Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli is a retelling of The Little Mermaid that ties in the Sirens from Greek Mythology. It is, without a doubt, my favorite of all the Napoli retellings I am familiar with. In this story, Sirena is a mermaid and a siren. All sirens have the opportunity to earn immortality, but they must know the love of a human man. And so, they sing, luring sailors with their enchanting voices to their deaths, desperate to find a man to love them. But Sirena cannot live like this. She does not like the death and the killing and so she leaves her siren sisters and lives on an island alone. Until the day a man is left for dead on the beach of her island and she decides to save him.
Sirena may not agree with the way her sister sirens lure men to their doom, hoping to earn their immortality, but she does crave that give of eternal life. But she refuses to seduce a man with he songs into forgetting what and who she is. When Philoctetes is abandoned on her island, she knowingly risks the wrath of Hera to save his life. She is drawn to him, and as she cares for him, trying to heal him, they form a bond and become friends. She hopes that they might fall in love, but wants that love to be real, to be pure, untainted by her siren's song.
This story reads like a fairy tale combined with a Greek Tragedy and it is all the more magical for it. Napoli pulls darker elements into this tale, as she does with all her stories and no where do her intricate and unique combinations work better than here. The Greek Gods are a vengeful lot, unforgiving of mortals and those who interfere in their dealings with mortals. Hera sent the serpent that bit Philoctetes, the bite that would have killed him, if Sirena had not interfered. For a long while, it would seem that the Goddess would overlook this infraction, overlook this insult, but all too soon, the consequences of interfering with the punishments of the Gods are manifest. And those consequences are all the more painful, more damaging and hopeless because it they are not catastrophic tragedies. They are small slights and refusals that eventually might destroy them.
Sirena is a story that catches at you. It's been a while since I read this book, although I did reread much of it to prepare for this review, but a lot of the story stuck with me. And what I didn't remember came back clearly and vividly as I began to reread the story. We are privy to Sirena's thoughts and so we are able to feel her indecision, share her hesitation and her heartache and accept that which can have no other outcome. If you only ever read one Donna Jo Napoli story or one retelling of The Little Mermaid, please, make it this one.
Today we are pleased to have joining us Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder, a futuristic retelling of Cinderella. Guys! Be excited! Cinder is a 2012 debut, and a little birdie on the inside tells me (Misty) it's fabulous! Make sure to stop back on Friday for a guest post from Marissa!
Now let's get down to business. "Serious" Questions: ~Can you tell us a little bit about Cinder and the series?Gladly! CINDER is a young adult futuristic retelling of Cinderella. In it, Cinder, a 16-year-old cyborg mechanic, must piece together her mysterious past in order to protect her country from an impending war. It's the first in a four-book series, each of which revolves around a different fairy-tale-inspired heroine (Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White), as they join forces to save the world and find their happily-ever-afters. CINDER is scheduled to release in early 2012.
~Why fairy tales? What is it that calls to you, personally, as a writer, and why do you think readers connect to them the way they do? I’ve always loved fairy tales. When I was growing up, I loved them for the romance, the magical kisses, the dresses, the princes in their fancy castles. Now I’m drawn to them for their timelessness—these are story archetypes that have been retold and recycled in 8 billion different ways, yet authors and artists and movie directors are still coming up with new ways to tell them. And because they still relate to issues that every society deals with, whether it’s childhood neglect a la Hansel and Gretel or just wanting to improve your social status a la Cinderella—these stories hold as much meaning for us now as they did in the time of the Grimm Brothers.
~What’s your favorite scene you’ve ever written? EVER ever? Gosh, that’s a lot of scenes. Can I say every single kiss? I’m a big fan of kissing scenes. The fun part of writing a four-book series with four different heroines who have four different romances is that there’s lot of opportunity for great kissing! Book 2: SCARLET (Little Red Riding Hood) will have some particularly smoldering ones.
Quickfire, Silly and Random stuff: ~Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in a fairy tale? I love this question, because I was tempted at one point to call my Rapunzel character “Arugula”! I ended up settling on “Cress” though, which is also a type of lettuce. If I were in a fairy tale, I think my odd name would be something geeky and literary, like maybe Pencil or Comma.
~ Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale: The fairy godmother waved her magic wand and Pencil found herself with this a real live book deal—a dream come true! She was about to retire to Hawaii and do nothing but lie on the beach and drink fruity cocktails for the rest of her happily ever after... when it occurred to her that she still had to write the rest of the books. And back to work the princess went.
~Best fairy tale villain and why? I’m partial to Rumpelstiltskin. He’s sly, crafty, can actually spin straw into gold (quite the feat!), and goes after what he wants. I also love that the story leaves open a big mystery: why does he want the queen’s firstborn at all? It could be very cruel and awful (maybe he plans to eat it!) or more sympathetic (maybe he just wants a family).
~Favorite tale from childhood? Favorite tale as an adult? Least favorites? I always loved The Little Mermaid—it was my favorite Disney movie as a kid, and I only fell in love with it more once I read the Hans Christian Andersen version and learned how truly tragic the story was. It has so much depth to it (pun kind of intended). As for now... it’s so hard to choose! Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are probably neck and neck for my all-time favs. As for least favorite... I don’t know that I really have one, although something about the end of Hansel & Gretel always bugged me. I felt like the dad got off way too easy in that tale!
~If you could be any fairy tale character, or live through any fairy tale "happening," who/what would it be? Cinderella’s ball! I love big beautiful dresses and dancing and food!
~Would you rather: - — live under a bridge with a troll, or all alone in a high tower? Tower, definitely! Just think how much reading you’d get done.
- — ride everywhere in a pumpkin carriage (messy) or walk everywhere in glass shoes (uncomfortable)? I’ll take the carriage, with hopes that the fairy godmother had the sense to scrape all the guts out of it.
- — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming? Between getting engaged and getting my book deal for CINDER both in the past few months, I think I already have both!
Thanks so much for the fun interview, Ashley and Misty! Oh course! We were happy to have you, and can't wait for Cinder! Thanks for stopping by!So who else is super excited for Cinder? *raises hand*Stop back on Friday for a special guest post from Marissa Meyer. And don't forget to leave her some love in the comments!
Cloaked is another modern fairy tale retelling by Alex Flinn, the woman who wrote the ever popular Beastly (Beauty and the Beast) and the recently released A Kiss in Time (Sleeping Beauty).
I've made no secret about the fact that I absolutely adore fairy tale retellings, and I very much enjoyed Flinn's first two tales. Cloaked was just as much fun to read as the first two stories, but I actually liked this one even better.
Before I get into the story itself, I need to mention one of my most favorite parts of the book. In the beginning of each chapter, Flinn included a quote from one of the Grimm's Fairy Tales she took inspiration from and included it under each chapter numbering as a sort of foreshadowing for what was to come. I love the original fairy tales, and have read them many times, so it was beyond delightful to see them quoted within the story.
Cloaked is the story of Johnny, a young boy trying to help his mother pay their bills by spending all his free time working in their family shoe repair shop, located in a large Florida hotel. Johnny has big dreams, but is realistic enough to know that all they will ever be are day dreams. He works in the shop, but his real passion is design. He has notebooks filled with designs for high end, beautiful shoes. He's even managed to save enough scraps and materials to make up a prototype, and he knows they are a good design. But alas, he needs to stay behind to help his mother, and their is no way they will be able to afford college or trade school to further this dream. Although he wishes and hopes that there was some way something might be different, he has resigned himself to his fate.
But, in the way of all fairy tales, fate decides there is something more in store for our unassuming hero, and when a foreign princess (think Paris Hilton with a crown) comes to stay at their hotel, Johnny's life will change forever. Because real magic exists in the country out fair princess comes from, and her brother has been turned into a frog in a wicked attempt for the witch to steal their throne for herself and her evil oaf of a son. The princess is desperate for assistance, and promises Johnny money and marriage if he successfully saves the prince. In need of money, desperately hoping for something more out of life, and afraid to offend the princess, Johnny agrees to look into the disappearance of her brother.
It takes Johnny some time to admit and accept that magic really exists, but once he does, he finds himself in the middle of an impossible adventure, giving assistance to talking geese, taking aide from rats and foxes and searching every where for a missing toad all while being chased by magical crazy folk. By his side, ready and willing to offer whatever assistance she can is Meg, Johnny's longtime best friend who helps her family run the coffee shop also located in the hotel.
I adored the mash up of fairy tales included within Cloaked. We see elements of The Six Swans, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Valiant Tailor, The Golden Bird, and of course, The Frog Prince. Almost all of these tales come from my favorites of the Brother's Grimm. Being so familiar with fairy tales in general, and these fairy tales in particular did mean that I was able to predict a lot of what was about to happen, but there was enough that surprised even me that I was not left feeling like this was another predictable retelling.
This was a wonderfully fun story, filled with mischief and mayhem, love and loss, and the hope for brighter days. Johnny was a great character, well rounded and fully written. There are times when he is your typical 17 year old boy, but he is so much more than that. He's loyal and loving, willing to put others before himself and he truly wants to do the right thing. He is sacrificing his dreams to protect and assist his mother. Meg was also a wonderfully written character. Although we don't see as much personal development in her as a character, a lot of the growth we see in Johnny is a direct result of Meg's influence and company.
All in all, this was a wonderfully enjoyable book. It's the perfect combination of reality and myth, fact and fiction, and is full of all the elements which make a wonderfully perfect fairy tale. This is a story that I very highly recommend to any and all whole love a good fairy tale.
*Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.
I've never participated in the WoW meme before, and I know this isn't Wednesday, but I feel like I totally need to let you all know how badly I want this book...
I recently read Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta and I loved it. A few months before that, I read Jellicoe Road which I loved hardcore. It is one of the best books I've read, ever. I've developed a bit of an author crush on Ms. Marchetta... I haven't reviewed either of them yet, but it's coming.:)
Anyway, I was browsing the blogosphere, and I can't remember where it was that I saw this, but a few days ago I saw this book being mentioned: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta. It comes out in 2011, and it revisits the world of Saving Francesca. I loved those other books, and I was definitely a little... overcome by my excitement for this one, and I may or may not have made a series of Oh My Gosh freakout noises... ~shrugs what can I say... I was beyond excited to hear about this.
But, it doesn't come out until March of 2011, and I'm depressed. I want it bad! Sigh... Maybe my good luck fairy will come to visit me soon. A girl can dream, right?!
I mentioned before that I was going to be participating in the One Child reading experience. If you don't know what that is, you can read my original post HERE. To briefly summarize, Enthrill is a new publisher, trying new marketing techniques. They took this book and created a month long reading event. One Child is a thriller that you read in real time. Each day new chapters were released the same time the events took place within the story. The online reader also included links to facebook pages, business websites, news reports and more that made the real time reading experience realistic.
This book felt like a true story. It read like real life. I almost feel like these characters are real people. Jeff Buick is a very talented writer. So, now let me get to my review of this book, as well as the experience of reading it in real time. (And be warned... This is a long one, because there is a lot of ground to cover here!)
I just reading this early this morning, and I'm still reeling. The story includes everything that makes a good thriller. It contains realistic and sympathetic characters. People who are very clearly bad guys, people who are very clearly good guys, and several people who inhabit that shady in-between area where you aren't quite sure just where they fall. It has a conflict, a climax and a slightly unbelievable resolution that you totally eat up anyway, because seriously?! That's just what had to happen!
For all that this book had everything that makes for a great thriller, there was so much more to it that just another thriller/conspiracy story. This book makes a political statement, asking us to become more aware of our situation and the problems facing others. It takes a very real issue in America, the war in Afghanistan, and it asks Americans to take a closer look at why we are there, what we are accomplishing, and what more needs to be done there. And the best part about it? It does all of this while keeping us totally entertained, completely absorbed in the story and never makes you feel like you are being pushed or beaten over the head with the information. The book, quite simply, tells it like it is.
That is what I think was the best part about this book. It's honest. The sections of the book that take place among the American soldiers in Afghanistan is painfully real. While reading, you can feel the fear and adrenaline from the soldiers, and understand the fear, anger and pain of the Afghani people. It would be interesting to talk to someone who has been over there fighting how accurately Buick portrays the conditions, because they felt horribly real to me. It makes my heart hurt that this is what some people face every day. There's the danger of unexploded land mines being stepped on by children or animals, the angry Taliban soldiers storming through your town, not caring who they hurt in an effort to kill the soldiers fighting them, people afraid of who will next burst through the door of their homes with guns held at the ready. It's tragic and painful to read. I can only imagine how much harder it must be to live it.
There are four main story lines within this book. Initially, we don't see a connection between any of the stories, but eventually, they all pull together and we are able to find the connections, and determine how each player and each movement sets the stage for what is to come as each story line finally becomes one.
So, our first story is Kadir and his three daughters. Halima is the eldest, and she dreams that she changes the world. Next, we have Carson Grant and William Flemming. Flemming is an incredibly wealthy big-shot on Wall Street, and Carson is his newly promoted Division Head of the High Frequency Trading Unit of his Wall Street Corporation. Third is Russel Matthews, a reporter going to Afghanistan to bring the truth about the situation over there to the people in America. We also meet several soldiers in Afghanistan who help us understand what life is really like. And finally, we have U2, preparing for a rock concert in Moscow, and the team lead by an ex-CIA agent trying to bring it down.
The story is crafted perfectly. The pacing is wonderful, the story flows beautifully and the characters are believable. I really enjoyed reading this book and felt like I truly got to know the characters. The only real complaint that I have with the story is the ending. It was just a little bit too pat, and a few events were a little bit too unbelievable for me. Carson Grant is a naive idiot, and I never really felt like I was able to like him. His character felt a little bit flat to me. Part of his limited character depth, I think, comes from the fact that the woman he is engaged to, Nicki, is an almost superfluous character. She is dying of Cystic Fibrosis, and I felt that she was never anything more than a device. She provides "depth" to Carson's character, a little bit of drama, and is there for consequences. She was never really developed as a person. Instead, I felt like she was developed as a disease.
Other than my problems with the Carson/Nicki dynamic, I loved the characters in this book. Not all of them are people I'd like to meet on the street, but most of them (even Carson) felt like people that I might. It's possible I could run across someone just like almost any of these characters. It's not too likely that I'd run into a psychotic Russian who gets his thrills from killing people slowly, but I'll probably run into someone who has served a tour or more in a foreign war fighting for liberty and the right to life.This is definitely a book that I will read again in the future, and one I would recommend for others. I'm going to be looking to read more by Buick in the future. I'd like to see how I feel about a book of his reading it in one straight shot. But for now, Buick is definitely someone to watch for. One Child is so much more than I expected it to be, and I strongly recommend that you go out and read it now. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, about the experience because you have to say something about that-
This book was the most unique book I've ever read because of the way it was released. As I mentioned, it was released in real time, with different chapters becoming available every day so that the events in the story unfold as you are reading about them. You are able to view the social networking pages of many characters, and are able to watch the reports that Russel Matthews sends from Afghanistan.
Although I truly enjoyed the little extras that came with the book, only having access to a limited number of pages every day stifled a lot of the excitement and adrenaline that I usually feel when reading a thriller/suspense novel. I was more invested in the characters than the events, because the chapters kept cutting off. I am a pretty fast reader, and rarely take more than 1-3 days reading a book. When I read, I prefer to read one book at a time, focus all my reading energies into that story and those characters and read it. Because this book provided me with daily cut offs, I found it really easy to distance myself from the events of the story and there were times when I'd leave it for a few days so I would have more to read when I came back to it.
The 4 videos that were released with the days events also reaffirmed what I already knew. I am more emotionally involved in what I read than in what I see or am told. The book made me cry, made my heart hurt. Watching those same events on Matthews video reports didn't even really make me sad. They were just kind of there. But that isn't the fault of the videos, it's just how I am. A really well written sad scene in a book can make me sob. A similar scene in a really well done movie just kind makes my throat hurts and my eyes tear up a little.
The timed release was a great idea and really made a difference in how the story made me feel, but I don't know that I loved it. I loved the idea, and enjoyed the execution but don't know if it's something I will be looking to repeat. However, I definitely plan to re-read this book sometime in the future and I strongly encourage you as readers to pick up a copy. It makes you think a lot more than I ever expected it too. I know that Halima has changed my world. Are you going to let her change yours?
*Disclaimer — I received these books from the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I enjoy historical fiction. I love reading about a time period before my own because it gives me a little taste of what life was like for someone with very different experiences. And, I'd much rather experience it vicariously than permanently give up electricity and running water.
So, when I was contacted by Earthshaker Books to review a prehistoric adventure following young Zan-Gah, I was thrilled. It sounded like something that would be a fun read, and even if I didn't end up loving them, I have four younger brothers, and between them, one brother was bound to be interested. My initial feelings after finishing these two books? I'm keeping them (sorry bro... Maybe, if you're nice to me, I'll let you borrow it.)
The two books, Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure
and Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country
by Allan Richard Shickman were a lot of fun to read. When we first meet Zan, he is a young boy trying to determine his place within his tribe. He wants to be a man, with a man's responsibilities, but at such a young age, that's hard. Zan is a great character. Although he is young, he's already well on his way to becoming a remarkable man. He is learning the courage does not mean a lack of fear, but rather accepting those fears and facing them anyway. He goes with the men of his and the neighboring tribes to hunt the lion that has recently killed a child. He's the both the youngest and the smallest person involved, and he's scared. He refuses to let that hold him back and ultimately, he is the one who brings the lion down. Doing this earns him the name Zan-Gah as an honor.
After the celebration over the defeat of the lion, the narrative breaks away to tell us a little of Zan-Gah's past. Zan has a twin, Dael, who has been missing for about a year. Zan-Gah begins to have disturbing dreams that convince him his brother is actually alive. Now that he has become more of a man, Zan-Gah decides it is time to set out to find his brother, save him, and bring him back home. The search for his brother and all that happens to him as he travels is detailed in the first book. Zan-Gah meets many new people, makes friends and enemies, learns, grows, suffers and triumphs.
I was really rooting for Zan-Gah to find his brother and bring him safely home. Reading this, you really want Zan-Gah to succeed. Which, to a degree, he does. Zan finds his brother and brings him back to the family. It took Zan-Gah over a year to find and free his brother from captivity which means Dael has now been a prisoner for over two years. And his captors did not treat him well. Dael does go home, but he returns to his people broken and withdrawn.
The second book begins with what little humanity Dael regained after being set free fleeing, leaving him angry, bitter, broken and uncaring. He is so full of anger and, all he can think about is exacting his revenge on those who he believes wronged him. And that includes Zan-Gah. Zan-Gah cares deeply about his brother and it hurts him that Dael is in so much pain but masks it with these darker emotions and refuses to let anyone close. Although Dael's character angered me in the second novel, I respect that Shickman didn't sugarcoat anything here. Being d in captivity for two years damages a person. It is impossible to be the same after surviving something like that, and as much as he angered me, I can't really bring myself to blame Dael. He didn't ask to be broken.
I very much enjoyed the story told within these two novels. For the most part, the story was told very well and I thought the characters were wonderful and real. None of the characters felt like overused cardboard stock characters. Each character has their own personality and unique way of looking at life. I was impressed at how much life Shickman was able to give his characters. The differences between the various tribes we meet within the course of the story are also amazing. He gave them each distinct characteristics that definitively set them apart from each other.
There were times however, when the flow of the novel seemed slightly disjointed or abrupt. There were a few times when the story would be moving along at a good pace, and then I felt like Shickman backtracked to give us important information that would become relevant in a few pages, even though it had little, if anything, to do with the current action. But, it needed to be said before it was too late so he just kind of stuck it in. The transitions weren't always smooth.
While reading this, there were also times that I felt like I was reading a very well written history text. I actually enjoyed that aspect of the writing, and thought that it was exactly what this book needed. I think I would have found most other narrative forms awkward or overdone. However, I don't know how much a young reader would enjoy that and the book is marketed at children ages 11 and up. There are many scenes that involve the harsher aspects of life during the prehistoric era which might also be harder for a young child to understand and cope with. While I wouldn't keep this book away from the children (and do plan on asking my 11 year old brother if he'd like to read them) I think these are books that parents would do well to read along with their child (especially if they are a young 11 or so) or at the very least, be aware of the potential questions and concerns that might be raised by the reading of these books, and be available for questions.
Overall, I was very pleased to have read these, and am interested to see what Allan Shickman does next.
First, let me thank both Lori at The Next Best Book Blog and author M. Clifford. Lori hosted a contest to win a copy of M. Clifford's new book, The Book. I won.
Prior to reading The Book, every dystopian society I've come across in literature has been the result of a major apocalypse, huge earth changing war or a major catastrophe. It is then relatively easy for this "utopian" government to step in and take over because anarchy reigns and the people are in desperate need of some order. Even a highly controlling government sounds great when faced with the absolute lack of one. This gives most dystopian literature a feeling of separation from reality. We can see the similarities to our culture and society and hopefully avoid that future, but we breathe easier because we know it can't reach that level of atrocity without that apocalyptic moment. And, if we are faced with the apocalypse, we probably have other things on our minds. The major disaster that destroys most of the world keeps us at a disconnect that allows me to sleep comfortably at night knowing my government is solid, even though it isn't perfect. M. Clifford refuses to allow me that small comfort. The government who orchestrated the introduction and infiltration of this insidious electronic reading device is my own United States Government, still bound by the amazingly brilliant United States Constitution. This adds a new element of fear to his book. With all other works of dystopian literature, I am able to take comfort in the knowledge that my government would never be reduced to those extremes, and that I can take comfort in the protections, securities and liberties written into and guaranteed by the Constitution. Clifford takes that away from me, and instead shows me a world where my government is responsible for the systematic destruction of the printed word and ultimately our freedom of speech, the press and expression. I shudder. I cringe. But, it forces me to think.
Aside from uniquely blaming our current government on the horrific situation our hero finds himself in, the best part about this book was the love of literature that simply flowed from the pages. This book is one that truly speaks to lovers of the written (and printed) word. The way Clifford drafts his character's discussion, description and handling of books is reverent, almost sacred. The imagery he uses to describe these character's first experiences with an actual printed book gave me goosebumps. There were numerous allusions, both blatant and indirect to a wide variety of literature. He quoted multiple sources ranging from popular fiction to fairy tales to classics. He used them as inspiration for parts of his story, but managed to do it in a way that doesn't feel as if he is 'borrowing' their ideas in substitute for his own. His written voice is unique enough, even when directly quoting sources, that the words almost felt like entirely new ideas. If you take away nothing else from this book, remember that books are important and have the ability to transform your world and your life. Love them, treasure them, but most importantly, read them.
In this novel, M. Clifford has gifted the reader with both the horrors of a nightmare and the majestic beauty of a dream. His book begins with the words "Don't read the book". But it's more than that. If you read between the lines and apply it to right now, we can instead say, Don't let others think for you. Don't follow blindly. Question everything.
We have Laura here with us today, who blogs at Laura Howard: Finding Bliss, and she is talking about the differences between Fairy tales and Faerie tales! Let's hear what she has to say!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ When you think of fairy tales, do you imagine towering castles and lovely princesses — or perhaps adorable pixies with bluebell caps hiding behind azalea bushes? As a girl, those are all the things I dreamed of. I spent hours reading stories of handsome knights and mysterious mermaids, picturing myself in the role of heroine.
It wasn't until after my 30th birthday that I discovered the darker side of fairy tales — Faerie Tales. My first taste came in the form of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely. In this story, I met equally beautiful and terrible creatures that were nothing like the fairies I'd grown up with. I was hooked! I went on to read Holly Black's Tithe and once again was transfixed by the idea that pixies and elves would be more likely to trick you into dancing til your feet were stubs than to grant you your hearts desire.
Now, I've read dozens of spins on the darker side of Faerie. One in particular that inspired me in my own writing is the Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier. This series combines a retelling of the Seven Swans fairy tale with another twist on fairies. In her work, the creatures known as the Good People or the Fair Folk are actually the descendants of the Celtic gods of pre-Christian Ireland. The Tuatha de Danaan, or children of the goddess Dana, were forced underground once the humans took to Christianity.
The fun part of this magical race is that they see themselves as highly superior and when the mood strikes they will go to great lengths to cause trouble for humans.
Whether you like stories with sweet flower fairies or you prefer the dark and disturbing side of the Fae, it's easy to see why fairy tales remain so popular, even amongst thirty something's: they offer us a chance to leave the ordinary behind and play pretend while we're lost in their pages.
Today's guest post comes from Titania who blogs at Fishmuffins of Doom. She also wrote a guest post on Misty's blog that includes a giveaway! Make sure you read her thoughts on her favorite dark fairy tales!
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Fairy tales are adapted into films all the time. The most famous of these are the Disney films that eventually eclipsed the original tales they were adapted from in the minds of most of society. Here are a few reimaginings of fairy tales in film that don’t tell the story word for word, but tell it in a way that is completely unique from what has been seen before. Here are a few of my favorites:
Hard Candy
Hard Candy is the story of 14 year old Hayley who meets Jeff, an adult photographer, at a coffee shop after they have been chatting online for a while. They go back to Jeff’s apartment and drink screwdrivers. You think you know exactly where this is going to go, but you are terribly wrong. Jeff passes out as the result of a spiked drink and spends most of the movie tied up and tortured, physically and mentally. Hayley is like an avenging angel for every girl who was abused or raped. She is convinced that Jeff is a pedophile and possibly involved in the rape and murder of a local girl and is willing to do what it takes to make him confess. Throughout the course of the film, I switched sides so many times. It’s difficult to say through most of the film if Hayley is psychopath or a justified avenger and if Jeff is just a normal guy or a guilty pedophile. This is not an obvious adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood. It’s not an easy thing to identify the true Big Bad Wolf like in so many other retellings. This film is both brilliant and manipulative. Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson deliver flawless, realistic, and alternately sympathetic and alienating performances. Highly recommended.
The Red Shoes
The Red Shoes is a Korean horror film that tells the story of Sun-Jae, a woman who leaves her husband after discovering his infidelity. Her daughter was spoiled by her husband and only cares about him. Her friends are rude and blunt without any concern for her feelings. One day on the subway, she finds a pair of beautiful pink shoes and takes them home. She feels better when she wears them, but notices that other women seem to covet them, even her young daughter who steals them from her. Her rude and inconsiderate friend attacks the girl and takes them for herself before being killed in a most horrific way. These shoes seem to be followed by violence and death and Sun-Jae needs to figure out how to save her daughter and herself before it’s too late. The Red Shoes is a gruesome fairy tale on its own about greed, vanity, and dancing severed feet. This K-horror film adapts it beautifully, even acknowledging the 1948 film of the same title by including a ballet subplot. The film is even gorier than the tale and features an atmospheric creepiness as well as in your face blood and gore. As a whole, it’s suspenseful and tells a semi-ghost story and semi-murder mystery. The ending is a bit convoluted, but as a whole it was creepily enjoyable. I would also recommend other K-horror fairy tale adaptations for those interested, such as Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel.
Black Swan
The ballet Swan Lake is based on a variety of folk tales from Germany and Russia and tells the story of Princess Odette’s tragic love story that usually ends in her or her love’s death. (There are several alternate endings to the ballet.) Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers, an ambitious ballerina obsessed with perfection. Her dream role is to play the Swan Queen in Swan Lake, but is seen to have not enough passion or emotion to do the role. She is finally given the role after convincing the director of her potential. What follows is her descent into madness as she struggles to prepare for her dual role as the White Swan and the Black Swan. She experiences hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. In a twisted way, her story reflects that of the ballet. Nina at first is Odette: innocent, naïve, and fearful. Thomas, the director at first embodies the Prince, but later is more like the Sorcerer. Odile, the Sorcerer’s evil daughter, is Lily, Nina’s ballet rival. They look alike, as in the ballet, but Lily primarily wears black, while Nina wears white. Lily is also mostly ruled by emotion and is more impulsive, which is true of Odile. As she becomes increasingly paranoid, she suspects Lily of deception and trying to take her role as Swan Queen, much like Odile tries to steal Odette’s love away. It’s an interesting modern interpretation of the original ballet with a psychological twist and it’s just a great film. Everyone acts exceptionally well, especially Natalie Portman as intense and driven Nina Sayers. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful and complements the film well. Every aspect of the film works in harmony and is something truly exceptional.
This morning's guest is Jayme from Horribly Bookish. Jayme has an awesome post prepared for us today, one that brings back fond memories of my childhood and adds a lot of fun picture books to my need to read fairy tale pile.
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I spent the better part of my college years working at a book lover’s dream job... I was a circulation clerk at my local library. I swooned over new arrivals, created book lists I will never be able to finish, talked shop with other bookies and discovered a genre that I had completely missed out on as a child. The Fractured Fairytale. I had read fairytales, of course. But they were your normal, run-of-the-mill fairytales. Most were adapted from the Grimm Brothers or Hans Christian Andersen for the young reader. But at the library I discovered a slew of stories, made up of familiar characters or setting but just not quite right;) Rapunzel, A Groovy Tale by Lynn and David Roberts
In which our heroine lives in the sixties and is swept off her feet by the grooviest guy of all. Sleeping Bobby by Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne
After waiting years to have child, the king and queen are finally blessed with a son which they regally named Bob. But when a wicked wise woman places a curse on him, its up to a princess to save the day. Prince Cinders by Babette Cole
Prince Cinders isn’t hairy and big like his prince brothers so they make him clean and cook for them. On the eve of the Rock ‘n Royal Bash, however, a fairy godmother turns him a big and hairy... gorilla! How is he going to find his happy ending? Grandma Chickenlegs by Geraldine MCCaughrean
A take on the stories of Baba Yaga and Cinderella, a young girl named Tatia is made to clean and cook all day long by her evil stepmother. When a needle is need for sewing, Tatia’s stepmother sends her into the clutches of Grandma Chickenlegs. She must find a way out or become Grandma Chickenlegs’s next meal. Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter by Diane Stanley
Tired of the king’s demands, the miller’s daughter ran off with Rumpelstiltskin and lived happily ever after. They had one child who found herself in the same predicament her mother had. But the clever girl comes up with a plan to keep her head and help the kingdom. Will the king ever learn? Lovely fairy tales turned into silly, topsy turvy stories. If you get a chance pick up a few of these great books. They're fun and crazy and remind me of a time when life was a lot simpler:)
Today our guest post comes from Jennifer, who blogs at Carbohydrates and Conjugations. This is a great post and I can't wait to hear your thoughts!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ One of the earliest fairy tales I can remember is the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty. My parents took me to see it in theatres, and I watched repeatedly a VHS copy of it recorded from the Disney channel. That VHS tape got pretty worn down, and eventually Disney released Sleeping Beauty from the vault and I got an “official” copy. When DVDs became popular, I upgraded to the DVD. And this was the case for many other Disney movies: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin... you get the picture.
Naturally I thought Sleeping Beauty was a beautiful love story, and couldn’t believe how lucky Briar Rose/Princess Aurora was to have found her True Love. She made it look so easy! First, you meet the man of your dreams. Then, you gaze into each other’s eyes and fall instantaneously in love. Tragically, someone tries to prevent your happiness (probably because for some reason their prince never came for them!), but in the end everything works out perfectly and there is a beautiful wedding.
Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney movie to give me an eye-opening experience. Belle was so different from Princess Aurora; she didn’t fall in love with the first man who proposed to her--in fact, she refused to settle! She was her own woman, unwilling to let any man dictate how she would live her life. And, at the age of 9, my perspective on fairy tales became drastically altered.
Please don’t get me wrong--I still love a good love story like Sleeping Beauty, where the heroine does absolutely nothing to warrant Mr. Right falling in love with her. Sometimes I even wish it were that easy. But it’s not. Little girls grow up with these expectations, and for some of us one day it just clicks. We are in charge of our own destinies; love is not something that can just be taken for granted.
One thing that most fairy tales never show us is what happens after Happily Ever After. In Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix, we are introduced to Ella, a girl who took charge and went to Prince Charming’s Ball just to spite the Step-Evils. Because she is the most beautiful girl in the village, Prince Charming will have no one but Ella. Now living in the palace, Ella has a hard time adapting to a life of luxury. Why should a maid stoke the flames for her when Ella has two perfectly good hands capable of doing the work for herself?
There aren’t any fairy godmothers, pumpkin carriages, or shape-shifting mice in Just Ella. She even pokes a bit of fun at the fairy tale when she says, “Why did everyone like that story so much when it wasn’t true? Why was everyone so eager to believe it? Was it because, in real life, ever after’s generally stink?” (p. 189) The lesson that Ella soon learns is that “happiness was like beauty--in the eye of the beholder”. (p. 218) Though Just Ella doesn’t end in your traditional Happily Ever After, it ends exactly the way Ella wants it to. And that’s satisfaction enough for me.
I will probably never stop loving traditional fairy tales, but every now and then I want a heroine that thinks for herself and creates her own happiness--with or without her Prince.
Thanks again Jennifer! I loved reading your thoughts!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Jennifer has also been generous enough to offer a copy of the book she talks about Just Ella for one lucky reader. If you would like a chance to win Just Ella, fill out the form linked below!
Details:
Contest open Internationally, as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Closes May 5th May 8th! +1 for each way you follow Jennifer's blog-Carbohydrates and Conjugations (+2 for old followers) (GFC, email subscriber, etc) +1 for a MEANINGFUL comment on Jennifer's guest post.
With us now, we have Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Magic Under Glass and the upcoming Between the Sea and Sky. Jaclyn was homeschooled in a hippie sort of way and spent her childhood reading as many books as her skinny nerd-body could lug from the library and playing elaborate pretend games with her sister Kate. She skipped college and spent eight years drudging through retail jobs, developing her thrifty cooking skills and pursuing a lifelong writing dream. She has a passion for history, thrift stores, vintage dresses, David Bowie, drawing, and organic food. She lives with her partner and plot-sounding-board, Dade, and two black tabbies who have ruined her carpeting. So now, I give you, Jaclyn:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The "Serious" stuff:
~ Even if not direct fairy tale retellings, your stories definitely have fairy tale-esque elements. Is this intentional on your part, or just a by-product of the tales you like to tell? Any plans to do a direct retelling?
Well, so far, my intention with any story is to take a period of history and run it through an otherworldly, magical filter. I guess the fairy tale part just comes in as a by-product. Certainly, I read a lot of fairy tales as a child; we had an old book of Perrault stories as well as some of the Lang Fairy Books, Russian tales and Hans Christian Andersen (way to traumatize me as a child, Hans), and I read many retellings. One of my favorite things are stories that mash-up a bunch of tales like the mini-series "The Tenth Kingdom" (seriously, it is so fun, if anyone hasn't seen it yet you should), the musical Into the Woods, or the comic Fables. I always thought that would be fun to do, but I'd have to come up with a new take on it because it's already been done so well by others. I've often thought it would be fun to do a fairy tale retelling, but I'm waiting for the right one to cross my path, something a little creepy but also romantic in just the right way... Of course I've seen a lot of comparisons between Magic Under Glass and Beauty and the Beast so perhaps I DO retell fairy tales in some ways.
~ Your ideas are really original and interesting, with great juxtaposition (a dancer falling for an automaton, a mermaid falling for a winged man, etc): can you tell us a little bit about where these stories come from?
I am a SUCKER for star-crossed romances between two outsiders. Magic Under Stone, of course, continues the Erris/Nimira love story but there is also a jinn whose master pits him against the girl he loves. (To be very vague about it... I don't want to be spoiler-y.) All my books have some element of this and I doubt that will change anytime soon. I am especially attracted to stories about two like minds in unlike bodies... a girl and an automaton, a girl with a fish tail and a boy with wings... I guess they are kind of stories about how human hearts cross boundaries.
~You mentioned in a past interview with another blogger (I’ll link to it) that you wanted to see more Victorian era fantasy, so you wrote Magic Under Glass: what was the research process like for this? Beyond the rest of the Magic series, do you intend to set any more books in the Victorian era, or is there another time period calling your name?
I've always loved the Victorian era, and history in general, and I am a total non-fiction book junkie, especially when it comes to the details of domestic life such as houses, clothes, social mores, etc. so I wrote the first draft of Magic Under Glass without any research. But, the more detail, the better, so I also read many books while writing it, and looked at a lot of period photography of people and places so I could capture details like what you would really see when you walked down the street or what accessories a woman would wear with her dress.
As for other time periods, well, Between the Sea and Sky is set in that world's equivalent of 1800, so it's earlier than Magic Under Glass, and now I am working on a novel based loosely on the 1927 German silent film Metropolis, so the settling is based heavily on Weimar Berlin. Which has proved to be a pain to research. Most books on Weimar Berlin seem geared to really intellectual political or art scholars and as an extra bonus, were translated from German and read very stilted, and it's been hard to find much information on everyday life. Even memoirs and diaries have been kind of hard to find. I've cheated a bit and read a lot about 1920s Paris... There is a silent film called "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" that is nothing but scenes of everyday life in 1920s Berlin, though, so you do find these little tidbits...
~I know Between the Sea and Sky is a companion novel of sorts to Magic Under Glass, but do you intend it to be a stand-alone, or is it going to spin-off into its own series?
It stands alone. I do have some sequel ideas, although they would focus on characters that are children in Between the Sea and Sky. But whether my publisher would buy a sequel depends on whether the book does well.
~What’s the most challenging aspect of writing for you? And what’s the thing that makes it all worthwhile?
Challenging: There is always a sticky spot somewhere in the middle of a book. Also, endings! Sealing the deal is one of my weaknesses for sure. I don't really LIKE things to end... In my mind my books keep going, but of course I can't write endless sequels to everything, so I have to find a spot to wrap everything up, it's just hard. And action scenes. Augh. As a reader, I usually skim fights and escapes. I wish I could skim them as a writer too...
But except for those occasionally sticky spots, I love every part of writing; the research, the early development, the first page, the part where you really start to know where it's going, the editing, the line editing, the copy editing... And sharing that story with others and hearing from fans is a huge rush, although I have to be careful not to get caught up in advances or awards or fans (or the flipside--the lack of those things) and stay focused on the writing itself.
~What is your writing process like? What do you do to prepare and get yourself in the mood to create worlds?
I'm a workaholic, really. I do take days off. But I feel very guilty about them, unless I take an actual vacation away from home. Even when I'm not writing, I think about both my current project and think ahead to my next project almost constantly. It's a constant struggle not to zone right out of my real life and back into my invented one. One time I was apparently in 7-11 with an old man clad entirely in lime green spandex and I didn't notice. I got to the car and my boyfriend was like, "Did you see that guy in line in front of you and his crazy outfit?" I was like, "Uhh, I was thinking about my characters... " Even as a kid I was like that. I'm just glad I found a way to make a career out of it...
~What’s your favorite scene you’ve ever written?
@_@ Ever?
Boy, that's tough. I do love the climax of Between the Sea and Sky, with its mingled vulnerability and yearning. And kissing and rain. Who doesn't enjoy that mix?
Quickfire, Silly and Random stuff:
~Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in a fairy tale? Hmm, not to steal the produce thing, but I could be named after an apple. I think they are nature's most perfect food! Plus they turn up in fairy tales a lot. ~ Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale: "When the weather was fine, Jonagold and her sister Gingergold would play in the scrub pine forest, catching minnows in the pond and crawling under the palmettos hoping to spot rabbits, but they never ventured into the swamp, for that was where the fairies lived." (Note 1: Apples don't make for very good names. Especially if you are trying to find some that match. Note 2: I really did grow up on a 5-acre property in central Florida with a swamp in back and I wouldn't be surprised if some North American breed of fairy lived back there.)
~Best fairy tale villain and why?
Bluebeard. Talk about creep-tacular; it plays to my love of the mysteries behind locked doors, but in a far scarier way than The Secret Garden. The first time you hear that story you NEVER forget it... Although I also love crone archetypes in general which includes a lot of women you wouldn't want to cross paths with like Baba Yaga.
~Favorite tale from childhood? Favorite tale as an adult? Least favorites?
In childhood my favorite tale was in a collection "Princess Tales" by Nora Kramer. I no longer have this book and I'm not sure if it was an original story or based on an older tale; the collection did have The Twelve Dancing Princesses in it so I'm not sure, but I vaguely recall it was about a painter who painted an ugly-but-honest picture of the king or something and was thrown in a prison with a tiny window, but a blackbird would visit him, and in the end just as he was about to be executed the birds saved him. I was enthralled by the poor painter trapped with only one window and the birds rescuing him. I need to get a new copy of that book... As an adult my favorite might be The Seven Swans; I always feel for the poor mute girl weaving shirts of nettles and I always wonder about the brothers who lived as swans and the boy who was left with one wing in the end. I like birds, clearly. There is actually a fairy tale I invented mentioned within Between the Sea and Sky called "The Girl Who Fell in Love with a Bird."
~If you could be any fairy tale character, or live through any fairy tale "happening," who/what would it be?
Fairy tale characters don't have very good lives! I mean, up until the happily ever after part. I guess I'd be Sleeping Beauty because at least she just sleeps through the whole thing. So many of them have to go through a lot of trials; great fun to read about but not much fun to live through.
~Would you rather: - — live under a bridge with a troll, or all alone in a high tower? I think I need more information about the troll and what kind of roommate (bridge-mate) he would be before I can decide...
- — ride everywhere in a pumpkin carriage (messy) or walk everywhere in glass shoes (uncomfortable)? Glass shoes. I already have a heck of a time finding comfortable dressy shoes so maybe it wouldn't be much difference.
- — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming? These quickfire questions are harder than the serious questions!;) Well, I guess, although the term "Prince Charming" sounds shallow, I'd rather have someone to spend my life with than a fairy godmother.
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A conversation with Misty and Ashley:
Misty and Ashley: Wow! Jaclyn, you are amazing! We loved the interview!
Ashley: So, Jaclyn's bio mentions that she loves to draw. It would be cruel, would it not, to brag about her mad-drawing skills and not share that with the rest of the world.
Misty: It would be cruel. Too true!
Ashley: So, because Jaclyn has an official saved spot at the 'Fairy Tale Cool Kids Table' and is not, in fact, a cruel person, she has offered up an absolutely stunning giveaway!
Misty: She is providing one lucky winner with hand-drawn bookplates, featuring the main couples from each of her novels. Aren't these covers absolutely stunning?!
Ashley: What must you do to win these bookplates? These hand-drawn bookplates?! It's simple really. You must provide us with unicorn sprinkle cupcakes. (what Misty? Oh... Ooops. Right)
Ahem. To win this one-of-a-kind giveaway, you must leave us a comment. But, not just any comment. Because Jaclyn is putting so much effort into making this giveaway special for you, you must put forth a little effort as well. For any MEANINGFUL comment left on this review, you will be entered to win. If your comment isn't meaningful, I'm going to assume that you don't actually want to win the awesomeness that is these bookplates, and I will NOT enter you into the contest. You must also leave a way for us to contact you, if you are the winner. If I can't contact you, you can't get your prize.
This contest IS open Internationally! Closes May 5th.
Today's interview is with Jessica Day George, author of the Dragon Slippers Trilogy, Princess at the Midnight Ball, Princess of Glass, and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow. Jessica earned her BA in Humanities/Comparative Literature from Brigham Young University, where she enjoyed classes in Pottery and Old Norse, and dutifully forces herself to take Algebra and Biology. Originally from Idaho, she now resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, their young son and a five pound Maltese named Pippin.
The 'Serious' Questions:
I get the feeling that a lot of 'you’ goes into your fairy tales (Norway, the knitting, etc). How do these elements get infused into the stories? Is it a conscious choice (I’m goingto make Galen a knitter), or does it just happen (Oh, hey, I just made Galen a knitter!)?
Yes, and yes. And yes. SUN AND MOON came about because of my love of Norway, and the fairy tale EAST O' THE SUN, WEST O' THE MOON. I wanted to throw everything I love about them into that book: polar bears! wolves! snow! And it just all felt "right", so I didn't actually have to stop and think, Hmmm, good place for them to make lefse? Here? Or here? I don't honestly remember when I decided that Galen would be a knitter... sorry. But I do know that it must have seemed like a natural fit, because when my editor went, HE knits? I had to think, Um, is that weird or something?
Basically, my head is filled with "stuff": random facts, strange words, bric-a-brac. And when I'm writing, it's just all there, ready to filter down into the story where it needs to go. Once in a while I'll think, Y'know, I need something weird here, and then I'll root around (living gargoyle housekeeper) and put it into a story. So it's really a combination.
Any plans to do a more modern retelling, or does the magic lie in “long ago and far away” for you?
While I have enjoyed and admired many modern day retellings, for me when I write, "Long ago and far away" seems like a better fit for the story I want to tell.
What’s the process like for you? Do you start with the characters, the “spin” or do you work from a standard tale and expand out as you explore it?
It depends on the story. With SUN AND MOON, I wanted to tell that story, to expand. Who was this young girl? Why were her parents so eager to let her go away with the bear? Who was the bear? And so on. With MIDNIGHT BALL, I was intrigued by the idea of the story, but I also had an idea about Galen: a young man who only knows how to be a soldier, but the war is over. And Rose: what would it be like to be under a curse you didn't create, what would it be like to be the oldest of twelve girls with no mother? Would you want the responsibility, or would you fight it? So it all depends on what the story I wanted to tell, on whether I wanted to tell the story straight as with SUN AND MOON, or whether I wanted to play with the characters and the setting, and the story was just a background? (MIDNIGHT BALL, PRINCESS OF GLASS).
What’s your favorite scene you’ve ever written?
When the Lass encounters the first of the four winds in SUN AND MOON. Actually, all of the part with the four winds is possibly my finest writing, if I do say so myself.
I've made no secret of the fact that I think Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is one of the best fairy tale retellings I’ve ever read, and you’ve been open about the passion (obsession?) that went into it. Can you tell us a little bit about the research and the love that went into creating the lass and her world?
Well, let's see: I took four years of Norwegian. Two semesters of reading and analyzing fairy tales in the original Norwegian or German. Went to Norway on my honeymoon. Jotted down every idea I had that might work in the book for over ten years. Studied Old Norse for a semester. Looked at endless pictures of polar bears, the Arctic Circle, wolves, and read a rather dry book about reindeer herding.
Follow up: What are some bits of your studies in Norway that didn’t make it into the book, that you still cherish?
I'm not sure how much I cherish it, per se, but I can describe the reindeer cheese making process to you. Would you like to hear about it? (Sigh. No one ever does.)
Further follow up: any plans to set any future books in Norway?
Of course.
Can you tell us about anything you’re working on now?
I am finishing the edits of TUESDAYS AT THE CASTLE, which will release on October 11, 2011, and I am writing the rough draft for a third Princess book, based on a fairy tale about a girl who owns a red cape, if you catch my drift...
Why fairy tales? What is it that calls to you, personally,as a writer, and why do you think readers connect to them the way they do?
Fairy tales tantalize us because they ARE our daydreams: Cinderella, unappreciated, overworked, gets to wear a beautiful dress, go to a party, and is loved by a prince. The miller's youngest son inherits nothing but a cat, becomes fabulously wealthy, marries a princess. Beautiful stuff! And who hasn't felt like Cinderella? My mom used to make me dust the leaves of her ginormous houseplants! I wanted a fairy godmother to spirit me away SO BADLY! And as a writer, it's fun because you have the outline for your book right there, but there are endless ways to play with it. Half the time, the main character doesn't even have a name! You can describe them how you want, name them, put your personal stamp on them, and then see how that changes the story! It's a wonderful game for a writer! Sorry about all the exclamation points!
Quickfire, Silly and Random stuff:
Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in fairy tale?
My dad has always called me Woozelina, because I was terrified of the Heffalumps and Woozles dream sequence in the Winnie the Pooh cartoon.
Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale:
Woozelina had been dusting houseplants all day, and she was very tired and smelled like potting soil.
Best fairy tale villain and why?
Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty: great fashion sense and she can turn into a freakin' dragon!
Favorite tale from childhood? East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon Favorite tale as an adult? East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon.
Least favorites? Hansel and Gretel. Also, I never really got into some of those more obscure ones, like Bluebeard.
If you could be any fairy tale character, or live through any fairy tale "happening," who/what would it be?
I wouldn't want to be a lot of them! Some of these people have some truly horrific things they go through first! But I could do East o' the Sun, or Beauty and the Beast.
Would you rather: - — eat magic beans or golden eggs? Golden eggs! - — style 50ft long hair or polish 100 pairs of glass slippers? I SO want the hair! - — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming? Prince Charming!
Thank you for being with us Jessica!
Giveaway Details!! Jessica has generously offered up a prize pack for one luck winner! She has offered a prize pack containing an ARC of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow and a PB of Princess at the Midnight Ball. To win, fill out THIS FORM here AND you MUST leave a comment about the interview. Jessica gave an awesome interview, so let's leave her some love peeps! Please also be aware that this is the SAME form as found on The Book Rat and only enter ONCE. Comment on whichever blog you entered through. Contest is open to US Only Ends May 5thMay 8th! +1 possible entry for spreading the word
Our first Fairy Tale Fortnight Guest Blogger is April also known as CSI: Librarian. She is here to talk about Winter's Child, a retelling of "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson. April-
How did I get it: The library.
Why did I get it: I've been meaning to look at the "Once Upon a Time" is Timeless series for awhile, and "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson is pretty much my favorite fairy tale.
How I would rate it: 4 out of 5 stars.
Summary: 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.
Review: The writing here was superb and the story overall was very touching. I think the origin of the Winter Child aka the Snow Queen was really one of the best parts of the book, but there were also many other wonderful moments or notions throughout the book.
I have to admit I wish the story had been a bit darker and in that respect, I still like the original fairy tale better. I missed the Snow Queen being prickly and lethal as well as the idea of the mirror shards that ended up in people's eyes distorting their views of the world. I also missed the reindeer and just the familiar sequencing of events. Grace also seemed to get off comparatively light in terms of her ordeals, and while I liked the notion of Kai and Grace separating and having their own lives rather than focusing on their love or fear of being alone, it did seem sort of odd that Grace's love interest showed up maybe five pages from the end.
Yet these issues were nothing compared to what was right with Winter's Child. Cameron Dokey made a lot of cool changes and took the story on a very neat, new direction. Ultimately, I cannot fault an author for trying to humanize a more villainous character or for deciding to change her from an unfeeling monster to a teenage girl searching for a connection to her own heart. In general, I really have to applaud Dokey's originality and her turning this story into something a bit more positive for any reader in regards to how love works and the importance of finding and understanding one's self first. And the value of the love that comes from friendships. And recognizing when a love is more of a trap than a way to freely express one's self. I also thought the use of three narrators and adding subtitles to the chapter headings was a nice touch.
In conclusion, if you're looking for an enthralling way to spend an hour and you love fairy tale re-tellings, pick up this book.
Father of Lies by Ann Turner is set in Colonial Massachusetts, just before the start of the Salem Witch Trials. 14 year old Lidda is struggling to find her place within her family and Salem Village. She's always been different. She's a dreamer who loves to dance beneath the trees and hates the restrictive garb she is required to wear but she lives in a time period that expressly forbids each of these behaviors.
As if her life isn't hard enough, Lidda has suddenly begun hearing the voice of a man inside her head. She doesn't know what's going on, but she knows it isn't good, and more importantly, she knows she cannot tell anyone. Especially when the charges of witchcraft start flying around. Lidda's new internal friend has enabled her to distinguish between truth and lies and her newfound insight is creating problems. She believes that these so-called 'afflicted girls' are nothing but bored and powerless girls spreading lies to gain importance and power for themselves. But, she also knows that if she says anything, the repercussions will be devastating.
As soon as I heard about Father of Lies, I knew I was interested. The Salem Witch Trials has always been one of my favorite periods of history to learn about, and I love historical fiction interpretations of the Witch Trials.
Somehow, when I read the description initially, I picked up on the Salem Witch Trials, and missed the fact that our main character is bi-polar. When I started reading the book, several of Lidda's traits struck me as strange, and I thought to myself that Lidda seemed Manic Depressive (the correct diagnostic term for bi-polar disorder) or in the early stages of Schizophrenia.
I'm going to interrupt my review of the book to make a comment about research. My Bachelor's degree is in Psychology. I found myself questioning the research Ann Turner did on Manic Depression. It wasn't that her information (the symptoms of Lidda) was wrong, exactly, more like incomplete. I felt like her research came more from a google search than legitimate, peer reviewed research. Her cycles of mania and depression were more what popular culture tells you should be happening than what current research says is what happens. I felt like much of Lidda's symptoms are pop cultural misconceptions, and not what is actual research tells us happens. I also felt that the symptoms Lidda demonstrates are more indicative of the beginning stages of Schizophrenia than Manic Depression. I don't want to take up my entire review with the current research on Manic Depression, so if you want to know more, shoot me an email and I'll discuss it with you in more detail.
Anyway, other than my minor annoyances with inconsistencies in Lidda's symptoms, I really enjoyed Turner's perspective on the Salem Witch Trials. I've always believed that the 'afflicted girls' were making it up. There are a lot of theories out there about why these girls made the claims they did, but what has always made the most sense to me is the idea that the girls made up the initial stories to keep themselves out of trouble, and things spiraled out of their control. Once things got so out of hand, the girls knew they couldn't stop it because they would be in even more trouble than the initial trouble, and they were, for the first time in their young lives, important, influential and listened to. These young girls, with ultimately no control over their own lives were able to control and dictate the fate and future of their entire village.
This is very similar to the viewpoint Turner takes, but the eyes in which she has us view that world is incredibly unique. Lidda really is hallucinating. She does experience many symptoms, that if mentioned, would make people believe she was either tormented by a witch, or in league with the devil herself. So, it was very interesting to watch a young girl who was 'afflicted' in the midst of the 'pretenders'. Her perspective and evaluation of the girls who claimed to be tormented by witches was very intuitive and insightful. At one point, while talking to Ann Putnam, long believed by historians to have been the ringleader, and driving force behind the accusations, Ann tells Lidda that she is afraid of what is happening, but her eyes and facial expression instead show excitement. It is the same with each of the girls Lidda talks to. They claim to be afraid, but each of them is clearly caught up in the drama and undeniably excited by the attention and newfound power.
Lidda's interactions with her hallucination are also intriguing, and are somewhat designed to make us question whether it is a legitimate hallucination, or an actual demonic possession. I felt strongly for Lidda. Colonial Salem would have been a difficult and frightening time to live for anyone, but it would have been made far worse by the addition of a disorder that no one understood, that makes you question your own sanity.
Overall, I did truly enjoy this book. As I mentioned, the examination of the afflicted girls by someone who truly did have a mental condition was fascinating, original and well done. I personally would have liked the story better for several reasons if the author had not labeled it 'bi-polar' but it worked very well as a plot device. The characters were strong and their relationships believable and well thought out. The descriptions of live in Salem Village were believable and well thought out.
This book boasts an original main character in a story that's been told before. If you are at all interested in the Salem Witch Trials, I do recommend this book.
(Note, this might not be the actual final cover, but I don't care — I like this one better, so I'm using it.:) )
*Disclaimer: This book was received through Around the World Tours.
A few weeks ago, I reviewed Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang. (click the title for my review!) And today, she is here to talk to us! I really enjoyed the book, so I'm especially excited for this chance to interview her.
Also, before I get to the interview, I have to mention that Daughter of Xanadu hits the shelves today!!! Yay for book release days! (and how cool that I get to post my interview on the day the book comes out!?!) If your interested at all in Mongol culture, historical romance, or fierce heroines, I suggests you check it out! You can also view the book trailer here!
Dori has been writing for a while now. She's got a great website, and she included a quote from my review of Daughter on her website! How great is that?!:) Her website is www.dorijonesyang.com and I strongly recommend you head over there after you read the interview here! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashley: Hello Dori and welcome! Thank you so much for being here with us today. I was reading the bio on your website, and you have had a very interesting and varied life. You've lived all over the world and done a lot with journalism. You must have fascinating dinner conversations! You've been a journalist for a lot of years, but when, and how, did you decide you wanted to write books? And how did you decide to make the switch from non-fiction writing to fiction? Dori: I have wanted to write books since I was a little kid, an avid reader like you! When I was 17, my dad popped my balloon by telling me that no one hires authors; he suggested I aim for a career in journalism. I did, and I loved it. As a journalist, I got to meet fascinating people, interview the experts and learn a lot with every article. My goal was to become a foreign correspondent in China, and I achieved that at age 28. But I never forgot that early dream. As a business reporter, I decided to write my first book about business. After that, though, I was eager to write fiction. What I did not expect was just how hard it would be to make the transition from just-the-facts journalism to how-did-she-feel? fiction. Daughter of Xanadu had very beautiful and vivid descriptions, and contained a lot of information about the Mongol Culture and way of life. What kind of research did you have to do to create such an authentic story? The research was fun! I read every book I could get my hands on about the Mongols, the Mongol Empire, and modern Mongolia. Then, I visited Mongolia. Wow! It’s so remote, and many people live nomadic life in yurts (gers), just like in the old days. That gave me a strong visual sense of their world. I used a lot of my Mongolia photos in the book trailer video for Daughter of Xanadu. As I mentioned in my review, I loved the book, but was a little disappointed with the ending. It didn't quite seem to fit with the rest of the story. Have you seen this reaction in others? What are your responses to that/How have you responded to that? I hate to disappoint my readers. But here’s one thing I discovered about endings: Most stories can have a happy ending, if you cut them off at the happy part. What happens after that ending is another story. Are there any plans for a sequel to Daughter? I’d love to publish a sequel if my readers are eager for one! You've written fiction for children, YA and adults. Is it hard adjusting your writing style for different age groups? Do you find that you prefer one genre/age group over the others? It is hard. But I’m guilty of genre-jumping because I love new challenges. One thing I find great about YA is that the genre is booming, with many talented new writers, a huge variety of styles, open-minded editors, and avid readers. I love that. It’s interesting that the music industry discovered the demand for youth-oriented music decades before the book industry truly discovered the demand for youth-oriented fiction. What do you have planned next? Do you plan to write more for young adults? Oh yes, I am working on a young adult novel now, almost finished, and am planning more for the future. Which books and authors have inspired you? Both in writing and in life. There are many! But one of them I especially admire is C.S. Lewis. He wrote many different types of books, for different audiences. He is most remembered for his Narnia children’s books, but he was quite a genre jumper, a Renaissance man with many skills and deep insights. If you had to pick one favorite book (or author), a book that's a favorite just because it is, what would that be? That’s a hard question. As a girl, I loved J.R.R. Tolkien so much that I learned to write in his elvish script and taught it to my friends; we used it to write secret notes in class. But today, I read many authors and books and can’t pick a favorite. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us? In your review, you mentioned how Emmajin begins to view her culture from the eyes of an outsider. To me, this message is the heart of Daughter of Xanadu. Too many of us, in America and all over the world, don’t get to this point. Next time you meet someone who comes from a different country or culture, I hope you’ll spend some time trying to see how our culture looks from that person’s eyes. It is eye-opening. Again, thank you so much for talking with us today! I really appreciate it!
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