Spotlight: Fairy Tale 2.0

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy fairy tale re-tellings. I think my favorite is Beauty and the Beast, but I also adore Cinderella. If you're like me, then you're in luck with a new series coming your way!

Out Now:

A WHOLE NEW WORLD: A TWISTED TALE

by Liz Braswell

ABOUT THE BOOK

What if Aladdin had never found the lamp? This first book in the A Twisted Tale line will explore a dark and daring version of Disney's Aladdin. When Jafar steals the Genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After the sort of introverted childhood you would expect from a writer, Liz earned a degree in Egyptology at Brown University and then promptly spent the next ten years producing video games. Finally she caved into fate and wrote Snow and Rx under the name Tracy Lynn, followed by The Nine Lives of Chloe King series under her real name, because by then the assassins hunting her were all dead. She lives in Brooklyn with a husband, two children, a cat, a part-time dog, three fish and five coffee trees she insists will start producing beans any day.

Coming Soon:

ONCE UPON A TIME: RED’S UNTOLD TALE

by Wendy Toliver

in stores September 22^nd

  

About the Book

Red is 16 and lives with Granny in a cottage in the village, where boarding up the house and hiding during Wolfstime is a means of survival. Red help’s Granny with Granny’s baked good business, catering as well as door-to-door sales. Red has a constant internal battle between her wild side and her strict, overprotective upbringing, and the issue of “control” as she discovers she has a hot temper when the “mean girls” push her too far. (“When we learn to control it, we needn’t fear it,” Rumpelstiltskin says in the series.) She has flashbacks to her 13th year when she received her cloak and the nickname “Red.” She is plagued by nightmares that she doesn’t understand, but the Once Upon a Time fans will recognize them as her wolf side coming out. Red balances the difficult times with Granny at home and the girls at school with an emerging and satisfying romance with Peter.

 A FROZEN HEART

by Elizabeth Rudnick

In stores October 6^th

About the Book

Told in alternating chapters from both Anna's and Hans' perspectives, A Frozen Heart takes a sophisticated look at events of Frozen, exploring the couple's backstories, motivations, and doomed relationship.

LEARN MORE

Learn more on un-requiredreading.com

Follow Disney on Twitter

#FairyTale2pt0

FAIRY TALE 2.0 PRIZING

One (1) winner receives:

·           Copy of A Whole New World;

·           plus FAIRY TALE 2.0 tank, notepad, cosmetic pouch & pillow.

* US only please
Prizes provided by Disney-Hyperion

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday: Fairy Tale Retellings

This week's topic is favorite fairy tale re-tellings. It's clear in looking at this list, that I have some books to read.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

Tween Tuesday Review: Wide Awake Princess

Due to a curse placed upon her sister, Princess Annie's resistant to magic. She's the perfect person to search the castle for any spinning wheels so her sister doesn't fall prey to one on her 16th birthday.  When a witch is found and the wheel destroyed, everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

But the danger isn't over. Soon the princess opens her gifts and pricks her finger. The kingdom falls asleep, all except for Annie. She knows that she must get help. She sets out to find a Prince, so he might wake her sister with True Love's kiss.

Even though she doesn't like her sister's boyfriend, she travels in his direction. Then she realizes that other Prince's might have a better shot and she gathers up every one she can find.  Will it be enough? Will someone be able to wake up her sister?

My Thoughts: I really really enjoyed this tale of blended fairy tales. I loved Princess Annie - she was intelligent, thoughtful, and determined.  I love the adventure that she went on - finding friends, helping others, and meeting other fairy tale characters. I really liked Liam and his role in the book (you really can't choose your family). The secondary characters added humor and depth to the story. Looking forward to the next chapter in the series.

Cover Thoughts: Charming
Source: My Library

Tween Tuesday Review: Bad Hair Day

* Book 5 in the Whatever After series *

After a bad day at school, Abby's feeling miserable. Her brother tries his best to cheer her up with a trip into a fairy tale. At first, she's reluctant, but Abby's not about to let her brother wander off alone. The two of them enter the mirror and tumble out into a forest.

They hear someone singing about hair and realize they're in Rapunzel's story. They convince her to let down her hair and climb up into the tower. Of course, that's when things start going wrong.

One hair cut later and the story's about to change - again. Will Rapunzel find a happy ending?

My Thoughts: I really love this series of fractured fairy tales. I love the siblings- they've clever, funny, and loyal to each other. I love how they get themselves into trouble - but also how they find ways to get out of trouble and to make things right. I loved the hair cut scene and how that completely changed the story. I love how Abby realizes that one failure doesn't mean it's the end of everything - a great reminder for all of us as sometimes it's impossible not to focus on the negative. We just need to keep our triumphs and successes in mind; I know that I have a hard time with that. 

Cover Thoughts: Perfection
Source: my Library

Tween Tuesday Review: Fairest of All

 * first in a new series*

**Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun! **

Abby was awoken in the middle of the night by her brother who insists there's something strange happening in the basement. When she goes down with him to check it out, they're transported to a forest. 
After walking some distance, they stumble upon an old woman. After an unhelpful exchange with the woman, they decide to follow her. She leads them to a cottage, where she attempts to give a girl an apple.
Immediately, Abby understands. She's landed in the middle of Snow White's fairy tale. She foils the witch's plan. However, she soon realizes that she's foiled Snow White's life as the prince will never find her in the cottage. Abby vows to make things right for Snow White.

My Thoughts: I liked this twist on Fairy Tales. I really enjoyed watching Abby and her brother try to figure out a way to help Snow White, who wasn't exactly interested in following her life according to plan. I loved the ending of this tale and I'm curious to see what other fairy tales Abby drops in to. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library. 
Up Next: If the Shoe Fits comes out in January 2013. I'm guessing Cinderella's next!

Tween Tuesday Review: Princess Curse

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens! Join the fun and discover great reads for tweens!

* A retelling of the fairy tale Twelve Dancing Princesses*

Reveka works as an herbalist's apprentice. One day she longs to join a nunnery where she can become an herbalist. However, in order to join the nunnery, she'll need a substantial dowry.

She has mixed feelings when she hears the strange tales about the princesses and the people lying sleeping in the tower. The people won't wake up, they're just like vegetables While it's horrible, if Reveka can figure out the mystery, she'll have a dowry big enough to make her dreams come true.

As she tries to get close enough to the princesses, she discovers a hidden world. Could she be the girl to break the curse?


My Thoughts: I really liked this retelling - which added in other mythology. I loved the descriptions of the underworld. I didn't like the princesses, they seemed cold - even towards each other.  I found the father-daughter relationship intriguing and I like how it blossomed. I liked the magic and differences between the worlds. I liked Reveka - her determination, her intelligence, and her loyalty. I would love to see this as a trilogy as it seems there's more to the story.


Cover Thoughts: I love it!


Source: my Library

If You Like: Fairy Tales and Mythology books

If You Like… is a feature highlighting blogger recommendations for books, authors, TV shows, movies, and music based on the things you already know and love. This week’s post features recommendations based on fairy tale, folklore, and mythology originals as well as retellings.

Check them out!

Review: Thirteenth Princess

By the time she's eleven, Zita learns she's not just an ordinary servant. While she does work in the kitchen, she's actually a Princess. Bit by bit, she wheedles out the truth of her birth from Cook, the housekeeper, and the maids.

Her father, the King, always wanted a son. Instead, twelve daughters arrived. All of their names begin with "A" after their mother. On the dark and stormy night Zita was born, her mother exited the world. The death of her mother broke her father's heart. He rejected his daughter and named her after the patron saint of servants.

All this time Zita has been kept apart from her sisters. When she uncovers the truth, she tries to speak with them whenever she sees them. She starts spending time with them in secret.

Soon after her twelfth birthday, she begins to notice changes in her sisters' behavior. They won't talk to dinner guests. They seem tired all the time. Soon, one by one, they fall to theirs beds. No one can figure out the cause of their illness. Zita knows she must do something to save her sisters.

My Thoughts: A unique Twist of the fairy tale of Twelve Dancing Princesses. I loved hearing the story from a 13th sister - unknown to the world. Zita was sweet, charming, and brave. I loved reading her relationship develop with her sisters. I enjoyed her relationship with the stable boy Breckin.

Cover Thoughts: I love it

Source: My Library

Out Now: A True Princess - a Princess and the Pea tale

Reviews from www.teensreadtoo.com

Miss Match: 5 Stars

When Sasha hits her neighbor’s car, she begs her elderly neighbor to keep it a secret from her parents. She works out a payment plan and then must find a job. Her BFF suggests that she become a matchmaker. Now she undertakes the hardest job of all, when her sister catches a new student’s eye. Can she fix him up with her sister? As she tries to work her magic and spends more time with Derek, she finds out that he’s the perfect match – for her. Can she overcome her feelings and watch her sister and Derek date?

A wicked cute romance with an average girl looking for love mainly for others, but also finding it for herself.

Princess of the Midnight Ball: Based on the fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Jessica Day George pens her version of Rose and her eleven sisters. Due to a bargain their mother made, they must go down to Court of King Under Stone and dance the night away. What first begins as a mystery to the numerous ruined pairs of dancing slippers soon becomes the most gossiped rumor in the land. The girls are forbidden to talk about their curse; thus their father has no idea what’s happening. Only death can cure the curse their mother left upon them when she died. Soon, however, the sisters become gravely ill. Even in sickness they must dance, causing their health to linger in and out of danger. Princes come from all over the land to unravel the mystery – only to die a mysterious death some days after leaving the castle. The deaths of so many princes cause alarm throughout the land. A lowly gardener, who has fallen in love with Rose, is determined to uncover the secret. When he does find out, is there anything that he can do to save the girls?

The cover alone attracted me to this book. It’s gorgeous, but the delightful tale sucked me in. The dark undertones combined with the forbidden love story made the book extremely hard to put down.