Series: Once Upon A Time

February 2015 in Review

Posted February 28, 2015 in Faith, Reading / 2 Comments

It is so hard to believe it is the end of February already. This has been a crazy month.

Things that Happened in February

  • Lent started with Ash Wednesday the beginning of the month.
  • I got the nasty cold thing going around the school. I have to remember to thank my students for that one.
  • We had this really great false spring with temperatures in the 60s (Farenheit) and then we were down to the negatives again.
  • I left town twice this month! This is pretty big when the closest other places are 2+ hours away and there is a lot of snow on the ground.
  • I spent a great deal of time with my head in a book and I am perfectly okay with that.

Books I Read in February

SacrificedSeekerThe Winner's CurseWater Song
The Kiss That Saved HerCinderScarlet
Of Shadow and StoneThe Turnip PrincessAn Uncertain ChoiceAkarnae
The Holy Trinity in the Life of the ChurchThe Magician's NephewDauntless
Victoria and the RogueThe FranciscanThe Orphan QueenShiver
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Review: Water Song

Posted February 17, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Review: Water SongWater Song by Suzanne Weyn
Series: Once Upon A Time
Publisher: Simon Pulse (2006)
Paperback (189 pages)
Rating:
Also by this author: The Night Dance
Also in this series: Snow, Sunlight and Shadow, The Night Dance
Reading Challenges: 2015 Fairytale Retelling, 2015 Re-Reading, Read 2015

Synopsis

Young, beautiful, and wealthy, Emma Pennington is accustomed to a very comfortable life. Although war rages abroad, she hardly feels its effect. She and her mother travel from their home in Britain to the family estate in Belgium, never imagining that the war could reach them there. But it does.
Soon Emma finds herself stranded in a war-torn country, utterly alone. Enemy troops fight to take over her estate, leaving her with no way to reach her family, and no way out.
With all of her attention focused on survival and escape, Emma hardly expects to find love. But the war will teach her that life is unpredictable, people aren’t always what they seem, and magic is lurking everywhere.

Find the book: Goodreads

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December 2014 Monthly Wrap-Up

Posted December 31, 2014 in Faith, Reading / 2 Comments

Since it is the end of another month, I have decided to do a monthly wrap-up post. Behold, my month in bulleted lists.

Things that Happened in December

Books I Read in December

the elitesnowthe miracle of lourdesmockingjay
time's edgean introduction to the vocation of consecrated virginity lived in the worldchastity is for lovers
esther: royal beautythe case for Christmassplinteredblood of a stone
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Review: Snow

Posted December 15, 2014 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Review: SnowSnow by Tracy Lynn
Series: Once Upon A Time
Publisher: Simon Pulse (2003)
Paperback (259 pages)
Rating:
Also in this series: Water Song, Sunlight and Shadow, The Night Dance
Reading Challenges: Read 2014

Synopsis

In a tiny Welsh estate, a duke and duchess lived happily, lacking only a child -- or, more importantly, a son and heir to the estate. Childbirth ultimately proved fatal for the young duchess. After she died, the duke was dismayed to discover that he was not only a widower, but also father to a tiny baby girl. He vowed to begin afresh with a new wife, abandoning his daughter in search of elusive contentment.
Independent -- virtually ignored -- and finding only little animals and a lonely servant boy as her companions, Jessica is pale, lonely, and headstrong... and quick to learn that she has an enemy in her stepmother. "Snow," as she comes to be known, flees the estate to London and finds herself embraced by a band of urban outcasts. But her stepmother isn't finished with her, and if Jessica doesn't take control of her destiny, the wicked witch will certainly harness her youth -- and threaten her very life...

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository


 

I have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings. I love to hear the tales imagined in different ways. The Once Upon a Time series is great at that. I love the way the stories don’t always follow the path you think they will… or even the setting. For example, I would never have thought to set Snow White in Victorian London and Wales. Or to have the stepmother be a crazy scientist.

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