"The Wizard, the Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey" by Lisa Papademetriou

They had disappeared. All that was left was the copy of Queen of Twilight and two smoking coals.
The clerk stared for a minute, then did the only reasonable thing he could think of. He pressed a button on the intercom.
"We need a cleanup in the checkout aisle," he said.

What would you do if you were transported into a fantasy book with someone you were completely different from?
That's the situation that Heather and Veronica, two teenage girls, find themselves in when they both reach for the same copy of the school's assigned reading... The Queen of Twilight.
Suddenly, they're transported into a magical world.
And let's just say their journey doesn't start out so well.

After accidentally killing the heroine of the book, they're left in a pickle. Only one person can get them out of the book, and back home... But he doesn't get his powers back until the end of the (Real) book... And who knows how that's going to work now that the plot has already changed?
The only way to get out?

To play along to the end.
But as they try to battle the evil Queen of Twilight and her sisters, the Duchess of Breakable Objects and the Countess of Uncomfortable Humidity, they might find out that appearences can decieve...

"My, you dwarves have such cultured phrases," Chanttergee told Veronica s he listened to her, wide-eyed. "Would you teach Chattergee some of your foreign tongue?"
At that, Veronica unleashed some of her most creative and colorful expletives, which caused the squirrel to gasp in admiration and burst into applause.

DO read this book if you enjoy silliness.
DON'T read this book if you take your fantasy novels seriously.
DO read this book if you enjoy a quick read.
DON'T read this book if you get offended by people making fun of teenagers.
Because all of these things feature quite strongly in the book.

I, for one, rather enjoyed this book. Sure, sometimes both of the girls got on my nerves. Sure, it sort of annoyed me about the jabs at D&D being a "geek" game (even though it is).
But all in all?
It was really entertaining, and a fast read.
Everything that YA books dream of becoming...

"The Lost Crown" by Sarah Miller

"Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia--like the fingers on a hand, Tatiana the tallest, Anastasia the smallest, Maria the one most desperate for a ring. These are the daughters of the Tsar, the daughters of the last royal Russian family. Acclaimed author Sarah Miller writes with lyricism, criticism and true compassion as she tracks this loving cluster of sisters from the decks of their yacht to the prison walls of their final home. What do abdication and revolution mean to these young women? Told through each of their voices in alternating chapters, we see their day-to-day lives, in many ways, remain the same; they dote on their dogs, flirt with the soldiers, and are followed constantly by guards. But their desires for the future have all but disappeared. As conditions worsen and the provisional government loses power to the Bolsheviks, the girls huddle together to make sense of what is happening. At the same time hopeful and hopeless, naÏve and wise, their voices become a chorus singing the final song of Imperial Russia."-goodreads

The Lost Crown was a fascinating novel. I love historical fiction, especially when it's about a period that I might not have known much about before going into the novel. I didn't know THAT much about Imperial Russia, so this book was very interesting and fresh for me.

The settings were ornate and as the points of view alternated things became different. An interesting point about this novel is that for every chapter the point of view is from a different one of the daughters. I found this really good, and switching up the perspectives did freshen the story a bit each time. The only qualm that I have with that is at times, especially near the beginning, the story switched character's narratives without really changing, but after a while and getting used to it I didn't feel that way at all. 


The way this story was done is just interesting, deciding to do it from the daughter's points of view and showing their side of the story. Sarah Miller seems to have done fantastic job capturing what they would've been like and must have done an impeccable amount of research to pull of this book. Overall, it was a fascinating historical YA with very unique insight on the inside of a period of history that you might not have known much about before. A great read! 


Thank you to Simon&Schuster for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Reader's Note: As always, my reviews are unbiased. Thanks! :)

"Cloaked" by Alex Flinn

"I'm not your average hero. I actually wasn't your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all. It all started with a curse. And a frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.
There wasn't a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I've ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades.
Don't believe me? I didn't believe it either. But you'll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got cloaked."-goodreads

I really like Alex Flinn's modern takes on fairy tales, and this is no exception. Cloaked is different than Flinn's previous fairy tale related books, as rather than the book focusing on one or two mainstream sorts of fairy tales, the book contains elements from a lot of different, lesser-known fairy tales. I never would have known that, the book didn't seem like it was slapped together, the plot was combined rather seamlessly. It was very interesting, probably more so that her other books, just in the way that you didn't really know what to expect since it's not like a fairy tale you've ever heard of.

Cloaked was not what I expected it to be. Looking back to before I read the book, I'm not particularly sure what I did expect. I don't mean this in a bad way, but the book just seems a little different then the description. I'm having a really hard time articulating this, sorry. I think the description made Johnny, our protagonist, sound a lot like Jack from A Kiss in Time or a bit like Kyle from Beastly. He was a little bit similar, but I also thought he was a lot different, if nothing else, because Jack seemed a little bit cocky at times just like Kyle. Confident. Johnny wasn't like that. It made the whole story seem a bit different from Flinn's other fairy tale books. This could be my imagination, but this review is for my opinion, right? It wasn't a bad thing, either, just something to note.

Other than that, while telling a different story, I felt that Cloaked was very similar to Flinn's other fairy tale adaptions. I felt Cloaked shared the same strengths and probably the same weaknesses as Beastly and A Kiss in Time. I don't mean this in a bad way as if I felt that I was reading the same thing or that it was boring, they're just similar. Overall, I enjoyed Cloaked and recommend it to anyone looking for a not-so-traditional fairy tale, as I recommend Alex Flinn's other books. I also really want to read Breaking Point, as it's a contemporary un-related to fairy tales (Alex Flinn has several of those.) and I'm interested to see how it is!

"A Kiss in Time" by Alex Flinn

"Talia fell under a spell...Jack broke the curse.
I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic...
I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.
I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.
I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.
Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!
Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels...The good news: My parents will freak!
Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time" -the goodreads summary

This book caught my eye in the library because the cover was cool (I don't judge books by their covers, but they can definitely draw my attention!), so I read the description, and picked it up because modern re-tellings of Fairy tales are fun, and because Sleeping Beauty was my favorite princess story when I was younger (no idea why), and then I saw it was by Alex Flinn- who I keep hearing awesome stuff about because of "Beastly". (That was an insight into my thought process :P ) Anyway, this book was really good. I liked it because it wasn't just Sleeping Beauty played out in the modern world, or a re-telling of it in an old world- by Euphrasia disappearing and Jack finding Talia and her therefore being 316 (appearing 16), as the story unfolds, it's like a combination of the two! I liked the way it was written, and I also liked the insight brought into the story of both Talia and Jack by the chapters switching perspectives. This was a fluffy cute re-telling of a fairy tale, and I did like the way it was written, so, soon, I look forward to picking up "Beastly", (a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast) by Alex Flinn as well.

For another review of a re-told fairy tale, check out Angela's awesome recent review of "The Poison Apples" which is a re-told Snow White story.

For more information about books by Alex Flinn, check out her website.

The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby

All of the court looks different to me now, somehow both clearer and more confusing than it appeared when this year began. Henry is besieged by those who undoubtedly would do him ill if it would benefit them to do so. During dinner I see him conferring with Edward Seymour, and the sight of it nearly knocks the wind out of me. I scan the faces before us and imagine in each of them a unique self-interest, a unique abuse or destruction of our king in the name of God or family or the true church- whatever that church may be. And I know, now, that I am no way different from any of them.
This is the story of Catherine. Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of king Henry of England, Father of the infamous Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth. This is her story. Catherine is just a common girl. A beautiful, young girl who happens to be a Howard. Who happens to be a pawn in the most dangerous game. She's not who she says she is- she's acting. It's all just an act. Just a part Catherine has to play, or risk her life. If she isn't who she is supposed to be- if she isn't Catherine the virgin. Catherine the rose without thorns. Catherine the queen, she is "Catherine the dead". When Catherine (For the good of the country) commits treason against her husband, things start happening that are out of her control, but for the first time she can be her. She doesn't have to act anything.
There is so little that I understand about this life- I wonder if I am the only one who feels so lost. We are all merely wandering down a road, in single file. We are not sure where this path will lead us. We do not know when we are walking headfirst into darkness. We are not sure when, or if, the sun will shine again.
I thought this book was very well written. I don't usually enjoy romances- this was a romance, and I liked it. I don't usually like books written in the present tense- this one was written in present tense and it didn't irritate me. I enjoyed Catherine. I could sympathize with her, and just the fact that she has so many faults makes her human. She was a good main character. I would give this book four and a half stars, but leave that it has a huge amount of romance.
This was a different Catherine who received these letters, who responded to that kiss- since then I have been transformed by the king's eyes, by the royal jewels around my neck and a cloth-of-gold gown... but who is the real Catherine: the shadow or the light? The smoke or the flame?

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

I was no hero. The dearest wishes of my heart were for safety and tranquility. The world was a perilous place, wrong for the likes of me.

In the land called Bamarre, there lived two princesses. One, named Meryl, small and fair, who wasn't afraid of anything, and one, called Addie, tall, and dark, who wrote the quote I have above this paragraph.

Addie and Meryl always supposed that Meryl would go on adventures, and bring back glory and fame, and Addie would happily get married to a prince, have children, and altogether stay out of the way of any sort of danger.

But all that changes when Meryl gets the Grey death. There is a prophesy that when the timid find courage, and rain falls over all of Bamarre, everyone who is afflicted with the Grey Death will be healed. When her father comes back from trying to find the cure, Addie, alone, sets out to try to find the cure. Will she find it in time to save Meryl? or will the two princesses of Bamarre soon be the one princess of Bamarre? With the help of her friends, Addie, whether she saves Meryl or not, learns what it is to be brave.

OMIGOSH. I loved this book. People have been telling me to read it for a long time, but I only picked it up last night. It was about nine, and I stayed up reading it until eleven thirty. THATS HOW GOOD IT IS. I give it four and three quarters stars. I didn't really like the ending, at least parts of it, but the rest was excellent! The beginning also was a little sticky for me, it took me a while to actually latch on.

Step follows step.

Hope follows courage.

Set your face toward danger.

Set your heart on victory.

Once Upon A Marigold by Jean Ferris

Has anybody ever tried to marry you off? what did you do about it?
-M.
One day, when Edric the troll is wandering around in the forest, he finds a small, lost boy. Edric tells him to stay the night, and they will find his parents, but when the boy, called Christian, refuses, Edric lets him stay. Christian grows up in a crystal cave, living with two carrier pigeons, two dogs, and Edric. When Christian decides to send a message to a princess who lives in the castle accross the lake, things pick up speed. soon Christian is having a full time coraspondance with Marigold, the princess, and accidentally, falls in love with her. When he decides to see more of the world, by working at the castle, he discovers that Marigold has two suitors. both of them are untastful, and she hates them both. When one of the suitors leaves, the queen announces Marigold's engagement. now Christian, Marigold, and The aged king, must work together to somehow over come this, for, as Christian discovers, her mother has a plot to kill both the princess, the king, and the princess's would be husband.

I really liked this book. if you like romance, then this is the book to read. it is a story of courtly love, and adventure. I would give this 3 1/2 - 4 stars. I just (today) found out that there is a second book, Twice upon a marigold if you have read this book, please comment and tell me what you thought of it! I plan to read it and do a book report on it as well.
thanks.
Angela

No, but here is what I would do if they did - be as unpleasant and undesirable as possible.
-C.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

"This past summer, the priests of the creator god took council on the birthday of the prince. They read the omens and divined the home of his future bride. All the signs indicated Mount Eskel."

When the Lowlanders come up to Mount Eskel, a small settlement on top of a mountain, and declare that one of the girls is the future princess, and later, queen, it throws the village into an uproar. The Lowlanders say that all the girls, aged 12 to 17, must attend a princess academy, since everyone on mount Eskel is ignorant in reading and writing, things that would matter as a princess. so when they come over and declare that they all have to go, and leave the mountain for several months at a time, their answer is certain. They can't spare the hands, the only thing that the people of mt. Eskel can trade with is linder, a rock that they quarry. To do this, they use everyone. that is the rule. but it doesnt seem to apply to Miri, although she wish it would. Smaller and slimmer than everyone she knows, for some reason her Father won't let her work in the quarry, which makes her feel like an outcast. Although it would be harder without the girls, the lowlanders have soldiers, and eventually the people of mt. Eskel go along with the plan. As the girls learn, Miri discovers the mystery of why she isn't allowed in the quarry, and slowly learns about how to change the fortunes of her people around.

Miri knew lowlanders would never allow a crown to sit on a mountai girl's head. But what if she were chosen? She could have a better life for herself and her family in the rich, green valleys of the lowlands. That would be any girl's wish - wouldn't it?

I loved this book. I would definatly give it 4 1/2 to 5 stars out of five stars. I think it has just the right amount of romance. The plot is wonderful. I think that Shannon Hale got the perfect mixture in this book. I would recomend this mostly to girls aged 10- up.

With sickening terror, Miri thought she understood. Esa was telling her to run.

I have also read one other of Shannon Hale's books, called The Goose Girl and it was just as good, if not better, than this one. I haven't read her other ones, so I can't pass judgement on those, but if you want my opinion, which you obviously do, since you are reading this, lol, you should read these. here is Shannon Hale's site.

The Runaway Princess

"Once upon a time there was a princess who knew she was meant for more than twirling her tresses and swooning."
That princess is Meg. When she turns 15, her father declares a contest. Defeat a witch, kill a dragon, and capture a band of bandits, and whoever wins gets half the kingdom and Meg's hand in marriage. Meg is locked away in a tower, from which (it seems) she can not escape. But with the help of her maid Dilly, an apprentice guard named Nort, and the gardener boy, she escapes to try to save the dragon, witch, and bandits, while saving herself from marrying an un-tasteful suitor. "Don't you see?" Meg asked, suddenly inspired "We must save them."
"Save who?"
"The dragon. The witch. The bandits. We must save them from the evil Princes!"

I would give this book 3 1/2 stars - 4, out of five. I think it was lacking a little romance, but it was still a great book.