Book Review: The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy

At First Sight: Almost a year after forming the League of Princes, the princes charming Liam, Gustav, Frederic and Duncan are each doing their own thing. Duncan is in his woodland estate with wife Snow, trying to write down his Hero's Guide. Gustav is hanging out with some trolls since they are better company than his 16 brothers. Liam is staying with Frederick and Ella since he still can't go back to his home.

Then, just as Liam is wearing out his welcome with Frederick's dad, he gets kidnapped by his fiancé Briar Rose who is tired of waiting for him, and has decided is time for their wedding to happen; even if they don't really like each other.

Of course, the League of Princes isn't about to let one of their own be kidnaped and forcibly married, so they get together to rescue Liam.. and end up implicated in something way bigger than they first imagined. 

Second Glance: I loved visiting with the Princes Charming, Ella, Laila, Snow and even Briar - actually, I kind of grew to love Briar Rose during the course of this book! - and I even liked getting to know Rapunzel a little better this time around.

I love this world and these characters so much, though I admit Liam wasn't at his best in this story and I was really frustrated with him a lot, I love Duncan and Frederick (they are my two favorite princes of the quartet), and I love Laila.

Over all, I think The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle was a wonderful sequel to The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. There were some things I liked better here, and some I liked better in the previous book, but it all evens out in the end and I'm super excited for The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw, which will be out next year. 

Bottom Line: I laughed, I cried - yes I did, but I can say where because it was near the end - and I loved this book. Totally recommend, though you should probably read Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom first. 

1/2 

Book Review: Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett

The Deal: Rapunzel has never been outside her house, or really had contact with anyone other than her Mother, Grothel. She has a rare disease that keeps her from ever going outside and she lives practically alone, with only her mother's visits to keep her company, even if Grothel always seems more interested in brushing out Rapunzel's 15 feet long hair than on anything else. 

Rapunzel is lonely though, and since her mother was forced to get her a computer so she could keep on with her home schooling, Rapunzel has discovered Facebook and enjoys looking at the pages of the kids that go to the local high schools, kids she has never seen. 

That's how she meets Fane, a guy who accepts her friend request and with whom she begins talking, a small act of defiance that might change her life. 

My Thoughts: I have to admit that Rapunzel Untangled threw me at the beginning. I had read and loved Geek Girl by the same author and I guess I was expecting something pretty similar, and this really wasn't. 

I also thought I would really like it, almost instantly, because I love fairy tales and their retellings, but at first I had trouble clicking with the world and the set up for the story - you know, how much magic was in this world? what was Grothel really up to? - but as the story progressed I found myself really liking Rapunzel and Fane. 

All in all, it was a really good retelling and I do like Ms Bennett's style, is very readable and it goes by pretty quickly. 

2/3

Speed Date: My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond (and Alla Alekseyeva)

Cover is Pretty bad, though

The Deal: It's hard out there for a villain, as Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle will tell you, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get to be the star of his own story, after all, didn't Prince Kellemar  - a would-be hero - use questionable methods to defeat him?

So now he's on the run and the only chance to get revenge and reclaim his castle is trapping a very powerful evil spirt. But a confusion leaves him tied to a "sparkling", a good spirit that is supposed to help heroes and that now is intent on acting on Arkus best interest.

Never mind that it goes completely against Arkus' plans.

My Thoughts: Toward the end of last year I was looking for something relaxing to read and My Sparkling Misfortune was just the thing.

It's a relatively short story told by Arkus that constantly breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the reader and share his opinions on what's going on, and he is hilarious.

He LOOOVES being mean and being the villain, and loves to explain his plans and everything, and it was fun. It has a vaguely fairy-tale quality to it but you're actually rooting for the bad guy. Sadly, I do think it's a bit pricey at is current price -I got it for free a few months ago - but it is a good book. 

1/2

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

Book Review: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

At First Sight: Prince Charming is not who you think he is. He isn't always a hero, he doesn't like capes, or perhaps he does. He's a great dancer, he doesn't know how to use a sword. Oh, and his name isn't really Charming.

And he isn't just one prince. 

But don't blame yourself, it's not your fault that the names Prince Liam, Prince Duncan, Prince Frederic and Prince Gustav mean absolutely nothing to you, but they were the ones who rescued Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel and Cinderella... only that they never quite got their happy ever afters... 

But, when their luck turns and they stumble into an evil plot, these four Princes set out to save the day and prove just what kind of heroes they can be. 

Second Glance: Sorry, I wanted to keep the plot a little vague because it's so so much fun to discover on your own what this book is all about. 

I'll tell you this, though: It's probably the best thing I have read all year. Its funny and quirky and I loved all the Princes and pretty much everyone, even the bad guys  because they were awesome. The book is full of all the things I've always loved about fairytales but in a fresh twist. 

The Princes were definitely amazing, each in his own way, I don't think I could pick a favorite, I love them all. 

Also, this is the kind a book that anyone can read. I'm so not a middle grader but I loved it beyond words and I can't wait to read more about Liam, Duncan, Frederic and Gustav. The story is self contained and it reaches a great conclusion but it leaves open the door for further adventures and I believe there will be more books, for which I'm very grateful.

After hearing Small (of Small Review) fangirl about The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, I knew I had to read it. And it was all Small promised and more. From page one I fell in love with the book. It was the kind of book I love best at the time I needed it the most. 

By the way, I highly recommend the Audio book version, Bronson Pinchot did a wonderful job giving each prince a personality and accent, and even his girl voices were good! 

Bottom Line: The Heros's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is fun and sweet, and adventurous, and so much fun. I laughed and giggled and got odd looks from people on the bus because I just couldn't stop smiling. It's that kind of book. I did got teary eyed at one point, too, which goes to show you how much I cared for these guys. 

PS - You can read the first 70 pages or so of the book by clicking here.

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

At First Sight: Cinder is a gifted mechanic working in New Beijing, and like the Cinderella of fairy tales, Cinder has an evil step mother - whom I loved to hate- and two step sisters - though one of them wasn't so bad.

Her only friend and confidate is Iko, an android that works with her at her stall in the market. Oh, and Cinder is a cyborg... and in New Beijing, that's quite an stigma. 

Cinder was going about her business one day when none other than the heir to the Eastern Commonwealth, Prince Kai, showed up at her stall asking her to fix a droid for him.

The event seems small enough at the beginning -as small as meeting the Prince can be! - and Cinder has plenty on her plate: like being the sole provider for her stepmother Adri and stepsisters Pearl and Peony, and trying to keep Iko from being sold to the junk yard. 

And then there is the plague... and illness that has been sweeping through the world, killing thousands, and the cyborg draft - if you're drafted you have to 'volunteer' as a guinea pig for the doctors trying to find a cure to the plague.

Unknowingly, Cinder soon will find herself in the middle of it all. 

Second Glance: I've heard so much about Cinder, most of it good or amazingly good, so I was nervous going in. Fairy tale re-tellings can be tricky because when a story is so well known, it's hard to keep it fresh. But Cinder succeeds. 

I had a bit of a problem with the pacing because sometimes I felt like it took a while for things to get moving, but that might be because there is an element of mystery about the story and I'm not a particularly patient reader, but other than that it was lovely. And I did love the mystery. 

Things are complicated in Cinder's world, and it is a world that feels very rich - I loved the settling - so that was a plus. I really liked the characters, starting with Cinder and Kai - they had a good chemistry between them. But I gotta say my favorite character was Iko, even if she was all robot, there was such humanity to her emotions!

Bottom Line: I can honestly say that Cinder is a Cinderella like you have never seen before. Save for that small trouble with pacing, I loved it and I can't wait to delve again into the Lunar Chronicles's world. 

Book Review: Beauty by Robin Mckinley

The Deal: Grace, Hope and Beauty are three sisters that lead a comfortable life in a seaside city where their father has a successful shipping business.

Beauty - who's real name is Honour but was bestowed the nickname at a young age and then turned out to be the least conventionally pretty of the three sisters (or so she thinks) - is the scholar of the three and  barely notices when Grace's suitor Robbie - a promising young captain - leaves on a journey that promises to bring him fortune, as she is much too occupied with her studies.

A few years later, their father's business takes a turn for the worse and Robbie is presumed dead, so the whole family leaves the city and journey to the woods, casting their luck with Hope's suitor Gervain, who is a blacksmith.

Far away from everything familiar, they start a new life, even if Beauty's father aged overnight after his fortune failed and Grace still pines away after Robbie,. Beauty and Hope keep their spirits up and soon they find themselves quite content in their new lives. Until a couple years later, when news from the city come saying that one of the ships has returned.

The girls' father makes the journey back to the city and  on his way back home he gets lost in the woods and finds a castle and end sup making a bargain with the Beast that lords over the castle: come back in a month - alone or with one of his daughters to take his place - or die.

Knowing she's the only one that can be spared from the house's work and oddly believing the Beast's promise that he won't harm her, Beauty decides to take her father's place. 

My Thoughts: I'm a sucker for all things Beauty and the Beast, it's one of my most beloved stories and story devices. I had heard a lot about McKinley's version - particularly from Heidi from YA Bibliophile - and I finally decided to try it out.

I loved it.

Even though it's a story that I know well and that I've read in many incarnations, this one felt fresh and it had a lovely feel of "old-times" though the actual settling of the story is never mentioned. I liked Beauty and how practical she was. I really liked the Beast.

And I even liked the secondary characters, particularly Hope and Grace and Gervain. In characterization, I think the story is a winner.

I had a two problems with Beauty, though. To start with, the settling is never mentioned but certain commonplace works of art and literature are - like Jane Austen's works or Shakespeare and several greeks - and when they were mentioned, it was a bit jarring because the story has an over all fantasy feel.  And secondly, the end was abrupt and I felt like I needed a little bit more, plus I would have liked a bit more explanation about how the curse worked.
1/2

Belle by Cameron Dokey

Even with two extraordinarily beautiful sisters - Celeste and April - Annabelle finds little to be extraordinary about her self, and her nickname, Belle, sometimes feels like a mockery. As she herself points out, there is nothing wrong with her exactly, and she was even born in a perfectly fine day and ordinary day, but next to the dramatic beauty of her older sister, she feels quite... un-Beautiful.

Still, she grows in the shadow cast by her two sisters, leading a quiet, comfortable life in a seaside town where her father owns a shipping business. Her only talent, so she claims, is in wood-carving. With her tools and a nice piece of wood, she can find the secrets hidden within.

When her father's fortune turns sour, Belle and her family move from the mansion to a cottage in the country side, which eventually leads her father into finding a Heartwood tree, whose wood is rumored to be able to reveal the face of true love. But guarding the tree there is a Beast, and one very interested in Belle's talent, and on whatever the Heartwood wood will reveal.

Belle is part of the "Once Upon a Time" series, and it's a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I think it was very aptly named, for in this case it's mostly Belle's story (*MINI SPOILER* the Beast is absent for most of the book *MINI SPOILER*), as she struggles to find her own beauty and her own worth.

I have to say that I didn't love the book - and that's rare because I usually love anything Beauty and the Beast. I felt it was too short, some things happened too quickly and others were left hanging. And, at times, I felt Belle was a bit whiny. But it was a likable enough read, and it didn't take me much time at all to finish it.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Rejected at birth by her own mother -who refuses to name her - a young girl, known simply as Pika (girl) or Lass, grows up the best she can next to her many brothers and sisters in a country where winter has gone on relentlessly for 100 years or more.

Cold and poverty are the constant companions of her family but the Lass is happy enough, specially after her eldest brother, Hans Peter, comes back home after working in a merchant ship for several years. Hans Peter changed a lot during his time away, but he is the one who the Lass feels closest too, so she soon has but one wish in her heart: to see her brother happy again.

Gifted with the ability to understand animals, the Lass gets something of a reputation in her country, though she continues to live in peace in her little town, up until one cold night when she's 17 and a huge polar bear shows up at her house offering her a strange deal: if she comes to live with him for a year and a day, the bear will give her family fame and fortune.

She accepts and soon finds herself and her pet-wolf Rollo, whisked off to a magnificent ice palace where nothing is what it seems. A place filled with mysteries that concern not only her bear but her brother as well. The Lass is out to get answers, but the price for them might prove to be too high.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a retelling of two of my favorite fairy tales from childhood, so I guess this rating is going to be completely biased because of that, but I honestly loved this book. The Lass (She does get a name, eventually) was a great heroine, determined and brave without advertising it. The bear, Rollo, and Hans Peter were also very big players of this story and I loved each of them, particularly Rollo and the bear.

The story has a really nice pace, taking us from when the Lass is born until her adventure ends without your feeling like it's taking forever to get there. My only complaint about the story is that I wanted more of it, I didn't want it to end. It was the perfect book for a rainy afternoon.