SHADOW OF THE QUEEN, Daniel T. Thomsen & Corinna Bechko

{WARNING: Some spoilery details for both this book and its original show.}

Ah, back at last! As I hope you’ve guessed, that was an unintentionally prolonged hiatus. To be fair, I was always planning to upload my reviews of Once Upon A Time’s two graphic novels this weekend, but that was before I realize that the midseason finale was going to be last week. Whoops.

And now I realize that despite both these books being less than 100 pages long, there’s enough to talk about for each to warrant its own review. So Shadow of the Queen, you’re up first! But I’ll discuss both these books a bit more.

I’m actually glad to have waited a week since the show’s last episode before winter break. I’m clear-headed enough now to articulate the good and the bad about ABC’s attempts to bring its fairytale-fantasy soap opera to the page. Well, there’s also the novel Reawaken: A Once Upon A Time Tale by Odette Beane (seriously with that pen name?). It’s an extensive recap of all the Storybrooke events of season one from Emma and Mary Margaret’s points of view. Not only does it sound like a dull regurgitation, but it also leaves out important plot elements. If someone wants to tell me it brings more insight into characters, I might be persuaded to take a look.

Shadow of the Queen and Out of the Past differ in that they bring new stories into the show’s canon. Their validity is supported by Daniel T. Thomsen and Kalinda Vasquez, even if these writers aren’t working on the show anymore—so I’m guessing since they haven’t head-written any episodes this past season. Sadly, where the writing here falls short correlates pretty strongly with the writing fails on the small screen.

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, Soman Chainani

I have a feeling ‘Wicked’ is going to be the basis of comparison for a lot of fairytale-inspired books I’ll review in the future. In The School for Good and Evil, the inspiration isn’t so direct, but it’s traceable.

We have two heroines, teenage girls from a village where, every four years, children fall under the threat of being snatched away to a school where they’ll learn to become heroes or villains in fairy tales. Sophie is our blonde, pink-loving aspiring princess (despite not actually being royalty) who dreams of being chosen for the School for Good, meeting her prince and having a happily Ever After. As a means to secure how ‘good’ she is in the eyes of the mysterious Schoolmaster, she has befriended graveyard-dwelling, drab Agatha, whose favorite hobby is lighting and flicking matches wherever she goes.

Despite their opposing personalities (and how obviously Sophie reached out to Agatha for dubious reasons), the girls see each other as friends. Indeed, they're the only real friends they either have. Understandably, the night of the Schoolmaster’s visit results in both girls being taken to the school, albeit with Agatha trying to save them from such a fate. What neither anticipates is that Agatha is dropped in the pretty, pristine halls of the School for Good while Sophie plops into the repugnant castle of the School for Evil.

Check it out, everyone!

Just launched a Tumblr version of this blog! It will mostly provide links to my reviews and reblog relevant information, art and commentary on the books I'm reading. Since I've only just set it up, the coming week or two will feature a hodgepodge of stuff related to all the books I've reviewed so far (ACOTAR through Rump, and tomorrow's new review). Eventually, each week will focus on only what I last looked at, along with any important news in the fantasy lit community. Yeah, wish me luck getting in on that. If anyone has tips on how to sneak into the in-crowd (if there is one), please share! With any luck, Tumblr will point me in the vaguely correct direction.

One of these days, God willing, I'll get a Twitter account, too.

RUMP: THE TRUE STORY OF RUMPELSTILTSKIN, Liesl Shurtliff

One of the questions I ask myself about the books I choose for reviews is whether it’s worth the effort to look at ones intended for a younger audience--not just YA, but ages 8 through 12 (so Yearling tells me in miniscule print on the book’s rear; hah, rear). Maybe I ask this to potentially spare myself minor embarrassment at the bookstore or the library, but the truth is children’s literature should face discernment. We should measure it by appropriate standards and reward those works that go beyond our expectations. I admit my heart was already soft toward this book due to my growing love for the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale and a certain character on a certain television show that just returned for its fifth season (if only they’d actually let him be in the show now).

Ahem.

With that said, I dare anyone to read through Rump and reach its final pages without the tiniest smile on his or her face. Not only is it a fun retelling of the old story and sneaks in nods to other classics like Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Rapunzel, but it takes its material seriously, and it takes its readers seriously. It doesn’t rest on pseudo-lingo for a joke or “speak the youth language.” Its narrative is straightforward and honest and shimmers with charming humor.

ROSES AND BONES, Francesca Lia Block

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I began reading this book. Yes, a promising opening to a review, but any readers unfamiliar with Block and her writing style might be taken by surprise, too. If you feel so bold, prepare to be swept away by the flood of poetry, swirling with startling imagery, dark themes and shards of tales as old as time refashioned in the landscape of American culture.

Roses and Bones is not actually one book, but three shorter novels (novellas?) Block began publishing in 2000. Psyche in a Dress comes first and, as though anticipating how many unwary readers would open this book, hits us right off with free verse. The story follows one girl, the daughter of a Hollywood director, on a journey of growth and self-discovery in the guises of many characters from Greek myth. If you ate up such stories in grade school like I did, you’ll enjoy piecing together the references Block weaves in each chapter; for those who had more productive ways to spend their free time, you might end up spiking the book on the ground out of frustration. Or not, if you’re too sucked in by Block’s lyricism and deft word-craft already. Which you should be.

THE ISLE OF THE LOST, Melissa de la Cruz

It’s not the first time that a creative mind has posed the question, “What if these beloved characters had kids?” Just ask J.K. Rowling and every fanfic writer on the internet. It’s also not the first time Disney was ready to profit on nostalgia and a thriving fanbase at the risk of tormenting those same fans with corny-as-hell songs and butchered characterization.

Well, the Disney Channel film Descendants has at least one of those things down pat. Thankfully the prequel novel The Isle of the Lost doesn’t come with a soundtrack.

Parents and adult Disney fans should be aware that this book and its TV counterpart are targeting a young demographic. The writing meets those expectations with overstating the obvious and inserting casual hip lingo, yo, into the third-person narrative voice. But what about the story and its characters? If they’re interesting enough, can they overshadow the writing style?

Ehhh—kind of.

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, Sarah J. Maas

What better way to kick off this blog than with the latest hot release from Sarah Maas: her fairy-laden rendition of Beauty and the Beast? For better or worse, Beauty and the Beast is to blame for much of my favorite fantasy and romance tropes. Generally, the results have been happy ones. As with anything good and lovely in life, though, some marred versions of the story (e.g. Twilight) that miss the core themes or assault you with unlikable characters have crawled out of the abyss. They’ve made me second-guess my love for the classic tale.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is not one of those versions. I know. High praise.

The story follows Feyre, a young woman whose family has fallen from prestige. Her sisters, Nesta and Elain, still behave like nobility despite their crushing poverty, and their father has fallen into an apathetic daze. So it’s on Feyre to provide for them with her honed hunting skills. Her life changes when killing a wolf lands her at the mercy of a hairy and horned creature called Tamlin. He demands that she repay the life she’s taken with her own. Instead of death, as Feyre expects at the hands of what she realizes are fairies, her punishment is to live the rest of her life in the Spring Court, Tamlin’s domain, north of the Wall that separates humanity from the fae realm Prythian. Feyre slowly learns not only that her High Fae captors are more than monsters, but a secret threatens both Fae and humans, and only she can save them.

Welcome, one and all!

Keep Scrolling Reviews is now officially up and running. That is, it will be once I post my first review, Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses. But before we jump into that, let me give you an idea of what you'll find on this blog.

The fantasy genre has long been a double-edged sword for me. So much of its potential intrigues me, yet any given fantasy series, usually no less than three books, requires a level of commitment I've been reluctant to give if I don't know what I'm getting into. Some people thrive on mediocre or even trashy products if it satisfies their craving. I'm a pickier reader. That's not to say I'll always select a golden nugget of a story to enjoy, or that it's quality just because I happen to like it. But as an aspiring writer with time on her hands, and who would like to contribute to fantasy literature someday, it's high time I sat down and looked at what's out there--both new releases and older works that continue to inspire writers and the market. For better or worse.

While I aim to expand my readership horizons across the fantasy spectrum, you can expect that a LOT of what I'll read will take inspiration from fairy tales. Fairy tales and legends are the foundation of much of modern fantasy, after all. Also, while I enjoy it, there will NOT be a sci-fi focus in my selection process. If a novel or series combines both fantasy and sci-fi (Star Wars is the best example I can think of ), I'l definitely consider it. I'm going to be wary of huge subgenres of fantasy like paranormal romance. The market is saturated with these stories, and I'd like to keep my repertoire a little more diverse. Big releases will be prominent, but I'll also look at more fringe works if I see them and they spark my interest, or if I get enough recommendations for them.

Yes, recommendations are welcome! Can't say how much feedback I'll receive, but it's encouraged. Your input will help me gauge what I'm doing well and what I can improve on, and what books I might otherwise pass on that deserve promotion or critique.

Amazon, Goodreads, Kirkus and other book-selling and book review sites are helpful resources; I'm just supplying extra aid in a place where you know what kind of reviews to expect. No three-sentence blurbs of gushing praise or wrathful ranting here. While I'll try to avoid major spoilers, my goal is to give a comprehensive assessment of every book, weighing the good and the bad, the creative and the cliched. If my readers want more in-depth reviews that give away ALL the spoilers, I'll deliver.

That about covers it. If you're intrigued, stick around and check out more of Keep Scrolling! Thanks for stopping by!