Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Retelling the Ballad of Mulan – Wild Orchid {Review}

Posted March 28, 2016 in Reading, Review / 4 Comments

Retelling the Ballad of Mulan – Wild Orchid {Review}Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
Series: Once Upon A Time
Publisher: Simon Pulse (2009)
Paperback (199 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: Sunlight and Shadow, Winter's Child
Also in this series: Snow, Water Song, Sunlight and Shadow
Reading Challenges: 2016 Backlist Books, 2016 Re-Reading, 2016 Retelling Challenge, 2016 Royal Challenge, Read 2016

Synopsis

Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight, tom-boyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call.
But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?

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{Review} Winter’s Child – A Retelling of the Snow Queen

Posted February 20, 2016 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments

{Review} Winter’s Child – A Retelling of the Snow QueenWinter's Child by Cameron Dokey
Series: Once Upon A Time
Publisher: Simon Pulse (2009)
Paperback (173 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: Sunlight and Shadow, Wild Orchid
Also in this series: Snow, Water Song, Sunlight and Shadow
Reading Challenges: 2016 Backlist Books, 2016 Re-Reading, 2016 Retelling Challenge, 2016 Royal Challenge, Read 2016

Synopsis

Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Kai's grandmother and sharing in each other's secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declares his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai - and their friendship - away.
Dejected Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai...and discover herself.

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{Review} Winterspell – What Did I Just Read? Really?

Posted January 25, 2016 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments

{Review} Winterspell – What Did I Just Read? Really?Winterspell by Claire Legrand
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2014)
Hardcover (454 pages)
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2016 Backlist Books, 2016 Retelling Challenge, 2016 Royal Challenge, Read 2016

Synopsis

The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince…but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.
New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor’s ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother’s murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.
Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.
Her home is destroyed, her father abducted—by beings distinctly
not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they’re to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets—and a need she can’t define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won’t leave Cane unscathed—if she leaves at all.
Inspired by
The Nutcracker, Winterspell is a dark, timeless fairy tale about love and war, longing and loneliness, and a girl who must learn to live without fear.

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{Review} City of Glass – Finally Out of New York

Posted September 21, 2015 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments

{Review} City of Glass – Finally Out of New YorkCity of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #3
Publisher: McElderry Books (2009)
Hardcover (541 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: City of Bones, City of Ashes, The Bane Chronicles
Also in this series: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Fallen Angels
Reading Challenges: Read 2015

Synopsis

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters – never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City – whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

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Review: The Rose Bride – A Fairy Tale Retelling and a Greek Goddess

Posted August 17, 2015 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments

Review: The Rose Bride – A Fairy Tale Retelling and a Greek GoddessThe Rose Bride by Nancy Holder
Series: Once Upon A Time
Publisher: Simon Pulse (2007)
Paperback (245 pages)
Rating:
Also in this series: Snow, Water Song, Sunlight and Shadow
Reading Challenges: 2015 Birthday Month, 2015 Color Coded, 2015 Fairytale Retelling, 2015 Mythology, 2015 Re-Reading, Read 2015

Synopsis

When Rose’s mother dies, her only comfort is the exquisite rose garden her mother left behind. The purple blossoms serve as an assurance of her mother’s love. But Rose is dealt a second blow when her father dies and his greedy widow, Ombrine, and her daughter, Desirée, move in and take over the manor in true Cinderella fashion.
Fate has been cruel to Ombrine and Desirée, too. So despite their harsh ways, Rose has compassion. But these feelings are bitterly tested when, in a rage, Ombrine tears out the garden. Rose nearly gives up all hope—until a chance meeting with the king. Happiness might be within her reach, but first she must prevail over Ombrine. And then she must determine if she has the courage to love.

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