An American Fairytale!
921055
I really enjoyed this book. It is like an American fairy tale with lots of romance and suspense.  A fun refreshing read!
3828108
The Silver Rings written and illustrated by Samuel Valentino

Fantasy, adventure, and even a little romance can be found in this delightful story.  It is a fairy tale complete with evil stepmother, wicked step sisters, fairy godmother, talking animals, wicked witch, magic walnuts, a magic mirror, giants, goblins, and so much more.  Celia and Alice, beautiful twin sisters, are treated miserably by their evil stepmother, Calamita, and her horrid daughters, Ana (Anaconda) and Tara (Tarantula).  Calamita decides to rid herself of these two extra "daughters" and takes them to the Enchanted Forest and leaves them.  They make their way to their Fairy Godmother Serena's home in the Enchanted Forest where their adventure begins.  Whether dressed in lizard skins or turned into a frog, their paths separate and come back together using their wits and wiles as they journey.  It is a beautifully fractured fairy tale complete with a happily ever after ending.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of such tales from 8 to 88!
3669373
Magical.  Funny. Whimsical.  Surprising.  Everything a good "modern" fairytale should be.  A wonderful trip trough the nooks and crannies of historic Chicago.  The story follows the life of depressed Richard Lyons, who is stuck in the humdrum of corporate America.  Due to an unexpected event, Richard explores the magical and surprising Windy City of today and yesterday, meeting a number of unforgettable characters along the way; the most memorable being Francesca Finnegan.  The ending is redeeming and heartwarming.  Truly a fun and fanciful tale.  Chicagoans will adore this nostalgic ride.
337023
A beautiful story that felt like a true fairy tale I was fascinated by the images and the clear sense of magic throughout this book! I really enjoyed this one - I got a slightly more mature Narnia vibe, perhaps just more modern. The author builds a world and it felt like the animated feature was unfolding inside my mind. This is a lovely story! Recommended for all readers but DEFINITELY for this who want more stories of magic mixed with the modern world!
1704567
an excellant book for teen girls, single women and for parents! This is a fun read about pursuing your self, your dreams and adventures. It's about living life instead of waiting on Prince Charming before life begins! Rebekah has written about true Love and true beauty and the Originator of all true fairytales. You can be sure I will be giving a number of these to my granddaughters and young friends.
3896422
Richard Lyons may be rich, but he's not happy. He's going through life like a zombie. But then, one Friday night, he meets a girl who tells fairy tales in the street. An accidental bump to the head later, and so begin the adventures of Rich Lyons through Francesca Finnegan's fairytale Chicago.

I was captivated from the opening line - "There is magic in the city." - which sets the tone for this magical story that reads like a modern, original fairy tale. It's a charming, whimsical, alternate history of Chicago, complete with funny footnotes, nonsense verse, and cute illustrations (by Chris Cihon). Fragments of things Richard saw before he becomes unconscious, manifest themselves in his adventures. In this respect, the book is reminiscent of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

Take a trip with Rich on the mythical Lavender Line through Chicago's non-existent East Side. You'll meet real-life historical figures, as well as fairytale creatures such as the house-cat train conductor, Queen Billy Boyle, Templeton the elf, Thumbelina, Lucy the mermaid, the Grand Duke at Rhine Falls, Mr. Fox, and - of course - the blue-haired Francesca Finnegan. You'll be regaled with tales (look out, it's contagious!) of old Chicago landmarks: the last city farm, Dunning Mental Hospital, Riverview Amusement park, the Green Mill cocktail lounge, Aragon castle, and the abandoned Chicago cable car tunnels.

You'll learn how the Windy City got its name, the cause of the Great Chicago Fire, the origin of the infamous Chicago liqueur Malrt, the true events of the Saint Valentine's Day massacre, the legend of footballer George Gipp, the origin of the city's flag, why the Chicago River flows backwards, the story of John Kinzie and the Polish Potawatomi, the origin of Chicago's name, the story of the Dearborn Massacre, the phenomenon of the Chicago River turning green, the cause of the lightening of the Chicago night sky, the origin of Chicago's mermaid statue, and how the Aragon Ballroom came to have its star-studded ceiling.

Along the way, Richard regains some of the magic of his youth - and so will you. A wonderful, satisfying fairy tale for adults.

I received this book in return for an honest review.
4504064
So, if you are a long-time follower, you know that I'm not a huge YA contemporary reader.  But, when I saw there was a dachshund in this one, and that it was a fairy tale retelling, AND had to do with a comic-con type of event, I was instantly intrigued.  As you can tell by my 5 star rating, I also was not disappointed!

This is a Cinderella story/retelling, so it reminded me a bit of my 2015 NaNoWriMo project, which was also a Cinderella retelling, modern YA contemporary style, and like mine, this one even included a country club.  However, this book did such a great job at really hitting all the little story details that fit in with the fairy tale.  And we got both sides of the story, both our Cinderella - Elle, and our Prince Charming - actor Darien Freeman who plays Prince Carmidor in the new movie based on Elle's favorite sci-fi series.  That makes the story unique in itself, although my project also did both sides.  Again, not quite as good as this one though!  Elle's father died a few years ago, but not before remarrying a woman who is the perfect evil stepmother, and not only that, she has twin step-sisters who are definitely also evil, for the most part, one of them might actually have some redeeming qualities.

The big convention for the space show, Starfield, was actually started years ago by Elle's father and mother.  But she hasn't been without her father.  This year she wants to go, after all kinds of things make her interested.  She has made a new friend, the girl that works with her in the food truck called "the Magic Pumpkin", more Cinderella details.  The friend is kind of a fairy godmother too in that she is able to help Elle get her "outfit" ready for the comic-con.  There is also the little dachshund, the one that lives next door, that Elle rescues from being chained outside and neglected.  You gotta love him.

And then of course there is Darien, who not only has to fill in one of the biggest roles ever, he doesn't want to mess it up, because he is also a big fan of the show.  And due to his "teen hunk" status, many people, especially bloggers, are sure he will fail, and are posting it all over the internet.  Darien's life isn't as sweet as you'd think.  He has to deal with his rabid fans, a dad that has become more into making his son a successful movie star, but not worried about his son's happiness, and friends from the past, who were only out to sell stories about him.

Darien and Elle will meet at the convention, Elle not really impressed with him, as she is one of those bloggers predicting his failure.  Yet Darien will be intrigued with her right away, until he finds out she is one of those bloggers.  The two of them will have lots to overcome, including a moment of being separated, and Prince Charming, excuse me, Prince Carmidor, searching for Cinderella, I mean Elle.
1941460
I received a free copy of this book from bookfunnel and boy am I ever glad I did! What a fun read. I read this book in one sitting and simply could not put it down.

This book is everything you could ever want from a fairy tale retelling (re-imagining). This isn't just a retelling of Cinderella, it's a complete re-imagining of multiple fairy tales. This story takes place in a fairy tale world where all the characters we're familiar with, hero and villain, are present.

The story is told in second-person from the point-of-view of Cendrilla, Rilla to her friends. Rilla is an incarnation of Cinderella you've never seen before. Instead of a meek girl in need of rescue by a prince, she's the one doing the rescuing! At the beginning of the story, Rilla is biding her time under the tyranny of her step-family, biting her tongue and baring their abuse with the knowledge in a few years she will inherit her family fortune, but the presence of an unwanted groom starts her on an adventure she never envisioned herself undertaking.

This book is the first part in a series and does end on a slight cliffhanger, but nothing too terrible. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am eagerly awaiting the next part!

Recommended to fans of fairy tales, young adult fantasy, and strong female characters. And if you liked The 10th Kingdom mini-series from back in 2000, you will LOVE this story!
4302572
A modern day adaptation of Cinderella, The Bachelor Auction will simply captivate you with its twist on this beloved fairy tale. Yes, there are evil stepsisters, fairy godmother, a prince and some mice (well not exactly the four pawed kind). Brock is our modern day prince with a very lovable but quite manipulative grandfather. Always the dutiful grandson that he is, he's willing to sacrifice his life to keep his grandfather happy. After all, his grandfather raised him and his twin brothers when his parents died and he could never really say no to him. But what about the mysterious woman who has captivated his attention and left her shoes during one dazzling techno party? Maybe it would be best to forget her. His brothers disagree, but what do they know except to flirt and party. Jane has always held her family together after the death of her parents. But her sisters are stuff of nightmares, she might love them but they simply demand a lot from her without giving anything back in return except guilt trips and debts! So when an offer from an anonymous client comes in to clean his ranch house comes through, she grabs at it. But one manipulative grandfather (*Cough* fairy godmother *Cough*) pushes his agenda quite thoroughly now its up to a reluctant prince and an ever reluctant Cinderella to get it together.

The Bachelor Auction makes no pretensions that it is more than a fairy tale adaptation, but its quite refreshing on how its done that it makes it so fun to read. Its like reading an in depth character analysis of all the figures in that story! It is sweet, funny, captivating and engaging, with characters that are memorable.

*Copy provided*
2540901
In post world war IV the world is a definitely different place. America the country no longer exists, instead it is a kingdom with a very strict caste system. Life is great for the ones, twos and threes, ok for the fours but for the five, six, sevens and eights life gets increasingly harder and hungrier. America Singer is seventeen years old, a five and an accomplished musician - all fives are artists of some kind. She is coerced into entering The Selection which is a televised chance to become a princess by marrying the only child of the current King, Prince Maxon. She would much rather marry her secret boyfriend, even though hes only a six so life would be much harder for her. She, along with thirty four other girls from around the country, is taken to live at the palace, to meet the prince, be properly fed for the first time in her life, have elaborate gowns, maids to help her . . . her life is dramatically changed. In this dystopian world, there are also dangers from rebels, from the other competitors for the Princes heart and from her own mixed feelings! To see how it works out youll just have to read the book and series!

A different sort of romance with no fairy tale ending in this book but lots of teenage turmoil, terrorist troubles and a perplexing prince. At times I really wanted to shake America (the girl in the story, not the country!) and at others just give her a hug. Prince Maxon is a delightful Prince Charming in his attitude and behaviour. You really need to read what America does to him in the garden when he was only being kind! Some really funny moments in a story that it seems people either totally love or hate. Personally, I enjoyed it and will be interested to find out what happens next and who, if anyone, Prince Maxon chooses!

Thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4381463
Dickerson has done it again! She magically recreates the tale of Aladdin with her own unique spin. She captures the reader from the first page and holds them captive until the very end. Aladdin is such a loving and selfless character and Kirstyn is so good hearted and kind, although a bit naive. I loved how they were friends before they ever realized they loved each other. When I thought I knew what would happen in this story, I found myself surprised at each and every turn! A delightful tale with faith and hope for all, The Orphan's Wish is a must read for any fairy tale lover!
3605792
I was very interested to read this book when it was first introduced because I was curious about the idea of a "flipped fairytale". What captivated me the most about this story was the writing; it is very descriptive and allows you to picture exactly what it being portrayed. The author has a wonderful plot being set in motion when she introduces the little boy in the barn taking care of the horses. It isn't just any little boy...or a little boy at all.

I enjoyed reading about Raelynn and her sisters. The family bond that they share is just absolutely amazing. I did find that the Prince was a little too love-stricken for my taste but the story is based on a heroine instead of a hero. I must admit that this book took my mind for a spin! It was just MAGICAL.

I recommend this book to all of my club members. Again, this is a story portrayed from Raelynn's point of view; therefore, men may not enjoy it nearly as much as women. I am looking forward to the next in Starla's series.
901678
A sweet modern day fairy tale with a great cast and interesting story.  As with any fairy tale, you must suspend your disbelief, but the movie's charm makes that pretty easy.  The camera just loves Evan Rachel Wood, and she is supported by an able cast. and good direction.
3045491
For those of us who grew up with fairy tales - and that I think is all of us! - this is a delightful spin on a classic concept. You'd think that being a Prince Charming would come easily, what with kissing the princess to break a spell, but what if the actual mission was the other way around, where the princess is the one with a quest, and her prince is a little bit...different? This, plus other twists on the classic prince-and-princess concept, are all centerpieces of Charming Academy.

Jessica Elliott shows right away that she knows her cast well, and keeps everyone engaged. As the princes go through the growing pains and fairy-tale education at Charming Academy, the princesses have an equivalent location, the Fair Damsels school, and frequently, the worlds blend. The boys and girls of the two schools need to learn to get along, grow as normally as their statures could allow, and still - somehow! - end up fulfilling their fairy-tale quest. As some of the characters show, it's sometimes the non-fulfillment of a quest that could make the difference, and Ms. Elliott knows that angle very well.

The only minor quibble that I have with this is that the story could do well broken apart into multiple books. Since it follows the royal children through their tutelage, it would be better to present the different segments of the story as separate books.

All in all, this is a story that's very suitable and enjoyable for all ages of reader. From the girl or boy who is growing into pre-teens, to the teenager who believes in romance, to the adult who occasionally reminisces on old stories, this is a book capable of charming any reader.
1532398
I have a serious fairytale addiction. Have you noticed? I must commend Chauncey Rogers on knowing his market - Happily is right up my alley.

This is a retelling of one of my favorite stories, Cinderella. Although, it's nothing like the usual retellings. Right from the beginning, we see that this story doesn't center around a woman who went to the ball, fell madly in love with the Prince, and dashed away at midnight in a pumpkin and a dress made by a fairy godmother. So why pick this book up?

Because, in its originality,Happily still stays perfectly true to its classic fairytale origins. The King's men are still searching for the woman who ran from the ball, leaving behind an enormous, oddly shaped glass slipper.

The story starts with Laure, the main character, already in the palace. She's about to marry the Prince and is telling her story. Then we see her as a homeless, orphaned thief. I felt sorry for Laure, but then she opens her mouth and she is so negative and snarky that you stop feeling sorry for her. I did, however, enjoy her attitude. Then she meets Luc. <3 Be still my heart, oh Luc, ever the gentleman.

To be fair, Laure jumps on his cart of fabrics and crashes it into the mote as she's trying to escape from the man she stole money from. Classy, Laure. Basically, it's the worst day of Luc's life. One thing leads to another and they are on this adventure to find someone who can make a glass slipper to match the ginormous one and they're going to *attempt* to fool the royal family into making Laure their princess. Good luck ;)

Every page of this story has adventure on it. And then, you have the budding friendship (and maybe more *wink*) between Laure and Luc. I really enjoyed their interactions, as it gave the story an entirely new layer of depth. The twist at the end was also something I didn't expect.

Because I am obsessed with them, I have to touch on the cover. This is one of the simplest, yet one of my favorite Cinderella covers. Just the slipper. Simple, elegant. I have seen many covers where there's always a pretty girl on the cover. But the focus of Cinderella, in my mind, has always been the glass slipper. What other story has a glass slipper in it? AndHappilyshowcases that.

I will definitely be reading more of what Chauncey creates in the future :)
4935485
Take your favorite Grimm's Fairytales--throw them in a blender and hit MIX!  Steven Sondheim does a teriffic job mixing Rapunzel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. into a magical funfest.  But the best part is Part Two--What happens after "Happily Ever After"  Enjoy the original B'Way Production with Bernedette Peters as the Witch (and such a WITCH she is!!!!)
4120440
A wonderfully entertaining retelling of the Cinderella story. Aria and Henry are great together and the story is wonderfully modern. She works for the US government and Henry is a prince, but Aria doesn't know that because he lies about it and doesn't tell her. Will Aria's stepmother ruin everything and will Aria believe in Henry's love when he has lied about everything else? If you like fairy tales don't pass this one by.
I voluntarily received a copy for a free, honest review.