Tag: retelling

Review: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

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After hearing so much hype about Renee Ahdieh’s The Wrath & The Dawn duology on booktube (plus, I’m obsessed with the new UK covers!) I decided it was about time that I read something by her! Flame in the Mist is her latest release which Goodreads calls ‘Mulan meets Throne of Glass.’ I’ve also heard a few people say that it’s a mash-up retelling of Mulan and 47 Ronin, and on both occasions, ‘Mulan’ is the only thing I’m interested in, so I was looking forward to some cross-dressing shenanigans. However, as you’ll already noticed by my star-rating, I found myself a little disappointed. I think this was mostly because I’d read another ‘Mulan’ mash-up retelling recently – though this time it’s ‘Mulan meets Pitch Perfect’ – in Riley Redgate’s Noteworthy, which was A++

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Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

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33393824Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: Titan
Pages: 508
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★
Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

So, I buddy read this with my girl Lea, and I would highly recommend reading her review because she picks apart issues with consent, and being German she has A+ critique on the use of language. I will also mention now that had I not been reading his with her then I would’ve DNF around page 70. Her sass was literally the only thing keeping me going. (Example: one of the best things Lea said in our discussion was that this is more ‘Fifty Shades of Goblin’ than a Labyrinth retelling. (Go an commend her on that pun because I died.))

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Review: As I Descended by Robin Talley

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28218948As I Descended by Robin Talley
Genre: Retelling, Mystery
Publisher: HQ
Pages: 370
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★

As Our Own Private Universe was one of the most disappointing reads…ever, I thought that I’d try and place my faith in Robin Talley once again with the only book of hers I haven’t read. Advertises as a retelling of Macbeth set in a boarding school, I was ready to go. Retellings are my fave, no matter what’s being retold, and a better setting doesn’t exist.

I have read Macbeth, which was a big plus as I could appreciate the arc of each character, and which threads were specific nods to the Shakespeare, but a grasp of the original play isn’t necessary to appreciate how spooky this is! Continue reading “Review: As I Descended by Robin Talley” →

Review: RoseBlood by A. G. Howard

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28818314RoseBlood by A. G. Howard
Genre: Retelling
Published by: Amulet Books
Pages: 432
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

RoseBlood, if you can’t tell from the magnificent cover, is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera. Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t read the book or seen the musical, so the whole retelling element was a bit lost on me, but I did still manage to piece the story together, and gain some understanding of what Phantom is all about. From the off, then, this is a book for both lovers of Phantom, and complete newbies, like me! There was something quite Beauty and the Beast about the story too, so if that’s your cup of tea, you’ll totally love RoseBlood. 
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Review: Marly’s Ghost by David Levithan

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23898966Marly’s Ghost by David Levithan
Genre: Contemporary, Retelling, Romance
Published by: Electric Monkey
Pages: 166
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★
Other: Two Boys Kissing | Every Day

Marly’s Ghost is what David Levithan calls a ‘remix’ of Charles’ Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’, except at Valentine’s Day instead of Christmas. The basic premise is that Ben’s girlfriend Marly died and now he can’t connect to the celebrations and feels he’ll never love again. So Marly’s ghost visits him in the middle of the night, and tells him he’ll be visited by three ghosts. Can you guess who? That’s right! The ghosts of Valentine’s Past, Present and Future.

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Review: Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

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1805306018602341Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige
Genre: Retelling
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 452 | 293
Format: Paperbacks
Rating: ★★★.5 | ★★.5

I don’t think I really need to explain why I wanted to read these books. The clue is all in the genre. The Wizard of Oz is one of my grandparents’ favourite films, Wicked is my favourite musical, and I’ve actually read the original for once, so I was really looking forward to see what was done to Oz to make it so terrible. At this point in the series, I think Wicked is a better retelling, and let me tell you why.  Continue reading “Review: Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige” →

Review: A Little In Love by Susan Fletcher

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20738167A Little In Love by Susan Fletcher
Genre: Retelling
Published by: Chicken House
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback, borrowed from Sarah!
Rating: ★★★★

Sarah has been raving about this book in multiple Books and Baking videos, and the last time I was at her house, I finished the book I’d brought with me, so decided to pick something off her shelf. A Little in Love seemed like the perfect fit. I was a little bit worried about reading it, because it’s a retelling of Eponine’s story from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and I know zippity zap about that. BUT, my ignorance to the French classic in no way stopped me from loving this book.  Continue reading “Review: A Little In Love by Susan Fletcher” →

Review: The Book Of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

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4259869The Book Of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 306
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Author | Amazon

I’ve been reading a lot of Shannon Hale lately, and a lot of fairy tale retellings, so this was a great book to pick up, as a combination of the two. I thought it would be an original story, rather than a retelling, but it turns out this is a retelling of ‘Maid Maleen’, a relatively unknown story by the Brothers Grimm. I’d never heard of it before, so similar to ‘Goose Girl’ I had no idea what to expect. The tower on the cover made me think of Rapunzel, but that is only half the story. Continue reading “Review: The Book Of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale” →

Review: The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainini

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16248113The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainini
Genre: Fairy Tale (Retelling?)
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 488
Format: Paperback (and it’s signed, and I didn’t even know???)
Rating: ★★★★★
Series: A World Without Princes (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Author | Amazon

This is one of my favourite books. Ever After. I’m reading the series again to set myself up for the third and final book ‘The Last Ever After’ and, boy, was I glad I made that decision. This is a five star book. It’s genius, and filled with all of my favourite things! Ahh, I’m just a huge fangirl for this trilogy! So, here are my reasons for loving TSFGAE sooooo much:
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Review: A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston

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21524446A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston
Genre: Retelling
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 336
Format: ARC E-book
Rating: ★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

First things first, this cover is absolutely gorgeous, if I could rate it for cover alone then A Thousand Nights would no doubt get 5 stars, but realistically, I just didn’t enjoy the story at all. Apparently, The Wrath and the Dawn is a better retelling of the 1001 nights story, so I’ll be sure to read that one soon!

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