I probably should have reread ElCicco’s review before I started this novel since I unfortunately interpreted the word “reimagining” loosely, and was a bit disappointed with some of the topics the novel didn’t explore. However, if I had read the review again, I would have known that this is a fairly loyal retelling as far as the scope of the story goes. Basically, O’Neill did such a great job of building the kingdom under the sea that I wanted to spend more time there, get […]
Cooking with Magic
I was in the local bookstore to pick something up, and what I was looking for wasn’t there. I browsed around a little since I had a 20% off coupon, and I saw this: The Wizard’s Cookbook. I made an impulse purchase. I regret nothing. This is a cookbook, but all the recipes are based on characters from modern fantasy literature and include everything from the expected Harry Potter and Wizard of Oz to the equally cool but less expected Magica DeSpell, Link, Asterix and […]
Hearts and Thoughts They Fade, Fade Away
I loved The Bear and the Nightingale, and rather than doing my usual plunge straight into the sequel, I have been holding off on this on to try to extend and savor the story more. However, once I saw Aquillia’s review of The Girl in the Tower, I decided I was done waiting since I wanted to be able to have a discussion. Looking back, I have noticed that while everyone seems to like The Bear and the Nightingale, the responses to certain details have […]
The Perfect Cozy Fairy Tale with a Dash of Religion, Politics and Russian History
I loved this book so much! In many ways, it was a straightforward tale, with many elements familiar with traditional fairy tales but Arden created such sympathetic character and played with history and religion so well to create something that went deeper while feeling completely true to folk tales and fairy tales. Arden does not waste time in foreshadowing the themes that will drive the story. The novel begins on a cold, hard winter night with four children gathered around the fire to listen to […]