Honestly, I laughed from beginning to end. I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard reading a book.
I love fairy tales, and I love books that subvert tropes. This book did both while remaining true to the magic and wonder of the genre. This is an early middle-grade book (possibly a chapter book); thus, I’m not necessarily the target audience. But even months later, I still think back on some of the jokes and smile—you can’t get better than that in terms of a good reading experience.
Join New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs in this first book in a hilarious, highly illustrated new middle grade series about a peasant boy who wants to be a knight, perfect for fans of Max & the Midknights.
Tim is just a peasant, but he dreams big. He wants more out of life than to grow up to be a woodsman like his father. Unfortunately, the only route to success in the kingdom of Wyld is to be born a prince. Still, Tim is determined. He is brave and clever and always tries to do the right thing—even though…
I loved this book because it was about me. Not literally (obviously), but when I put myself into fairy tales, I rarely see myself as the princess—classically beautiful, polite, kind under all circumstances, soft-spoken.
Not that I don’t have these qualities sometimes, but they aren’t the first things that jump to mind when I think of myself, and this book nailed how out-of-place and pushed aside not being the princess character can make you feel. For better or worse, I’m a “stepsister.” I’m messy and loud, and I say things I regret later.
'In an ancient city by the sea, three sisters - a maiden, a mother, and a crone - are drawing maps by candlelight. Sombre, with piercing grey eyes, they are the three Fates, and every map is a human life . . .'
Stepsister takes up where Cinderella's tale ends. We meet Isabelle, the younger of Cinderella's two stepsisters. Ella is considered beautiful; stepsister Isabelle is not. Isabelle is fearless, brave, and strong-willed. She fences better than any boy, and takes her stallion over jumps that grown men fear to attempt. It doesn't matter, though; these qualities are not valued…
This was described to me as a Beauty and the Beast portal fantasy, and that sounded too awesome for me to pass up. I'm so glad I read it because it was as enchanting and mystical as I wanted it to be.
It also had some darkness, and the characters' resiliency against that darkness was inspiring. I loved how the female lead's disability was both a strength and an obstacle. I loved how the male lead needed to understand he was his own worst enemy.
This book taught me about myself through the characters' struggles, and that's always worthwhile.
A New York Times bestseller!
"Has everything you'd want in a retelling of a classic fairy tale." - Jodi Picoult
In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.
Fall in love, break the curse.
It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the…
One more, no matter what must be done, there shall be...
Twelve years ago, Queen Zelandra escaped Grimmfay’s hold on her soul, leaving a vengeful circus in her wake. Now, Grimmfay has returned to reclaim what it lost, and it will not leave without its fourth mistress. Barricaded in her palace, Zelandra will do anything to fight the siren call threatening to drag her back. But Grimmfay has not come for her. It’s come for her daughter.
Told from alternating perspectives, all with a different view of the circus, Grimmfay is a story of the enemies we face, the sides we choose, and the battles we must fight, even when we’re not sure we can win.
