An often engaging set of celebrated literary works with fun twists.
In Moore’s sequel fantasy collection, a family protects true stories disguised as popular fairy and folktales.
The Wellingtons have dedicated generations of family members to being “Keepers of the Tales.” These historians and anthropologists know the truth behind stories that the world has written off as fiction. Nowadays, Charles Wellington III safeguards their library of works, but it was his great-great grandfather Charles Wellington I who stumbled onto a life-changing artifact. He and a colleague unearthed part of a mysterious linen canvas inscribed with an ancient language, and he scoured far-off places, such as Turkey, for the remaining fragments. About a third of the 14-story collection centers on the first Charles as he searches for hidden truths in the canvas and runs into the enigmatic “Guardians.” The rest consists of tales that the later Charles has amassed. The first two, “Beauty…and the Beastly Prince” and “Sleeping Beauty,” have a surprising link: fairy sisters—a queen and her evil older princess sibling—who feud for years, hurting themselves as well as their children in countless ways. Others sport similar titles that make the fairy-tale or folklore source immediately apparent and follow those earlier narratives closely. In “Margaretha and the Seven Dwarfs,” Count Philip sends his daughter, whom he affectionately calls Snow White, out of Germany, afraid that his wife will do something terrible to his daughter. This collection aptly bookends the final tale with the prologue and resolves the first Charles’ plotline, with plenty more of the Wellingtons’ backstory left for another book.
As in his preceding collection, Twisted Fairy Tells: The Untold Truths (2021), Moore offers serious but occasionally playful interpretations. For example, “Jack” features the titular hero and the famous beanstalk only for the latter half of the story to dive deep into his family’s genuinely engrossing history. In the fun “Jack Frost,” the Arctic-dwelling protagonist revels in his specialty of “ruining anyone’s day” and bumps into another, decidedly more sinister character from folklore. The author occasionally enhances stories with real-world links; there are nods to the bubonic plague epidemic, and one tale deftly incorporates a 14th-century witch trial in Ireland along with the bishop involved and an accused woman. Although the collected tales take some unexpected turns, they’re not always as twisty as the book’s title suggests. “Cinder Ella” is entertaining but relatively light and not nearly as dark or memorable as the version by the Brothers Grimm. The fairy-tale variations, like the originals, are quick reads, as Moore writes character-driven narratives with impressive conciseness. On the other hand, the first Charles’ leisurely paced multistory journey retains a sense of ambiguity until he finally pieces the artifact together. It continually intrigues, though, even if the mystery of his dead friend is no mystery to readers. Unfortunately, most fairy tales open with the later Charles’ brief thoughts that offer morals that readers could have figured out on their own. Still, this is a minor complaint about an otherwise solid collection.
An often engaging set of celebrated literary works with fun twists.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66554-990-5
Page Count: 310
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An expertly crafted page-turner with unpredictable twists, steamy romance, and magical creatures.
A princess and a gladiator join forces amidst political intrigue and bloody carnage in Robson’s fantasy novel.
For the citizens of the wealthy kingdom of Arrow, the most exciting entertainment can be found in the arena—for the gladiators from the surrounding kingdoms, it’s a relentlessly brutal series of fights to the death. The combatants hope to win enough matches to earn the royal title of “Bloodguard,” which will allow their families to immigrate to Arrow. Leith, a gladiator in his mid-20s, is a skilled fighter driven by his desperation to support his mother and two younger sisters (and by the rage built from years of killing his peers for an audience’s delectation). After killing the arrogant Lord Filip (who challenged him to an impromptu duel) and subsequently emerging victorious in a surprise melee with a group of his peers and a dragon, Leith is getting closer to becoming a Bloodguard. He attracts the attention of Princess Maeve, a 20-year-old healer. Now that her fiance, Lord Filip, is dead, she’s in dire need of a noble spouse so that she can claim the throne when she turns 21. Maeve proposes a deal: She’ll help Leith achieve the Bloodguard status in exchange for his hand in marriage. But as their relationship blossoms, problems arise when royal secrets are revealed and government corruption is exposed. Soon, they’re not just vying for a title and a crown—they’re fighting for their lives. Robson’s novel is an exciting blend of action, palace intrigue, and romance in a high fantasy setting. The story unfolds through the perspectives of Maeve and Leith, who are both compelling and well developed, with flaws, foibles, and distinctive voices. The supporting characters are equally intriguing. Readers will love the richly detailed worldbuilding and combat sequences, as well as the use of snarky, modern language (“Of course the only royal offering me help is one who’s clawing her way to the throne, not already sitting pretty on one. That tracks,” Leith gripes). The book’s thoughtful queer representation and exploration of oppression and exploitation are also noteworthy.
An expertly crafted page-turner with unpredictable twists, steamy romance, and magical creatures.Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9781649374059
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
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