Review + Giveaway: The Fairest Of Them All

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The Fairest Of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon

Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Genre:  Twisted Fairytale
Source: ARC for tour

   

What if Rapunzel was Snow White’s evil stepmother? From the author of Godmother and Mermaid, The Fairest of Them All explores what happens when fairy tale heroines grow up and don’t live happily ever after.

Living in an enchanted forest, Rapunzel spends her days tending a mystical garden with her adoptive mother, Mathena. A witch, Mathena was banished from court because of her magic powers, though the women from the kingdom still seek her advice and herbal remedies. She waits, biding her time to exact revenge against those who betrayed her.

One day Rapunzel’s beautiful voice and long golden locks captivate a young prince hunting in the forest nearby. Overcome, he climbs her hair up to her chamber and they fall into each other’s arms. But their afternoon of passion is fleeting, and the prince must return to his kingdom, as he is betrothed to another.

Now king, he marries his intended to bring peace to his kingdom. They have a stunning daughter named Snow White. Yet the king is haunted by his memories of Rapunzel, and after the mysterious death of his wife, realizes he is free to marry the woman he never stopped longing for. In hopes of also replacing the mother of his beloved daughter, the king makes Rapunzel his queen.

But when Mathena’s wedding gift of an ancient mirror begins speaking to her, Rapunzel falls under its evil spell, and the king begins to realize that Rapunzel is not the beautiful, kind woman he dreamed of.

Review

I fell in love with this book from page one. The story of deadly and beautiful magic pulled me in, and the vivid characters had me invested. The Fairest Of Them All is a must-read to all fans of twisted (and I mean twisted) fairytales.

I would also recommend this book to readers looking for exceptionally stunning and imaginative writing. Carolyn Turgeon weaved her sentences and words into such a lyrical tale. She is one talented writer. The descriptions are lush yet not the drag-on-and-on-and-on kind, and the emotions are painful and real.

Our narrator, Rapunzel and the step-mother of Snow White, is a superbly written character. The readers are rooting for her, even knowing she is just a pawn in a game, and that the game will turn her into a twisted and vain version of her true self. Also, I loved how Snow White is portrayed. You can't help but adore her! She is sweet, beautiful, kind, and sharp minded.

I also loved the pacing. The book is paced exactly right, and fits the mood of the story. Nothing is rushed, or dragged. Oh yeah! We start with Rapunzel as a young girl and then head through her life perhaps another 15 years or so. Each part is crucial, from her time hidden amongst the trees up in her tower, to her grand reigning as Queen at the castle. We also get to see Snow White grow.

Another Key Character is Mathena, the adopted mother Is she good? Evil? What is her story? I found fiery Mathena to be a very interesting and complex character. I think this might even, in part, be her story as well as Rapunzel's.

The plot is also totally awesome and enthralling. And those twists at the end? Oh yeah. If you are a loyal reader you probably know how much I covet the brilliance of an awe-inspiring twist in the story. And, oh boy, did The Fairest Of Them All deliver just that.

Overall, this story is pure genius. I, and I assume many other readers, were emotionally invested into the story from the beginning to the end. Now, Quick! Flynn Rider, Prince Charming, or The Huntsman???

4.5/5 Stars

About the Author:

The Question of the Day:

If you had a Magic Mirror, what question would you ask into the glass?

Giveaway!

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Feature and Follow #19

Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, go check out thier blogs!

Activity:

Back to School time! Create a reading list for the imaginary English Lit class you'll be teaching this semester. 

Ooh, this sounds fun! Okay, let's get started...

Ms. Emily Anne's English Lit Reading List

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnely

These books are all highly discussable, deal with heavty topics, and have beautiful writing. I would add some classics, but I have never been in a high school or college English Class... Soon though!

So, what are on your lists? 

And if, as a teacher, I was feeling particularly nice...

the Harry Potter Books would be included.

Review: Starters

This review is one I wrote a year ago, before I ever created Reader Rising. I came across it on Amazon the other day and decided to edit the review and post it here. What do you think? I can tell my review-writing style has changed. It feels like someone else wrote this! It is also has more paragraphs, as a month or two ago I reverted to 5-paragraph reviews! Anyways, enjoy!

Starters by Lissa Price

Publication Date: March 13th, 2012
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

Starters, by debut novelist Lissa Price, is one of those books that will leave you breathless.

At the beginning you feel sure of the plot, and where it's headed. Then, BAM, a new twist has been added or another unexpected factor reveals itself. I found myself pulled into the vivid, real world of starters and enders.

The book begins by introducing Callie, a 15 year old orphan, who is living on the streets with her friend, Michael, and her sickly younger brother. The USA, Callie's home, has just suffered a terrible biological attack. And the only people who survived are the ones that have been vaccinated, the young and the old. ('Starters' and 'Enders') 

Callie needs money, and fast. She knows the chance of survival gets slimmer every day. When she hears about the body bank, and the generous amount of dollars it offers, she decides to take the job and rent out her body to Enders wanting to be young again.

Then, during her third rental, she wakes up in her own body. But she's not at the body bank. There was a malfunction with the rental process and she is cast into the life of her renter. Soon, Callie realizes her renter has some disturbing information about the body bank. Who can Callie trust?

The writing kept me interested the whole way through. And the characters never seemed dull or flat, Callie was a lively narrater. She was one of those smart heroines that you quickly come to admire. Also, there are many other key characters that jumped off the page, whether they were Callie's brother, friend (Michael) , an Ender acquaintance, or the mysterious Blake. Blake is a key character. And there is a large twist involving him. My favorite character, however, was Michael, which is a shame because we see very little of him in this book. I hope he is a more key character in Enders!

When I finished Starters, I immediately hopped on Amazon and looked up the sequel. I can't wait for it to come out! I absolutely love the world Price has created!I recommend this to anybody looking for an  original dystopian novel. There are also some sci-fi elements, with the body bank premise, so fans of the genre should also enjoy Starters!

Note: There are two ebook short stories out about the world of Starters:
Portrait of a Starter: An Unhidden Story
Portrait of a Marshal: An Unhidden Story

What do you think of the new cover? I love it! Here is the old one:

Overall, this book earned 

5 stars! (Sorry there is not a graphic! I'm working on a new one.)

    Book Two                                     The Unhidden Stories

Top Secret Mission: Organize the Bookshelf

Tread with CAUTION... You have been warned.  The information that is about to be revealed is part of a super spy database. Once, you have these files, there in no escape from your knowledge!

Top Secret: Operation 2.0

Welcome to Operation 2.0, as I am calling this!

Yesterday, on a complete whim, I decided to reorganize my bookshelves. To do that, I would first have to empty them.

Feast your eyes:

So, after that adventure of trying to get all the books off my shelves, I needed to come up with an organizational tactic. A-ha! Author's last name. Bingo.

Since I have a perfect memory, I began searching for all the "A" authors. It turns out my memory is not so perfect, and I turned to my Goodreads "Read" shelf, and clicked "sort by author's last name". Thank goodness for technlogy.

Then while re-listening to the False Prince, (please read this post), I began putting my precious books on the shelves.

Ta-Da!

And, here was my dog, Agent Rue Grr, throughout the entire operation: He played look-out. And look! He sure was an alert one. (Note my sarcasm please...)

More Picture of Books:

I know, I'm going overboard. I can't help it.

Operation 2.0 Complete- 

Come back next week for Mission 3.5. Farewell. Remember, No Bookshelf Is Safe. (Or insert another cheesy line like that.) 

-Spy Agent Emily 

Code Name: DuchessOnyx1

Ultimate Summer Giveaway: Final Round! *Duh duh duh*

Okay, for this round I am going to display all the books that could go to 3 winners! (I went from 179 bloglovin followers to 387, so that's 2 winners. Then, we went from 20-120 email followers, so that is one winner. Thank you everyone for reading the blog!)

Now here are the books you could win (one book of choice for each winner!) Be warned, I have added some new, exciting picks!

Good Luck!

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I hope you all are having an awesome Summer!

-Emily 

Waiting on Wednesday #19

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

This week I am Waiting On...

Control by Lydia Kang

Publication Date: December 26th, 2013

An un-putdownable thriller for fans of Uglies

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.

A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.

“Control blew me away.”—James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner trilogy

This sounds so amazing! I am salivating! I am prepared to be blown away when December comes...

What are you Waiting On this week?

Why I wait a few days before posting my reviews:

Because they can end up like this: My Goodreads Review of The False Prince
(Or you can click on the picture of my brilliant review below to enlarge)

Do you normally have a waiting period between reading a book and reviewing the title?

I do, I have to, or my reviews end up being a mash of uncollected thoughts. (As demonstrated above.) I at least need a couple of hours! What about you?

Now, seriously, go read The False Prince!