This is the first paragraph of Amazon's blurb for Mirrored:
"In #1 New York Times bestselling author Alex Flinn's modern and mysterious rete
DNF @51%
This is the first paragraph of Amazon's blurb for Mirrored:
"In #1 New York Times bestselling author Alex Flinn's modern and mysterious retelling of Snow White, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and true love doesn't necessarily mean Prince Charming."
Modern and mysterious retelling of Snow White Catchy title Fantastic cover
Sucker that I am, I jumped on the wagon real fast and got it, but alas, Mirrored failed to deliver on all facets. In a word, it's terrible.
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Mirrored is a two part novel narrated by two main characters, Violet and Celine. Part 1 is told by teen aged Violet, who later becomes the evil step mom (this is part of the blurb so this isn't a spoiler), and part 2 is told by Celine, our Snow White. We all know the rest of the story.
Part 1 - Violet
" I was a strange child. Strange looking, for certain, with buck teeth, red hair (and matching invisible lashes), a hooked nose, and barely the hint of a chin."
She is also strange in more ways than her looks. Shortly after her tenth birthday, she discovers that she can do magic, she revives an apparently dead crow and meets the love of her life, Gregory Columbo. Yes, on the same day and, yes, she they're both ten years old. Being strange and all, Violet is the target of bullying. Her classmates call her ugly and a freak, adults openly dislike her. Her homelife is no better, her self-absorbed mother barely tolerates her existence or blatantly expresses her disappointement in Violet.
Violet had two comforts from all the hate, her friendship with Greg and her love for animals.
At thirteen, she meets Kendra, an immortal witch who takes her under wing for magical training and she discovers that she can alter her appearance. At the same time, Violet's romantic feelings towards Greg intensifies, but Greg got too hot to hang out with Violet. Yes, Greg is a douchenozzle, but Violet refuses to see this and vows to become the hottest girl in school to get Greg. By the time Violet is seventeen, she's altered most of her appearance and is fairly powerful. She's the hottest girl in school, but will that be enough to get Greg?
I'll end it right there because, really, that's the whole of Violet Appel's teenage life and shallow ambitions. I understand that Alex Flinn is setting the stage for Violet to be a villain of fairy tale proportions, but she fails spectacularly at this.
"It's so unfair. I have magic powers. I should be able to have anything. But this is the only thing I want."
Instead of a budding evil witch, we get a whiney, petty and vindictive fool who only wants to get the boy, and it doesn't get better as she gets older.
Stories told through the POV of villains in-the-making are fascinating, Marie Lu did it with Adelina in The Young Elites, Eliza Crewe with Meda in Crushed (which I read prior to Mirrored) and Vladimir Nabokov with Humbert Humbert in Lolita, just to name a few. Their denial of their darker nature and the struggle to cope with, or at least pretend to, morality and social conventions, more or less make the novel. When I find myself agreeing to, or at the very least trying to rationalize, their diabolical thoughts and questionable means, then I know that the author has effectively developed his/her characters. With Violet though, I just wanted to kick her teeth in with her every thought and their unrelated tangents, which happens a lot in the book.
"I liked spiders. I never killed them. Unlike most people. I knew they weren't harmful, not usually. In fact, they killed mosquitoes and flies, bugs that spread disease"
There is no struggle to fight the darkness and maintain her humanity, her head is a constant loop of I love Greg, Why doesn't Greg love me yet?, I hate Jennifer, Look at me Mom, everyone hates me because I'm better than they are, am I the hottest girl in school? .
Absolutely, zero depth of character.
Violet has enormous reserves of power, and she wastes it on tormenting her rivals with paltry revenge schemes, all for the boy. All for the boy who is as interesting as a piece of cardboard. Seriously, girl you need goals, you are a shame to all evil queens out there.
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Part 2 - Celine
Celine is perfect. With her raven-black hair, snow white skin and cherry red lips, she is the most beautiful girl in town, but don't call her that because she hates being called BEAUTIFUL.Must resist eyeroll.
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On top of that, she is kind, brave and can make people teary with her rendition of Where is Love?. She is despicably perfect, but Celine's home life is hell. At home, she gets attacked by cats, birds and random beauty apparatus. Seriously. She suspects that her stepmother behind all the seemingly random attacks.
That's as far as I got to Celine's part because Alex Flinn spent an inordinate number of pages detailing Celine's Oliver! audition and practice. I do not like Celine any more than Violet. That's because their narration is nigh indistinguishable from each other, just replace the whining about being "ugly" to getting all the attention because of being too beautiful and the condescension of being the misunderstood genius to annoying forced humility of wanting to be treated like a regular looking person.
There you go, Mirrored aka the most tragic retelling of Snow White, butchered by shoddy writing, and the copious girl-on-girl hate, for both parts of this novel is just off putting.
Perhaps it got better after I stopped, but I've ran out fucks to give, so as much I detest giving out one star ratings, Mirrored deserves no more than that....more
I haven’t read Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
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I have watched several movie versions of it though, and I have to say that I am
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I haven’t read Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
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I have watched several movie versions of it though, and I have to say that I am not a fan of Alice in Wonderland in general. It has always come off to me as the bad side of trippy, so needless to say I was wary of this Alice in Wonderland retelling.
“That was the trouble with not being right in the head. You couldn’t always tell if your eyes were telling the truth.”
Our Alice is in this story is not a pre-teen, but a woman in her late twenties who has been institutionalized for the better part of the decade. She doesn’t remember why she was institutionalized. She only gets fleeting memories of a tea party, a man with rabbit ears, bruises on her thighs and blood. Lots of blood. Who knew a tea party could be so scary?
Yes, I should I just put it out there as a TRIGGER WARNING, sexual violence abound in this book so if you’re squeamish, approach with caution or avoid completely.
Alice’s solace is her friend Hatcher whom she talks to through a mouse-hole in between their cells, and whose memories are riddled with holes just like Alice’s. Then one night, a fire in the asylum gives Alice and Hatcher a chance to escape, but it also sets something else free. The fire also frees the Jabberwock, an ancient evil bent on destruction. Together, Alice and Hatcher, need to find a way to destroy the Jabberwock, so they are compelled to seek out the cunning and brutal godfathers – Cheshire, Caterpillar, Walrus and Mr. Carpenter – of the Old City. Their quest to end the Jabberwock also puts Alice’s and Hatcher’s dark pasts into painful focus.
Thankfully, my aforementioned wariness was for nothing since I ended up immensely enjoying Alice. Sure, I felt icky while reading it, but that’s because the world-building in Alice is so atmospheric I felt the griminess of the streets and the dank filth of the warrens. Shudders. The Old City is the Wonderland, where Alice falls through the rabbit hole.This is certainly has one of the most imaginative deconstruction of a famed fairytale setting. The author put in all the familiar elements of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland and gave them dark twists that perfectly suits every turn of this retelling.
The characters were superbly written as well, Alice is nothing like the Alice we all know. Alice started out as a seemingly fragile character, an inmate who has all but given up, but as the book moves along she develops into a tough-as-nails heroine I can totally get behind. She’s scarred and broken, but she doesn’t want to be fixed, she howls for vengeance. Hatcher is also a terrific character. He’s manic and unflinching, and completely mad with moments of lucidity.
“Can you feel him, Hatch? I can,” she said. “Like a great bird that fills up the sky with its wings.”
Story-wise, this bears little resemblance with the original, but the plot, the foreshadowing and the build-up were remarkably carried-out and, thankfully, none too excessive with the weirdness. Don’t you just hate it when weird shit happen just for weirdness’ sake? There’s none of that here, all elements, even the prodigious gore and violence, serve a purpose more than just to shock or disgust. Gritty, dark, fast-paced and violent, Alice is a highly recommended read for fans of horror and fantasy....more
Isra is not the conventional Beauty. For one she is blind, but her narrative didn't really feel like she is blind. I mean dThe BatB checklist:
☑ Beauty
Isra is not the conventional Beauty. For one she is blind, but her narrative didn't really feel like she is blind. I mean dude, she rappells from her tower to the garden way below. Daredevil is the only blind person I know who can do that. Second, she wasn't a beauty, at least for the entire first 70% or so. I was under the impression that she isn't conventionally beautiful bordering on hideous, what with the reaction of the people around her. Then in the last 30%, tadaaaa, she is super beautiful after all, nobody just told her. All that self pity in the first part of the book is annoying, but she goes through major character development.
☑ Beast
Will we ever get a BatB retelling with a literal Beast? A beast that REALLY takes some getting used to look at and be with, not some hunky dude with animal body parts. Gem is like that, just you regular well-mannered handsome,with scaly snake skin, retractable claws and sharp teeth. Gem just didn't make me swoon, he is kind of bland for a male MC and Jay certainly wasn't very consistent with his characterization. He's supposed to be an experienced warrior but doesn't act like one. Then mentions being the shame of his family, but doesn't reveal why.
The romance between Isra and Gem does not qualify as insta-love, thank goodness for that. They had an ambivalent relationship at the start, they get along one minute, but then the bitterness of their people's history always rears it's ugly head. Turns out all they needed is an impromptu out-of- town trip, in the desert, without food and water, for them to finally discover the wonders of making out in the dark.
☑ Rose in a glass
Or rather a whole rose garden city in a glass dome. This, in my opinion, would've been the best feature of the book, if Jay took care to show us Yuan and the desert with more detail, but in Of Beast and Beauty's case world-building is haphazard and inconsistent.It's certainly a interesting concept to concentrate all life in domed cities while everything else outside of these cities withered and died, but Jay centers her story in Isra's tower and garden. This is I guess the limitation, if your primary 1st person narrator is blind. I have yet to read another Stacey Jay novel before I can say for certain that she needs a lesson or five in world-building from Sanderson (sorry, just had to mention him).
☑ Curse
The first few pages of the book narrates this, but we know how curses are- vague and wordy as fuck.
✖ Anthropomorphic cutlery, decor and furniture
[image] Sorry guys, no love for you in this book
As far as BatB rettelings go, this was just so so, and god knows I have been searching for a favorite BatB story. The concept is interesting and the writing quite easy to read, but Jay fell a bit short in execution. ☆☆☆...more
Cruel Beauty had all the elements for an immersive read - unique setting, an evil lord, a secret sect dedicated to the destructiIt was alright.
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Cruel Beauty had all the elements for an immersive read - unique setting, an evil lord, a secret sect dedicated to the destruction of the said evil lord, bargains, a cursed prince, and a spunky albeit constantly confused MC (if the title is referring to her, then Fickle Beauty would be more apropos). Despite all that, it was just alright. It could've been great, but it's just alright. The world building and the writing itself fell somewhat short for the ambitious plot....more
Oh dear, I really have. I usually ride shot-gun on the bandwagon and I really don't mind, I mean just loo
[image] Help! I have fallen off the bandwagon.
Oh dear, I really have. I usually ride shot-gun on the bandwagon and I really don't mind, I mean just look at my read shelf. I see all the 4 & 5 stars from friends & reviewers I follow for Crimson Bound and I am disappointed why I didn't like this more, as this is a 2.5 stars read for me. Crimson Bound didn't give me any feels whatsoever, unless meh is a feel.
The plot was quite promising but the execution, doh', felt flat.(view spoiler)[ Right round 75% when I realized that forest borns could just infiltrate basically everywhere, I just couldn't recover my waning interest because the plan to give the Devourer a body seemed convoluted after that. Given 3,000 years, they could've done a lot to scheme for the eventual return of their god, they could even... (hide spoiler)]
Plus why in the fuckity fuck would Erec D'Anjou have Rachelle guard Armand, when she's the worse person for the job because she hates the Devourer and the forest born's credo. Why let her guard the future body suit of the Devourer? Also, how goddamn stupid is the king to strike that deal with the forest borns? Three thousand years of being told that forestborns can't be trusted...I can't even...
I liked Rachelle, she's tough and is complex enough to be interesting. I'll forgive her horniness because she's eighteen and D'Anjou is presumably smokin' hot, who is also an asshole who makes her feel inadequate. That's a lethal combination for some women. As for Armand, I gotta hand it to Rosamund Hodge (badumtssshhhh...) for writing a love interest with no hands. I like the novelty of that but that's it. Let's not get into the love triangle and insufficient build up before the L word got thrown around.
Did I like anything at all? Yes, I liked the mythology about Zisa and Tyr, Joyeuse and Durendal. I thought that was smoothly carried out, but as a whole, Crimson Bound fell short for me.
Warning: this is a gushy review, so if you don't want to be embarrassed on my behalf, turn away now.
The story opens with Caitrin, our beauty in[image]
Warning: this is a gushy review, so if you don't want to be embarrassed on my behalf, turn away now.
The story opens with Caitrin, our beauty in this BatB retelling, running away from her abusive guardian as far as money can take her. She goes as far as Whistling Tor, more on Whistling Tor later. Desperate, Caitrin takes a summer job as scribe to the reclusive lord of Whistling Tor, despite the discouragement of the local folk. She's determinedly positive (irritatingly so at times) to complete her work and help everyone in the household, despite the scary shit going on.
There are no beastly beasts here, only Anluan. He's physically deformed, he's prickly and given to outbursts, and (view spoiler)[he reluctantly commands the host, an army of the undead. (hide spoiler)] Anluan is an exceptional character, he is flawed in almost all facets, and in a genre dominated by perfect males who can make love on top of a horse while slaying a dragon, it's refreshing. Besides from the physical deformities and weakness, he is just as naive, or more so,than Caitrin.
The romance, ah the romance! I loved every minute of the awkward flirtation, if you can call it that. Caitrin realizes that she's crushing on Anluan the day after she meets him, so naturally she had to teach him how to do calligraphy because she's got game. She holds his hand the first few strokes, while he writes her name on the parchment over and over. She blushes, he blushes - just adorable!
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Best thing about the romance in this book is that it never takes center stage, it is there, but it just doesn't run over more important plot lines.
The rest of the characters in Heart's Blood are brilliantly drawn, I fell in love with all of them, so the ending, although heartbreaking, is apropos and touching.
The setting, Whistling Tor, is just perfect for a BatB retelling. Located high up on the hills of Connacht (that's Western Ireland for us history noobs), Whistling Tor is isolated, eternally misty and surrounded by a dark forest, (view spoiler)[haunted by the above-mentioned host, (hide spoiler)].It is definitely not included in Connacht's tourism brochure.
Needless to say I loved this BatB retelling, the best among I've read so far. Juliet Marillier's prose is poetic and graceful, and the language fitting.
“He was seated on the bench now. He had his left elbow on his knee, his right arm across his lap, his shoulders hunched, his head bowed. White face, red hair: snow and fire, like something from an old tale. The book I had noticed earlier was on the bench beside him, its covers shut. Around Anluan's feet and in the birdbath, small visitors to the garden hopped and splashed and made the most of the day that was becoming fair and sunny. He did not seem to notice them. As for me, I found it difficult to take my eyes from him. There was an odd beauty in his isolation and his sadness, like that of a forlorn prince ensorcelled by a wicked enchantress, or a traveller lost forever in a world far from home.”
The plot moves gradually without being dragging, the action and the "slow" parts well-proportioned.
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