Review: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

The Ugly Stepsister
by Aya Ling

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: Jun 12, 2015
Format: ebooks
Source: NetGalley
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella--as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she's a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she'll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

Kat accidentally rips apart an old Cinderella book and transferred into the world of fairytale as Katriona, the stepsister of Cinderella. To get back to her world, Kat must continue the story help Cinderella (or Ella) to meet the prince right to the end. But it wasn't easy. Kat must find out what happen to Ella, find out where is the fairy godmother, and made the prince to agree to have a ball. 

I wasn't sure I was going to like the book when I first started. I mean, I wasn't a fan of it at the beginning. I thought that the book was a bit too rushed, and a bit cliche. I find it hard to get into the book, with the author's style. But I do love fairy tale retelling, and I really thought that I should give the book a chance. I'm very glad I did. After a few more chapters, I started to fall for this book, and it was hard to put down the book.

Reading The Ugly Stepsister was a bit like reading a fairy tale retelling and a historical romance, with the settings and all that. I loved Kat and her adventure to finish the fairy tale. While Kat tried to set up Ella and the prince together, she fought for the rights of the less fortunate. Around the same time, Kat began to fall for the prince, although she tried very hard not to fall for him by focusing more on her missions. I truly enjoyed the interaction between the two right from the beginning. They were so cute together.

Like may others, I wasn't a big fan of the ending. But it was well written. The author ended the story like she was supposed to do. It was a happy ending. Although, I wish to see more of Kat and the prince.

The Ugly Stepsister is definitely a cute read with a great plot and character development. I didn't like it so much at the beginning, but I wanted to read more as the story ended. I wish that there will be a sequel. I hope that the author is thinking about writing a sequel. 

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Book Review: The Princess Problem by Diane Darcy

The Princess Problem (A Fairy Tale Romance #2)
by Diane Darcy

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fairytale, Romance
Publication: May 16th 2013 by Diane Darcy
Format: Kindle Edition, 121 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Facebook

In real life, she’s given up on the fairy tale ending...

After having her heart broken twice, Alicia Dayne has sworn off men, decided to concentrate on her career, and is delighted to win a lucrative contract to make a commercial for Highborn Mattresses.

She could make the most awesome fairy tale commercial ever - except for Jonas Highborn, who isn’t exactly thrilled with her Princess and the Pea ideas, and really doesn’t want a prince in tights representing his company.

Though he’s trying to keep his grieving mother happy by letting her have charge of the commercial shoot, and though Alicia’s trying to keep in mind that this annoying guy is her boss for the moment, they can’t seem to keep from clashing.

Throw in an overly-handsome prince, a matchmaking mama, and a stunning rose garden, and maybe, just maybe, Alicia can be convinced they have a chance at something real.

Because while she might not be a real princess, sometimes an ordinary girl’s got to take a chance, even when it seems too good to be true.

When did Happily Ever After become so complicated?

This is definitely a cute novella! Inspired from the fairy tale, Princess and the Pea, Alecia decided to concentrate on her career. Her latest work was to make a commercial for Highborn Mattresses. It wasn’t easy with her client who isn’t as thrilled with her idea – to shoot the commercial based on the Princess and the Pea – and his mom who wanted to play as a matchmaker.

The Princess Problem is a light, clean fairy tale romance. The story was a bit predictable, but I still loved it. I love the chemistry between the two main characters. They made me smile with their banters and their flirting. And the supporting characters made the novella a lot more fun! I love the author’s writing style and am looking forward to read more of her works. If you’re looking for something light, short and sweet, this is definitely the book for you.

Review: No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige

No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die 0.5)
by Danielle Paige

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling, Young Adult
Publication: November 12th 2013 by HarperCollins
Format: ebook
Source: Own
Connect: Twitter | Goodreads

In this digital original novella, Dorothy travels back to Oz to reunite with old friends, but her story may not have a happy ending. No Place Like Oz is a prequel to the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.

I don’t think that I would be reading “Dorothy Must Die” if I were to read this novella first. I know that Dorothy was going to be evil and I was very curious how she was going to turn into the dark side. But I may have a different kind of expectation when I picked up No Place Like Oz.

I was expecting that No Place Like Oz would be shorter, because this novella was a bit too long for my liking, and the pace is a bit too slow. There are times when I would check up on how many pages left before I finished this novella and there are some parts in the story that bore me. 

I really did not like Dorothy in this prequel right from the beginning, although Dorothy was not as evil as I expect she was going to be. In fact, I didn’t think Dorothy’s evil at all. She's just rude. And mean. I think Dorothy is just that teenage girl who was being an ass because she can't have what she want. In the end, I don’t think I’m going to be sorry when Dorothy really dies at the end of the series! I'm a bit disappointed in No Place Like Oz, but Dorothy Must Die, the sequel, is definitely a good book.

Book Review: Death of the Mad Hatter by Sarah J. Pepper

Death of the Mad Hatter
by Sarah J. Pepper

Genre: Adventure, Fairytale, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Publication: November 29th 2013 by CreateSpace
Format: e-books
Source: ARC
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The Jack prophesied: If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.

Heads would Roll…
Hearts would Break…
In the end, would it matter who Reigned?

I received a copy of this book from the author to provide an honest review.

Death of the Mad Hatter was written in Alice Mae and Ryley’s narration. It tells a story of Alice Mae, or Al who is the assistant of Queen of Heart. Then there’s Ryley who has moved around many times to keep his secret about his father safe. Ryley has no knowledge of the world of Wonderland, but things began to change when Alice Mae pokes into his life. 

Wow! I absolutely love Sarah Pepper’s version of Alice in Wonderland.  I love how there was this mystery around Ryley and the bleeding heart prophesy. At first, it took me a while to get used to Sarah Pepper’s writing, but in the end, I can’t bring myself to put down the book. I wanted to know what is it with Alice Mae, how does Ryley fits into the World of Wonderland and whether or not the prophecy will come true. 

There are lots of interesting characters in this book. I think Sarah Pepper succeeds in keeping the characters in their character while altering the plot to make it her own story. I love both Alice and Ryley. I love their interaction and how they drive each other crazy and slowly fall for each other. I love how the story progress. It was definitely well planned out. I definitely enjoy reading this one and would recommend Death of the Mad Hatter to Alice in Wonderland fans.

BIO: I specialize in dark, paranormal romance – think “happy ever after” but with a twisted, dark chocolate center. Real-life romance isn't only filled with hugs, kisses, unicorns, and rainbows. True-love can be more thoroughly described in times of darkness and tribulation. It’s in those harsh moments where you see what a person is truly capable of – both the good and bad. Sometimes prince-charming isn't always on time, and the glass slipper is a little snug. However, it doesn't mean Charming is not Mr. Right, and who says every shoe is the perfect fit?

Blog Tour: Swan Story by Priya Narendran - Review

Priya Narendran is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book, Swan Story. Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more blog stop.

Swan Story by Priya Narendran
Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance Publication: December 2012 Format: ebooks Author: Goodreads

Soon to be married Daniel Macgregor meets mysterious beauty Sarah Mitchell on the day his father gives him a ballet company as a present. Although at first reluctant to take on responsibility, he changes his mind when he realizes Sarah dances for the same ballet company. Over the course of the production of "Swan Lake" they fall head over heels in love. Although unknown to Daniel,Sarah is cursed to turn into a swan from sunset to sunrise and only true love will break the spell. So it makes Sarah wonder, what will happen when he finds out what she is.

I received a copy of Swan Story by Priya Narendran from CLP Blog Tour as part of the blog tour. I previously read and reviewed for Priya Narendran’s Schoolgirl Cinderella. I was excited to see how Priya was going to turn another write fairy tale, modern style since I haven’t seen many Swan Lake fairy tales retelling around. 

Daniel Macgregor’s father gave him a ballet company as his present, hoping that he will learn to take responsibility. Daniel weren’t too keen of his father’s idea, but then changed his mind when he met Sarah, a dancer in the ballet company. Sarah had a secret. She was cursed to turn into a swan from sunset to sunrise, which was why she always went back earlier than everybody else. The only way to break her curse is to find her true love.

I really like Daniel and Sarah interaction in this book. I like how they get to know each other despite Sarah keeping her secret from him. I love how Daniel grew up and decided to take his responsibility with the ballet company. He didn’t let his father decided his life. I think the pacing of the story was great. There were a few scenes that made me laughed. Overall, Swan Story was another short and light fairy tale romance. 

Author Bio:

My name is Priya Narendran and I have been a fan of paranormal fiction and fairy tales for years. I started writing when I was 7 years old and haven’t stopped writing since. So far I have written mainly fairy tale themed stories but I hope to branch out into paranormal romance and fantasy in the near future. As well as writing I’m an avid film buff and my favourite films include My Fair Lady, Amadeus, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Shining. I tend to write mainly fairy tale re-tellings mainly because I find it fascinating to look at fairy tales through a modern lens. I hope you enjoy reading these books as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Blog Tour: Schoolgirl Cinderella by Priya Narendran - Review + Q&A

Priya Narendran is now on tour with CLP Blog Tour with her book, Schoolgirl Cinderella. Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more blog stop.

Schoolgirl Cinderella
by Priya Narendran

Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: December 27th 2012 by amazon
Format: ebooks, 120 pages
Author:  Goodreads

Seventeen year old Briony Duke lives in a manor house with her guardian Mrs. Eyres and Eyres's daughter Lucy. Mrs. Eyres makes Briony sleep in the kitchen, cook, clean and do the laundry. One day Briony meets nineteen year old Tom Logan,the sixth richest man in the country. Tom is intelligent, articulate and incredibly attractive. The only problem is. Mrs. Eyres and Lucy have also set their sights on him.

I received a copy of read Schoolgirl Cinderella by Priya Narendran  from CLP Blog Tour as part of the blog tour. I was excited to read Schoolgirl Cinderella as I’m a fan of fairy tale retelling. It was always fun to see how any author would add in a little twist and turn it into a new version of fairy tale.

Schoolgirl Cinderella began when Briony Duke lost her parents in a car accident. Briony now live with Mrs. Eyres and Lucy, Mrs. Eyres daughter after Mrs. Eyres, Briony’s father ex-associate, took Briony in her care as her guardian until she turned 18. Mrs Eyres made Briony sleep in the kitchen, cook, clean and do other chores for her. Briony was allowed to go to school so that others wouldn’t think that Mrs. Eyres was a bad guardian. Then, Briony met Tom Logan, a rich boy who was going to be an heir to a biscuit company. They fell in love.

I think Priya Narendran writing style was a bit hard for me to get into it, but still, it was a fun read. Schoolgirl Cinderella is a short, light read full of fairy tale romance. You can read and find out how Briony was going to get her happy ending within 2 to 3 hours in one sitting. 

Q&A with Priya Narendran


How and why did you become a writer?
I’ve been writing for a long time and it’s something I’ve done for a number of years. I write because I enjoy the idea of creating stories and characters purely by imagination.

Who has most influenced your writing?
I suppose it’s my English teacher who always encouraged me to write from the heart.

What inspires you?
The world around me. I think it’s so diverse and there are so many good things and bad things it’s impossible not to be affected by it on some level.

How would you describe your books?
They are meant to give people a sense of hope as all my characters go through a lot of adversity and torment but there’s always a happy ending.

Why did you choose fairy tale retelling?
Like most people I love fairy tales, And I think any person young or old can relate to it in some way because the base material has been around for hundreds of years.

What is your favorite fairy tale as a kid? What about now?
Cinderella is my favourite from my childhood and also in my adult years. I love the theme of Prince Charming falling in love with a commoner and ending up marrying her.

What is your favorite fairy tale retelling book?
I quite like Beastly, Only because Beauty and the Beast is my second favourite fairy tale of all time.

What are you working on now?
I’m taking a break from writing for a few months and trying to find a good idea for my next book.

Anything you want to say to your reader?
I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.

Author Bio: 

My name is Priya Narendran and I have been a fan of paranormal fiction and fairy tales for years. I started writing when I was 7 years old and haven’t stopped writing since. So far I have written mainly fairy tale themed stories but I hope to branch out into paranormal romance and fantasy in the near future. As well as writing I’m an avid film buff and my favourite films include My Fair Lady, Amadeus, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Shining. I tend to write mainly fairy tale re-tellings mainly because I find it fascinating to look at fairy tales through a modern lens. I hope you enjoy reading these books as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Book Review: The Fairy’s Return and Other Princess Tales

The Fairy’s Return and Other Princess Tales 

Gail Carson Levine

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Young Adult

Publication: 2009

Format: Paperback, 390 pages

Website: Gail Carson Levine

Buy: Amazon

The Fairy’s Return and Other Princess Tales is a collection of fairy tales that are retold by Gail Carson Levine. The book contained six princesses’ short stories — The Fairy Mistake (Toads and Princesses), The Princess Test (The Princess and The Pea), Princess Sonora and The Long Sleep (Sleeping Beauty), Cinderellis and The Glass Hills (The Princess and The Glass Hills), For Biddle’s Sake (Puddocky) and The Fairy’s Return (The Golden Goose).

I was a bit skeptical after reading the first story, The Fairy Mistake. I knew that I’ve heard the story before and I wasn’t expecting that Levine would do a good job on retelling other stories. But halfway through the book, I fell in love with Levine’s Princess Sonora and The Long Sleep — Levine’s version of Sleeping Beauty. This story is my favorite among all of them. In this version, Princess Sonora was granted with intelligence. She can talk when she was just a baby. Instead of avoiding herself from the curse where she would be prick by a spindle, she decided to prick herself when the right time comes. But then, an accident occurred…

The story was short and sweet. I kind of like Levine’s style in this book as compared to the last book I read from her, Ever. But I probably enjoy it a bit more if I were a child.

Book cover’s description:

What would you do if diamonds and rubies tumbled out of your mouth every time you spoke? Well, that′s what happens to Rosella after a run with a misguided fairy in "A Fairy′s Mistake." If you were turned into a toad, would you pine after your prince as much as Parsley does in "For Biddle′s Sake?"

The road to happily-ever-after is never easy, but the masterful touch of Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine will keep readers laughing their way through these fresh retellings of popular fairy tales.

All six of Gail Carson Levine′s beloved PRINCESS TALES in one book!

Book Review: Curses! A F**ked-Up Fairy Tale

Curses! A F**ked-Up Fairy Tale

J.A Kazimer

Paperback: 320 pages

Genre: Humor, Mystery, Fairy Tale, Fantasy

Publication: March 2012

Rating: 4/5

I'm no hero. In fact, up until a couple of days ago, I was the villain. Kidnapped maidens, scared kids, stole magic tchotchkes--until I got into a little scrape with the union. Now I'm cursed with the worst fate in New Never City--no matter what I do, I gotta be nice.

So when a head-case princess named Asia barges into my apartment and asks me to find out who whacked her stepsister, Cinderella, I have no choice but to help her. And I'm more than willing to head back to her parents' castle and do some investigating if it means I can get into her black leather cat suit. Except this twisted sister has a family nutty enough to send the Biggest Baddest Wolf running for the hills--and a freaky little curse of her own...

I actually bought this book because I was attracted to the title and synopsis. The instant I read the title, ‘Curses! A F**ked-Up Fairy Tale’ I knew that it’s not going to be an ordinary fairy tale.

RJ, the hero or villain, had no choice but to help princess Asia to find out who killed her stepsister, Cinderella (or Cindi), because he was cursed to be nice to people (and suffered from it). That and he wanted to see the princess naked. As he went over to Asia’s castle and starting to ask around for his investigation, more murder occurred! Will he ever find out what’s going on? You just have to read this book to find out about it.

This book is a fairytale laced with mystery, romance and lots of humor. It was demented and absolutely hilarious (lots of laugh out loud moment)! How could I ever resist such book? I have to say that I certainly did not regret from reading this book.

Book Review: A Kiss at Midnight

Title: A Kiss at Midnight

Author: Eloisa James

Genre: Historical Romance

Rating: 3/5

Description:

Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancee, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

What I think:

The story begins with a prologue like this:

This story begins with a carriage that was never a pumpkin, though it fled at midnight; a godmother who lost track of her charge, though she had no magic wand; and several so-called rats who secretly would have enjoyed wearing livery.  And of course, there's a girl too, though she didn't know how to dance, nor did she want to marry a prince.

I absolutely love the prologue. Although, I couldn't help but to feel that the beginning (starting from chapter 1) was quite slow. But, the story gets interesting as I read along. I could see that the author was trying to develop the relationship between the characters. 

I absolutely love the humorous banter between the characters. It has a few spontaneous, wit dialogue and sexy, romantic moment. It was quite refreshing to read another remake of Cinderella. A must read book for all fairy tale & Cinderella fans.