Twisted Dreams

Title: Twisted Dreams

Series: None

Year: 2017

Author: Morgan Elizabeth Huneke

Summary: “I, Calandra, of the Wingans, do bestow upon you, the Princess of Hanover, a gift. You have been given long life. I cannot interfere with that, but when you are sixteen years of age, you will prick your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into an everlasting sleep.” She stepped closer so that she could be heard only by Liesel and her parents. “Then you will at last see the truth. Be wary. Be wise. Your fate rests upon yourself.”

On her sixteenth birthday, Princess Liesel Rosanna falls victim to a sleeping curse—but wakens in another world, a prisoner of war. As the bait in a trap for her fiancé, the crown prince of Hanover, Liesel longs to escape back to the fairy tale world. The world where she is only wanting a true love’s kiss to set everything to rights.

As situations quickly grow dire, Liesel must choose which story to live, which life is real. The fate of her country rests on her decision.

Review: If you're wanting a quick Sleeping Beauty fix, this story does the job. Liesel is our fairytale heroine who's fated to prick her finger on a spindle, and Will is her loving prince who's going to try to rescue her. Throw in a fairygodmother Wingan and a mischievous younger brother, and you've got an adventure quite unlike any before.

The story flip-flops between two worlds: the real world set in a technological galaxy (not so far, far away) and a dream world that's positively medieval. Political tensions are high in the galaxy as two rival kingdoms both have hostages to try to get them the upper hand in their ongoing war. Liesel is held in enemy hands, and though her true love Wilhelm is determined to rescue her, his father isn't ready to release his hostage: the rival king.

I think the author did a great job with balancing the Sleeping Beauty elements in this tale. Although the summary indicates that true love's kiss is a big deal, it's really not a big deal in the book. I counted two forehead kisses that didn't seem to be at all like the epic-awakening kiss of the fairytale. But I'm not complaining. I'm not a huge fan of mushy harboring on kissing, so that's two thumbs up in my book. The summary also hints at Liesel's big decision to chose which world to live in, and she really didn't have a choice. Once she realized that she was in the dream world, she was eager to get out. Just wish the summary hadn't been as misleading.

But I really liked the mix of space/galatic elements. I love seeing fairytales redone in new settings, and the whole galaxy feel is pretty cool. My biggest complaint with this book was the length of it. Because it was (I believe) originally written for the Rooglewood contest with its severe word limit, there wasn't much room to worldbuild and that's what I wanted. The author has set up an intricate world of different races, planets, talents, etc. and I would have loved to see that all on a larger scale. The rival kingdoms are two different races, and then we've got the race of Wingans who have powers, like the ability to manipulate electricity and sound waves. I mean, how cool is that?

A longer book would have allowed more time for some character development. Once I hit the end of the book, I was kinda sad I hadn't bonded more with these characters. Most of them were kinda two-dimensional. Matthew, in particular, I thought had great potential, but his character didn't seem to go anywhere.

Advisory: Some action and fighting scenes. Guns and swords are involved, but nothing graphic. And just a pinch of romance (since it is Sleeping Beauty, duh), but well-balanced for the book.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thief of Corinth

Title: Thief of Corinth

Series: None

Year: 2018

Author: Tessa Afshar

Summary: First-century Corinth is a city teeming with commerce and charm. It’s also filled with danger and corruption—the perfect setting for Ariadne’s greatest adventure.

After years spent living with her mother and oppressive grandfather in Athens, Ariadne runs away to her father’s home in Corinth, only to discover the perilous secret that destroyed his marriage: though a Greek of high birth, Galenos is the infamous thief who has been robbing the city’s corrupt of their ill-gotten gains.

Desperate to keep him safe, Ariadne risks her good name, her freedom, and the love of the man she adores to become her father’s apprentice. As her unusual athletic ability leads her into dangerous exploits, Ariadne discovers that she secretly revels in playing with fire. But when the wrong person discovers their secret, Ariadne and her father find their future—and very lives—hanging in the balance.

When they befriend a Jewish rabbi named Paul, they realize that his radical message challenges everything they’ve fought to build, yet offers something neither dared hope for.

Review: You've got the rooftop adventure of the Prince of Persia, the cunning and generosity of Robin Hood, the exciting sport of Ben-Hur, and the elegance of Austen all wrapped up into one. This book actually surprised me; I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. When I initially read the summary, it pulled at me, but once I began reading -- well, halfway through, I really couldn't put it down.

Ariadne is a Corinthian at heart, but she's stuck in Athens with her harsh, unloving mother and grandfather. Her best friends are her two brothers, one by blood, and the other taken in from the streets as an infant the same night she was born. After her mother and grandfather insist on betrothing her to a pretty awful guy, she decides it's time to leave. So, she escapes back to Corinth with her adopted brother to return to their beloved father.

But not all is well at their father's home. After Ariadne discovers him sneaking in and out at night, he confesses the truth: he is the thief of Corinth. Although he wants to leave the thieving nights behind him, it may be a exciting life that Ariadne just can't say no to. Besides, when everything's on the tip of ruin, another run as a thief might be the only way to save her family.

This book was very well paced; it moves very quickly. And the author did a great job at weaving multiple subplots together. I loved seeing the interaction with Ariadne and her family. I'm really a big fan of stories with lots of sibling emphasis, and this one delivered all that I wanted. In addition, no minor character is added just because; each one has a purpose, which is fantastic.

I was a little disappointed in the ending, I will admit. It did boil down to a very nice conclusion, but I didn't care for the way that Ariadne had to steal again in order to put things right and help people. Yes, she has the talents, and it made a great climax, but morally, it didn't seem to sit well with the spiritual tone of the book. For me, you can't do wrong in order to do right. Stealing is stealing, no matter how you cut it.

Additionally, I think some of the historical and biblical aspects could have been done better. I talked about this book with a college history graduate, and he said that some of the elements included would probably never have happened. One, Ariadne's parents are divorced by the mother's request, and it would have been highly unlikely that the marriage would have been dissolved for a woman -- no matter what the reasons were. Also, Ariadne's race; even though Sparta was big on training the women with the men, women competing in events was next to nil. The adopted son, as well, was something big that the Corinthian world upheld, but a son normally would be adopted if the father had no healthy, beloved male heir (which in this book he did). Once adopted, the son wouldn't leave his father, not even to accompany his sister to a new home. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but some of these elements seemed a little stretched for the purpose of the book.

I won't get on a soapbox about the spiritual elements. This was the one part of the book that I was the most skeptical about, as biblical fiction normally hasn't left a good taste in my mouth. It's hard to get it right, I know. The overall message was good, and it didn't feel like the author was shoving it down your throat, but I was honestly disappointed in Paul's portrayal. After reading his epistles for so many years, he seemed more a contemporary, peace-loving, shallow type of guy. However, I did like how the author tied in the historical account of the Unknown God.

Advisory: A little bit of romance and a kiss, but not overdone. There are a few scenes in which Ariadne describes the scant dress of women, as well as some flirtatious/sensual type scenes. For example, a girl dances in front of a crowd of men, looking for their attention.

And just a bit of blood to be aware of. Another character has a severely broken leg. Some talk of domestic abuse and other minor injuries.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

*Please note: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Dancing and Doughnuts (Once Upon a Western)

Title: Dancing and Doughnuts

Series: Once Upon a Western (Book #2)

Year: 2018

Author: Rachel Kovaciny

Summary: Twelve Dancing Princesses… reimagined.

Fifty dollars just for asking a few questions? Jedediah Jones figures it must be his lucky day. What dancing and doughnuts have to do with anything, he neither knows nor cares. He’s only interested in earning that money so he can finally eat something other than the apples he's been living off for days. Once his stomach and his pockets are filled again, he plans to move on.

But answering the advertisement plunges him into a forest of painted trees, twelve pretty sisters, trouble, and more trouble. And, yes, doughnuts.

So many doughnuts. 

Can Jedediah Jones solve the mystery and earn that fifty dollars when the whole town has failed? Or will the twelve sisters lose their family's business no matter what he does?

Main Characters:
~ Jedediah Jones
~ Alice 
~ Cooper
~ Clara

Review: Have you ever wanted that basically perfect fairytale retelling that just crackled with originality and spunk? Well, this is it. This book absolutely blew me away. I loved it sooooo much. 

Jedediah Jones is new in town -- and he intends to make it a quick stay. He's running from awful memories of the Civil War, and he doesn't want to stay in one spot long enough to allow the memories to catch up. The problem is, he's short of money so he needs to pick up an odd job or two to keep his pockets full until the next town. 

And what an odd job he finds. A family of twelve girls offering a $50 reward to anyone who can solve the mystery of the spiked apple cider. A mystery that's threatening to close down the family dance hall and doughnut business. 

Rachel doesn't give you anytime to get bored in this book. It's fast-paced and intriguing. I read the whole thing in one sitting. I will admit I figured out the spiking culprit pretty early on, but I was completely hooked on trying to figure out how my conclusion would play out. The book began with a very strong flavor of the original twelve dancing princesses tale. Now, in my experience, when a retelling begins that way, the elements of the original tale kinda fade away and get lost in the author trying to be original, but Rachel kept the fairytale vibe strong until the end.

And all the two thumbs up for including the original fairy tale elements. I was wondering how Rachel was going to get the silver and gold forest in here -- but she did and amazed me at doing so in the process. There's lots of dancing, some worn out shoes (even though Jones's love interest has the impeccable and lovable tendency to go barefoot), a proper mystery, an inquisitive ex-soldier, and plenty of fun. I loved getting a glimpse at more than one sister; twelve dancing princesses retellings tend to only focus on the eldest sister, but with this one we got a close-up of at least three. I'd love to see some spin-offs on some of the other girls' adventures. 

My biggest problem with this book was the amount of food discussed. Particularly the homemade doughnuts. I was so hungry when I finished, and there were no doughnuts at hand to snack on. Very disappointing. 

It's not every day you get an epic fairytale retelling like this, and if you're any kind of fairytale retelling enthusiast (or a fan of a fun, western read), this book HAS to be on your list PRONTO. You will not regret it. I want to read everything this author has written. 

Advisory: Really nothing. This is probably one of the cleanest reads I've had ever. A few characters suggest that the spiked cider may present problems with the girls being "improper" but that's all that's ever mentioned. And obviously, some consumption of and discussion of alcohol, but I would have no worries handing this book to my nine-year-old sister. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

*Please note: I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*