Book Review (Arc) ~ A Whole New World

A Whole New World

by Liz Braswell
published by Disney Press
expected release date: September 1, 2015
genre: YA, Fairy Tales, Re-Tellings, Fantasy,

*E-galley received from netGalley and publisher in exchange for honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Welcome to a new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie?

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

My Thoughts: This had all the elements to be a really great story for me. I love retellings, fairy tales, and Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out for me. I didn't quite DNF but I skimmed most of the second half, hoping that something would happen to re-grab my attention.
It starts off well with the prologue taking us back to when Aladdin was little and his mother was still living. It was a nice look at his younger years and seeing how his mother influenced him as he grew. We also meet some street rats that are already friends and a Palace guard that plays a big part in the story.
Chapter 1 is where it starts to go downhill for me. It was line for line if not word for word the dialogue from the movie. From the moment it starts until Aladdin is in the cave of wonders and is handing the lamp to the old guy (Jafar). There was no deviation. Nothing that made this the re-telling it is supposed to be or the author's own version of Aladdin.
As we know Jafar gets the lamp and wishes to be Sultan. It pretty much matches the summary from there. Aladdin helps rescue Jasmine from the palace where Jafar is holding her until he can force her to wed him. They join up with the street rats, that we met when Aladdin was little, and build up the group that will assist them in getting rid of Jafar.
For me what this really needed was more Jafar. Because we see very little of him throughout I never felt he was as truly evil as the rebellion kept telling us. The story would have benefited more if we would have gotten some back and forth POVs from Jafar and then Jasmine/Aladdin.
Another thing that was missing were the side characters that I loved. What made the movie for me was Genie and he is barely around. We get little glimpses and meetings and while his character is different based on who is in charge of his lamp, I still wanted more.
I'll try to end this on a positive. I did like how Jasmine was more of a character. She was very pro active in trying to get back her city and seemed to be a bit more fleshed out as a character.
Some will like this more than I did. I just couldn't get fully back into it after the first part that was too exact to the movie. Even knowing this is from Disney I still would have preferred for the author to change it up in some way.

Rating: 3

Review ~ Fables Vol. 18; Cubs in Toyland

Fables Vol. 18; Cubs in Toyland

by Bill Willingham
Illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Gene Ha, Steve Leialoha
Genre: Graphic Novel, Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling

Summary (Goodreads): The most harrowing epic since the inception of the series starts when Snow and Bigby's cub Therese receives a Christmas gift from an unknown admirer. This red plastic boat may hold the key to a deep, disturbing secret that will incite a series of soul-crushing events for the denizens of Fabletown. Plus, a backup feature that shows how Bigby received his fate, drawn by artist Gene Ha.

My Thoughts: This may be my favorite volume. Not necessarily because of the story but I loved the graphics in this one.
It features the spoiled daughter of Snow and Bigby, Therese. Somehow she receives a plastic toy boat for Christmas. Therese ends up going on an adventure with said boat and ends up in Toyland. Unfortunately, being crowned the Queen of Toyland isn't everything Therese was hoping for. Everything is plastic or make believe which doesn't help a human cub survive. Through some eye opening experiences and great sacrifices by others Therese starts to grow up and finds away to not only save herself but the rest of the toys on this desolate place.
There is also a bit about the Fables moving back into the new Fabletown. I'm not sure where they are going with Spratt but she is not a favorite for me.
As I said, while the story was great, the graphics for this were some of my favorite in the series. There was something stark and creepy about the island and it's inhabitants. I cannot really say more than that but for me it worked.
The story and artwork of Bigby's fate was a nice addition/break from the main part of this volume.

Rating: 4.5-5

Review ~ Inherit the Wind

Inherit the Wind (Fables volume 17)

by Bill Willingham
Illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Joao Ruas, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, P. Craig Russell, Adam Hughes
Genre: Adult, Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Re-Telling,

Summary (Goodreads): The tights and capes have been stored away forever, but it remains to be seen if Haven and its refugee inhabitants have survived the onslaught of. Where do the Fables go from here? Bigby and Snow White's cubs try to move forward after learning a hard lesson about life and death. And the loveable, fan-favorite hero Bufkin the Flying Monkey gets into more trouble when he finally reaches his homeland of Oz. This volume collects Fables issues #108-#113.

My Thoughts: There were three main parts to this collection. Finding the next North Wind, Bufkin in Oz, and Spratt getting ready for the return of the fables. There was a bit about returning to The Farm but not a big part.
I enjoyed the tests etc to figure out which of the cubs would become the North Wind. Spratt's storyline seemed more like setting up for future stories/conflicts. So far, what I've read in the last two volumes, the Oz story is good but not really grabbing me.
My biggest problem with this volume is the transitions. Usually there is more flow between the stories. In this volume it seemed to be jumping around every few pages. It made it more difficult to follow some of the things happening.
The artwork was still as great as usual. I also liked the mini stories (fables) at the end. Both the writing and the artwork keeps me interested and I will be finishing up the main Fables volumes and then tracking down all the side stories.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Dorothy Must Die

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1)

by Danielle Paige
published by HarperCollins
Genre: YA, Re-Tellings, Fairy Tales, Fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

My Thoughts: To Read or Not To Read. I hate when there is controversy surrounding an author of a book I really want to read. I'm not even sure what all is going on with this one, there seems to be two separate issues. I decided to let the book speak for itself. Books can still be good even when the author is not.
There were problems with this book but I couldn't put it down. It starts off with a very contemporary feel. Amy is the shy, quiet, poor girl that has no friends and is constantly dealing with her tormentor. We also find out that she has a pretty horrible home life. This of course leads to a freak storm that carries Amy, her trailer, and her mom's pet rat off to Oz.
The author created an Oz that is familiar but at the same time drained and lifeless from what we remember. Amy makes the obvious choice to make her way to the Emerald City. Along the way she makes friends with a munchkin and a flying monkey. These are not the characters that we met in the original. Both have been enslaved by Glinda and Dorothy. In order to not be under their thumbs some monkeys have chosen to cut off their wings so they cannot work. We also meet Pete who is not what he seems but we do not find that out until the end.
After getting into trouble at the palace, Amy finds herself with no choice but to join up with a group of "wicked" witches. This group includes Glinda's twin sister and the Witch of the North alongs with some others. They train Amy in everything she will need to infiltrate the palace and kill Dorothy.
As expected things don't go as planned. There are many deaths along the way and in the end Amy finds that killing Dorothy and righting Oz will not be an easy feat. To get to Dorothy she will first have to get rid of The Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin man.
A lot happened in this book but at the same time it didn't feel like anything was accomplished. There are too many groups trying to reach the same goal and it is hard to figure out who truly are the "good" guys in this world.

Rating: 3.5

Book Review ~ Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty 

by Rosamund Hodge
published by Balzer+Bray
genre: YA, Fantasy, Retellings, Mythology,

Summary (Goodreads): Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

My Thoughts: I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. There were parts that were interesting and others that were confusing. It was like the author had so many ideas for a book and felt they needed to get them all into their first book. There is the retelling of "Beauty and The Beast" mixed with a type of mythology. I'm not sure it always worked.
Nyx may have been my biggest issue at times. Unfortunately, with a retelling you have a picture of characters already in your head and Nyx does not come close. While I understood her reasons, I found her to be too bitter and it was constant. She couldn't seem to do anything without going back to how much she wasn't loved and how much she hates her family. It made it hard to believe that she would be so dedicated to save them all.
Ignifex's story was probably the most interesting. I liked learning all his secrets as well as those of the castle. There was a mini love triangle but to me it was obvious what was going to happen between Ignifex and Shadow. Even before the reveal I liked Ignifex more anyways.
Overall, it was a good story it just had a few too many components. The switch towards the end with Nyx's sister didn't make a lot of sense other than to add more drama to Nyx's story. It might go back to the bitterness and hatred. It lessened her character by making her unable to make any decisions on her own. She would think one thing then do the opposite because of her family.
I enjoyed this book enough that I would definitely give this author another try.

Rating: 3.5

Book Review ~ Stitching Snow

Stitching Snow

by R.C. Lewis
published by Hyperion
genre: YA, Fairy-tale retelling, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

**received e-arc from publisher and netGalley

Summary (Goodreads): Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back-but that's assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane's arrival was far from accidental, and she's pulled into the heart of a war she's risked everything to avoid.

In her enthralling debut, R.C. Lewis weaves the tale of a princess on the run from painful secrets . . . and a poisonous queen. With the galaxy's future-and her own-in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

My Thoughts: Yes, there are similarities between this and the first Lunar Chronicle books. It's very easy to get past considering they are both re-tellings of another story. Neither is an original. Also, while not graphic in detail this story does deal with some serious topics.
While I thought Essie was a great main character my favorite had to be her seven drones. We get to know two of them better than the rest but they all have unique personalities. It is clear that they mean as much to Essie as she does to them.
Instead of the normal fairy princess, we have Essie who lives on a mining planet and earns her way by cage fighting. She can definitely take care of herself and making sure everyone knows it. I do wish her abilities would have either been more fleshed out or something more stable. Not having any clue but being able to use them perfectly when the need arises didn't work for me.
Then there's Dane. He got better as the story progressed but the romance between him and Essie never really caught for me. I think the author put him in a bad spot from the beginning and it was harder for me to forget what he did to Essie than it was for Essie.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The author did a good job building up unique planets that make up Essie's world. You get a chance to experience them all and see how different they are. The characters fit into the retelling aspect. The King and Queen fit the evil roles, I just wished we had gotten more time with them to flesh out their characters. Rather than just saying "hey evil" with very little show.
As expected with most fairy-tales there is an HEA for the Essie/Snow and Dane.

Rating: 4 

Review ~ Fables Vol. 11 and Vol 12

Fables: War and Pieces and The Dark Ages

by Bill Willingham
illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Andrew Pepoy, Steve Leialoha, David Hahn, Mike Allred
published by Vertigo
genre: Adult, Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Fairytale retelling,

Summary (Goodreads): vol. 11: The final battle between the free Fables of the mundane world and the Empire occupying their former Homelands is about to begin, and the scrappy storybook heroes have already managed to even the odds considerably. With his previously unstoppable wooden soldiers neutralized, the Adversary is about to get his first taste of high technology in the form of steel-jacketed bullets and laser-guided bombs. But the ruler who

conquered a hundred different worlds didn’t do it by fighting clean—and he’s still got a surprise or two left to spring on the residents of Fabletown.
vol. 12: Tourists of the world unite! If you've ever craved a guided tour of Fabletown's secret Manhattan location, prepare to be voraciously satiated. Pinnochio has a field day taking a certain VIP around the city. And exactly which Fabletown denizens are no longer active (dead, alive or otherwise) just might shock you into a comic book coma. Also in this volume, you'll find the 4-part story featuring Freddy and Mouse, two local rogues who just want to get along and perhaps turn a bit of profit in the post-war, topsy-turvy world. Meanwhile, in Fabletown, a new political group forms called the Society of Seconds, and what they want doesn't seem very reasonable at all.

My Thoughts: I think vol. 11 is one of my favorites so far. We finally have the Fables doing something about the adversary and they were doing it before he did anything more to them. This was also one of the few volumes that I actually liked Prince Charming. He was more in the role of Prince running military maneuvers rather than being a cad. Blue also had a big part in this that had repercussions going forward.
vol. 12 seems to follow the pattern of a really big volume followed by one that is more transitional. There are several things that happen in this volume but I had a harder time stating focused on this one. Part of me is interested in the Dark One but will have to see where they go with it.
Overall, I'm still enjoying these graphics and will be continuing to read them. Between the stories and the great artwork these are some of my favorite I've come across.

Rating: vol 11: 4.5; vol 12: 4 

Book Review ~ Grim

Grim

edited by Christine Johnson
published by Harlequin Teen
genre: YA, anthology, retelling, fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today:

Ellen Hopkins
Amanda Hocking
Julie Kagawa
Claudia Gray
Rachel Hawkins
Kimberly Derting
Myra McEntire
Malinda Lo
Sarah Rees-Brennan
Jackson Pearce
Christine Johnson
Jeri Smith Ready
Shaun David Hutchinson
Saundra Mitchell
Sonia Gensler
Tessa Gratton
Jon Skrovon

My Thoughts: I had a hard time rating this. While they were all well written stories there was just something that didn't feel like Grimm retellings. While they were "scary" or had bad things happening they almost felt too cute. They didn't feel dark enough for my tastes. I kept waiting for something more. I wanted the sinister, creepy, twisted stories.
Overall, like I said, these were well written, good stories just not what I was expecting from the title of the book.

Rating: 3.5-4

Review ~ Fables: Wolves; Sons of Empire

Fables: Wolves; Sons of Empire (Volume 8 & 9)

by Bill Willingham
illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leiahola, Andrew Pepoy, Shawn McManus
published by Vertigo
genre: Adult, graphic novel, Fantasy, Fairy-Tales, Re-Tellings

Wolves Summary (Goodreads): Collecting issues #48-51 of writer and creator Bill Willingham's award-winning Vertigo series, WOLVES also includes newly-created maps of Fabletown and the Homelands illustrated by Willingham and, as a special bonus, Willingham's complete script to the double-sized issue #50.
Sons of  Empire Summary (Goodreads): Collecting FABLES #52-59! Pinocchio suffers seriously divided loyalties between his father, the evil Adversary, and his fellow Fable refugees in New York. Plus, Bigby Wolf reluctantly decides it's finally time to square accounts with his long-estranged father, the North Wind, and makes a journey with Snow White and their kids to find him.

My Thoughts: Wolves: This was another solid overall volume. I liked Mowgli's trek across every remote place trying to track Bigby. His interactions with the wolf packs was a different insight than the one normally gotten from Bigby's POV.
Bigby's mission and reward for carrying it out was a nice way to bring Snow, Bigby, and cubs together as a family. The wedding was another story line that helped round out Bigby's story.

Sons of Empire: The meeting with The Adversary and all his main people was glimpse into the other side. The weapons they have at their disposal along with the smarts to use Pinocchio's knowledge of the mundy world against him showed why they are where they are. By the end of the volume I felt bad for Pinocchio. He obviously just wants to make his father happy and may be realizing that's not possible.
My favorite from this volume was the ride to North's castle as well as everything that happened there. The story from Ambrose POV was more telling than if it had just been from Bigby's. Already aware of how he felt about his father, I was surprised that there was no let up at all given how great the relationship is between grandfather and children. Interested to see what happens with his brothers.

Rating: 4 for both

Review ~ Werewolves of the Heartland

Werewolves of the Heartland (Fables OGN)

by Bill Willingham
Illustrated by Jim Fern, Craig Hamilton
published by Vertigo
genre: Graphic Novel, Fairy-tales, Retellings, Adult

Summary (Goodreads): Bigby Wolf embarks on a quest through the American Heartland to find a new location for Fabletown, a secret society of exiled fairy tale characters living among the "mundys." In his wanderings, Bigby stumbles across Story City, a small town that seems to be occupied solely by werewolves. Oddly enough, they seem to already know and revere Bigby, but at the same time they've captured and caged him.

FABLES: WEREWOLVES OF THE HEARTLAND tells an epic tale that began well before Bigby Wolf set foot in the bucolic plains of the Midwest. It began long ago when he served in World War II and became mired in a Nazi experiment that would change nations. It's soon evident that murder in Story City is the least of their sins, and unraveling the town's many mysteries may cost Bigby, the seventh son of the North Wind, much more than his own life.

This new hardcover is a must-have for any longtime FABLES fan, as well as a great entry point for new readers.

My Thoughts: So I read this completely out of order. Meant to grab Wolves (#8) and grabbed this instead. It seems to be inclusive and didn't really ruin anything for me in the volumes between where I am and when this one came out.
As I've come to expect, I really liked the graphics of this. They were more muted and had an almost pastel dream quality at times. The characters were easy to distinguish from each other.
Overall, I enjoyed this trek to Story City. How the residents came to be tied in with previous stories and flowed into this one. I liked seeing Bigby be who he is without any apologies. Didn't matter if one was a close friend/ally. He did what needed to be done. Now to get back on track with the series in the correct order.

Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Camelot Burning

Camelot Burning (Metal & Lace #1)

by Kathryn Rose
published by Flux
expected release date: May 8, 2014
genre: Steampunk, retellings, author debut 

**e-galley received from netGalley/publisher in exchange for honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): By day, Vivienne is Guinevere's lady-in-waiting. By night, she's Merlin's secret apprentice, indulging in the new mechanical arts and science of alchemy. It's a preferred distraction from Camelot’s gossipy nobility, roguish knights, and Lancelot’s athletic new squire, Marcus, who will follow in all knights’ footsteps by taking a rather inconvenient vow of chastity.

More than anything, Vivienne longs to escape Camelot for a future that wouldn't include needlework or marriage to a boorish lord or dandy. But when King Arthur's sorceress sister, Morgan le Fay, threatens Camelot, Vivienne must stay to help Merlin build a steam-powered weapon to defeat the dark magic machine Morgan will set upon the castle. Because if Camelot falls, Morgan would be that much closer to finding the elusive Holy Grail. Time is running out and Morgan draws near, and if Vivienne doesn't have Merlin's weapon ready soon, lives would pay the price, including that of Marcus, the only one fast enough to activate it on the battlefield.

My Thoughts: This story combines steampunk and a loose interpretation of Arthurian legend. The author did a good job with good vs evil aspects of this story, represented in the better known Arthur/Morgan and also machine/ magic.
Vivienne was a curious and interesting character. She played the part of the lady in waiting to the Guinevere but did not thin twice about running off to Merlin's tower whenever she could (which was more often than you would think). I liked how many of her reactions were not that of the normal court lady. She spoke up even when she shouldn't and was more likely to be found standing by the knights in a battle than hiding in the castle. Her relationship with Marcus was odd/awkward. Not really sure how I feel about it. It seemed to be there more to move certain plots along or create tension between characters.
One of my main problems with this book was the feeling that things were missing.  Vivienne's whole relationship with Azur was never explained and yet we are supposed to understand why he would expect her to leave Camelot with him to get away from everything happening. I took it to mean they had met before but don't know more than that. There was also Arthur's metal, it was just a big and well guarded thing but I never really understood the when/how it got to where it was and why.
Also, the final battle was a little lack luster, there was a lot happening but the death's of Morgan and Mordred just seemed to happen too quickly. The story was in the heat of battle and then the next sentence they are dead. There was more to the earlier battle than this main part. I had to reread the paragraph a couple of times to figure out what exactly happened.
That being said, I still enjoyed the story overall. The riddles from the Lady of the Lake and why Vivienne knows where the Holy Grail is and how she is going to help bring Camelot back. I can see myself taking the time to read book 2.

Rating: 4

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Stitching Snow

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Stitching Snow

by R.C  Lewis
published by Disney-Hyperion
expected release date: October 14, 2014
genre: Sci-Fi, YA, Retelling, Fairytales,

Summary (Goodreads): Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

**Two of my favorite genres, Sci-Fi and Fairytale retellings combined. This sounds promising and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Review ~ Fables: Homelands

Fables: Homelands, Vol. 6

by Bill Willingham
illustrated by Mark Buckingham, David Hahn, Steve Leialoha
genre: Graphic Novel, Adult, Fantasy, Fairy-Tale, Retellings

Summary (Goodreads): Collecting issues #34-41 of writer Bill Willingham's Eisner Award-winning creation, Homelands follows Boy Blue on a mission of revenge as he uncovers the Adversary's true identity! Plus, the two-part story of Jack's adventures in Hollywood and the one-shot story of Mowgli's return to Fabletown.

My Thoughts: This was another big volume. A lot going on and reveals that we have been waiting for since volume 1.
I didn't dislike Jack's story but at the same time I'm not sure I would have read it if it hadn't been included with other stories. Jack has always been up to one scheme or another so finding him in Hollywood making his name as well known as Snow's, so he wold be immortal, made sense for his character. The ending made it seem like he was disappearing for good but I cannot imagine him not coming up with some way to get into something else.
I enjoyed Blue's adventures in the Homelands.  I've been waiting for this reveal and when it happened I was a little underwhelmed. At first I thought okay this works but they lost me when the Adversary started telling his story. There is still a lot of potential with this character, especially with how it ended between him and Blue.
Overall, a lot happened in this volume. Both the writing and the graphics were what I have come to expect from this series. As long as they keep entertaining me I'll keep reading.

Rating: 4

Review ~ Fables: The Mean Seasons

Fables: The Mean Season, Vol. 5

by Bill Willingham
illustrated by Tony Atkins, Jimmy Palmiotti
genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Fairy-Tales, Retelling

Summary (Goodreads): Fables is the hugely imaginative story of a group of fairy tale characters exiled from their mythical homelands and forced into a secret existence in modern-day America. Featuring such familiar names as Snow White, Prince Charming and Bigby (formerly Big Bad) Wolf, this is hard-edged fantasy in the grand tradition of The Sandman. Exploring, amongst other tales, the strange story of Dog Company—involving the hair-raising escapades of Bigby Wolf during World War II and how he dealt with an underhanded Nazi experiment! Volume five of this superb Titan series continues to explore this surreal underworld created by scribe extraordinaire Bill Willingham

My Thoughts: After the huge battle in the last volume this set really felt like filler/transition stories. There were some good stories with some better graphics.
My favorite had to be Bigby's war story. The Big Bad Wolf vs Frankenstein. I liked the way it was told and why. I also liked Bigby's father showing up to meet and help out with his new grandkids. Hope to see more of them. That said, I wasn't thrilled with Snow being relegated to the Farm. Not crazy about the new regime. Charming, Beast, and Beauty just don't work as well for me right now. This may change but not so far.
I'm really enjoying this series and am glad that I have so many more to go before I am caught up.

Rating: 4 mainly for Bigby's story and the graphics

Book Review ~ The Stepsister Scheme

The Stepsister Scheme (Princess #1)

by Jim C Hines
published by DAW
genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fairytale, Retellings,

Summary (Goodreads): You know how all those old fairy tales take you through lots of scary adventures till you finally reach that inevitable line: "And they lived happily ever after..." Guess what? It's not true. Life in never-never land isn't all sweetness and light. Cinderella - whose real name is Danielle Whiteshore (nee Danielle de Glas) - does marry Prince Armand. And (if you can ignore the pigeon incident) their wedding is a dream-come-true.

But not long after the "happily ever after," Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte, who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon. And though Talia - otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty - comes to the rescue (she's a martial arts master, and all those fairy blessings make her almost unbeatable), Charlotte gets away.

That's when Danielle discovers a number of disturbing facts: Armand has been kidnapped and taken to the realm of the Fairies; Danielle is pregnant with his child; and the Queen has her very own Secret Service that consists of Talia and Snow (White, of course). Snow is an expert at mirror magic and heavy-duty flirting.

Can three princesses track down Armand and extract both the prince and themselves from the clutches of some of fantasyland's most nefarious villains?

My Thoughts: I'm not really familiar with the darker fairytales. I mostly know the basic Disney tales with a few side facts here or there that come from other tellings. This is definitely not a Disney story.
The author has created an interesting world. Both Snow White and Sleeping beauty's stories have already taken place. After the tragedy of their stories they both end up living with Cinderella's mother-in-law as a secret group that takes care of things the King would be better off not knowing.
Danielle (Cinderella) is still newly married when this starts and not confident in her place. I liked watching her grow as a character. While she still had doubts about her abilities, she still did what had to be done in order to protect her child and try and save the Prince.
Talia (sleeping beauty) was probably my favorite. There was something about how able she was (do to the gifts from the fairys) and yet she was also the most damaged of the three. Hearing bits of her story throughout just made her that much stronger.
Overall, I always enjoy finding new retellings of old stories and this one didn't disappoint. From finding out how and why the stepsister were suddenly able to pull all this off to the whole world of Fairytown, it kept me engaged in the story. I liked that there was an HEA in this story even if it wasn't what you normally think of one. I'm looking forward to reading the next story and watching the bonds and abilities of these three princesses grow.

Rating: 4

Review ~ Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers

Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers; Vol.4

by Bill Willingham
illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Craig Hamilton, Steve Leiahola, P. Craig Russell
published by Vertigo
genre: Graphic Novel, Adult, Fantasy, Re-tellings

Summary (Goodreads):  When Little Red Riding Hood suddenly walks through the gate between this world and the lost Fable Homelands, she's welcomed as a miraculous survivor by nearly everyone - everyone except her old nemesis, Bigby Wolf, who smells spying and subversion more than survival. But will he be able to prove his case before disaster strikes? And how will it all affect Prince Charming's upstart campaign to become the new mayor of Fabletown?

My Thoughts: Storywise, this was one of my favorites so far (I know I'm only on vol. 4). The Illustrations were what I've become used to and did not disappoint. They really help add to the written storylines.
I liked learning more about the original war with the Adversary that caused the fables to flee to  New York. I also liked knowing about fables that did not make out alive and not wondering if they will show up in the future.
Lots of focus on Little Boy Blue and Red Riding Hood. How they formed a relationship amid the war and how that was used to forward the story.
The usual main characters were present and for the first time we had everyone from both Fabletown and The Farm together working towards a common goal.
Overall, I liked where this started and how it moved the story forward. Still cannot stand Prince Charming and would like to see less of him (I know this isn't going to happen). Interested in how Snow and Bigby deal with having a child and how all the remaining characters react to the aftermath of the attack.

Rating: 4

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Dorothy Must Die

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1)

by Danielle Paige
published by Harper Teen
genre: YA, fantasy, retelling,
expected release date: April 1, 2014

Summary (Goodreads): I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

**I'm always interested in retellings and this sounds like it could be a good one.

Book Review (Arc) ~ Broken

Broken
by A.E. Rought
published by Strange Chemistry
expected release date: January 8, 2013
genre: YA, Retelling, PNR

**received from publisher in exchange for honest review

Summary (Goodreads): Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

My Thoughts: Going into this I had not read the full blurb and was glad. I had no idea that this was a retelling and had no expectations. I think this helped me enjoy it more.
I liked Emma for the most part. She had some moments that didn't make sense for her character. The romance part of this story would have worked better if it had been a slow build up with Alex helping her get through her grief rather than the instant draw based on a few character quirks.
What worked the best and made me give this 4 instead of 3 stars was the creep factor. Everything that happens from the time Emma sneaks onto The Franks' estate kept me reading to the end. The creepy science experiments roaming the property to the insane Dr and his sidekick are what I read this for.
While there were some predictable parts, overall I enjoyed the story and there was enough to keep me reading past the YA romance.

Rating: 4