Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

Snow White's stepmother wanted to get rid of the beautiful stepdaughter who was challenging her title of 'most beautiful' - by any means necessary. Was Snow White poisoned? What happens to the poisoned, and the poisoner?

Jennifer Donnelly turns her feminist eye to this most delicious of fairy tales and shows Snow White as she's never been seen before.

Sophie is Snow White, with hair black as coal and lips red as apples. You all know the story, but Donnelly has put a fantastic feminist twist on this retelling, focussing on the importance of kindness and the strength needed in a male-dominated world.

You know that saying: history is written by the winners? Well in this case, it has been written by the men. The wicked queen wasn’t all that wicked, she had to be extra strong to keep the throne in a world where men didn’t like women in charge; and she wasn’t vain, asking the mirror who was the fairest of them all, but rather asking how to keep herself in power; Snow White herself was kind but that didn’t make her passive or weak, it was how she persevered and cared for her kingdom.

I really enjoyed this; as a fan of the Brothers Grimm tales and of all fairy tale retellings, I greatly appreciated the new spin and the little hints to the original, like the three attempts of murder that the stepmother tried: the laces, the hair comb and finally the poisoned apple. While it almost felt slow-paced, Sophie traversed most of her kingdom and met a lot of people, some friendly and some foes, on her quest to topple the queen and get her heart back from the King of Crows. Speaking of whom, the personification of fear and pain was fascinating and very clever, especially mixed with the metaphor of cutting out Sophie’s heart – which would not only kill her but also remove her kindness and goodness. It was only the quick thinking of the “seven brothers” that saved Sophie’s soul and allowed her some extra time to make a plan and discover her own strength. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

Will the princess save the beast?

For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?

His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can't shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…

As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.

A re-telling of Beauty and The Beast but set in a boarding school – what’s not to love? The premise is that Jaya and her sister have been sent to an elite school for the rich and famous (and/or their offspring) to wait out the media storm surrounding the younger sister (whose name escapes me). But while there, Jaya has a plan to break the heart of the person she holds responsible.

I loved the originality of the retelling: the princess seeking out the beast to break his heart in retribution for his family ruining her sister’s reputation. But Grey isn’t easy to get close to, as he believes in the family lore that Jaya’s family cursed his for stealing a priceless jewel centuries ago. The whole thing had a very Romeo and Juliet feel to it, with family feuds and old curses and no-one really remembering why it all started in the first place!

I did not understand the whole “curse” thing – it was really secretive for a long time then revealed to only be that his mother died in childbirth! Says more about his father blaming him for it, than it does about Grey “killing” his mother. Plus, from Jaya’s point of view, her family doesn’t really believe in the old story that one of her ancestors cursed Grey’s. It all seemed to have been blown out of proportion, plus it wasn’t explained very well. It involved a lot of telling rather than showing, with a lot of inner monologue, especially from Jaya.

I appreciated the dual perspective, although I’m not sure it added a whole lot, as much of Grey’s chapters were him brooding and Jaya’s were complaining about the strict traditions she had to follow. Both characters had their very real flaws that only added to their characters: Jaya was the older, responsibly sister and so followed the rules to the letter, which became very annoying as she put the rules above her own feelings. And Grey had Lord Byron-level of brooding and had a very angsty aura that, unfortunately, got old quickly – at least for me. Having said that, I liked that once they got to know each other, they balanced each other out.

All in all, I enjoyed this story but too much of it was disappointing. It’s not like I wanted Grey to turn into a werewolf or anything (although that would have been awesome!) but to discover a third of the way through that the reason he avoided people was that his jerk father had let him believe he had killed his mother when really, she had died in childbirth. I couldn’t really get other that, as on the one hand it made me feel sorry for Grey but on the other, it was a crappy reason to believe that he deserved to be alone and to die on his eighteenth birthday.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

Elle has inherited her love of cult classic TV show Starfield from her dad - her parents met at a con, they cosplayed the main couple from the show, and then Elle used to watch it with her dad after her mum died. But when her dad then died, her step-mother bans it from the house, makes all of their memorabilia disappear and insults Elle and her dad for enjoying that stupid show. 

I thought with a nerdy Cinderella re-telling, the fairy tale elements would be stretched or unlikely. But right from the off, you could see the recognisable traits in a modern and believable setting. Elle just wants to enjoy her favourite show and hope that the reboot movie doesn't crush her soul, or that Darien would ruin her beloved Starfield. Darien, meanwhile, desperately wants to do Carmindor justice, having been a huge fan all his life too. 

I could tell this was going to be good because there were references to Doctor Who, Star Trek and Firefly in first few pages! It really was a love letter to nerd life - there was no fan-bashing (although some great comments about excessive fans, ambushing or stalking their - for want of a better word - prize), it was all about the community of cons and how you meet and recognise familiar faces and make a family in those who love something you do. 

I adored this whole story, from Elle and her desperate need to escape but also do her dad proud, to Darien and his catapult to fame and fortune. It was funny and quirky and so damn sweet, especially seeing not just Elle but one of her step-sisters stand up to the "evil step-mother". It really was a story about being true to you and not letting fear or someone else's expectations get in your way.

Published 4th April 2017 by Quirk Books.

Barefoot On The Wind by Zoe Marriott

There is a monster in the forest... 

Everyone in Hana's remote village on the mountain knows that straying too far into the woods is a death sentence. When Hana's father goes missing, she is the only one who dares try to save him. Taking up her hunting gear, she goes in search of the beast, determined to kill it - or be killed herself. 

But the forest contains more secrets, more magic and more darkness than Hana could ever have imagined. And the beast is not at all what she expects...

Hana lives with her family in a small village in the middle of a dangerous forest. Her family has lost more than most to the monster that hides in the dark but one night, her father returns from an attack, the first ever to do so. But he is injured and Hana is the only one brave enough to take on the monster in the forest. 

Hana is hurt on her hunt and taken in by a stranger but it seems that he knows more about this dark forest than he lets on. As Hana heals and they grow closer, the magic in the woods turns deadly. Marriott has said that this is a feminist retelling of Beauty and the Beast, written as if Beauty had the choice to stay in the forest rather than as part of a deal to save her father. I think it made a huge difference in the portrayal of bravery and their love story, as the Beast doesn't hold anything over Beauty's freedom. 

The whole story was such an interesting re-imagining of the classic tale, and with Marriott's lovely descriptions and skill for magical worlds, it practically burst off the page. Although short and sweet, I really enjoyed this Japanese-style fairy tale and was reminded of why Beauty and the Beast is my favourite story. 

Published 1st September 2016 by Walker Books.

Splintered trilogy by AG Howard

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family.

She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

So, modern Alice in Wonderland, a distant relative of the original Alice, forced to live out the curse of hearing plants talk and have everyone think you're crazy. Firstly, I loved the concept, I thought it was done really well, with the madness and magic of Wonderland seeping into the modern world. Second, the characters: Alyssa was one bad ass heroine and she had some wicked support from long-time crush Jeb, Wonderland native Morpheus, her parents, and her best friend. And third, the whole series was full of fantastical, beautiful descriptions of the madness. 

Alyssa was really cool, proper punk girl, not to mention a great heroine. She thought for herself, made mistakes, had wicked adventures but also needed saving sometimes. Apart from saving Wonderland from the evil Queen Red, Allie also had two gorgeous guys to choose between. Personally, I totally fell head over heels for Morpheus; I would have picked him in a heartbeat but I could understand why Allie wanted Jeb and her human life. The way both guys portrayed each side of Allie was done really well, it made it feel less like a love triangle for the sake of it. Jeb was a great hero and so protective of Allie but didn't want her to have that life; Morpheus  on the other hand might have nearly always had some hidden motive but he really did want what was best for Wonderland, and in turn Allie. He encouraged her madness and magic while Jeb was scared of it overpowering her. 

The second book really felt like a filler book, even though we learned a lot more about Wonderland and Allie's mum. The series really should be taken as a whole though, as Allie's adventures got crazier, she progressed with her powers and we got to know the mad characters. I especially loved how the story was a blend of Lewis Carroll's original work and how it had morphed through a little girl's eyes, the truly disturbing being tinted by innocence. But Alyssa isn't innocent anymore and now she's got to really understand her role in saving Wonderland. All in all, it was a great trilogy, with real development in Allie and her heroes and family, coming to terms with the truth and their history with Wonderland. 

The Lunar Chronicles (so far) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Set in the future, several hundred years I think, Meyer re-tells Cinderella, with a nice mix of new twists and surprises while keeping some things recognisable from the original. It was very interesting to see how the world has developed, especially with the different empires and the negotiations and the peace treaties. And of course the Lunars, who with their magic powers of persuasion - bio-electrical something or other is how it's explained - are a series threat to Earth, and the Eastern Commonwealth in particular as their evil queen is determined to become empress. It's some pretty damn incredible world building!

I instantly adored Cinder. Part cyborg after an accident, she is about 30% metal, and is typically prejudiced for being less than human. I really felt for her but she could more than hold her own, with her skills as a mechanic gaining her note, and her spunk and determination for a better life. 

She had some great friendships with Peony, younger step sister, and Iko, an android with a "damaged" personality chip. And I can't go any further without mentioning Kai. I fell for him pretty much instantly, with his charm and sweet nature. I loved all of Meyer's characters, all so very different, with varying sense of goodness and quirks. Plus Queen Levana made a spectacular villain, as she was so completely heartless in her pursuit for power. 

Scarlet
Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. The police have closed her case. The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf, a street fighter she does not trust, but they are drawn to each other.

Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive – when she breaks out of prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana.

As Scarlet and Wolf expose one mystery, they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels. Together they must challenge the evil queen, who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner . . .

A set of new characters but with odd chapters from old favourites to see how Cinder and Kai are progressing. It was interesting and very cool to see them intertwine by the end, how it seems everything is connected.

Scarlet has her own problems - her grandmother has gone missing and no one seems to care. Along with unlikely companion Wolf, a street fighter who seems to know more than he's letting on, Scarlet takes the hunt to Paris. Scarlet and Wolf were something of an instant hit. They go through so much in just a day or two of knowing each other, it was inevitable they would be drawn together. And I loved that Scarlet made the first move - go girl! 

From Cinder's side, she gets a new companion too, in the form of the hilarious and a little bit pervy Captain Thorne. I admit, I didn't warm to him immediately but it didn't take long to get used to his sense of humour and his heroism. Plus, he bounces off Cinder very well and once they are used to each other, they make a good team.

By the end of the book, things are making a little more sense in terms of Scarlet's place in Cinder's story, as well as how she can help the lost princess take down the evil queen and the save the world. Not too much to worry about then!

Cress
In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. 

Another new face, this time Rapunzel. Some unlikely help comes to Cinder in the form of a damsel stuck in a satellite, a Lunar working for Queen Levena. So unlike Cinder and Scarlet, Cress was shy and anxious and I fell for her instantly. Meyer's heroines have that effect on me! Cress was just so damn cute but considering her rescue went so pear-shaped, she took it all in her stride and proved herself to be a valuable member of the team.

I think this is my favourite book so far, considering how much the characters were split up. Things don't go according to plan (when do they ever) but as more pieces fit together, and more people know the truth about Cinder, we finally start to form a plan. 

Oh, and we finally get a reunion with Cinder and Kai! And it was even better than I could have hoped for! I admit, I squealed. Quite a lot actually! Plus Cress and Thorne, dammit everyone's so cute!

I'm really glad I read these back to back, it made everything flow that bit more easier. And although I was surprised by how much was intertwined between the books, I really liked the set up and the alternating chapters so we could keep up with everyone. Now I've just got to wait for Winter and I'll finally, hopefully, see a happy ending for this fairytale characters!

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Dodger is a tosher – a sewer scavenger living in the squalor of Dickensian London. Everyone who is nobody knows Dodger. Anyone who is anybody doesn’t.

But when he rescues a young girl from a beating, suddenly everybody wants to know him. And Dodger’s tale of skulduggery, dark plans and even darker deeds begins . .

This has been sat on my shelves for an embarrassingly long time! I adore Terry Pratchett and his unique writing style, it just takes me ages to read, which is why I've been putting this off. This was something different for Pratchett, a re-telling of Oliver Twist, something, as a English graduate and huge book-nerd, I got very excited about.

It told of young Dodger, a seventeen year old lad, toughing it out on the streets of London. Until he rescues a young woman from blackguards and finds himself in a rather complicated and dangerous adventure. Pratchett wrote a funny, and very cockney, voice for Dodger, with slurred vowels and missing t's. Plus, it was set over a Victorian London backdrop, where Pratchett depicts the dramatic social changes, the gap between classes and of course the ugly underbelly of London, centred on Dodger's sewer territory. 

While the story was quite long and maybe a little convoluted, it was very entertaining with a mad variety of characters, including Mr Dickens himself. It was typically hilarious and witty and clever, just classic Pratchett.

As a final side note, I of course have to mention the sad news of his passing. I was at work when I found out, I teared up and we made a display table for him immediately. 

Published 13th September 2012 by Doubleday.

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle

When it comes to revenge, love is a dangerous complication.With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.

When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion in her neighbourhood, Sophie Gracewell's life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling into a criminal underworld governed by powerful families. As the boys' dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. She must choose between two warring dynasties - the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break. 

This is a modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, but with the Mafia. Do you need anything else?

Doyle's debut told of Sophie and her quiet life at her summer job at her dad's diner. All she wants to do is save up money to get out of town, where everyone points at her because her dad is in prison. But then something exciting: a family of five brothers move into the permanently empty house at the end of the road. An instant hit with the town gossip, the boys are mysterious, not to mention hot. But there is more to them than meets the eye and as Sophie gets closer, she is in more danger than she thought.

The story was full of feuds, revenge, blood oaths and dark secrets. Sophie is left in the dark for a lot of it, which was incredibly frustrating because we are given no apparent reason to fear the boys apart from her uncle's paranoia. But then as we get to know them, we see how strange they act, how secretive they are and I at least began to fear for Sophie and her involvement.

Nic was, in a word, amazing; he was surprisingly sweet and very protective of his family and later Sophie. To a point, he was scary too and understandably Sophie was terrified of how far he could hurt someone. This was when the dark underbelly of his family secrets came out and it was really interesting seeing it from Nic's perspective, who saw what they did as honourable and necessary. 

I absolutely loved this, it had everything from forbidden romance to violence in abandoned warehouses. It was scaring and thrilling and surprisingly romantic; I cannot wait to read the sequel and see how far Sophie is willing to go for Nic. 

Published 1st January 2015 by Chicken House. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review. 

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

Twenty-four year old grad student Lizzie Bennet is saddled with student loan debt and still living at home along with her two sisters;beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When she records her reflections on life for her thesis project and posts them on YouTube, she has no idea The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will soon take on a life of their own, turning the Bennet sisters into internet celebrities seemingly overnight.

When rich and handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck-up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets and for Lizzie's viewers. But not everything happens on screen. Lucky for us, Lizzie has a secret diary.

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet takes readers deep inside Lizzie's world and well beyond the confines of her camera from the wedding where she first meets William Darcy to the local hangout of Carters bar, and much more. Lizzie's private musings are filled with revealing details about the Bennet household, including her growing suspicions about her parents unstable financial situation, her sisters budding relationship with Bing Lee, the perils of her unexpected fame, and her uncertainty over her future and whom she wants to share it with.

Featuring plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the web series phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like never before.

I loved watching the video diaries last year so when I found out they had written a book based around it, I went straight online to find me a copy. And although it was very different to the videos, because of the different media style, Lizzie's voice came across so clearly and it was so easy to read and fall back into her story. 

If you haven't watched the videos, or at least not for a while, I would recommend watching them alongside reading the diary; there were a few little things that Lizzie mentions in the diary that I had forgotten were portrayed online. But mostly, it was like an amazing behind the scenes thing with extra secrets and juicy bits of gossip that is hinted at in the videos, or not even mentioned. Like Jane's scare or Lizzie's relationship with her father, or her mother setting the curtain on fire at dinner. Oh, oh, oh! How could I forget? Viewers of the videos will know about The Letter. Well, guess what? It's included! I actually squealed a little when I found it! All this extra information was just amazing to read and made me feel a lot closer to Lizzie as she goes through everything from meeting Darcy to Charlotte leaving, from Lydia's dramas and meltdown at Christmas to George's awful behaviour explained. 

Lizzie is prejudiced, or at least stubborn in her first impressions. We all know that, but this really came across in her diary. In the videos, we did get the impression that 'Lizzie sees what Lizzie sees' but reading it for yourself, even from Lizzie's perspective, you can tell that she is just seeing what she wants to. Especially in the case of Darcy, and to a lesser extent Lydia. It was really interesting hearing about Lizzie's insecurities over making and posting the videos, about putting her and her family's lives online and how it effects them. 

Lizzie's diary was unfiltered, unlike her videos, so you could really feel how everything got to her. I mean, my heart broke when I watched what happened to Lydia but reading about it from Lizzie's perspective was something else. From Lizzie's perspective, you can tell it is hurting her that she can't do anything to help her little sister but you also read that Lizzie is doing everything she can to coax Lydia out of her shell and to understand her properly, not just as that crazy party girl. 

Reading Lizzie's diary, I fell back in love with her story. Lizzie and Darcy is a love story for the ages but what I adore about this modernisation is Lizzie's relationship with her family, especially her sisters. As she begins to understand that she was judging too harshly, she makes the effort to connect with Lydia as she is, not what Lizzie or anyone else expects her to be. This modern version of the story resonates with our society as much as the original did and I loved hearing it again. 

Published 1st July 2014 by Touchstone. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.