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Kendra Chronicles #4
Beheld
#1 New York Times bestselling YA author Alex Flinn is back with magical twists on four fairy-tale favorites, each featuring a little help from Kendra, the witch from Beastly, as she searches through cities and centuries for her lost love.
Being a powerful witch, Kendra has survived it all. Since she first beheld James over three hundred years ago, Kendra has tangled with witch hunters and wolves, helped a miller’s daughter spin straw into gold, cowered in London as German bombs fell, and lived through who knows how many shipwrecks. But her powers have limits, and immortality can be lonely. Kendra isn’t ready to stop searching for the warlock she had met centuries ago.
With the help of her magic mirror, Kendra will travel the world to reconnect with her lost love—and, of course, she can’t help but play a hand in a few more stories along the way.
Featuring retellings of favorite fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling, Alex Flinn’s latest young adult novel, Beheld, is fresh fairy-tale fun from beginning to end.
Being a powerful witch, Kendra has survived it all. Since she first beheld James over three hundred years ago, Kendra has tangled with witch hunters and wolves, helped a miller’s daughter spin straw into gold, cowered in London as German bombs fell, and lived through who knows how many shipwrecks. But her powers have limits, and immortality can be lonely. Kendra isn’t ready to stop searching for the warlock she had met centuries ago.
With the help of her magic mirror, Kendra will travel the world to reconnect with her lost love—and, of course, she can’t help but play a hand in a few more stories along the way.
Featuring retellings of favorite fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling, Alex Flinn’s latest young adult novel, Beheld, is fresh fairy-tale fun from beginning to end.
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 2017
About the author
Alex Flinn
21 books5,650 followersLove Jacaranda is out in the world! Hope you'll check out this fun wish-fulfillment romance!
Now, bio:
I grew up on a street called Salem Court. This probably influenced my interest in witches. When I was five, my mom said I should be an author. And when I was eight, I got my first rejection letter from Highlights Magazine.
I learned to read early. But I compensated for this early proficiency by absolutely refusing to read the programmed readers required by the school system -- workbooks where you read the story, then answered the questions. When the other kids were on Book 20, I was on Book 1! My teacher, Mrs. Zeiser, told my mother, "Alexandra marches to her own drummer." I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment.
My family moved to Miami when I was in middle school. I had a really hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and writing then. By high school, I'd made some friends and gotten involved in various "gifted and talented" performing arts programs. I studied opera in college (I'm a coloratura -- the really loud, high-pitched sopranos.) and then went to law school.
It was law school that probably helped with my first novel. Breathing Underwater deals with the serious and all-too-common problem of dating violence. I based the book on my experiences interning with the State Attorney's Office and volunteering with battered women. I thought this was a really important topic, as 27 percent of teenage girls surveyed have been hit by a boyfriend. I'm happy that the book is so popular, and if you are reading this bio because the book was assigned for school, I'm happy about that too.
I think I write for young-adults because I never quite got over being one. In my mind, I am still 13-years-old, running laps on the athletic field, wearing this really baggy white gymsuit. I’m continually amazed at the idea that I have a checking account and a mortgage. So I try to write books that gymsuit girl might enjoy. It’s a way of going back to being thirteen . . . knowing what I know now.
Right now, I live half a mile away from my old middle school, in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami, with my husband, daughters, dogs, and cats.
Now, bio:
I grew up on a street called Salem Court. This probably influenced my interest in witches. When I was five, my mom said I should be an author. And when I was eight, I got my first rejection letter from Highlights Magazine.
I learned to read early. But I compensated for this early proficiency by absolutely refusing to read the programmed readers required by the school system -- workbooks where you read the story, then answered the questions. When the other kids were on Book 20, I was on Book 1! My teacher, Mrs. Zeiser, told my mother, "Alexandra marches to her own drummer." I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment.
My family moved to Miami when I was in middle school. I had a really hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and writing then. By high school, I'd made some friends and gotten involved in various "gifted and talented" performing arts programs. I studied opera in college (I'm a coloratura -- the really loud, high-pitched sopranos.) and then went to law school.
It was law school that probably helped with my first novel. Breathing Underwater deals with the serious and all-too-common problem of dating violence. I based the book on my experiences interning with the State Attorney's Office and volunteering with battered women. I thought this was a really important topic, as 27 percent of teenage girls surveyed have been hit by a boyfriend. I'm happy that the book is so popular, and if you are reading this bio because the book was assigned for school, I'm happy about that too.
I think I write for young-adults because I never quite got over being one. In my mind, I am still 13-years-old, running laps on the athletic field, wearing this really baggy white gymsuit. I’m continually amazed at the idea that I have a checking account and a mortgage. So I try to write books that gymsuit girl might enjoy. It’s a way of going back to being thirteen . . . knowing what I know now.
Right now, I live half a mile away from my old middle school, in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami, with my husband, daughters, dogs, and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
October 9, 2016
(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a YA retelling of 4 fairy tales, all featuring Kendra.
Kendra was an okay character, but I didn’t love her. It was interesting to see the part she played in the other fairy tales in this book though.
The storyline in this consisted of 4 short stories one after another, the first was about a girl in a red cloak (Little Red Riding Hood?) but was actually about the Salem witch trials, and featured Ann Putnam talking to a wolf, and accusing Kendra of witchcraft. The second story was about a girl who fell pregnant and told a story about being able to spin straw into gold to try and save herself (Rumpelstiltskin?). The third story was about a man who was cursed, and had to marry a girl and not let her see his face for a year (didn’t recognise this one at all). And the last one was the ugly duckling. I did like the first story, but as the book went on I lost interest, and I was really bored by the time I got to the end. It was interesting the part Kendra played, but she didn’t feature all that much to be honest.
The ending to this was fairly happy for Kendra, but I was pleased to be finished. I think I’ll give this authors other books a miss in future as I haven’t really enjoyed any of them so far.
5 out of 10
This was a YA retelling of 4 fairy tales, all featuring Kendra.
Kendra was an okay character, but I didn’t love her. It was interesting to see the part she played in the other fairy tales in this book though.
The storyline in this consisted of 4 short stories one after another, the first was about a girl in a red cloak (Little Red Riding Hood?) but was actually about the Salem witch trials, and featured Ann Putnam talking to a wolf, and accusing Kendra of witchcraft. The second story was about a girl who fell pregnant and told a story about being able to spin straw into gold to try and save herself (Rumpelstiltskin?). The third story was about a man who was cursed, and had to marry a girl and not let her see his face for a year (didn’t recognise this one at all). And the last one was the ugly duckling. I did like the first story, but as the book went on I lost interest, and I was really bored by the time I got to the end. It was interesting the part Kendra played, but she didn’t feature all that much to be honest.
The ending to this was fairly happy for Kendra, but I was pleased to be finished. I think I’ll give this authors other books a miss in future as I haven’t really enjoyed any of them so far.
5 out of 10
October 30, 2017
This is a retelling of 4 fairytales: Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling during different centuries, since Salem's trials until modern times.
Also there is spoilers for: King Midas, Kriemhild and Sigurd, The Town Musicians of Bremen, as well as mentions of Finnete .
It feels like a self-insert for Kendra the witch whom happen to be there along the characters. An excuse for 'linking' the other stories with a flimsy love .
Also there is spoilers for: King Midas, Kriemhild and Sigurd, The Town Musicians of Bremen, as well as mentions of Finnete .
1) Little Red Riding - Is kind of The Crucible with some real witches around.
I only wanted to be good. No. I wanted to be good and have everyone know I was good.
En cierto sentido es la más oscura por el tema que ocurrió en la vida real con el juicio a las brujas de Salem. Pero pareciera que cuando esta tomando vuelo la ficcion Kendra se va y con ella el resto de lo que ocurre queda en el aire y terminará como cuenta la Historia americana.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cru...
2) Rumplestiltskin -- It's the medieval style of clasic poor girl meets rich boy and things get ... bumpy (aka he is douchebag). O el chico rico quiere pasarla bien con la chica pobre , y ella termina cargando con las consecuencias.
In this case, when she goes after him, get involved in the making gold business.
BUT the twist here is interesting, when the person who actually help her, is the ugly well reading guy. The only one who notes her love for books.
“People only value that which has a price. Remember that in all things, my dear.”
“Sometimes, a story is worth more than gold. Sometimes a story is everything.”“I agree,” the man says, his face growing solemn. “And some of us have only stories to keep us company. Books allow us to be what we will never be in reality, have what we will never have.
3) East of the Sun and West of the Moon -- This story is situated in WW2 times. Two sisters dressed as famous singers go to a party to have fun, and the younger meet a mysterious man in a mask.
Later, in a strange interchange she is actually find herself obliged to marry to an stranger in exchange for get information about her MIA brother. And , of course, the thing is she can't see the face of her husband. The story itself is as old as the Psique myth.
Kind of bizarre and more washed that I care about it, because is one of my favorites tales the noregian version). This story could have been done in a better way if more explored and expanded.
Note: The more interesting part for me were the history factors actually, especially about the fate of the Lancastria in 1940.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lan...
4) The Ugly Duckling -- This is a contemporary story about the friendship between a boy and a girl since kindergarden. The fat kid and the marimacho girl a match made in heaven... or not.
The background feel kind of cliche but okay. Cristopher and Amanda joined by the common grounds of bad parents and the softball are for me the more YA typical story of the four.
Matt said, “You kissed her? Like out of the blue with no warning?”
“Yeah.” Hearing him say it like that, I could see why it was a bad idea.
“Dude, that only works in TV shows Mom likes, and not even always then.”
Not impressed until now with the author. Beastly was a hit b/c of the actor, just saying ;)
Also there is spoilers for: King Midas, Kriemhild and Sigurd, The Town Musicians of Bremen, as well as mentions of Finnete .
It feels like a self-insert for Kendra the witch whom happen to be there along the characters. An excuse for 'linking' the other stories with a flimsy love .
Also there is spoilers for: King Midas, Kriemhild and Sigurd, The Town Musicians of Bremen, as well as mentions of Finnete .
1) Little Red Riding - Is kind of The Crucible with some real witches around.
I only wanted to be good. No. I wanted to be good and have everyone know I was good.
En cierto sentido es la más oscura por el tema que ocurrió en la vida real con el juicio a las brujas de Salem. Pero pareciera que cuando esta tomando vuelo la ficcion Kendra se va y con ella el resto de lo que ocurre queda en el aire y terminará como cuenta la Historia americana.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cru...
2) Rumplestiltskin -- It's the medieval style of clasic poor girl meets rich boy and things get ... bumpy (aka he is douchebag). O el chico rico quiere pasarla bien con la chica pobre , y ella termina cargando con las consecuencias.
In this case, when she goes after him, get involved in the making gold business.
BUT the twist here is interesting, when the person who actually help her, is the ugly well reading guy. The only one who notes her love for books.
“People only value that which has a price. Remember that in all things, my dear.”
“Sometimes, a story is worth more than gold. Sometimes a story is everything.”“I agree,” the man says, his face growing solemn. “And some of us have only stories to keep us company. Books allow us to be what we will never be in reality, have what we will never have.
3) East of the Sun and West of the Moon -- This story is situated in WW2 times. Two sisters dressed as famous singers go to a party to have fun, and the younger meet a mysterious man in a mask.
Later, in a strange interchange she is actually find herself obliged to marry to an stranger in exchange for get information about her MIA brother. And , of course, the thing is she can't see the face of her husband. The story itself is as old as the Psique myth.
Kind of bizarre and more washed that I care about it, because is one of my favorites tales the noregian version). This story could have been done in a better way if more explored and expanded.
Note: The more interesting part for me were the history factors actually, especially about the fate of the Lancastria in 1940.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lan...
4) The Ugly Duckling -- This is a contemporary story about the friendship between a boy and a girl since kindergarden. The fat kid and the marimacho girl a match made in heaven... or not.
The background feel kind of cliche but okay. Cristopher and Amanda joined by the common grounds of bad parents and the softball are for me the more YA typical story of the four.
Matt said, “You kissed her? Like out of the blue with no warning?”
“Yeah.” Hearing him say it like that, I could see why it was a bad idea.
“Dude, that only works in TV shows Mom likes, and not even always then.”
Not impressed until now with the author. Beastly was a hit b/c of the actor, just saying ;)
July 24, 2018
A loooOoooOOoOng time ago I read a book called Beastly. And I really, really loved it. And since then, I've been dutifully reading all of the Kendra Chronicles. But as much as it pains me to say...they keep getting worse. This book was just...not as good as Beastly.
At first it seems like this is going to be one long novel about Kendra the witch and her quest to find her own true love, after helping out so many other teenagers find their true loves. But alas, it turns out that it is pretty much an anthology of four different fairy tale retellings with four sets of characters in four time periods very, very, very loosely connected by the presence of Kendra doing tinny amounts of magic as a tiny minor character.
The first short story is all about Ann Putnam and the events of the Salem Witch Trials. It's kind of like The Crucible and Red Riding Hood mixed together but honestly it just seemed poorly explained, especially with the big bad wolf. ALSO since I really hated The Crucible I was just not putting up with it lol so maybe if you enjoy The Crucible you'll enjoy it a lot more than I did! That story also has Kendra meeting her love, James, and I was pretty peeved by the complete and total instalove between them. It went something like this.
James: You're a witch and I am too.
Kendra: OMG really you're a witch?? (or maybe it was wizard? not really specified...) We have so much in common!
James: Also we're at this witch trial thingie so it's probably not the best idea to stay here so you need to leave.
Kendra: No, I don't want to leave because even though I'm a witch at witch trials I'm a stupid idiot.
James: You know what, let's run away together because I love you.
Kendra: Oh okay I'll leave if you leave with me and we get married because I love you too.
WHERE IS THE LOGIC? WHEN DID THEY FALL IN LOVE?? This was my least favorite story of the four and I was very relieved when it was over haha.
The next story was a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, and it was pretty good. There was a really nice twist at the end that I really enjoyed, and didn't really see coming, so that made me happy! I loved the character of Rumpestiltskin himself! The only problem was that the main character was a complete idiot. At least she had the redeemable quality that she likes books so I could relate a little, even though I'm glad I can't relate too much because I don't think I'm as stupid as she is!
The third story was a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, set during WWII. I really enjoy the original fairy tale and I've never read a retelling of it before so I was really excited to read it! This one felt a lot like instalove too (although not as much as Kendra thank goodness) which kind of turned me off of it, but I really enjoyed the fairy tale itself!
The final story was my favorite of the four. It was a retelling of The Ugly Ducking, but you really wouldn't know that--it really seemed like it was just another YA contemporary. I'm pretty sure it was the longest of the bunch so I really got to know the characters, which was nice, and honestly, I would rather have read this one as a full length story instead of reading this anthology sort of thing instead. This was pretty much the only story that didn't feel like instalove--instead, I just ADORED the main characters and I was shipping them so hard ahh!
What was kind of annoying about this book was the fact that Kendra was supposedly the main character and tying them all together, but she was pretty much never there. As the book went on, she sort of disappeared and disappeared. She told half the first story, was a pretty significant character in the second one, was a minor character in the third one, and then her name was dropped maybe twice in the last one. Seriously, you can tell the last story without Kendra and I'd literally not even notice or tell the difference. AND since we pretty much never see Kendra, whenever she would show up for one chapter here and there to talk about James, I'd be like...who are we talking about again? And why do we even care again?
Anyways, this review makes it sound like I hated this book and that always seems to happen since it's so much easier to be negative but I didn't! It was definitely an easy, fun read, and I breezed through it. The stories were pretty fun to read (especially the last one!) and of course I was swooning a little over the happy endings!
2.5 stars
At first it seems like this is going to be one long novel about Kendra the witch and her quest to find her own true love, after helping out so many other teenagers find their true loves. But alas, it turns out that it is pretty much an anthology of four different fairy tale retellings with four sets of characters in four time periods very, very, very loosely connected by the presence of Kendra doing tinny amounts of magic as a tiny minor character.
The first short story is all about Ann Putnam and the events of the Salem Witch Trials. It's kind of like The Crucible and Red Riding Hood mixed together but honestly it just seemed poorly explained, especially with the big bad wolf. ALSO since I really hated The Crucible I was just not putting up with it lol so maybe if you enjoy The Crucible you'll enjoy it a lot more than I did! That story also has Kendra meeting her love, James, and I was pretty peeved by the complete and total instalove between them. It went something like this.
James: You're a witch and I am too.
Kendra: OMG really you're a witch?? (or maybe it was wizard? not really specified...) We have so much in common!
James: Also we're at this witch trial thingie so it's probably not the best idea to stay here so you need to leave.
Kendra: No, I don't want to leave because even though I'm a witch at witch trials I'm a stupid idiot.
James: You know what, let's run away together because I love you.
Kendra: Oh okay I'll leave if you leave with me and we get married because I love you too.
WHERE IS THE LOGIC? WHEN DID THEY FALL IN LOVE?? This was my least favorite story of the four and I was very relieved when it was over haha.
The next story was a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, and it was pretty good. There was a really nice twist at the end that I really enjoyed, and didn't really see coming, so that made me happy! I loved the character of Rumpestiltskin himself! The only problem was that the main character was a complete idiot. At least she had the redeemable quality that she likes books so I could relate a little, even though I'm glad I can't relate too much because I don't think I'm as stupid as she is!
The third story was a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, set during WWII. I really enjoy the original fairy tale and I've never read a retelling of it before so I was really excited to read it! This one felt a lot like instalove too (although not as much as Kendra thank goodness) which kind of turned me off of it, but I really enjoyed the fairy tale itself!
The final story was my favorite of the four. It was a retelling of The Ugly Ducking, but you really wouldn't know that--it really seemed like it was just another YA contemporary. I'm pretty sure it was the longest of the bunch so I really got to know the characters, which was nice, and honestly, I would rather have read this one as a full length story instead of reading this anthology sort of thing instead. This was pretty much the only story that didn't feel like instalove--instead, I just ADORED the main characters and I was shipping them so hard ahh!
What was kind of annoying about this book was the fact that Kendra was supposedly the main character and tying them all together, but she was pretty much never there. As the book went on, she sort of disappeared and disappeared. She told half the first story, was a pretty significant character in the second one, was a minor character in the third one, and then her name was dropped maybe twice in the last one. Seriously, you can tell the last story without Kendra and I'd literally not even notice or tell the difference. AND since we pretty much never see Kendra, whenever she would show up for one chapter here and there to talk about James, I'd be like...who are we talking about again? And why do we even care again?
Anyways, this review makes it sound like I hated this book and that always seems to happen since it's so much easier to be negative but I didn't! It was definitely an easy, fun read, and I breezed through it. The stories were pretty fun to read (especially the last one!) and of course I was swooning a little over the happy endings!
2.5 stars
January 14, 2017
Rating: 3.75/5
Review to come!
Review to come!
March 19, 2017
Alex Flinn is brilliant. I love the way she always blends a bunch of fairytales into one retelling and how she ties things together and connects them. My only problem with this book is how quickly all the girls fall in love. Even the main character falls in love too fast. I mean, she has a love story with this dude for a couple of months but remains in love with him for 300+ years after he ditches her multiple times? That's highly unlikely to happen, but I guess ninnies in fairytales are supposed to be like that.
February 8, 2022
I did enjoy the last (?) book in the series, but it wasn't as strong as other books, in my opinion. Although I like the re-adaptation of the fairy tales in general, sometimes a series has to end before it becomes too repetitive. Or the author starts contradicting herself.
I especially liked the retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I was not too fond of the version of the ugly duckling.
I have other books by the author and look forward to reading them.
I especially liked the retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I was not too fond of the version of the ugly duckling.
I have other books by the author and look forward to reading them.
March 3, 2023
I finished the series😭😭😭 I want more boooooks in this series 😭😭😭😭 maybe Aladdin? Or brave? Or princesses and the frog? 👸 🐸
May 30, 2024
Loved reading this story, it was a great end to the series!
April 3, 2017
-POTENTIAL SPOILERS-
Why is everyone being so harsh on Alex Flinn lately? It seems like nobody likes any of her newer books, including this one. I still stand by the fact that her worst one was Towering, but I digress.
While this one wasn't perfect, and I do get why people don't like it, I was genuinely enjoying it. It reminded me of Bewitching, where every story was a retelling of a fairy tale that Kendra somehow gets herself involved in. While Kendra wasn't really a main character in this aside from the first story, I genuinely enjoyed her small cameos in each of the stories.
I'd say the first two were probably the strongest. You can tell the author had a lot of fun retelling them in a historical setting, and had plenty of ties to the original stories while also being their own thing. I did appreciate how the third story was a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, which is pretty obscure in the Western world despite being a Western fairy tale, but I thought it was too short and was cut off too early in this book. I felt like just when everything was starting to get going, it just ended. I don't even think she got her husband back from the troll princess.
The fourth story was definitely the weakest. I admire the ambition, and how it was a retelling of The Ugly Duckling, which a lot of people don't like to retell for whatever reason, but I was unable to relate to the main character even though I've experienced some kind of miracle in my life where I went from being a short, ugly butterball nobody took seriously to an extremely pretty doll-like figure. It seemed to be way too unfocused and the characters were too underdeveloped.
As for Kendra trying to find her long-lost love, I wasn't too bothered by it. I honestly kept forgetting that was the actual plot of the book since there's so little focus on it. I liked the idea of her trying to find him in all these different time periods and countries, but it wasn't explored very well.
Overall, an ambitious idea of a book that had some good ideas, but I don't think they were executed very well. However, I admire the idea more than the execution, and at least it was better executed than Towering was.
Why is everyone being so harsh on Alex Flinn lately? It seems like nobody likes any of her newer books, including this one. I still stand by the fact that her worst one was Towering, but I digress.
While this one wasn't perfect, and I do get why people don't like it, I was genuinely enjoying it. It reminded me of Bewitching, where every story was a retelling of a fairy tale that Kendra somehow gets herself involved in. While Kendra wasn't really a main character in this aside from the first story, I genuinely enjoyed her small cameos in each of the stories.
I'd say the first two were probably the strongest. You can tell the author had a lot of fun retelling them in a historical setting, and had plenty of ties to the original stories while also being their own thing. I did appreciate how the third story was a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, which is pretty obscure in the Western world despite being a Western fairy tale, but I thought it was too short and was cut off too early in this book. I felt like just when everything was starting to get going, it just ended. I don't even think she got her husband back from the troll princess.
The fourth story was definitely the weakest. I admire the ambition, and how it was a retelling of The Ugly Duckling, which a lot of people don't like to retell for whatever reason, but I was unable to relate to the main character even though I've experienced some kind of miracle in my life where I went from being a short, ugly butterball nobody took seriously to an extremely pretty doll-like figure. It seemed to be way too unfocused and the characters were too underdeveloped.
As for Kendra trying to find her long-lost love, I wasn't too bothered by it. I honestly kept forgetting that was the actual plot of the book since there's so little focus on it. I liked the idea of her trying to find him in all these different time periods and countries, but it wasn't explored very well.
Overall, an ambitious idea of a book that had some good ideas, but I don't think they were executed very well. However, I admire the idea more than the execution, and at least it was better executed than Towering was.
August 7, 2017
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: An anthology of four fairytales retellings connected by one story arc of a search for lost love.
Opening Sentence: I know that children don’t read fairy tales anymore.
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Beheld was a series of fairytale retellings that all feature Kenda, an immortal witch who is searching for her lost love. While Kendra features prominently in the first one, she slowly fades from the book as it progresses, although the stories are nominally tied together by her search for her long-lost love.
The first retelling is that of Little Red Riding Hood. This is the story that features Kendra and James’s meeting. I’m not a fan of insta-love so the fact that they fell in love so quickly was a bit of a disappointment to me. Additionally, Kendra waited two weeks for James after escaping and then spent several hundred years searching for him. These time frames seemed highly disproportionate to me and, while I recognize why they couldn’t be together for the purpose of the story, not realistic given the supposed scope of their love. Other than the romantic aspect, I somewhat enjoyed this story. Flinn took the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and melded it with the Salem Witch hunt to create an intriguing retelling that retained much of the darkness of the original.
Perhaps because the setting in the Rumplestiltskin retelling was similar to the original, it didn’t feel as original. The message the author was attempting to convey came through clearly but it felt too short and underdeveloped for me to truly enjoy it. Even though this one was one of the shortest ones, it took me the longest to read. The third retelling also suffered from being underdeveloped. This one was perhaps the biggest disappointment since I loved the set-up. Placing East of the Sun and West of the Moon in World War II England had such potential. However, the characters weren’t developed enough and the pacing was too fast. Had this one been longer, it would have easily been the best in the book.
The last short story takes up almost a third of the book. After the large role magic played in the first three, this one felt more like a contemporary novel than a fairytale retelling. There is only one instance where Kendra uses magic (or appears at all really) and it is over in just a few short lines. However, this was my favorite short story. It’s a unique retelling of The Ugly Duckling. It was interesting seeing Topher and Amanda grow up together and how their relationship changed over time. This tale was definitely adorable, but it didn’t quite fit in with the darker tone of the other stories.
If you’ve enjoyed Alex Flinn’s previous books and liked Kendra as a character, you will probably enjoy Beheld. However, it doesn’t quite deliver on the promise of an overarching arc involving Kendra and James, since their story never comes to the forefront. The stories were of extremely variable quality and I wasn’t quite able to connect with any of the characters.
Notable Scene:
He kissed me.
Finally, he stopped.
“I have been wanting to do that since I first laid eyes upon you.”
I laughed. “Why?”
“You are lovely. Is that not reason enough?”
I shook my head, no, for I knew there was more, and I wanted to hear it.
“No, then. I wanted to kiss you for we are the same. We are alike, clever and full of mischief, and have been through the same things and will be through the same experiences. We have both lost everything yet lived on. And on. And because you are beautiful.”
“Better.” I struggled to my feet. I wanted him to kiss me again, but it was probably not fitting to allow him to kiss me on the ground, especially in those deserted woods.
He pulled me toward him. “But you must leave Salem, Kendra.”
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Beheld. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,��� or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: An anthology of four fairytales retellings connected by one story arc of a search for lost love.
Opening Sentence: I know that children don’t read fairy tales anymore.
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Beheld was a series of fairytale retellings that all feature Kenda, an immortal witch who is searching for her lost love. While Kendra features prominently in the first one, she slowly fades from the book as it progresses, although the stories are nominally tied together by her search for her long-lost love.
The first retelling is that of Little Red Riding Hood. This is the story that features Kendra and James’s meeting. I’m not a fan of insta-love so the fact that they fell in love so quickly was a bit of a disappointment to me. Additionally, Kendra waited two weeks for James after escaping and then spent several hundred years searching for him. These time frames seemed highly disproportionate to me and, while I recognize why they couldn’t be together for the purpose of the story, not realistic given the supposed scope of their love. Other than the romantic aspect, I somewhat enjoyed this story. Flinn took the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and melded it with the Salem Witch hunt to create an intriguing retelling that retained much of the darkness of the original.
Perhaps because the setting in the Rumplestiltskin retelling was similar to the original, it didn’t feel as original. The message the author was attempting to convey came through clearly but it felt too short and underdeveloped for me to truly enjoy it. Even though this one was one of the shortest ones, it took me the longest to read. The third retelling also suffered from being underdeveloped. This one was perhaps the biggest disappointment since I loved the set-up. Placing East of the Sun and West of the Moon in World War II England had such potential. However, the characters weren’t developed enough and the pacing was too fast. Had this one been longer, it would have easily been the best in the book.
The last short story takes up almost a third of the book. After the large role magic played in the first three, this one felt more like a contemporary novel than a fairytale retelling. There is only one instance where Kendra uses magic (or appears at all really) and it is over in just a few short lines. However, this was my favorite short story. It’s a unique retelling of The Ugly Duckling. It was interesting seeing Topher and Amanda grow up together and how their relationship changed over time. This tale was definitely adorable, but it didn’t quite fit in with the darker tone of the other stories.
If you’ve enjoyed Alex Flinn’s previous books and liked Kendra as a character, you will probably enjoy Beheld. However, it doesn’t quite deliver on the promise of an overarching arc involving Kendra and James, since their story never comes to the forefront. The stories were of extremely variable quality and I wasn’t quite able to connect with any of the characters.
Notable Scene:
He kissed me.
Finally, he stopped.
“I have been wanting to do that since I first laid eyes upon you.”
I laughed. “Why?”
“You are lovely. Is that not reason enough?”
I shook my head, no, for I knew there was more, and I wanted to hear it.
“No, then. I wanted to kiss you for we are the same. We are alike, clever and full of mischief, and have been through the same things and will be through the same experiences. We have both lost everything yet lived on. And on. And because you are beautiful.”
“Better.” I struggled to my feet. I wanted him to kiss me again, but it was probably not fitting to allow him to kiss me on the ground, especially in those deserted woods.
He pulled me toward him. “But you must leave Salem, Kendra.”
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Beheld. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,��� or bribes were exchanged for my review.
January 4, 2017
Posted at Down the Rabbit Hole
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thank you Edelweiss and HarperCollins for this copy in exchange for an honest review
**Beheld comes out January 10, 2017**
I read the first fairy tale retelling by Alex Flinn years ago, a title that had blew up to even be optioned as a film. Beastly. I really enjoyed it. Perfect balance of fairy tale, romance, and her own spin of things.
But these last few years?
I've been honestly a little disappointed. Oh, a number of fairy tale retellings since Beastly has come out, but none can really compare to Flinn's best piece of work. Beheld is unfortunately no different.
Kendra is a fan favourite character since the time of Beastly. A teenage witch who accidentally causes mishaps when she tries to help out the humans around her. I was excited at the prospect of a story revolving around her, even when the synopsis said there'd be 4 fairy tales stuffed into this one story with Kendra being the glue holding all of them together as she journeyed through time in search for her lost love.
Sounds good, right? Especially if you liked Kendra.
It wasn't as great as you may think. Only the first retelling on Little Red Riding Hood actually featured Kendra a lot. That's where she met her love, James. Granted, it wasn't even a good romance story. Totally insta-love. It's like they had to fall for each other because they were the only wizard/witch they met in Salem at the time that were of about the same approximate age (although age can be deceiving when you're born a witch).
Each story wasn't even equal length. The 3rd story set in World War II era was short while the following story on the Ugly Duckling was extremely long. I was so irritated with the last one - it's already near the end of the story and I've lasted this long - but Kendra's not really there at all . She has no POV until like the very last chapter. She's basically not present except for a scene or two. The others she interacted with the main character of those individual stories more, but even then, Beheld isn't a story about Kendra.
No. Beheld is a 4-in-1 story of fairy retellings featuring Kendra in order to make sense of the connection between them. With each story as you go along, the less you get of Kendra and the more annoyed I get.
It's not that I hated the retellings. They were okay, with some better than others. Short stories of love, friendships and going against all odds for a mostly happily ever after.
Due to their SHORT length, it also made it hard for me to connect and really feel for many of these characters either. Kendra would honestly be the only highlight. And she's not the one you should be coming to these stories for.
If you loved Alex Flinn's other retellings since Beastly, then you'd probably be okay with this book. It's like another one of those stories. Otherwise? Don't waste your time.
Overall Recommendation:
Beheld is an anthology of stories all connected by Kendra's arc where she lost her love. However, it doesn't do justice to its promise for more of Kendra with each individual story eclipsing her own. None of the characters really stuck with me for too long due to the short time we have with them so overall, this was a big letdown.
---------------------------------------------------
For more of my reviews, check out Down the Rabbit Hole:
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thank you Edelweiss and HarperCollins for this copy in exchange for an honest review
**Beheld comes out January 10, 2017**
I read the first fairy tale retelling by Alex Flinn years ago, a title that had blew up to even be optioned as a film. Beastly. I really enjoyed it. Perfect balance of fairy tale, romance, and her own spin of things.
But these last few years?
I've been honestly a little disappointed. Oh, a number of fairy tale retellings since Beastly has come out, but none can really compare to Flinn's best piece of work. Beheld is unfortunately no different.
Kendra is a fan favourite character since the time of Beastly. A teenage witch who accidentally causes mishaps when she tries to help out the humans around her. I was excited at the prospect of a story revolving around her, even when the synopsis said there'd be 4 fairy tales stuffed into this one story with Kendra being the glue holding all of them together as she journeyed through time in search for her lost love.
Sounds good, right? Especially if you liked Kendra.
It wasn't as great as you may think. Only the first retelling on Little Red Riding Hood actually featured Kendra a lot. That's where she met her love, James. Granted, it wasn't even a good romance story. Totally insta-love. It's like they had to fall for each other because they were the only wizard/witch they met in Salem at the time that were of about the same approximate age (although age can be deceiving when you're born a witch).
Each story wasn't even equal length. The 3rd story set in World War II era was short while the following story on the Ugly Duckling was extremely long. I was so irritated with the last one - it's already near the end of the story and I've lasted this long - but Kendra's not really there at all . She has no POV until like the very last chapter. She's basically not present except for a scene or two. The others she interacted with the main character of those individual stories more, but even then, Beheld isn't a story about Kendra.
No. Beheld is a 4-in-1 story of fairy retellings featuring Kendra in order to make sense of the connection between them. With each story as you go along, the less you get of Kendra and the more annoyed I get.
It's not that I hated the retellings. They were okay, with some better than others. Short stories of love, friendships and going against all odds for a mostly happily ever after.
Due to their SHORT length, it also made it hard for me to connect and really feel for many of these characters either. Kendra would honestly be the only highlight. And she's not the one you should be coming to these stories for.
If you loved Alex Flinn's other retellings since Beastly, then you'd probably be okay with this book. It's like another one of those stories. Otherwise? Don't waste your time.
Overall Recommendation:
Beheld is an anthology of stories all connected by Kendra's arc where she lost her love. However, it doesn't do justice to its promise for more of Kendra with each individual story eclipsing her own. None of the characters really stuck with me for too long due to the short time we have with them so overall, this was a big letdown.
---------------------------------------------------
For more of my reviews, check out Down the Rabbit Hole:
February 25, 2020
This book was not Flinn's best book. I tend to find myself enjoying her modern stories more and getting more attached to those characters for some reason. I think that Alex Flinn's stories can be predictable, and if the story is ify then I don't find myself loving what I'm reading. The stories tended to get a little better with each one.
First Part-that was alright but left some unanswered questions
Second Part- better then the last one but a very frustrating main character. I found her to be shallow and frustratingly oblivious.
Third Part- I was very excited since I love this tale, but thinking back on it I enjoyed it but it was lacking of something interesting at times. This would show more if you haven't been read East of the Sun, West of the Moon and don't have an attachment like me.
The thing about these first three stories was that in these older timed stories, there was a lot of insta-love. I can understand this for the time, but it is kinda sudden like I LOVE THEM. And the characters lacked the depth and complexity that truly good characters have. Cornelia was agonizingly oblivious and needed some serious character development.
(SPOILERS: In the end when she ends up with "Rum" honestly I didn't find it satisfying that she finally realizes how great this guy is, but by then he's kinda too good for her. But in reality this probably would have happened and they are relatively happy and in love. Even though it was more insta-love after three nights with him but OK. I mean think about it: Kendra's story was insta-lovey but reasonable in time I guess. I explained Cornelia. And the girl in the third part danced with a guy then married him. After a week, PURE LOVE. Yeah I don't think so.)
Fourth Part (Mildish SPOILERS)-This was my favorite and I found myself a lot more attached to these characters and that I enjoyed the story much more. The relationship between the two main character spans years and isn't rushed. I loved the relatable modern Easter eggs, and just how the story was explained in the sequence of these characters developing from kindergarten to high school. I loved the friendship dynamic, because the texts and dialogue was so enjoyable and didn't stretch on. It was so refreshing from the other stories because I felt myself relating more towards the character. This part was just so much better than the others and it showed. You really see how they change together and how the people around them are involved in their life. This story was longer, and therefore better since it needed to be longer to be good with all the events that played out over the years. The other stories could have been longer with better character development, but I wouldn't want to read all that as much as I would for this story. It was a good note to end on, even though overall I do feel the lack of complexity in the world and characters that comes with this kind of writing.
I enjoyed reading this to know what happened, but I don't think I'll re-read it. I'm not a big re-reader, but if I re-read anything from here it would totally be the ugly duckling part.
I think she should really finish this series up and not drag it in for too long of more "Kendra has lived so long and these are things that happened." I really liked the stories that took place during the first books, since they tended to be more complicated and more detailed. If she keeps dragging on the series it will probably go even more downhill but how would I know? It depends on the ideas of the writer.
June 15, 2021
Aw damn it. I was really look forward to Kendra’s story, but this was a bummer for 3 main reasons:
1) Not enough Kendra: This was supposed to be Kendra’s book and she only got a tiny role. I didn’t necessarily mind seeing 4 tiny stories woven into her book, but tbh I rather have one story only, like in all the previous books. This just felt less impactful.
2) Kendra and James’ relationship: No buildup, crappy middle, and consequently, I wasn’t rooting for their end. I wanted to see why they were meant to be together besides the fact they were both witches. And I suppose I would’ve been down for their forever romance but then
3) Part 4: The Ugly Duckling.
The longest story, the last one, was 100000% my least favorite story from Flinn of all the books I’ve read from her. It was cliché. Best friends were friends since forever, but they had feelings for one another. The guy started getting popular and started dating someone else, but right when the girl moved on, the guy realized he wanted her back. Ugh, no. Hard pass. I really did like Chris in first half of his story because he seemed sweet and supportive, but right when he went from the “ugly duckling” to a “swan,” he became a douche. I felt like it was somehow worse knowing that he knew that he loved Amanda the whole time even when he was dating the other girl, but he was too chickenshit to do anything about it. I almost rather have him not realize he loved Amanda yet because that meant he learned something and was making decisions that made sense at the time. I understood he got caught up with popularity but it did not make sense to me why he kissed someone else when he loved Amanda and even said he preferred to be kissing Amanda over this new girl. Sure, he wasn’t sure if Amanda returned his feelings, but him being a clueless coward still didn’t add anything good to his character. I felt like this story was different from all the previous books – where the main character was annoying for a bulk of the book, but they made some hard earn character development, and grew by the end. This story was about a guy being mostly sweet but turned into a douchebag, and then, he got everything he wanted at the end because he apologized. It didn’t feel like an actual character development. Highkey he became the type of character where a heroine in the previous book would fall in love with, but then, realize he wasn’t worth it, and learned to move on and become better without him. But of course, that didn’t happen, and this story of him apologizing and Amanda forgiving him at the end was just predictable. This was disappointing because in every single story I’ve read in this series so far, there was always some kind of character development, where terrible people became better, where pining girls realized their own worth and moved on from people who didn’t deserve a second chance. This was not that story. This was just about a fat boy who loved his friend, but he became beautiful and popular, and thus, neglected his best friend even though he supposedly still loved her, and moved on with some other girl. But the moment the best friend moved on, he realized he wanted his best friend back. He was lowkey the guy in Bewitching – except Chris ended up being forgiven and getting everything he wanted despite his mistakes.
Neutral:
1) Part 1: Salem Witch Trials
This was a little lengthy for me. I wanted more developments with James before Kendra fell in love with him. Especially because this book seemed to be a search for James, so it was disappointing to have no real base for their relationship besides both sharing magic and loving each other.
2) Part 3: East of the Sun and West of the Moon
I liked it okay.
Liked:
1) Part 2: Rumpelstiltskin
This was initially cliché and the protagonist was foolish – but it turned out to be quite sweet. Flinn is fantastic at writing character developments for her books of fairytales. The lessons are always hard won in the best way possible.
The turning point of the story for me was finding out who was Rumpelstiltskin.
Flynn is a master at writing fairy tales, with its familiar notes, while adding fun twists and some hardcore character developments. It’s not a simple fairytale, no longer a story we already know. It’s something else entirely and something more.
Overall
I was going to give this a higher rating, but that last story – with both Chris and Amanda, and then, Kendra and James – was such a letdown. Salem Witch Trials would be a 2 star, Rumpelstiltskin would be a 3.5/4 stars. 2.5 stars for East of the Sun and West of the Moon. 1 star for The Ugly Duckling. 1 star for Kendra and James. So overall, I’m not sure what that turns out to be. I’m going with my gut. 2 stars because I was really disappointed, especially with the character development – something that I always looked forward to in Flinn’s books.
1) Not enough Kendra: This was supposed to be Kendra’s book and she only got a tiny role. I didn’t necessarily mind seeing 4 tiny stories woven into her book, but tbh I rather have one story only, like in all the previous books. This just felt less impactful.
2) Kendra and James’ relationship: No buildup, crappy middle, and consequently, I wasn’t rooting for their end. I wanted to see why they were meant to be together besides the fact they were both witches. And I suppose I would’ve been down for their forever romance but then
3) Part 4: The Ugly Duckling.
The longest story, the last one, was 100000% my least favorite story from Flinn of all the books I’ve read from her. It was cliché. Best friends were friends since forever, but they had feelings for one another. The guy started getting popular and started dating someone else, but right when the girl moved on, the guy realized he wanted her back. Ugh, no. Hard pass. I really did like Chris in first half of his story because he seemed sweet and supportive, but right when he went from the “ugly duckling” to a “swan,” he became a douche. I felt like it was somehow worse knowing that he knew that he loved Amanda the whole time even when he was dating the other girl, but he was too chickenshit to do anything about it. I almost rather have him not realize he loved Amanda yet because that meant he learned something and was making decisions that made sense at the time. I understood he got caught up with popularity but it did not make sense to me why he kissed someone else when he loved Amanda and even said he preferred to be kissing Amanda over this new girl. Sure, he wasn’t sure if Amanda returned his feelings, but him being a clueless coward still didn’t add anything good to his character. I felt like this story was different from all the previous books – where the main character was annoying for a bulk of the book, but they made some hard earn character development, and grew by the end. This story was about a guy being mostly sweet but turned into a douchebag, and then, he got everything he wanted at the end because he apologized. It didn’t feel like an actual character development. Highkey he became the type of character where a heroine in the previous book would fall in love with, but then, realize he wasn’t worth it, and learned to move on and become better without him. But of course, that didn’t happen, and this story of him apologizing and Amanda forgiving him at the end was just predictable. This was disappointing because in every single story I’ve read in this series so far, there was always some kind of character development, where terrible people became better, where pining girls realized their own worth and moved on from people who didn’t deserve a second chance. This was not that story. This was just about a fat boy who loved his friend, but he became beautiful and popular, and thus, neglected his best friend even though he supposedly still loved her, and moved on with some other girl. But the moment the best friend moved on, he realized he wanted his best friend back. He was lowkey the guy in Bewitching – except Chris ended up being forgiven and getting everything he wanted despite his mistakes.
Neutral:
1) Part 1: Salem Witch Trials
This was a little lengthy for me. I wanted more developments with James before Kendra fell in love with him. Especially because this book seemed to be a search for James, so it was disappointing to have no real base for their relationship besides both sharing magic and loving each other.
2) Part 3: East of the Sun and West of the Moon
I liked it okay.
Liked:
1) Part 2: Rumpelstiltskin
This was initially cliché and the protagonist was foolish – but it turned out to be quite sweet. Flinn is fantastic at writing character developments for her books of fairytales. The lessons are always hard won in the best way possible.
The turning point of the story for me was finding out who was Rumpelstiltskin.
Flynn is a master at writing fairy tales, with its familiar notes, while adding fun twists and some hardcore character developments. It’s not a simple fairytale, no longer a story we already know. It’s something else entirely and something more.
Overall
I was going to give this a higher rating, but that last story – with both Chris and Amanda, and then, Kendra and James – was such a letdown. Salem Witch Trials would be a 2 star, Rumpelstiltskin would be a 3.5/4 stars. 2.5 stars for East of the Sun and West of the Moon. 1 star for The Ugly Duckling. 1 star for Kendra and James. So overall, I’m not sure what that turns out to be. I’m going with my gut. 2 stars because I was really disappointed, especially with the character development – something that I always looked forward to in Flinn’s books.
May 25, 2017
2.5 stars. I don't know what to say about this book. It was just so forgettable.
It's certainly an easy read. I blew through this 300-pager in two hours, which could be considered a good thing, I guess.
The issue with this book is that it's all about a romance, and the romance is quite lukewarm. The individual fantasy stories were sometimes cute (ESPECIALLY the first one), but there was really no development in the romance department for any single one of the couples. All the couples just kind of... were in love. Why? Who knows? Who cares?
This is a cutesy book, but it wasn't for me. Recommended only for indiscriminate fans of romance.
* I received a copy of this via my local bookstore. This does not impact my review in any way.
It's certainly an easy read. I blew through this 300-pager in two hours, which could be considered a good thing, I guess.
The issue with this book is that it's all about a romance, and the romance is quite lukewarm. The individual fantasy stories were sometimes cute (ESPECIALLY the first one), but there was really no development in the romance department for any single one of the couples. All the couples just kind of... were in love. Why? Who knows? Who cares?
This is a cutesy book, but it wasn't for me. Recommended only for indiscriminate fans of romance.
* I received a copy of this via my local bookstore. This does not impact my review in any way.
August 5, 2016
Well..not quite what I was expecting.
November 13, 2024
It did not take me six days to read this book...being a mom is just exhausting!
This is the last book (as far as I know/ for now) in the Kendra Chronicles written by Flinn.
We sort of jump around the way we did in Bewitching with Kendra recounting tales from her past leading up to present day 2017. Those tales are still being told by the actual characters that Kendra offered magical assistance in some way.
The main connecting thread is Kendra searching for a lost love that we only learn of just now in this last installment. Flinn sort of goes back on a few things from what we were told in Bewitching and Beastly because the Salem Witch Trials are a part of this story.
This is where Kendra meets James Brandon, a redhead from Scotland who is from a family of witches and is older than Kendra. In physical looks, about two years older but been around a lot longer...
He warns Kendra of danger in Salem and gets her to leave where they lose touch for a few centuries and that's the main thing. The tale of Little Red Riding Hood is woven into the factuality of the hysteria of witchcraft brought to Salem in 1692.
In Bavaria around the early 1800s, Kendra helps out a girl who falls in love with the wrong young man and brings her toward another in one of the more charming and likeable ways I have ever heard telling the story of Rumpelstiltskin.
In London around WWII, Kendra helps out a young woman named Grace in finding love with a man she met at a costume party. He wore a mask and she doesn't know who he is until Kendra is brought into the tale. With her mirror, she can find Grace's younger brother Jack who is MIA and presumed dead.
To do this, Kendra must help an older man find a wife for his war wounded son who happens to be under a curse in a retelling of East of The Sun West of The Moon that I clearly enjoyed...duh
Lastly is a retelling of The Ugly Duckling in modern day Miami.
Chris and Amanda have been friends since kindergarten with each having their own family problems and the awkward phase we all go through where Amanda is taller than Chris who is small for his age when they are five.
Puberty hits and Amanda gets curves while Chris is growing more out than up as their family dynamics change as they get closer to high school. Amanda is a softball ace and Chris is just too short to make varsity football until Kendra lends a hand...
Beheld is interesting in how it adapts the certain fairy tales to fit together in such a way where we are wrapping around to see if Kendra can get her own happy ending after helping out so many others over the past few centuries. The Salem one is probably my least favorite because it has just been adapted to death but the three other stories are quirky and charming and crafted so well.
If Flinn were to write another book about Kendra, I would be tempted to read it but in a way...I hope not.
The way this book ends is simply enchanting and should stay that way...
This is the last book (as far as I know/ for now) in the Kendra Chronicles written by Flinn.
We sort of jump around the way we did in Bewitching with Kendra recounting tales from her past leading up to present day 2017. Those tales are still being told by the actual characters that Kendra offered magical assistance in some way.
The main connecting thread is Kendra searching for a lost love that we only learn of just now in this last installment. Flinn sort of goes back on a few things from what we were told in Bewitching and Beastly because the Salem Witch Trials are a part of this story.
This is where Kendra meets James Brandon, a redhead from Scotland who is from a family of witches and is older than Kendra. In physical looks, about two years older but been around a lot longer...
He warns Kendra of danger in Salem and gets her to leave where they lose touch for a few centuries and that's the main thing. The tale of Little Red Riding Hood is woven into the factuality of the hysteria of witchcraft brought to Salem in 1692.
In Bavaria around the early 1800s, Kendra helps out a girl who falls in love with the wrong young man and brings her toward another in one of the more charming and likeable ways I have ever heard telling the story of Rumpelstiltskin.
In London around WWII, Kendra helps out a young woman named Grace in finding love with a man she met at a costume party. He wore a mask and she doesn't know who he is until Kendra is brought into the tale. With her mirror, she can find Grace's younger brother Jack who is MIA and presumed dead.
To do this, Kendra must help an older man find a wife for his war wounded son who happens to be under a curse in a retelling of East of The Sun West of The Moon that I clearly enjoyed...duh
Lastly is a retelling of The Ugly Duckling in modern day Miami.
Chris and Amanda have been friends since kindergarten with each having their own family problems and the awkward phase we all go through where Amanda is taller than Chris who is small for his age when they are five.
Puberty hits and Amanda gets curves while Chris is growing more out than up as their family dynamics change as they get closer to high school. Amanda is a softball ace and Chris is just too short to make varsity football until Kendra lends a hand...
Beheld is interesting in how it adapts the certain fairy tales to fit together in such a way where we are wrapping around to see if Kendra can get her own happy ending after helping out so many others over the past few centuries. The Salem one is probably my least favorite because it has just been adapted to death but the three other stories are quirky and charming and crafted so well.
If Flinn were to write another book about Kendra, I would be tempted to read it but in a way...I hope not.
The way this book ends is simply enchanting and should stay that way...
April 28, 2017
This book was a library book, but now I might have to get it because it ended up being the perfect read for me. I was glad that I chose this book for my car trip ride home because I couldn't put it down. I finished it in a day!
It's perfect for me because it started off back during the Salem Witch Trial era and I have always liked stories that takes place during those times. One of the witches, Kendra meets her beloved James, but they don't have an easy journey at all.
Kendra ends up showing up through different times to look for James after he didn't come after her when he was supposed to and she looked for James in each story line. I loved the time travel aspect of the story.
One of the stories was about a girl meeting a prince and then finding out that she knew somebody who could spin straw into gold...that was one of my favorite stories. The other stories that followed through were cute as well.
But I think my favorite story was at the end... I thought the end story was a little too modern at first because it kind of took place in our time now, but then Kendra showed up as like a regular person and then I saw the point of that story. And it had the best ending ever that sucked me right in.
You don't have to read the other books in the Kendra Chronicles before reading this one... at least I hope you really don't. Alex Flinn says you didn't have to on Goodreads. I wasn't lost at all when I started this book, and this was the first one in the series that I started. I also don't see why so many people had negative reviews for this book. I thought it was really well written. I'm a sucker for time turning stuff too. I'd recommend this book to anybody.
Oh, and that cover is just absolutely stunning. I can't believe I almost didn't read this book. I'm glad I did.
It's perfect for me because it started off back during the Salem Witch Trial era and I have always liked stories that takes place during those times. One of the witches, Kendra meets her beloved James, but they don't have an easy journey at all.
Kendra ends up showing up through different times to look for James after he didn't come after her when he was supposed to and she looked for James in each story line. I loved the time travel aspect of the story.
One of the stories was about a girl meeting a prince and then finding out that she knew somebody who could spin straw into gold...that was one of my favorite stories. The other stories that followed through were cute as well.
But I think my favorite story was at the end... I thought the end story was a little too modern at first because it kind of took place in our time now, but then Kendra showed up as like a regular person and then I saw the point of that story. And it had the best ending ever that sucked me right in.
You don't have to read the other books in the Kendra Chronicles before reading this one... at least I hope you really don't. Alex Flinn says you didn't have to on Goodreads. I wasn't lost at all when I started this book, and this was the first one in the series that I started. I also don't see why so many people had negative reviews for this book. I thought it was really well written. I'm a sucker for time turning stuff too. I'd recommend this book to anybody.
Oh, and that cover is just absolutely stunning. I can't believe I almost didn't read this book. I'm glad I did.
November 7, 2017
A brilliant retelling of Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, and East of the Sun West of The Moon followed by a novella-length (humanized) version of The Ugly Duckling.
Similar in format to Betwitching, but a much better novel overall with engaging characters I found stuck with me long after I finished the last page.
I do question some of the continuality with the other novels (certain things don't quite add up -- such as wouldn't Celine still be living with Kendra, when Kendra married James and brought him home with her at the end of this novel?), but at least we get a great origin story for Kendra's endless supply of magic mirrors, something I've wondered about for a while now.
Cons:
No polar bear in the 1940s retelling of East of the Sun West of the Moon.
By the time it got to the modern day bit, it's easy to forget you're still reading a fairy tale book about Kendra.
Me (when Kendra shows up again as Amanda's friend in passing): who's that?
My brain: Kendra.
Me: who?
My brain: Kendra, looking for her boyfriend, has crapton of magic mirrors... Is titular character of the Kendra Chronicles?
Me: that's THIS book?
My brain: yes.
Me: you liar! Am I on candid camera?
My brain: no, seriously, flip back a few dozen pages.
Me: well, I'll be damned!
pros:
Best retellings I've ever seen of Ugly Duckling and Rumpelstiltskin. Also Red Ridding Hood in Salem!
Highly recommended.
Similar in format to Betwitching, but a much better novel overall with engaging characters I found stuck with me long after I finished the last page.
I do question some of the continuality with the other novels (certain things don't quite add up -- such as wouldn't Celine still be living with Kendra, when Kendra married James and brought him home with her at the end of this novel?), but at least we get a great origin story for Kendra's endless supply of magic mirrors, something I've wondered about for a while now.
Cons:
No polar bear in the 1940s retelling of East of the Sun West of the Moon.
By the time it got to the modern day bit, it's easy to forget you're still reading a fairy tale book about Kendra.
Me (when Kendra shows up again as Amanda's friend in passing): who's that?
My brain: Kendra.
Me: who?
My brain: Kendra, looking for her boyfriend, has crapton of magic mirrors... Is titular character of the Kendra Chronicles?
Me: that's THIS book?
My brain: yes.
Me: you liar! Am I on candid camera?
My brain: no, seriously, flip back a few dozen pages.
Me: well, I'll be damned!
pros:
Best retellings I've ever seen of Ugly Duckling and Rumpelstiltskin. Also Red Ridding Hood in Salem!
Highly recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2019
After following Kendra's story for more than three years, I expected this final installment to finally focus on her.
She'd always been the sidekick in all the other books. If she wasn't turning the beautiful boy into a beast - and we all know that story - then she was helping the distressed damsel reach her heart's desire. She deserved to finally be theprincess witch marching off into the sunset with her prince wizard, and I thought I'd get to read that - in detail.
Sooo I was a bit disappointed with how this turned out. More than half the book was spent on recalling stories where Kendra helped the heroine. And since they were all focused on another girl - Kendra sort of faded away. Her love story, in contrast, was rushed, boring, and unimpressive. Also a bit confusing - why exactly again did the mirror fail to locate James?
I guess I'm just happy that the author established she got someone in the end.
She'd always been the sidekick in all the other books. If she wasn't turning the beautiful boy into a beast - and we all know that story - then she was helping the distressed damsel reach her heart's desire. She deserved to finally be the
Sooo I was a bit disappointed with how this turned out. More than half the book was spent on recalling stories where Kendra helped the heroine. And since they were all focused on another girl - Kendra sort of faded away. Her love story, in contrast, was rushed, boring, and unimpressive. Also a bit confusing - why exactly again did the mirror fail to locate James?
I guess I'm just happy that the author established she got someone in the end.
November 23, 2020
Τέσσερα διαφορετικά παραμύθια ενσωματωμένα σε ένα βιβλίο. Η Κοκκινοσκουφίτσα, ο Ραμπελστίλσκιν, το Ασχημόπαπο, καθώς και του Νορβηγικού East of the Sun and West of the Moo, με την αφήγησή τους να μας ταξιδεύει μέσα στους αιώνες, από την εποχή που στο Σάλεμ έκαιγαν μάγισσες στην πυρά, μέχρι και την σημερινή εποχή, με την Κέντρα πάντα να βρίσκεται στο κέντρο των εξελίξεων, αφού είναι μάγισσα και η ίδια και αθάνατη. Αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα προσπάθεια, από την Flinn, αλλά αυτό το "ταξίδι" στον χρόνο χαλάει κάπως την σύγχρονη αισθητική και τη νέα ταυτότητα που έχει προσπαθήσει να δώσει στο είδος. Ωστόσο, είναι σαφέστατα πολύ καλύτερο από το προηγούμενο βιβλίο της σειράς και πολύ πιο στοχευμένο.
April 25, 2017
In this book, Kendra uses her magic mirror to search for her lost love James and she shares tales of how she participated in modernish versions of 4 different fairy tales - Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling. The book is fun to read filled with humor, love and excitement in the retold fairy tales.
February 24, 2017
I received this ARC at New York Comic Con in October. At the time I didn't know it was part of a series, but the author has said on Goodreads that it can be read independently from the rest of the books. That is somewhat true, but I did feel like I was missing who Kendra was.
I read some reviews on Goodreads, and many were disappointed that this book does not feature Kendra (a bad-ass witch who is a fan favorite) much. Even though I have not read the previous books I have to agree. In three out of the four fairytale retellings she is either a supporting character or a footnote.
The search for her beloved James is a subplot to the subplot. The synopsis on the jacket is so deceiving:
"Featuring retellings of Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling"
No- it's the other way around, a retelling of fairytales featuring Kendra and her quest.
So that being established I'll get to my thoughts on the retellings.
Little Red Riding Hood is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials. This story features Kendra and her magical abilities the most, but I was still disappointed. I get that these are short stories so there isn't much word count availability, but it was a lame and boring let down. It was a nutshell version of The Crucible, with a slash of Red Riding Hood, and pinch of Kendra falling in love with James. Which, by the way, was so rushed I was not feeling the love and attraction between Kendra and James.
Rumpelstiltskin was actually my favorite retelling. It featured the most magic, on Rum's part, spinning the straw into gold. That was the most endearing part; when Rum and Cornelia are getting to know each other and are falling in love.
Spoiler:
East of the Sun and West of the Moon is a tale I had never hear of and had to look it up. It being a Norwegian tale makes sense since the antagonist is a troll.
I liked it well enough, but the story is so rushed that the details are eliminated.
Spoiler Alert:
Kendra had become a random supporting character at this point.
The Ugly Duckling is a story I really enjoyed, but it is so misplaced in this narrative as a whole. By this point Kendra is a footnote that appears towards the end and James is an afterthought in the last few moments. It is also the the story with the least amount of magical events.
Besides that, I really liked it because it had the most developed characters. I enjoyed the friendship between Chris and Amanda. I was rooting for them. They also made me laugh at some moments.
However, the description on the book jacket is false advertising. As endearing and enjoyable some moments were, if you're looking for a story about Kendra and James and magic, this isn't it.
2 out of 5 men in the mirror.
I read some reviews on Goodreads, and many were disappointed that this book does not feature Kendra (a bad-ass witch who is a fan favorite) much. Even though I have not read the previous books I have to agree. In three out of the four fairytale retellings she is either a supporting character or a footnote.
The search for her beloved James is a subplot to the subplot. The synopsis on the jacket is so deceiving:
"Featuring retellings of Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling"
No- it's the other way around, a retelling of fairytales featuring Kendra and her quest.
So that being established I'll get to my thoughts on the retellings.
Little Red Riding Hood is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials. This story features Kendra and her magical abilities the most, but I was still disappointed. I get that these are short stories so there isn't much word count availability, but it was a lame and boring let down. It was a nutshell version of The Crucible, with a slash of Red Riding Hood, and pinch of Kendra falling in love with James. Which, by the way, was so rushed I was not feeling the love and attraction between Kendra and James.
Rumpelstiltskin was actually my favorite retelling. It featured the most magic, on Rum's part, spinning the straw into gold. That was the most endearing part; when Rum and Cornelia are getting to know each other and are falling in love.
Spoiler:
East of the Sun and West of the Moon is a tale I had never hear of and had to look it up. It being a Norwegian tale makes sense since the antagonist is a troll.
I liked it well enough, but the story is so rushed that the details are eliminated.
Spoiler Alert:
Kendra had become a random supporting character at this point.
The Ugly Duckling is a story I really enjoyed, but it is so misplaced in this narrative as a whole. By this point Kendra is a footnote that appears towards the end and James is an afterthought in the last few moments. It is also the the story with the least amount of magical events.
Besides that, I really liked it because it had the most developed characters. I enjoyed the friendship between Chris and Amanda. I was rooting for them. They also made me laugh at some moments.
However, the description on the book jacket is false advertising. As endearing and enjoyable some moments were, if you're looking for a story about Kendra and James and magic, this isn't it.
2 out of 5 men in the mirror.
April 5, 2017
For a book centered on the supposedly love story between Kendra and her lost love James there was really no story between the two. However I actually really enjoyed the snippets of the other stories embedded in Kendra's life.
April 13, 2021
Four retellings of popular fairy tales all told through Kendra's point of view. It was a cute book, but nothing special.
June 6, 2021
I really liked this book. It was very cute and I liked the different retellings throughout. Kendra is definitely one of my favorite witches!
June 13, 2022
I missed Kendra. This was very nice after the disaster of Beheld. Got a Kendra focus with features of other stories tied into her narrative. We even got to see her
I adored this series as a kid and I'm happy that I finally read the resolution. :)
I adored this series as a kid and I'm happy that I finally read the resolution. :)
March 19, 2017
Not the best book, but still a good continuation of Kendra's life as a witch.
March 8, 2017
I haven't had time to read in so long. And I made the mistake of starting this book and refusing to put it down. The writing is incredible and captivating. While I was reading, my homework didn't exist. I would 3000% read this again.
*Only problem was some swearing in the last part of the book. It was used to fit with a time period, but the rest of the book is clean*
*Only problem was some swearing in the last part of the book. It was used to fit with a time period, but the rest of the book is clean*
February 10, 2017
*This review can also be found at YA Books Central! Huge thanks to the publisher for the eARC in exchange of my honest opinion.*
Fans of Beastly, rejoice! In this new installment of the Kendra Chronicles, we get to follow Kendra--the powerful, immortal witch who cursed a popular, arrogant High School boy and turned him into a beast--in her journey following love and helping those to find their own.
What I liked:
It was a pleasant surprise to find out that this book retells a few of my favorite childhood fairy tales (having missed reading about it before picking up this book) with meddling from Kendra. Beheld starts off with Little Red Riding Hood, but then moves on to Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling. Each story features a different point of view from each starring role of the fairy tales and they take place during different time periods of Kendra's long life up until our present day.
My favorite retelling turned out to be Rumpelstiltskin's, for the main character by the name of Cornelia is an avid reader and much of the story revolves around her appreciation of the written word and how this influences her love life. I particularly enjoyed the spin to this fairy tale's ending-- incredibly sweet and perfect for the characters. It certainly left me wanting more! However, the rest of the retellings are equally enjoyable and extremely hard not to fall in love with.
Having read Beastly (the first book in the Kendra Chronicles) such a long time ago had made me forget how quickly the author, Alex Flinn, manages to suck readers into her stories. Her writing is fantastic and imaginative, smooth and easy to follow with no chance of ever getting bored. And the good part is that most of her works can be read as standalones, including Beheld!
What didn't do it for me:
While I loved falling in love with the fairy tales characters and their relationships, I wish to have done the same with Kendra's and Jame's relationship. Somehow their romance felt a bit bland in comparison with the other fairy tales and that's not what I was hoping for. It needed more.
Final Verdict:
Beheld by Alex Flinn is the book to go if you are a fan of retellings and stories within a story. From Little Red Riding Hood to The Ugly Duckling, every reader is bound to fall in love with these fairy tales (and Kendra's antics) all over again!
Fans of Beastly, rejoice! In this new installment of the Kendra Chronicles, we get to follow Kendra--the powerful, immortal witch who cursed a popular, arrogant High School boy and turned him into a beast--in her journey following love and helping those to find their own.
What I liked:
It was a pleasant surprise to find out that this book retells a few of my favorite childhood fairy tales (having missed reading about it before picking up this book) with meddling from Kendra. Beheld starts off with Little Red Riding Hood, but then moves on to Rumpelstiltskin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and The Ugly Duckling. Each story features a different point of view from each starring role of the fairy tales and they take place during different time periods of Kendra's long life up until our present day.
My favorite retelling turned out to be Rumpelstiltskin's, for the main character by the name of Cornelia is an avid reader and much of the story revolves around her appreciation of the written word and how this influences her love life. I particularly enjoyed the spin to this fairy tale's ending-- incredibly sweet and perfect for the characters. It certainly left me wanting more! However, the rest of the retellings are equally enjoyable and extremely hard not to fall in love with.
Having read Beastly (the first book in the Kendra Chronicles) such a long time ago had made me forget how quickly the author, Alex Flinn, manages to suck readers into her stories. Her writing is fantastic and imaginative, smooth and easy to follow with no chance of ever getting bored. And the good part is that most of her works can be read as standalones, including Beheld!
What didn't do it for me:
While I loved falling in love with the fairy tales characters and their relationships, I wish to have done the same with Kendra's and Jame's relationship. Somehow their romance felt a bit bland in comparison with the other fairy tales and that's not what I was hoping for. It needed more.
Final Verdict:
Beheld by Alex Flinn is the book to go if you are a fan of retellings and stories within a story. From Little Red Riding Hood to The Ugly Duckling, every reader is bound to fall in love with these fairy tales (and Kendra's antics) all over again!
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