Snow White and Rose Red

Title: Snow White and Rose Red

Series: The Fairy Tale Series created by Terri Windling

Year: 1989

Author: Patricia Wrede

Summary: Wrede's romantic and charming retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale is the fourth in this series. In the village of Mortlak, near the river Thames, during the reign of Elizabeth I, live the Widow Arden and her two daughters, Blanche and Rosamund. The widow, who supports her family by selling herbs and making healing potions, lives in fear of being accused of witchcraft. Her daughters gather the herbs she needs, sometimes crossing into the realm of Faerie, one of whose borders lies in the forest nearby. 

Also residing in Mortlak is the real-life Doctor Dee, astrologer to the Queen, who with his friend Edward Kelly seeks to harness the magic of Faerie. Their efforts turn Hugh, one of the half-human sons of the queen of Faerie, into a bear. With the aid of the widow and her daughters, John, the elder Faerie prince, tries to disenchant his brother, who has crossed over to the mortal world. John is initially thwarted in his efforts by Madini, head of a faction in Faerie that seeks complete separation from the mortal domain. In putting her twist on the classic tale, Wrede uses language appropriate to the period and nicely evokes both medieval England and a magic land. 

Review: This review was written originally for publication on Fairy Tale Central. Click here to read the full review.

The tale of Snow White and Rose Red, I fear, does not have nearly the fanbase that it should. As one of the lesser-known fairytales, it has far fewer retellings than the popular tales of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. Even the similarly-named Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is more popular — a fact I consider completely unfair. This tale focuses much on the bond between sisters, and has a good bit of adventure and mystery to boot.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wrede’s retelling. Rosamund and Blanche are two very likable heroines, each with a distinct personality. Blanche, the elder, is quiet and thoughtful, while her younger sister is more apt to jump into action or lose her temper. They are super close, do a lot together, and would do anything for each other. I think, because I am one of five sisters, the predominant theme of sisterhood in this book really came out strongly for me. (I’m always up for a good sibling book; the more, the better.) Yes, Rose and Blanche aren’t perfect, but there’s so much in them that you immediately fall in love with and can’t help rooting for them.

Advisory: Most of the caution I have to say on this book concerns the magical/witchcrafts aspects of the tale. There is also one scene in which a man is described as naked and quickly is given a blanket, but it’s not dwelt on or described at all. Other than that, I found it very clean.

The Widow, Dee, and Kelly all practice elements of witchcraft. It is not super clear why the Widow knows what she knows, other than that she’s familiar with Faerie and how to use herbs and chants to accomplish things. She doesn’t practice this sort of thing very often, and usually only because she must. Dee and Kelly, on the other hand, are intent on capturing the power of Faerie to make their own gold. With all three, though (and later as other characters begin to join them), practice within scenes of the books, and their spells are sometimes very specific. In addition to the Latin phrasing, we are given the names of herbs and other things that they use in their spells. This magic mimics some of what I’ve read in Jessica Day George novels (after the fashion of how the time period viewed supernatural activity), but it’s more than just using a silver cross or holy water. Typically, this wouldn’t bother too many people, but I was bothered by how repeatable some of the spells would have been in the real world (with the exception discussed below). For this reason, I must mention it.

The Faerie realm is clearly fantasy and of Wrede’s own making. The power that the Faerie creatures use is completely their own, and in the line of the magic or talent that Tolkien describes his race of elves using. It is compatible with the mortals’ magic, though, which makes some of the sorcerers’ spells completely fantastical.

Again, click here to read the full review. (And be sure to check out all the other cool fairytale stuff on Fairy Tale Central!)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Everland (Everland)

Title: Everland

Series: Everland (Book #1)

Year: 2016

Author: Wendy Spinale

Summary: The only way to grow up is to survive.

London has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease. The only ones who have survived the destruction and the outbreak of a deadly virus are children, among them sixteen-year-old Gwen Darling and her younger siblings, Joanna and Mikey. They spend their nights scavenging and their days avoiding the deadly Marauders—the German army led by the cutthroat Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer.

Unsure if the virus has spread past England’s borders but desperate to leave, Captain Hook is on the hunt for a cure, which he thinks can be found in one of the surviving children. He and his Marauders stalk the streets snatching children for experimentation. None ever return.

Until one day when they grab Joanna. Gwen will stop at nothing to get her sister back, but as she sets out, she crosses paths with a daredevil named Pete. Pete offers the assistance of his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella, who have all been living in a city hidden underground. But in a place where help has a steep price and every promise is bound by blood, it might cost Gwen more than she bargained for. And are Gwen, Pete, the Lost Boys, and Bella enough to outsmart the ruthless Captain Hook?

Review: There are so many books out there that claim to be retold stories of classic favorites. Peter Pan is just one classic that, I feel like, is underappreciated and also not done real justice when it gets retold. There are too many elements that get left out, or too much deviation on the new author's part that it basically fails to be any sort of retelling of the original.

This book pleasantly surprised me. It's written in present tense (which is sometimes awkward for me to read), but once I got over that, I was sucked right in. And the strength of this retelling is something to be impressed by. It's got all the things.

Gwen is only trying to survive -- and she's got two younger siblings to keep alive, too. In this alternative universe where war and power control have gone wrong, Gwen knows it's only a matter of time before she and her siblings are caught and disappear forever. Unless she can get them all out into... someplace safe. That's when she meets Pete, a cocky youth who leads a bunch of Lost Boys against the infamous Captain Hook.

I won't waste too much time on giving a summary -- the author did a bang-up job with that in the summary copied and pasted above. Read that, if you will.

I just want to take a moment to bask in the Peter-Pan-ness of this story. True, it's not a perfect story, the style is quick and sometimes choppy, some of the characters lack depth, but I was really surprised at how well the plot was laid out. And when I said it had all the Peter Pan things -- boy howdy. John from the original is now a girl, Joanna, but the transition is smooth and perfect for the story (since girls are more susceptible to the deadly virus roaming around). Thus, since the girls are dying off, Gwen is seen as a special person (Mother), and Pete really does lead a gang full of just boys. Bella (Tinker Bell) has wings (!!) and can actually fly and IT WORKS SO WELL.

The only thing I really didn't like right away was Captain Hook. With his long German name, I felt the moniker was a little forced, but he grew on me. But we've got a quick look at Smee and crocodiles. Yes, crocs, plural. I told you it had all the things. The Jolly Roger is a zeppelin, which I thought was pretty cool.

Alternative historical books really aren't my thing, but this is a dystopia with a tidbit of hope. Normally, you don't get much hope in dystopian tales, but in this one you do. I might read more of them if they turned out more like this one.

Advisory: Some violence, explosions, fighting, and death. One character (slightly spoiler-y but not a surprise) has his hand cut off; crocodiles kill another character; etc. The tone of the book is suspenseful and active, but I didn't think the violence was over the top.

Light romance leading to a kiss.

The big plot of this book centers around the deadly virus plaguing London. This sickness, to me, almost seemed like a form of leprosy, since the skin on the victim's hands and feet is affected first, basically dying and crumbling off to leave sores and raw wounds on the affected areas. Since it is deadly, people die, but again it wasn't over the top. Just be aware that there are some descriptions and mentions of the virus and its symptoms.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Warrior (Dragons of Starlight)

Title: Warrior

Series: Dragons of Starlight

Year: 2010

Author: Bryan Davis

Summary: For years, tales of DRAGONS from another world kidnapping and enslaving humans have been circulating in Jason Masters' world, while for a slave girl named Koren, the stories of a human world seem pure myth. Together, these two teens will need to bridge two planets in order to overthrow the draconic threat and bring the lost slaves home.

The Dragon Prince Has Hatched 

The stakes are raised when the foretold prince is crowned. While Koren and Jason race to the Northlands of Starlight to find the one person who can help them free the human slaves, Elyssa and Wallace strive to locate Jason and assist his quest. Soon, all four discover that the secrets of Starlight extend much further than they had imagined. Meanwhile, Randall and Tibalt have returned to Major Four and find themselves teamed with the dragon Magnar, who has arrived to help thwart the governor.

No one knows how the prophecy will be fulfilled, but one thing is clear: more than ever, the survival of the dragons depends on humankind, and they will do anything to prevent the slaves from escaping.

Review: Things are definitely getting more complicated in the world of dragons. Jason and Koren flee to the Northlands to find help, and Elyssa and Wallace try to find them while also trying to help some of the slaves out. Randall and Tibalt find themselves teamed up with an unlikely pair of dragons, and Jason faces some of the hardest tests he has to date. With the dragon prince/king, Taushin, now hatched and taking over, Koren has to make some difficult decisions with where her loyalties lie. Taushin will apparently stop at nothing to get the Starlighter under his control.

I'll gladly go on record saying this was a good addition to the Starlight series. However, compared to the first book, I felt that it dragged just a little bit. The first book kept you on your seat with lots of action and danger, but things slowed down a lot in this book. There's still action and danger, but there's also a lot of talking and walking and secrets and hints at prophecy. Doubtless all setting up for the climax in the following books, but pretty slow; that's my take on it anyway. Looking forward to finishing the tale with the other books, though. I don't think things slowed down too much to make me lose interest.

To be honest, I think Wallace was my favorite character. He didn't appear too often, sadly, but he had a nice presence, plus some humor to add to the story. The characters in this book, as a whole, felt a lot more preachy than they did in the first book. While I think it's good for a Christian book to exhibit good Christian morals and principles, I think Bryan Davis was forcing it almost too much.

Advisory: Fantasy violence/fighting/death. Nothing over the top, and I thought that was all well handled.

Since the dragons use the humans as slaves, they are not viewed as real humans. There are a few mentions of how the dragons force unwed women to procreate with random men chosen by the dragons. The bond between Taushin and Koren is an interesting point, too; Koren firmly believes that the love he demands in service is not true love, but he still persists on trying to seduce that loyalty/love/service from her. To me, submission to Taushin felt a little sensual, but nothing inappropriate happens or crosses Koren's mind.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars