Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale Review

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Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale Review"The Little Mermaid" has never been my favorite fairy tale, and just about everything I disliked about it is magnified in this retelling: the clueless prince, the lovesick mermaid, and the weird sentimentality of it all. I keep hoping for a retelling that will make the fairy tale more palatable, but Carolyn Turgeon's Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale isn't it.
The premise is interesting enough. Turgeon shifts the focus away from the prince (here a faceless womanizer whose appeal is a complete mystery) to the two princesses, one human, one mermaid. The story starts when Princess Margrethe sees a beautiful mermaid haul an unconscious man to the shore, kiss him, and silently beg Margrethe to help him. She does, and the prince mistakes her as the woman who saved him from drowning.
Stop me if this is sounding familiar. Shifting perspectives between Margrethe and the mermaid Lenia, the plot follows Andersen's story faithfully for most of the book, so there are few real surprises. Margrethe's fascination with both Lenia and the prince leads to a lopsided love triangle, complete with flowery but non-graphic sex, an incredibly vague war in an equally vague setting, and the inevitable awkwardness of French kissing a girl without a tongue. The scenes set in the underwater world have the potential to be interesting, but the most we really get out of them is an explanation of why mermaids don't go wrinkly from being in the water all the time (thicker, harder skin). Good to know.
The main problem isn't the flimsy plot that reunites the three characters, or even the stilted dialogue. It's the flatness of both central characters. Margrethe is your average mildly spirited princess, and Lenia is so bland that losing her ability to speak doesn't make much difference. It's hard to care what happens to either of them.
At about 250 pages, Mermaid is a quick read with occasionally pretty descriptions, but not a memorable one.
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Cloaked Review

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Cloaked ReviewIf you are familiar with Alex Flinn's work, you are already aware of the fantastic, whimsical feel of her stories. Like in her debut novel Beastly, with Cloaked, Flinn crafts a charming, magical story that will delight young readers, as well those as who are simply young at heart.
The thing you have to remember about Flinn's work is that is it is not meant to be taken completely seriously - it has an airy quality that lends itself to her magical storylines. Cloaked is a "modern fairy-tale mash-up" that is about an unlikely hero, Johnny. Johnny is a seventeen-year-old boy who works at his family business, repairing shoes. He is feeling down on himself, because he feels his life is going nowhere, when a beautiful Princess from a foreign land enlists him to help find her "bruzzer" (Princess speak for Brother). Johnny is soon swept up in' a whirlwind adventure that had him traveling to globe and running for his life.
You follow Johnny, accompanied by his best friend Meg, as he takes on his dangerous quest. There are talking animals, a magic teleporting cloak, scary bikers, crazy witches and two terrifying giants. Johnny is an interesting character who I found to be incredibly humorous. He could be a bit slow on the uptake though - sometimes I found myself in awe of his cluelessness (I don't know if that's a word, but it is now); especially when it comes to girls. But overall, it is easy to root for Johnny, everyone loves the underdog.
I feel like Cloaked was a great read, for the type of book it was meant to be. Like I said before - it's not a serious book; it is meant to be light, entertaining and whimsical. If you look at it under a microscope, I am sure you would find flaws. Often times plot advances aren't exactly logical - but they aren't suppose to be. You aren't suppose to examine it closely, you are simply suppose to reveal in the experience of it. Flinn was trying to emulate the excitement, innocence and magic of a fairytale and I feel like she succeeded.
If you go into reading Cloaked with an open mind, I am sure you will find it an enjoyable read. It is a charming and delightful story that can be devoured in a sitting.Cloaked Overview

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A Tale of Two Castles Review

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A Tale of Two Castles ReviewI've had a good stretch lately, where I've been reading at a ferocious pace. But I suddenly came to a grinding halt a few days ago. Nothing I was reading was inspiring me to keep turning pages. At times like that, a trick that often perks me up is to read a young adult book and I lose myself in pure story. That's what I did, and it worked like a charm.
Actually, I didn't lose myself in A Tale of Two Castles right away. It took a while because at the start of the novel Gail Carson Levine is working mightily on the world building. The story opens with a goodbye. Twelve-year-old Elodie is saying goodbye to her parents, her home, and everything she's ever known. She's leaving her island and the farm and sailing off to the city of Two Castles which features--you guessed it--two castles. It is time for her to become apprenticed. "Mother and father's instructions were to apprentice myself to a weaver, but I would not. Mansioner. I mouthed the word into the wind, the word that held my future. Mansioner."
Oh, I'm sorry; you don't know what a mansioner is? I didn't either. In the fairy-tale world that Carson Levine has created that's the word for actor. A ship is a "cog." You might wear a "kirtle" and exclaim, "Lambs and calves!" And you might run into a dragon or an ogre--but not if you can help it. In fact, Elodie's father gave her this parting advice, "Stay clear of the crafty dragons and the shape-shifting ogres. Don't befriend them!" Of course, a dragon and an ogre are indeed two of the very first beings she meets in Two Castles, but not before all her money is stolen by a cat and she's insulted by a human. Scared, hungry, and alone, Elodie is in fairly dire straights. Her dream of becoming a mansioner appears to be ending before it has even started. So, when the dragon Meenore offers her a position as ITs (for Mastress Meenore alone knows ITs gender) assistant, what choice does Elodie have but follow IT to ITs lair?
So begins a relations ship based on "deduction, induction, and common sense," in which each learns from the other. Mastress Meenore has many trades including food service, heating, finder of lost objects, and unraveler of mysteries. So it is that the ogre, Count Jonty Um, comes to Meenore seeking help finding a lost dog. But it turns out that that is merely the beginning of his troubles. The ogre is in danger, and so Elodie becomes Meenore's eyes and ears in his castle as they work to unravel the larger mystery.
Carson Levine's story is as magical as it is well-written. Her characters are colorful and endearing. I am a fortunate 42-year-old woman, that I can still be a child. Books like this are time portals for me. I was delighted with this story from start to finish and was sad to see it end. Happily, the end of this novel is the start of a new adventure, one that I shall look forward to reading.A Tale of Two Castles Overview

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Entwined Review

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Entwined ReviewEntwined is a delightful retelling of the Grimm's fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. While my taste in fairy tales typically runs more to the evil witch or flesh eating ogre variety, I was quick to recognize all the basic story elements from the original. The book takes place during the year of mourning following the death of the Queen, mother to twelve daughters all named after flowers. The eldest daughter (Azalea), is the primary focus of the tale which details her efforts to take care of her sisters after their mother's death.
Azalea is a wonderful character. First seen at what is essentially her "coming out" ball, we follow her growth from a girl most concerned with balls and dancing to a girl with a strong sense of family and loyalty. All of her sisters are also well portrayed, each having characteristics that will endear them to readers and easily enable them to differentiate between each girl. Clover and Bramble, the two who are next in line following Azalea are each as well developed and eventually have their own roles to play in the story.
There are so many things going on with this story that readers will be entranced from the beginning. The dancing, balls, gentlemen suitors, and gowns will appeal to any young girl who ever fancied herself a princess. There are also elements of magic and adventure, and a villain who provides some genuinely creepy moments. The author does an excellent job creating a believable environment, and while there's not a lot of world building going on, it doesn't detract from a story that is expertly plotted and paced.
This is a great fantasy that transitions well from light moments to chilly moments of genuine peril that will keep the pages turning. There are romantic elements that are not overdone and left me with a big smile on my face, and sinister moments that made me stay up late so I could finish. The entire book has a cinematic quality to it that guarantees a great flow and makes this one a perfect recommend for young fantasy lovers. This is a fantastic choice for grades six and up, or any adult who wishes to remember what reading a great fairy tale feels like. Don't pass this one up. Recommended.Entwined Overview

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