2.5 stars? 3 stars? I DON'T KNOW. How does one rate these things? o.o Whimsical, enjoyable, pointless... but that's the POINT, so yes. ;) Fun to read 2.5 stars? 3 stars? I DON'T KNOW. How does one rate these things? o.o Whimsical, enjoyable, pointless... but that's the POINT, so yes. ;) Fun to read I suppose. I just don't really "get" it, sort of? Oh, but the Cheshire Cat and the Hatter are entirely my favorites!! They say such awesome things. XD Also, suppressing guinea pigs. *nods seriously*...more
I've never really "understood" free-verse... or whatever that non-rhyming kind of poetry is called. But since this was by a friend and I won it in a gI've never really "understood" free-verse... or whatever that non-rhyming kind of poetry is called. But since this was by a friend and I won it in a giveaway, I thought I'd give it a shot. :)
I read it in a sitting and overall enjoyed the new experience. It was... very different. Some was interesting. Some was weird. I didn't understand some of it, like I said, but, again, it's not something I ever DO understand, so there's that. And I have a feeling you're not necessarily supposed to understand everything. I liked some of the stanzas, and there was a sort of lilt to some of the words, quite poetical.
My favorite:
This is where I want to wander Beneath golden trees And midnight skies Where I am forever free.
If you're into free verse/poetry that doesn't rhyme, you might enjoy this slim volume. :)...more
Ever since reading THE WORD CHANGERS, I have been waiting breathlessly for another tale from talented authoress Ashlee Willis. That wait is now over. Ever since reading THE WORD CHANGERS, I have been waiting breathlessly for another tale from talented authoress Ashlee Willis. That wait is now over. I was overcome with excitement to begin reading this novella, but at the same time, feared being disappointed after my high expectations. I need not have worried.
A WISH MADE OF GLASS blew me away with its gorgeousness, not only meeting but in fact far, far exceeding my expectations. It is loosely based on the Cinderella fairy tale, and it is written in first-person present-tense, which is a mode of writing that irks me, but I grew used to it in this story almost at once and could not begrudge it, which is saying something.
From the very first, I was entirely enchanted and drawn inescapably into this story and this world, a fey and beautiful one, the beauty starker against the shadows. The writing held me spellbound, the words spun together like the silver threads of moonlight and wishes. I can describe it in no other way than to say that it felt like a fairytale. The whole tale was quietly beautiful.
It held many surprises and was not at all what I expected. This is not a light tale. There is darkness and sadness and the bittersweetness of families and friendships found and broken and found again, and missed chances heartbreakingly forever lost. The story holds all the darkest emotions that can be found, poisonous and treacherous, in the lightless corners of one's own heart. The heroine is flawed, as all people are. Sometimes it was very hard to read about, and could, I think, easily have made me dislike the story, and yet somehow it did not. And to find the joy and light was well worth it. It makes one think, perhaps, of one's own failings and beginning to think of letting a light shine into the shadowed corner.
The characters were quite real. Isidore's sorrow and struggles and innermost thoughts were well-painted. Blessing was an interesting character, the stepsister who is kindhearted but has her own things to wrestle with as well. Young Lord Auren made a surprisingly vivid short appearance and I basically loved him. My favorite character is of course a certain mysterious fey, whose name I realized at the end, with some surprise, we had never learned, and yet decided that it was perfect. Characters like that totally fulfill my reading wish in any book.
The visuals are stunning. I loved the turning seasons and the dresses and cloaks and the ball, but especially the snow and the fey wood and the fey themselves, and I want to join in their dance. I wish there had been more with the fey in the story.
You feel in the end a little as if there are hinted truths threaded through beneath the surface of the tale that you can not quite grasp. At least, that is how I felt. There is something deeper, elusive, and you feel that maybe one day you will understand it, even if you do not right now. But in my experience, the best books are like that.
I adored this quick read and it pulled me completely into a world of rich color and magic and snow and fey dances in the forest. I enjoyed it so very very much.
If you have a hankering for an enchanting tale of light and shadows, a fairy tale in its truest form, a beautiful world with characters who come to life and wrestle with their own darkness, told in words as natural and beautiful as flowing water under starlight, A WISH MADE OF GLASS will be your own wish come true.
(I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. These opinions are entirely my own.)...more
I absolutely love fairytale retellings, so I jumped on the chance to read this one!
A Dream Not Imagined is a lovely retelling that at first feels veryI absolutely love fairytale retellings, so I jumped on the chance to read this one!
A Dream Not Imagined is a lovely retelling that at first feels very like the classic Cinderella... and yet! Those twists! My goodness, I did not see them coming! At first I was so worried and could not see how it could work out all right. But then it surprised me by turning out better than I could have imagined! I was so impressed that it could turn that around and I ended up extremely happy with it. I just loved this book. :)
The whole story has an intriguing mystery lurking around the edges, weaving throughout. It was so fun to try to piece together the hints and clues, and then stunning when all the pieces fell into place and the whole picture was made clear--that conclusion! I've always said that fairytales and mysteries are my favorite genres for shorter stories--they just seem to fit--and here this is both!
It's a novella, so it's a very quick read, but far from making it feel rushed, it felt like just the right size. It was amazing how full of depth and detail it was for its length. The writing has a sweet fairytale-like quality, while at the same time feeling fresh. Miss Hannu is an author to keep an eye on! It's beautifully written and I could see everything so vividly--I love the "feel" of the setting.
I loved Ellie--she was quite relateable and all I wanted was for everything to turn out well for her, the poor dear! My heart broke with hers, and sang when hers sang... In fact, all of the characters were portrayed with a startling depth and clarity--I felt like they were all quite real, which again was impressive with the brief length of the book. And there is one young man in particular who captured my heart... ;) He was awesome.
I loved the beautiful romance, which was my favorite part of the story. There is some heartache, but ultimately it was adorable and sigh-worthy. It was sweet and appropriate, so no fears there, and it wasn't the whole of the plot either, so even if you're not the biggest fan of romantic plots, I think you'll still find the rest of the story worth reading.
It's a non-magical retelling, but it was cute to see how the roles sometimes played by the Fairy Godmother and/or mice in some versions were carried out in this.
There were also some lovely moments about faith and about God writing our stories that were particularly beautiful.
I loved the dancing, and the final scene before the epilogue was awesome. And now I want to eat some apple-tarts... The whole conclusion and ending was perfection itself. <3
A Dream Not Imagined is a beautiful story with lovable characters, a thrilling air of mystery, a thread of faith, a sweet romance, and some surprising twists. If you like an enjoyable quick read, or a good retold fairytale (and who doesn't!), do consider giving this lovely one a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed! :)
(NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the author in return for my honest review. It was not required to be positive. These opinions are entirely my own.)
As the sequel to BROKEN GLASS (found in the FIVE GLASS SLIPPERS anthology), I was so excited to read CORRODED THORNS to experience the rest of Darcy'sAs the sequel to BROKEN GLASS (found in the FIVE GLASS SLIPPERS anthology), I was so excited to read CORRODED THORNS to experience the rest of Darcy's story! And boy does it ever not disappoint!
I loved this book so much that I read it twice in one week. I have an occasional urge to do that with other books, but almost never follow through. But this time I just couldn't help myself! Fortunately it's a novella so I was able to read it in a sitting, and it's one of those perfect novellas that feels exactly the right size.
As a Beauty and the Beast retelling, I so enjoyed watching the plot unfold and picking out the similarities and twists. It's a favorite fairytale of mine, particularly that it shows how even really horrid characters can find redemption. I LOVE fairytale retellings, and this has to be one of my favorite versions of Beauty and the Beast! I simply adored it.
The plot behind the normal Beauty and the Beast part of the story was so awesome -- I loved that there was so much more going on under the surface than meets the eye and it TOTALLY made sense for the story; plus, fascinating fairy godmother politics! Isn't that just cool? It was all so interesting to read about!
It was a gorgeous world, the settings felt so alive and real and everything was extremely vivid in my mind, despite the relative shortness of the tale. I really felt like I was in that old dark castle on the lake! The touch of steampunkness was SO cool and original (steampunk Beauty and the Beast? Yes please!), and I don't usually notice this but I LOVED the magic in this story! It was just... I can't describe it but it was perfect and seamless and interesting. Just... really well done.
In the interests of being fair and looking at both sides... Complaints? Umm, it took me a moment to think of any. There's hardly anything wrong with this book! I did sometimes have a hard time visualizing exactly what the Beast looked like. I wished there had been a little more description on that, since my mental image kept changing. That being said, it was still an extremely awesome idea the way he was done!
At first as I started out, I was slightly disappointed that it didn't feel just like the first one, BROKEN GLASS, which was hilarious and mad-dash and there were so many characters running around making a mess and being fabulous. But that's only a partial complaint, because I quickly grew to love CORRODED THORNS just as much, despite its different feeling, and perhaps more because this one was much more straightforward of a plot, mostly following the one storyline, so I ended up more invested and just loved watching Darcy and Madeline's story unfolding!
So don't expect CORRODED THORNS to have exactly the same feel as BROKEN GLASS. This one is a little less whimsical and has a darker, more serious and epic feel to it (but there are still fabulous characters and some hilarious parts, never fear!). But I ended up loving that about it. They're just different stories but you can still feel that they're connected as well.
And now we get to the best part. The characters! I LOVED THEM.
-Madeline is such a sweet, insecure, mousey thing and I found myself really really liking her. She's so used to being a failure and yet she KEEPS TRYING and I love that about her. I can't even quite describe it but... Madeline's just so likeable. (Also tea and cucumber sandwiches.) -Young Niles was an unexpected but splendid (and rather important) addition, the one servant who stayed behind for the Beast. Gaahh, I just adored him! He was such an original, cheerful, stubborn, friendly fellow and was just fabulous! Yes, yes and yes. His role in the story really surprised me and I thought it was so cool! -Darcy... Ah, Darcy. What does one even say about him? DARCY. That is all. Despite his somewhat beastly tendencies, you still love him and it's just incredible watching his story-arc leading from BROKEN GLASS and progressing through this one. It was amazing to read about, quite believable, awesome, and extremely well done. DARCY IS MY FAVORITE. I just loved loved loved reading this story about him! Especially his snark. So much fun.
Darcy, Niles, and Madeline make for a splendid main cast. Their interactions are just the best! The humor, the gems of hilarious lines... I loved it all! The other characters were interesting as well. Basically look forward to a great cast of characters in this book.
The ending. THE ENDING! There was one of those moments near the end where I suddenly stopped reading and went oh no -- it's about to be over -- I don't want it to END!! But then it stayed just the right extra amount of time to wrap up the things I wanted addressed and it felt... I don't know... like a reward and it was just PERFECT! AAAHH. I loved it so much! Also, the glimpse of some characters from the first at the end totally made the book!! It made me so very very happy!
And not to give anything away, but this book contains my favorite proposal scene EVER. Yes, it was that good. <3
Gaahh, how can I say enough wonderful things about this wonderful book? I feel like I'm falling woefully short! For such a small tale, it was packed to bursting with fabulousness. There was much incoherent squealing and babbling about its awesomeness on my part after finishing it. EEEK! <3 And then I had to reread it only a few days later because I couldn't help myself -- I had to enjoy its loveliness again!
Basically it was glorious, epic, funny and full of characters I loved a ton, plus a setting I was completely immersed in (I want to live there!), and of course Beauty and the Beast! What more can you want?
I adore it and love it to bits and it just made me indescribably happy!
(I received an e-copy of this book from the author in return from my honest review; I was not required to be positive; these opinions are entirely my own.
So I have some complicated thoughts for this book... I'm also trying to decide between a 3.5 rating or a 4... But I'm feeling generous today. ;) I wouSo I have some complicated thoughts for this book... I'm also trying to decide between a 3.5 rating or a 4... But I'm feeling generous today. ;) I would not have chosen to read it myself, but I was willing to try it with my bookclub, and I'm not sorry I read it.
I have complaints--it was extremely long, it was in present-tense, I got some of the characters mixed up, it was sometimes confusing trying to keep track of the out-of-order-dates, I definitely wouldn't recommend it to younger people due to an inappropriate scene, or anyone who doesn't like swearing in books, and some of the incorrect comma-usage drove me nuts.
But it was also very absorbing, very vivid visually, despite--or perhaps because of--its unusual black-and-white historical fantasy feel, which reminded me a lot of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" (though this has, perhaps, less plot). Despite its length, it kept me absorbed, the descriptions were more detailed than in anything else I've read in quite awhile, the characters were interesting, and the magic well thought-out. There was an air of shadowy mystery throughout, which was quite intriguing.
I also really loved the twins. They're probably my favorite thing in the book. :)
I'm not entirely sure if I'm quite okay with the ending... But bittersweet has its place, I suppose, and I fully expected it to turn out far worse than it did. ;)
Overall: A thick book with some problems, not for the faint-of-heart, but enchanting in its own right, I suppose, if you can get through it.
My favorite quote comes in the final chapter: “It is important. ... Someone needs to tell those tales. ... You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that. ... There are many kinds of magic, after all.”...more
CHASING SHADOWS kept me guessing, there were lots of surprises, and it was overall a good and exciting adventure/romance! It was kind of too long for CHASING SHADOWS kept me guessing, there were lots of surprises, and it was overall a good and exciting adventure/romance! It was kind of too long for me, but that's just my personal preference. I felt a bit like the first half dragged somewhat, with the plot seeming to get lost behind a lot of emotions and the love triangle, and a lot of stuff seemed to sort of come out of nowhere. But the final third picked up considerably and turned awesome and very exciting and I absolutely loved it!
I loved the romance--it was great and went back and forth between being breathtakingly sweet, to me wanting to bang the heads of both parties against the nearest hard thing and go "seriously guys, don't be idiots!" But that of course is half the fun of romance tales--we like a little exasperating on the side with our heart-sighing romance. ;) (I personally didn't like the love triangle part of it though--nothing against this book in particular, I'm just not a big fan of love triangles in general. But I know many people would enjoy it so that's fine and it was fairly well done.)
I had a hard time connecting with Sarah, the main character, since most of the time she drove me batty by being stupid. But I think that's likely just me, and I have a feeling most readers would like her better. And I still wanted her to win, of course! She did grow on me, eventually.
Can we just take a moment to talk about Will now? Will was awesome and fabulous and I loved him a ton and he is one of my favorite characters now. He's basically a big broken strong huggable bundle of epic, the perfect mix of a dark-guy and a hero and an all-around great guy who is just awesome and can be really sweet at times too, though you wouldn't know it with his shell. His struggles and confused moments only made him more endearing. His caring and bravery and amazingness... just yes. He's a mean shot with a bow, too. ;) Will is basically the main reason I really liked this book. It's well worth reading just for him!
The Spaniard was brilliantly done and I won't give anything away but it was fascinating how he was written. I have very complicated thoughts/emotions about the whole thing that I'm still working on sorting out.
The other characters were all very well drawn and realistic-feeling, from Edith to Karen and the Professor and the Joneses (yay, Seth!) to characters like Robert. Particularly Robert. Yes. That is all I will say. (Also Richard. I really liked Richard! Even though he was sort of random. I somehow thought he'd be more important and now I really want to read more about him! I'm weird like that. :P)
The medieval setting was really neat. It was that sort of "gritty", "realistic" sort of medieval that is more realistic than my taste would prefer, but I most people seem to like their medieval settings to be that way, so... *shrug* The whole book felt very REAL though. In fact, at times, it felt so real that it felt a bit more like real life than like a novel--like this was really happening to the main character. Very real emotions and problems and little day-to-day details instead of everything being streamlined and so dramatic and novel-like, if you know what I mean. Which was very different, somehow, and made me think about it, so even if I wasn't used to that sort of feeling, it was actually kind of cool.
The level of detail was awesome! I just loved how detailed everything was. I could see and feel everything and felt perfectly immersed. I loved the lovely settings, like the castle with its ornate feeling at times, and the cold but beautiful snowy forest... just yes! I loved being immersed, and it was amazing to feel so much a part of the world. I definitely felt like I was there.
It had its moments of fun and hilarity and I found myself laughing aloud a few times, and quoting some particularly wonderful lines that were funny, brilliant, or well-written. Points for that!
I wish the slight hints of Robin Hood stuff had been more explored (maybe more is in Book 1 and 3? I can hope! :)) but most of what there was, was cool! Even small hints are a lot of fun!
A few other little thoughts: -I really disliked the whole Jade plot though. I can't really say much about it because of spoilers but... just no. -I definitely feel like this is for older readers, higher teens and up maybe, just for some general content. -There were occasional touches of Christianity, for those wondering if it was there. -I haven't read much time travel, but this one was fairly neat! Interesting to read, anyway.
This is a sequel, and I haven't read the first book yet, so maybe some things are more explained in that. Mostly though there were enough hints about the events of the first that I didn't feel lost, so you don't have to read it in order to "get" this one. I'm certainly now curious about it though and want to read the prequel--and the third one (when it comes out) to find out what happens! But at the same time, though I do want more, CHASING SHADOWS still wrapped up fairly well. It left me feeling happy at the end.
Overall, it wasn't a five-star favorite for me, but it earned its four stars and I absolutely loved the last third of the book! Mostly, the problems I had with it were my personal preference, and I feel like many others would enjoy it more.
If you like time-travel, medieval tales, realistic-feeling settings with a bit of grittiness, a love triangle and sweet romance, with a touch of Robin Hood and intrigue and adventure in castle rooms and snowy forests, this is the book for you.
[I received a complimentary PDF from the author in return for my honest review. (Thank you!) I wasn't required to be positive, and these thoughts are entirely my own.]...more
Some of it is outdated and should be ignored, but on the whole a fairly good look at punctuation and its rules and quirks. Useful to brush up a bit onSome of it is outdated and should be ignored, but on the whole a fairly good look at punctuation and its rules and quirks. Useful to brush up a bit on some proofreading skills as I was doing....more
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