Review: Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty by Jane Yolen

The style and word choices were fitting for the setting for the story. 

However, it feels like most of it (excluding 20 pages) was the back story. When I first picked it up, I expected something more magical and gripping. It started off like that but it ended up being a disappointment.

     The first part was basically Gorse's narrative of her life up to then; tales told to her, her secrets, gifts as a fairy. Things like that. Individually, these stories are interesting and well-down. As a whole, they seem to be organized as though a monkey was the one over the author's shoulders. (No offense.)

     I understand that we needed to know what lead up to Sleeping Beauty's curse but it was too much. If it was going to be the back story plus only a handful of the actual tale, it would have been better as an e-book.

     I won't say that this book didn't have a lot going for it- it did. However, it didn't deliver on its promise. I expected to read about her curse, not about how a fairy caused the conflict.

     If it had been the first part of the story only, I wouldn't have minded. It was well constructed enough to ignore that it wasn't what we expected to read. The second part lagged too much, though. The conflict with the prince and all of that stalled. Anything that Gorse experienced down there wasn't of much use.

     The only reason I lasted as long as I did was because of the characters. They were intriguing and real. They would've been better off in an original fairy tale though.

Rating: 1.5 Wands 

Would I reread this? Only to analyze the language and imagery.

Recommended for: Anyone who can read everything; someone who likes fairy tales.
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Review: I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader (Cheerleader Trilogy #1) by Kieran Scott

Quirky and funny. Perfect for a relaxing afternoon after a hard day.

Annisa Gobrowski is just an ordinary brunette, who transferred from New Jersey to Florida during the middle of the school year. There, she starts attending a Sand Dune High School, where every female- except one- is blond. That's right, they have every type of blonde imaginable: natural, frosted, bottle, highlighted. Not only does she stick out like a sore thumb from the beginning, but she unites with the only non-blonde at school. But from breaking the most popular girl's nose, starts to like her neighbor who is the boyfriend of the cheerleader who already has it out for her, Annisa is off to a bad start.

     Annisa's transfer begins to look like a positive when learns about an opening in the school's competitive cheerleading squad that is in the running for a national title. From the title, it's obvious she made it. Annisa, the only non-blonde cheerleader of San Dune High! Hurrah!

     In that aspect, it is very much similar to the other new-girl-trying-to-fit-in type of books. But it does differentiated itself from the rest. It was similar to Bring It On in the characters and plot. The characters in I WAS A NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER however, have their own individual personas and you actually get to explore them. They are not just secondary characters who purpose it to make the main character seem like the greatest person in the world. Their bickering and relationships make them relatable- even if you aren't a cheerleader.

     Though some cheerleading moves are mentioned (and I only understood half of them based off movies), it's not all about the girls trying to win the Nationals or Championship. It's a lot about their friendships and their interactions. Like when you start to think your friends don't understand you and how to deal with it. When two of your friends are fighting and no one knows why or how to deal with it. You know, the usual friend issues.

     Not exactly the next Grammy Award winning novel but worth reading.

Rating: 2 Wands

Would I read the rest of the trilogy? Yes.

Recommended for: Someone who needs some laughter and eye-rolling; anyone who understands cheerleader lingo/stunts
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Review: The Book of the Sword (Samurai Girl #1) by Carrie Asai

From the first sentence, I was hooked.

The language and flow of the story is smooth and easily to follow. (Being slightly above 200 pages, it's a quick read as well.) However, Heaven is hard to relate to at the beginning. Having fell from the sky (literally) and being the sole survivor of flight JAL 999, she was taken in by the wealthy Kogo family. She grew up spoiled, knowing next to nothing about surviving on her own. Her wedding day is the initial event which signals to her that her life would change. After a ninja attacks her, killing her brother instead, she runs away from home, in search of answers. These answers which she's unable to attain Her brother told her to look for his friend, Hiro.    After going through the trouble of searching through L.A. and meeting strange people, Heaven finally finds him. While she thought he'd be an automatic ally, he turned out anything but. After some persuasion and guilty tripping, she manages to convince Hiro to train her in Bushido, the way of the samurai. She hopes that by becoming a samurai, she'll be able to protect herself as she looks for the low lives who killed her brother. Considering the circumstances, her initiative and plan seemed reasonable. I can't help but wonder why she set her goals only to training. I mean, how would she find the ninjas?

     Meanwhile training, Heaven develops a crush on Hiro. Unlike most novels, nowadays, their care and interest for each other is visible yet they don't let it distract them from their goals, their purpose. In this way, Heaven suits as a better heroine. On the other hand, being a sheltered child, there's  a lot she doesn't known and doesn't understand. Her ingenue is clear but so is her drive and motivation.

     However, the people who went through the trouble of trying to kill her haven't stopped looking for her. It actually comes to the point where she chooses to leave, to stop endangering Hiro's life and to trust her father again. Another attack, this time harming someone else, has her questioning everything.

     After all that action in the pre-last chapter, the ending doesn't satisfy as much as I expected it to. First of all, it was cliche. It fit considering the setting and the constant references yet I felt it could have been better. Second, it felt too calm, too serene after all she discovered, all she went through.

     Though I initially believed it to be an action type book, it wasn't. Sure, some action occurred yet it wasn't the main focus. Overall, a good read. It shouldn't take longer than an evening on your coach to finish.

     Being a series, any questions left unanswered, should be clear by the end of the sixth book.

Rating: 3 Wands
Will I be reading the rest of the series? Of course.
Recommend for: People who like a little action mixed with their romance
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