene from Cinder from a different character's perspective. 3. The Little Android - I'm recommending this here because the only series character involved is Cinder and it takes place while she's still operating her booth at the beginning of the first book. 4. The Queen's Army - I suggest reading this before Scarlet because it will give you a much better understanding of the wolf soldiers and how they have been engineered. 5. Scarlet - Book 2 6. The Keeper - Chronologically, this story takes place before Scarlet, but it will spoil a major plot point in Scarlet and you won't have met the characters yet. I highly recommend reading it right after Scarlet because it really filled in some important details for me! 7. Glitches - This story could easily be read after Cinder, but it takes place immediately after The Keeper and they flow so well into each other that I would suggest reading them together! 8. After Sunshine Passes By - This is a very short story that tells how Cress was imprisoned in her satellite. Since we've previously met Cress in the main books and know she's in the satellite, I think this can be read before the book Cress. 9. Cress - Book 3. 10. Carswell's Guide To Being Lucky - This is Thorne's backstory. I recommend reading it after Cress because it deals with events that he refers to within Cress and reading it first could give away some of his character. 11. Fairest - Prequel novel. Technically, this book takes place before everything else, but it fits well here because you get a great intro to the Lunar city and we are about the spend the rest of the series in that location. Reading it earlier would also spoil some things relating to Levana and her family. 12. The Princess and the Guard - This takes place within and just after the timeline in Fairest. It fits perfectly to read it right before Winter because you've already met the character Winter in the book Cress and this story shows why she's gone crazy and how she got her scars. You also get to know Jacin a lot better here than in any of the main books. 13. Winter - Book 4. 14. Something Old, Something New - This is definitely an epilogue. The perfect ending to the series!...more
I really enjoyed this debut! The one thing I didn't love about it were the infodumps, BUT I still felt like the information about this world was revealed very naturally. Kol learns about the other clans as he meets them so of course he couldn't tell us about the world until he'd been told himself. The infodumps could have been a bit subtler, but I still really enjoyed this story.
The 3 things I most want you to know about the books are: 1. It's a prehistoric time period. 2. It's told in 2nd person narration. 3. It's inspired by Pride and Prejudice.
I would describe this book as fun and refreshing. It was very unique in setting and narration, and the Pride ad Prejudice parallels were fun to point out! Definitely would recommend it....more
I'm going with a middle of the road rating for this book because I'm honestly not sure how I feel. Part of that is probably due to the fact that it toI'm going with a middle of the road rating for this book because I'm honestly not sure how I feel. Part of that is probably due to the fact that it took me a month to read this book. I had to put it down twice and neither time was I very enthusiastic about picking it back up. I could have been in the wrong mood for it, or it could be that The Little Mermaid is my favorite fairy tale (the Disney movie and the original) so any retelling has more to live up to for me.
What I liked: -It's a Little Mermaid retelling. Seeing all the references to TLM was really amusing. -The coastal setting is so atmospheric. -Awesome, diverse main character. She's from Tobago and I loved the glimpses of her culture she gave us. -The main character is mute. It was very interesting to read from the perspective of someone who can't speak. -Sebastian! He was the most amazing mermaid loving little boy ever! (All the characters are pretty great for that matter.)
What I was 'meh' about: -The diverse main character was too Anglicized. Her narration was very white washed and English sounding, but we got a flashback scene of her before the accident and she spoke very differently, more culturally accurate. Why would her internal dialogue read differently than the way she actually spoke? -There is a good message in this book about finding your voice. However, it just didn't have a huge impact on me. I think it's important, so I liked that it was there, but it was pretty evident from the start what the significance of a mute main character would be. Maybe a younger reader would glean more from the message of this book.
What I didn't like: -There is one big event in this book and it was just way too dragged out. I wanted to just hurry up and get there already instead of spending countless days preparing for it. -I felt Elyse's background was revealed too late in the book. I had already guessed everything about what happened. It wasn't meant to be a mystery, but I just didn't enjoy the pacing of it. I think it would have allowed us to empathize with her more if it weren't saved til the very end. -I don't even know what was accomplished during the course of the plot. It kind of felt like a cardboard set just to make some TLM references, tbh.
After the 2nd book in this series being on my list of least favorite books of last year, I KNEW I wasn't going to like this. I should have just stayedAfter the 2nd book in this series being on my list of least favorite books of last year, I KNEW I wasn't going to like this. I should have just stayed away but I was hoping it would surprise me with an awesome Frankenstein retelling. Frankentein is one of the few classics I actually enjoyed studying so I was totally down for a YA retelling. I really felt like that's not what I got though. It was more like a very loose sequel to Frankenstein set years after that story, with Juliet discovering his methods.
For most of this book I found myself just hoping it would be over already. I considered DNFing it a couple of times but then it would tease that a "creature" was about to come into the story so I would stick around. But it ended up not being done in a way that created any sort of attachment for me.
As for the writing, I felt like many statements were cheater narration. The story is told in first person from Juliet's POV. I listened to the audiobook so I couldn't mark the exact passages, but there were things such as: "The rain and darkness made it hard to see. I could just barely make out a dark figure in the distance. It was Lucy, afraid and running to alert Edward." If she can barely see, how does she know who it is? And much less, what they are doing and why? Sure, Juliet could be making an assumption in that moment, but instances like this happened frequently and we're supposed to take them as absolute truths. The narration basically made Juliet omniscient to get around the limitations of first person POV.
The characters were just as shallow as ever. I'm still entirely unconvinced of the relationship. Both of the characters do nothing but lie to each other.
I had to ask myself 'did I like anything at all about this?' The one thing I did like was the gothic, atmospheric setting. But a setting is just a backdrop. The characters, plot, and writing were just unimpressive to me. I just didn't care about anything happening. I mean, at least it didn't make me ragey, so there's that going for it?
2.5 stars. Enjoyed the end but most of the book I was just waiting for things to pick up. It wasn't uninteresting, but I think I was just too familiar2.5 stars. Enjoyed the end but most of the book I was just waiting for things to pick up. It wasn't uninteresting, but I think I was just too familiar with the original story to enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the first one.
I was really frustrated with the main character this time. I'm sure she was the same way in book 1 but for whatever reason I could overlook it because of the situation she'd been thrown into. This time around I wanted to strangle her! She flip flopped more than America Singer from The Selection. Girrrrrrrl. Stop. She'd be determined about something on one page and the next she'd totally change her mind, second guess herself, and then go the completely opposite way. She'd set her mind on one guy, only to pine over the other about 5 seconds later.
And she wasn't the only one. All of these fools were the same. At one point super shocking information was revealed and one scene later Montgomery was making statements about how he'd "always" felt some way about that information. FOOL, NO. You just found out literally 5 minutes ago.
This love triangle absolutely does not work for me. I don't care if any of these awful wishy washy people end up together because they show ZERO motivation for wanting to be together. It's just convenient for them at any given time. By book 2 they should have developed something deeper, or at least be able to stick with a decision. We really lost the Jekyll and Hyde retelling amidst all the floundering these people did in their romantic entanglements.
I would have been MUCH more interested in a love triangle between Juliet, Edward, and his Mr. Hyde counterpart. Yes, that, please. The Beast was the most darn interesting character of the whole bunch, but sadly he was treated as a prop occasionally delivering lines to get Juliet to have ~deep thoughts~ (which she promptly changed her mind about 2 pages later).
In all, this just really didn't live up to the first book in any way. The problem here was that the original Jekyll and Hyde story was a mystery. As a retelling, Her Dark Curiosity starts off with the reader knowing who the Hyde character is. There is no mystery to it. I know there can't be since the tale is so widely known, but even the character in this world knew from the beginning. Additionally, being told from the POV of an outsider I felt leant no depth to the Jekyll and Hyde aspect that this book basically hinged on. Scenes from his POV showing his struggle could have helped, or having Juliet be more involved with his Beast side, or heck even have a beast side herself would have some great opportunities to explore this amazingly dark classic tale. Instead we got a love drama where Jekyll was completely nonexistent (unless Juliet was supposed to be him since she was more of the scientist figure although that's dumb as mud since she wasn't the one with the other side) and Hyde is barely present.
With all of that said, darn if I don't want to finish this series. I'm really looking forward to the last book because it's a Frankenstein retelling and that was one of my favorite classics. I also think the set up of Juliet's world will work better with that retelling than it did with J&H....more
