Tuesday, February 4, 2020

We're Retiring!

Hello, folks! It's time for a life update.

KiriBeth was originally the brainchild of three young sisters: Beth Grace, Kiri Liz, and Jessa Bri. We titled the blog itself after two of its authors with the goal to post Christian-centric reviews on books, movies, and music. As time progressed (and as you may have noticed), however, the site morphed into mostly a book review blog with a couple of reviews posting (almost) every month.


Sadly, all three of us have decided that we no longer have time to keep up this site. Thus, we're officially retiring. The plan is to not delete the blog at this point, but it will no longer be active. Meaning, we won't be publishing any new content nor will we be monitoring it for new comments.

But the book reviews will still be available. Keep reading.

IF YOU'RE STILL INTERESTED IN READING BOOK REVIEWS BY KIRI... she will still be posting those... just in a new place. Please click the link below to discover her corner of the online world!


So, what are these three sisters up to if they're not busily blogging? Here's the current scope of things:


Beth Grace is married to a lovely young man with a mathematical brain. She doesn't understand any of the big numbers and equations that he talks about frequently, but she loves him to death. While he's off at work, she stays busy chasing their one year old son around the house and preparing for the birth of their second child this approaching summer.


Kiri Liz is still blogging. But no longer in the usual places; instead, she's hoping to make a name for herself by writing books and keeping up with her new blog, A Synesthete Writer. She's anticipating the publication of her third novella this coming spring. She's madly in love with her husband, who is studying for his doctorate in theology, and takes all the snuggle time she can get with her two kids: twenty-one month old daughter and three month old son.


Jessa Bri recently found a fairytale romance with the man she now calls husband. Together, they live in a quaint, little apartment with a fireplace in their bedroom and lots of chocolate in their cupboards. She is still very allergic to eggs, dairy, and gluten, but that doesn't stop her from researching gourmet and comfort recipes alike and coming up with amazing treats to share with her extended family. One would never suspect that cake was gluten-free.

~*~

And it's here that we bid you all farewell! It's been lovely, but life calls us away. Thank you for following us here and taking the time to read our brainchild.

Please consider following A Synesthete Writer for book reviews and more fun book-ish posts.

Good-bye!

Monday, January 20, 2020

A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of the Snow Queen (Beyond the Four Kingdoms)


Title: A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of the Snow Queen

Series: Beyond the Four Kingdoms

Year: 2018

Author: Melanie Cellier

Summary: An unexpected gift from her godmother will give Celine enough fire to take on an entire kingdom of snow and ice. But first she needs to melt one frozen prince.

Rumors have long swirled about the strange kingdom of Eldon. The only thing more frozen than its mountains are the inhabitants themselves. But Princess Celine has never backed away from a challenge, so she eagerly accepts an invitation to visit.

Yet the situation in Eldon is even worse than Celine feared. And if the kingdom is to have any hope of freedom or a future, she’s going to have to call on new skills and new allies—including the crown prince, Oliver. But against an enemy stronger and colder than ice, all her fire may not be enough.


In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, The Snow Queen, one princess is ready to burn down everything in her path to save those she loves and their kingdom with them.

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

Not only was this the first Snow Queen retelling I've ever read, it was also my very first Melanie Cellier book. I've seen her books quite a bit around the world of fairytale literature, but I didn't have a chance to jump into her work until now. And from this one book, I'll tell you -- I'm impressed, and I want more.

Eldon has always been a slightly mysterious kingdom. Something isn't quite right with the royal family, the kingdom itself seems to be stuck in snow, and no one can give any satisfying answers. So, when an invitation comes, Celine jumps at the chance to visit. She's curious, and this sort of personal investigation is bound to produce the answers she's looking for.

It doesn't take long after she arrives, however, before she's kidnapped. With both of Eldon's royal princesses in tow. While she's furious at the outcome and begins to plot an escape, she's more annoyed with Eldon's princesses, who -- despite being in a precarious and dangerous kidnapping situation -- don't seem to have enough life in them to care about anything, let alone trying to escape.

Celine is not your typical princess. She's headstrong, passionate, used to giving commands, used to being underestimated (and consequently, used to enjoying the advantages that comes with that mindset), and really doesn't like cold. So, being stuck in a kingdom full of ice and snow isn't exactly her cup of tea -- but the mysteries surrounding the royal family, the kingdom's people, and the land itself quickly occupy her every thought. And she won't rest until she gets to the bottom of things.

Advisory: Obviously, romance, as I've mentioned before (here, in the full review), so be prepared for quite a few kisses. However, it's squeaky clean.

Fantasy violence and magic. Celine and her companions encounter quite a few dangerous predicaments, including cave-ins, blizzards, snow leopards, iceflakes, etc. I did think it was all very well-balanced for the tone of the novel. Celine possesses magic of sorts with her firepower, but it is clearly fantasy magic since it is a gift from her godmother. The Snow Queen, too, possesses powers (those of ice and snow), and her talents are also clearly those of a fairytale as her power mainly comes from godmother gifts that she's stolen and altered from their original purposes.

Really, I can't think of anything else to put as a content caution. Overall, this book was very clean and an enjoyable read. I rather think my ten-year-old sister would enjoy it muchly.

Again, click here to read the full review on Fairy Tale Central. And be sure to check out the other epic Snow Queen posts there this month!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Princess Test (The Princess Tales)


Title: The Princess Test

Series: The Princess Tales (Book #2)

Year: 1999

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Summary: King Humphrey has decided it's time for his son, Prince Nicholas, to marry. But he must make sure the bride is a real princess. So he devises a series of princess tests, designed to weed out the phonies and the fakes. Meanwhile, Nicholas has fallen in love with Lorelei, a mere blacksmith's daughter. She's no princess, but he wants to marry her all the same--but how will she ever pass the terrible tests?

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

How can a tiny, little pea determine whether a girl is a true princess? Can one really tell when that little pea is buried beneath twenty mattresses? A true fairytale master, Gail Carson Levine has the answers.

Lorelei is a sweet girl -- but extremely prone to bad luck. As a baby, she cried over anything that wasn't perfect, and by the time she could talk to explain herself, she was always getting sick and hurt. Once her mother dies, her father determines never to remarry -- but he knows he needs help in looking after Lorelei, since she really can't do anything besides hang laundry and embroider. So, he hires a hard-working woman named Trudy to do the job.

Nicholas isn't a perfect prince, but he keenly feels his parents' expectations of perfection. Particularly in his choice of bride. At their insistence, he must marry not only a princess, but a true princess, one who can pass any test given to her. Nicholas has just fallen in love with the village blacksmith's daughter, a pretty lass named Lorelei who embroiders beautifully, and wants nothing to do with his parents' princess tests. But what can he do? He's a prince, after all, and has to follow the rules.

This is a super sweet retelling of The Princess and the Pea. I remember reading it forever ago when I was young; it was hilarious then, and still is hilarious now. Levine has a witty, funny style when it comes to her Princess Tales, so you're never left being bored when you're reading. The snark and innocence is just beautiful. They're probably my favorite part of these books. I promise you: you will laugh out loud at least once -- but probably much more often than that.

Advisory: Overall, this is one squeaky clean book. We've got a little bit of romance, as per any lovely little fairytale, but I'm completely comfortable in repeating that this is a retelling for any age.

The one thing that bothered me (not that this is a huge content concern) was the fact that Nicholas and Lorelei lie about her being a princess. I mean, I understand in the moment why they lied -- to get his parents to allow her to take the princess tests -- but the lie is never corrected, nor do they ever receive any type of backlash from it. And because they lied [spoiler], they live happily ever after. *shakes head* Sorry, that just rubs me the wrong way.

Again, click here to read the full review on Fairy Tale Central. And be sure to check out the other fun Princess and the Pea posts this month!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Princess and the Pea (Timeless Fairy Tales)


Title: The Princess and the Pea

Series: Timeless Fairy Tales (Book #0.5)

Year: 2018

Author: K.M. Shea

Summary: What if the true makings of a princess have nothing to do with where she’s from and everything to do with who she is?

She may hate her nickname of “Warrior Princess” but Lis stakes her reputation on her ability to protect her client’s treasures no matter what she faces.

But this job is different.

When the royal family of Torrens hires her to guard the fabled Pea of Primeorder jewel it starts out like any other job. The king is kind of eccentric (and possibly delusional) and Prince Channing is strangely pleasant towards her, but otherwise everything is normal.

Until she learns about the thief.

The legendary thief Apex has sent a letter declaring his intention to steal the Pea of Primeorder. Lis knows this is either the vainest thief in the world or there is more going on then she’s been told. But a job is a job. Lis will pass this test at all costs even if she has to stuff the jewel in her mattress while she sleeps.

But eccentricities of the Torrens royal family only intensifies as Prince Channing starts asking Lis strange questions. Like...would Lis stay in Torrens after her contract is over, and if they could learn to fight together. (What kind of royal asks that?)

A Prince, a Warrior, and a Pea. The Kingdom of Torrens will never be the same.

This novella is a prequel for the Timeless Fairy Tale series. It is not necessary to read the books in the Timeless Fairy Tales series prior to reading this story. However, if you have read that series watch for the name drops and hidden Easter eggs!

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

The Princess and the Pea is one fairytale that doesn't have enough retellings. And I completely understand why. I mean, seriously... a vegetable as the most crucial part of the story? Twenty mattresses? How can one make a respectable retelling out of that? There just doesn't seem to be enough oomph in the original fairytale to garner writers' interests.

HOWEVER, K.M. Shea has flipped this tale on its head. And I can guarantee that you'll never look at this fairytale the same way again after reading this novella.

Lisheva -- or Lis, as she prefers to be called -- is a mercenary warrior. She's trained hard to become who she is, she can fight better than most men, and she's not afraid of a good challenge. She has a hard set of morals, though; she won't spill blood if she doesn't have to, and any contract she accepts has to be honorable. There aren't very many female warriors like Lis and her companion, Vorah. They certainly attract notice anywhere they go, but because they're girls, some people underestimate them.

Their latest contract is one of a mysterious nature. King Albion requires their assistance in protecting a legendary piece from his kingdom's treasures -- a small, green, magical gem known as the Pea of Primeorder. The task should be easy enough for Lis and Vorah, except for the fact that the reputed thief, Apex, has already announced his intentions to steal the Pea within the week. Lis has her doubts about Apex's brash pride and any success he might have, but guarding the Pea may prove a bigger challenge than she's prepared for.

Advisory: Since Lis is a fighter, expect some fighting. QUITE a bit of fighting. The fight scenes were pretty cool to read and visualize, but some of them felt kinda long to me. There's plenty of sword action and fist action, but they don't make the book feel overly violent.

Also, some romance, as I've already mentioned above. But it's short and sweet and leads to one kiss. One character uses the term "arse" but I didn't notice anything else to keep this book from being pretty clean overall.

Again, click here to read the full review on Fairy Tale Central. And be sure to check out the other fun Princess and the Pea posts this month!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Night Dance (Once Upon a Time)


Title: The Night Dance

Series: Once Upon a Time

Year: 2005

Author: Suzanne Weyn

Summary: Under the stars, in a secret world...

Rowena, the youngest of twelve sisters, loves to slip out of the castle at night and dance in a magical forest. Soon she convinces her sisters to join her. When Sir Ethan notices that his daughters' slippers look tattered every morning, he is certain they've been sneaking out. So he posts a challenge to all the suitors in the kingdom: The first man to discover where his daughters have been is free to marry the one he chooses.

Meanwhile a handsome young knight named Bedivere is involved in a challenge of his own: to return the powerful sword, Excalibur, to a mysterious lake. While looking for the lake, Bedivere meets the beautiful Rowena and falls for her. Bedivere knows that accepting Sir Ethan's challenge is the only opportunity for him to be with Rowena forever. But this puts both Bedivere and Rowena in a dangerous situation... one in which they risk their lives for a chance at love.

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

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you crossed the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses with Arthurian legends? Bet you didn't think of it until now -- and the result has got to be something amazing, right?

Almost.

When Sir Ethan stumbles into a seemingly enchanted forest and falls in love with a mysterious woman, he has little idea who she really is -- other than his devoted, one true love, that is. After the horrors of battle, he's eager to settle down with his beloved and start a new life for himself. And for a good while, all things are just as happy as he could want them.

His wife gives birth to a set of twin girls. And then nine months later, has another set of twin girls. Nine months pass -- twin girls again. And again. Until there are twelve girls in total, all twins and all super close in age. Their little cottage is crowded, but life is still happy for Ethan and his thirteen women.

Until his wife starts acting strangely. She slips out at random times and has no real answer for him about what she's doing or where she's gone when she gets back. Because he loves her, he doesn't question her -- and then one day she doesn't return. When every search proves fruitless, Ethan does the next best thing he can: he turns their tiny cottage in the woods into a secure manor, the perfect prison that will keep his daughters always close to him, without ever having to fear that they, too, will leave him.

Advisory: Obviously, be prepared for some romance. With this much insta-love, we've got several kisses. Additionally, there are a few scenes that describe a woman with more-or-less transparent clothing on; while the author doesn't go into detail, those hints are definitely there.

One of the suitors trying his hand at the mysterious worn-out shoe challenge is a bit lustful in my way of thinking. He flirts pretty shamelessly with the sisters and very nearly takes one to bed with him, [spoiler ahead] the same sister that later believes herself falling in love with him because he said he was willing to marry her over her other sisters if she told him the secret [end spoiler]. That, I found a little distasteful and I wanted to slap them both in the face, him for his lecherous behavior and her for her lack of common sense.

The knight Bedivere is a knight under King Arthur, so naturally there follows him some fighting, injury, and death of his fellows in battle. The violence is not over the top in any way, and I thought it was well-handled for the novel.

Again, click here to read the full review. And be sure to check out all the other fun Twelve Dancing Princesses posts on Fairy Tale Central this month!

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club


Title: The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

Series: None

Year: 2014

Author: Genevieve Valentine

Summary:
From award-winning author Genevieve Valentine, a "gorgeous and bewitching" (Scott Westerfeld) reimagining of the fairytale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses as flappers during the Roaring Twenties in Manhattan.

Jo, the firstborn, "The General" to her eleven sisters, is the only thing the Hamilton girls have in place of a mother. She is the one who taught them how to dance, the one who gives the signal each night, as they slip out of the confines of their father's townhouse to await the cabs that will take them to the speakeasy. Together they elude their distant and controlling father, until the day he decides to marry them all off.

The girls, meanwhile, continue to dance, from Salon Renaud to the Swan and, finally, the Kingfisher, the club they come to call home. They dance until one night when they are caught in a raid, separated, and Jo is thrust face-to-face with someone from her past: a bootlegger named Tom whom she hasn't seen in almost ten years. Suddenly Jo must weigh in the balance not only the demands of her father and eleven sisters, but those she must make of herself.

With The Girls at the Kingfisher Club, award-winning writer Genevieve Valentine takes her superb storytelling gifts to new heights, joining the leagues of such Jazz Age depicters as Amor Towles and Paula McClain, and penning a dazzling tale about love, sisterhood, and freedom.

Review: If ever there was a period in history more suited to a fairytale, this is it. The story of twelve sisters sneaking out at night to dance fits perfectly with the speakeasy life of the Roaring Twenties. Throw in an over-controlling father, and it's the perfect recipe for an epic Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling.

Jo is the oldest of twelve sisters -- all of whom are an object of shame for their father. Ever the business man, Mr. Hamilton wants nothing more than a son to carry on his name and business. However, twelve daughters later, his wife perishes and there is no son to be had.

The girls are kept upstairs mostly in the family townhouse. No one outside is quite sure how many Hamilton daughters there are, since most people have never seen more than two or three outside together at any time. And that's just how their father likes it; the girls are much easier to control and take care of as long as they stay out of the public eye. After all, he doesn't have his coveted son; what use would twelve daughters be to him?

But problems are only just beginning at home. With the strict rules their father enforces upon them, Jo fears her sisters may break under the pressure and run away. She's determined to keep the family together, to take care of her eleven sisters herself -- whatever it takes. So, to give them a taste at freedom, she takes them out dancing at speakeasies during the night while their father sleeps.

And that's where their adventure begins.

I wish so badly that I could fangirl hard over this story. It's everything you could wish for a 12DP tale set during the Roaring Twenties. Unfortunately, there were several objectionable things that kinda ruined this story for me.

Jo is called "The General" by her sisters -- and for a good reason. It's she who starts taking her sisters out at night for a small taste of freedom to keep them from fleeing home. She isn't squeamish about dishing out the orders; she keeps everything rolling smoothly. Each night for her is down to a strategic science, and her sisters don't disobey.

I really did like Jo a lot. She was a good balance of recklessness and control, and in many ways reminded me much of the eldest princess from the original fairytale. She was such a flawed character, but she loved her sisters almost to a fault. She'd do anything for them, and did everything she could to keep the order and to keep them all at home. Her character growth and understanding that she can't control everything was one of my favorite parts of the book -- as an older sister myself, I can completely sympathize with that. The whole tone of sisterhood in this book was phenomenal. There's bickering, but there's love and laughter, too; the relationship they all had felt very genuine.

Some of the girls, like Lou and Doris and Ella, really stood out among the twelve girls, but it was difficult to really see a ton of character development with the other sisters. Which, I'll agree, makes sense for the length of the book; there's only so much you can focus on without writing something to rival Tolstoy and Hugo. The author did try to give the sisters each different personalities, but it was still hard to pull some of the younger ones apart.

There is definitely a lot of dancing in this book. Jo and Lou first begin the love of dancing -- sneaking into movies to memorize routines and different sequences and then bringing them home to practice at night. Once they begin sneaking out, there are a few different speakeasies they visit, each one packed with whatever waltz, Charleston, etc. etc. you could wish for. Kingfisher Club is the one they call home, but they're actually not there for a good portion of the book. Odd, I thought, when that's the club sponsored so loudly in the title. No one knows that the twelve girls showing up to dance are all sisters, and the girls never give out their name (as per Jo's instructions), so everyone just calls them "Princess" -- a clever and appreciative nod to the original fairytale.

The style of the book took me a bit to get into, honestly. At first, I thought it was really choppy, since you've got a number of shorter scenes and flashbacks that are constantly flipping back and forth. The amount of backstory, particularly for Jo, was a lot of telling on the author's part, and I think I would have preferred to see that action happen in real time, not in choppy flashbacks.

Advisory: Mild peril and violence. Police raid a speakeasy, and a few characters are injured in that scene and in a few others, but nothing is terribly graphic.

On the issue of romance and sexual content... oh my. Obviously a few of the girls fall in love throughout the course of the book, but since we're sneaking out and getting drunk, it's not kept clean. One sister partakes in an off-page sex scene (not described, but definitely hinted that it happened), while others flirt, discuss the touchiness of boys, give kisses, etc. [Spoiler alert] Once their father announces his plan to marry them off one by one, the sisters arrange a marriage with a boy from their speakeasy acquaintance to free her from the father's control; the same boy is in love with another sister, but marries the other to help her out. He later returns to possibly claim his true love while still being married to the other sister. It's just an odd situation. [End spoiler]

The whole life of the speakeasies was one that kinda bothered me. For an illegal activity, it's not exactly portrayed as such. The girls don't have any problems with sneaking out and dancing. Granted, it's the alcohol portion of that life that was illegal during Prohibition years, but the girls partake of that as well (I don't remember any of them getting completely drunk, though). The speakeasy life is the only way they can actually control what's going on, and it's described really as their source of freedom. [Spoiler alert] Once they break free from their father's control, it's the life most of them return to. The illegal life becomes their happily ever after -- which really didn't end the book on a good moral tone for me. [End spoiler]

This other advisory note may be the first time I've had to write this on a review here: the author does include some hints/light descriptions of homosexual/possibly transgender characters. Jo realizes the Kingfisher is a good club for secrets when she spots two men together dancing cheek to cheek. One of the sisters is mentioned more than once for enjoying dancing with other women rather than men, and has a special female friend by the end of the book. Another sister begins to don men's clothing despite looking scandalous, though it is a little unclear if she's truly transgender. For me, this was one of the biggest problems/letdowns of the book. I believe that God created two different and distinct genders and set clear definitions for His plan for romance and marriage. It makes me feel sick and sorrowful to see people participating this in gender confusion and perverting something beautiful that God created.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Friday, October 11, 2019

The City Beyond the Glass


Title: The City Beyond the Glass

Series: A Fairy Tale Retold (Book #6)

Year: 2018

Author: Suzannah Rowntree

Summary: In Renaissance Venice, the daughters of nobility must marry - or live and die trapped behind convent walls. Impulsive and adventurous, Gemma Caloprini thanks her stars that she's destined for marriage...until an unwanted betrothal goads her to defy her father and risk her most dangerous secret: the Glass Doge, a sinister nobleman who lives behind the glass of her mirror.

Now Gemma faces a brutal dilemma. If the suitors competing for her youngest sister's hand discover her secret, she'll be locked in a convent. If the Inquisitors find out, she'll burn as a witch. And if she can't pay her debt to the Glass Doge, she'll lose her soul forever.

THE CITY BEYOND THE GLASS is a dark and spellbinding YA retelling of THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES.

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

The Twelve Dancing Princesses has long been one of my favorite fairytales. I grew up with four sisters, so I guess it's natural for me to love a good sister story. Here, we don't have the classic twelve princesses to keep track of, but this story is definitely a gem in the field of fairytales.

Gemma and her two sisters have grown up in a convent -- which is where most girls of their ranking in Venice will stay until the end of their days. However, Gemma has a chance at freedom. One daughter in each family can marry and be saved from life in the convent. When her father arranges such a marriage for her, Gemma is thrilled by the opportunity but also skeptical about her father's pick -- especially since he won't give her the man's name. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands and figure out what exactly it is her father has planned for her future.

However, her plans go terribly awry when a stranger named Gonzaga steps in and literally rips her off her path, and everything turns upside-down in a moment with her reputation and future at stake.

Advisory: Some violence and action, but nothing terribly overdone or out of tone for the novel. Gemma's character is called into question because of the worn-out shoes, but the author handles this topic with a lot of care.

I wouldn't say language is a big caution of this story (at least for my own ranking), but for those wanting to know, one character uses "damned."

Magical elements also play a big part of the story, particularly in the mirror-realm that Gemma and her sisters visit. Even though the story is set in historical Venice, the whole tale reads very much like a true fairytale with the usual fairytale-type magic. Things do get a little dark in the mirror-realm once Gemma begins to learn its secrets, but she's not about to give up hope at buying freedom for herself and her two sisters.

Again, click here to read the full review on Fairy Tale Central. And be sure to check out all the other fun posts celebrating a month of Twelve Dancing Princesses!

Rating:
5 out of 5 stars

Related Reviews: Death Be Not Proud (mini review)