My Book Reviews

Category: Retellings

This category contains any posts published in reference to books of Retellings genre.

  • A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1)

    A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1)

    Grimm

    A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1) by Adam Gidwitz
    Release: August 18, 2011
    Format: Paperback
    Publisher: Puffin Books
    Source: Edelweiss+

    Grimm


    Tale Dark and Grimm Synopsis:

    Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm (and Grimm-inspired) fairy tales. An irreverent, witty narrator leads us through encounters with witches, warlocks, dragons, and the devil himself. As the siblings roam a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind the famous tales, as well as how to take charge of their destinies and create their own happily ever after. Because once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.

     

    Book Trailer:

    [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q08Ad7D98h8[/embedyt]

    Review:

    A BIG Thank You to Edelweiss+, Puffin Books and Penguin Publishing Group for providing me a copy of “A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1)” by Adam Gidwitz in exchange for my review. Edelweiss+ only had a snippet preview of this book, but I was hooked on the first page itself and decided to purchase it online immediately. I loved every bit of this story!

    I’m not sure how true this story is to the original Grimm version, but it kept me glued. It is fast paced and has a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Initially, I expected the main plot to only cover the story we are used to. Instead, in this retelling, the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale that we know of gets over in the beginning itself. What follows are more gruesome unfortunate adventures of the siblings. The book wonderfully portrays how they grow and mature and adapt to the harsh realities of life.

    Even though the story and the world building are purely fantasy, the characters are very realistic and down to Earth. I loved the three ravens who part their wisdom with their cranky humor. Hansel and Gretel are strong, smart, courageous and very inspiring. The story perfectly blends humor, suspense, adventure and mystery in it. The scenes where Hansel hides in the Devil’s home to outsmart him was hilarious and suspenseful at the same time. Another interesting factor is how the author disperses elements from the original story across this novel. For example, there are no breadcrumbs throws in the woods when the children are going to the witch’s house. Instead, Gretel throws lentils and seeds on her way to see the mysterious man that she has a crush on.

    Adam Gidwitz has a wonderful talent for writing children’s books and especially fairy tales. I enjoyed how he put his own commentary and warnings, and it felt like he is narrating the story to the reader. Moreover, some of the passages are written in a pure fairy tale like poetic manner that is so delightful to read. The author uses a lot of hidden themes, metaphors and morals in each story that we can reflect with in our lives. Probably the only thing that was a little uncomfortable to read was the gory descriptions. This book gets really graphic for a children’s novel and I don’t think it is suitable for younger readers. Even though the author gives warnings for small children to not read the scary details following it, it would make them want to read it anyway.

    Overall, I loved this first book in the ‘Tale Dark and Grimm’ series and I will definitely read the others as soon as I get my hands on them.

    [Read my Review on Book 2: In A Glass Grimmly (A Tale Dark & Grimm #2)]

  • Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen

    Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen

    Beast

    Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen
    Expected Release: July 10th 2018
    Format: Ebook
    Publisher: Candlewick Press
    Source: NetGalley

    Beast


    Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge Synopsis:

    They say Château Beaumont is cursed. But servant-girl Lucie can’t believe such foolishness about handsome Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir, Chevalier de Beaumont, master of the estate. But when the chevalier’s cruelty is revealed, Lucie vows to see him suffer. A wisewoman grants her wish, with a spell that transforms Jean-Loup into monstrous-looking Beast, reflecting the monster he is inside. But Beast is nothing like the chevalier. Jean-Loup would never patiently tend his roses; He would never attempt poetry; He would never express remorse for the wrong done to Lucie. Gradually, Lucie realizes that Beast is an entirely different creature from the handsome chevalier, with a heart more human than Jean-Loup’s ever was. Lucie dares to hope that noble Beast has permanently replaced the cruel Jean-Loup — until an innocent beauty arrives at Beast’s château with the power to break the spell.

     

    Review:

    A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing me a copy of “Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge″ by Lisa Jensen in exchange for my review.

    When I first started reading this book, I honestly did not expect to enjoy it. This story depicts a dark retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales. Moreover, I really didn’t like the idea of the main characters portrayed in a negative manner. Having said that, I enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would.

    Let’s start with the story line. Frankly speaking, I found the story to be dragging in the first half and I had trouble with the pacing. The plot is indeed very dark and disturbing in the first few chapters as it deals with rape and suicide. However, once the transformation happens and the two protagonists are stuck in the Chateau, the story shifts pace and nothing really happens for a while to progress it. True, it is interesting to see the nuances in the Beast’s personality initially, but I found this to be repetitive after sometime. However, the story considerably picks up in the second half when Rose enters the Chateau. There are lots of twists and turns that happens after she arrives, and I found myself glued to the book. I also loved the climax of the book and was satisfied with how the characters were treated.

    Now let’s talk about the controversial topic that others are talking about this book, which is the victim falling in love with her rapist. I completely agree that if that were the case, I would have hated this book and put it down immediately. However, I disagree with respect to this story because I feel that the Beast and Jean-Loup are two completely different identities. It is clear that the Beast does not have any idea about the actions or the personality of Jean-Loup and vice versa. Furthermore, they don’t even look alike when they transform into their form. So while they may be using the same body to transform in, I felt that they were two completely different people and Lucie could clearly distinguish between both.

    Lisa Jensen has written this story in a beautiful and majestic manner. Her words are like fine wine and compliment to the setting and timelines of the story. The cover design of the book is also amazing and I hope it remains the same for the final publication. Overall, this was an interesting retelling to Beauty and the Beast and I rate it 4/5 stars.