Tag Archives: young adult

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking

Book Title: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
Author: T. Kingfisher
Stars: 4.5 out of 5

Spoilers Ahead!

Book cover for A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher – image from the internet.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher is a well written fantasy story about a fourteen year old baker called on to defend her city from invasion. Our delightfully upfront protagonist is Mona. She works at her Aunt’s bakery and lives in a tiny room over the glassblower’s shop six doors down the street. Tragically her parents are dead, so her Aunt and Uncle are her only family. Fortunately, despite these stereotypes, her Aunt is a generally good, strong force in Mona’s life. And even her Uncle is supportive and caring.

Mona’s usual routine at the bakery starts early in the morning, but on this particular day things go terribly wrong. There is a dead body on the floor of the kitchen and soon the esteemed Inquisitor Oberon is accusing Mona of murder. Turns out that more and more people are looking suspiciously at wizards and someone is actively trying to kill them all. Mona is quickly caught up in a plot to eradicate all the city’s wizards and wrestle control from the Duchess. Dodging death and adults, Mona seeks out the one person who should be able to help her, the Duchess. Only the Duchess isn’t in as much control as she thought. And there is a large army marching up to the gates of the city. With the city’s own army out, and most of the wizards dead, Mona is one of the few magic users still around to help fight back the invasion and save her home.

Mona is a fun, engaging lead character. We meet a few other interesting folks along the way, but as this story is told in the first person, it is all about Mona. As a bread wizard, her skills include making sure bread doesn’t burn while baking and causing gingerbread men to dance for customers. These are all minor tricks. And while her magic grows by the end of the story into giant dough golems and a horde of evil gingerbread men, it is still all bread related.

The magic system is an interesting mix of amazing power, limited only by the creativity of the wizard and the medium in which they work. For Mona that is bread. For other wizards that could be flowers or water. For one woman in the city it is dead horses, which sounds far more morbid than it was in the book. I appreciate the simplicity of the discussion of magic, it was not trained or taught, just something a few citizens had which allowed them to do things in their specialty. Like Mona could make sure her bread didn’t burn in the oven.

The city is set in a world of city states. Since Mona has not traveled, we only get the barest overview of the other cities. Like most of them don’t like wizards, an easy form of prejudice to explore in fantasy novels. It parallels the prejudice and hate faced by many groups in real life, in an easy way for younger readers to understand and relate to. The numerous city states mean lots of conflict between them too, as groups of people are want to do.

Book cover for A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher – image from the internet because I borrowed a digital copy of the book from the library.

This is a young adult book. As Mona is only fourteen, there are definite moments of child versus adult in this book. The solution to Mona’s hiding from the constabulary is to break into the castle and speak with the Duchess. There is an interesting tension between the role of child and adult in the story. Mona expects the adults to fix the problems, which of course they don’t because she is the protagonist. While the story has good pacing, I personally found it lingered too long on the preparations and battle at the end. That was the least interesting aspect of the tale.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking (I really do love the title) was a fun read. It would be a good read for a younger audience, but the writing and world description make it a good read for adults too. Overall, I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Seer’s Secret – Book Review

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Book Title: The Seer’s Secret
Author: Brittany Fichter
Book Series: Legacy of the Time Stones (Trilogy)

Spoilers Ahead!

The Seer’s Secret book cover – image from the internet.

A curse has settled upon the land. It has turned the sun poisonous. So people have sought shelter and safety underground. In the Walled City, the last humans have created a refuge using shafts of light to grow their food-plants which are tended only at night. Outside the city, monstrous creatures still prowl the land. To guard the people against their attacks, warriors train in the citadel.

Eirin is one such individual. Selected when she was young, Eirin has spent the past 12 years training with the city’s most promising warriors. Learning how to protect herself and the other inhabitants of the city. Only Eirin is not a good warrior. Compared with those around her, she is weak, unskilled and a liability. It is only her position as the King’s favourite that has kept her in the citadel. With her final tests coming soon, Eirin knows she will fail and finally return to live with her family. At least that is the future she sees.

Recent attacks on the city by the shape-shifting monsters have whispered secrets. Seer, they said. Eirin doesn’t know what that means. She doesn’t know a lot. Like why the King has kept such a weak warrior at the citadel all these years. Or the worry Eirin’s mother has about the unborn baby. Things become even more confusing when the King calles Eirin to him. In a sudden motion, the King sends Eirin, his Heir, Drystan and several other warriors from the city and into the dying lands beyond. The King promises an answer to the unlikely group, if they can find one old woman living beyond the safety of the city’s walls.

Eirin and Drystan are the two protagonists throughout the story. Their past is complicated by some undisclosed incident that happened six years earlier. Their presence is made more challenging by the King’s order for Drystan to protect Eirin at all costs.

Added to the mix are Drystan’s best friend and long-time companion, Qeb. From Eirin’s year group are Alys, Eirin’s best friend, Nuru, Eirin’s nemesis, and Thane, a promising warrior. Mistress Alanna is the adult of the party, in that she has experience outside the city walls.

Of course leaving the city is a challenge. The world beyond is not what our party of explorers expect. It is both more and less dangerous than they had been told. There are people out there, shape-shifters, who are not evil. In fact it is only once they leave the city the greatest secret is revealed, our heroes are not human. They are the monsters they have sworn to destroy. It was a well set up plot twist that made sense to the story. That along with how they deal with the sun-sickness I thought was really interesting.

The evolution of the relationship between Eirin and Drystan was enjoyable to read. It was a predictable romance, but still well written for the most part. The twist about Drystan’s parents was not specifically expected, but nor did it feel out of place. Learning that Eirin was the only human worked well with the setup of the story.

The other thing I thought was pretty interesting was the choice of shape-shifters. Literally every mythological creature the author has heard of is present. From the English Fae to Japanese kitsune. There are your standard greek creatures and Thunderbirds from North American First Nations. While I like the eclectic mix of species, I preferred when everything was renamed to something different. At least, I thought it was odd when the names shifted from Alfar to Elf.

My biggest complaint with the story was the pacing. It had a strong and interesting start heavy with world exploration and mystery. The ending is more muddled and drawn out. There is no clear climax. There is a big emotional punch when Drystan learns that Alanna is his mother, moments before she dies. The remaining members of their small party are sent back to the Walled City, while Eirin and Drystan escape on the back of a dragon.

Only the story continues with Eirin and Drystan heading west, then getting caught by the people from their home, then imprisoned, then escaping – but not before some more exposition can explain what is happening. I get the importance of explanations, and while the section could have been interesting, it felt more like a waste of time after everything that came before. Finally, Eirin and Drystan escape the city and the Elders who have decided to focus on amassing power and control rather than correcting the curse. And yet, we are not done until Drystan battles the city’s elite warriors, turns into a dragon and more of Eirin’s yearmates join the pair in their escape. In the attempt to pack the ending full of twists, exposures and conclusions, it dragged and lost its emotional punch.

The Seer’s Secret book cover for the trilogy – image from the internet.

While I am kind of curious to know how the curse is lifted, I am not excited about the next book. This is a trilogy according to the title. From what has happened in this book, the next is shaping up to be the traditional book of betrayal. A conflict in perspective, a few new characters and I foresee the fracturing of friendships (and the budding romance) between Eirin and Drystan. This rift could potentially expand to Eirin and the rest of their party too – after all she is the only true human in the group. She will likely make many friends with other true humans, jealousy will arise, motivations will be questioned, friendships will break. Of course, most of this will be overcome in book three.

So, while I did like the book – giving it 4 stars out of 5, I am not waiting with high anticipation for the next novel. I might read it. I might not. It is difficult to say at this point.

Paladin – Book Review

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Book Title: Paladin
Author’s Name: Sally Slater

Spoilers Ahead!

Paladin book cover – image from the internet.

Paladin is a book that I had on my wishlist for a long time. It languished there for so long in fact, the book became unavailable for a time before getting a new edition. Paladin is the debut novel by Sally Slater. It is the story of Sam – aka Lady Samantha. She has run away from her father, the Duke, to join the ranks of the heroic Paladins.

Sam is your classic tomboy. The only child, she is indulged by her mother and scolded by her father. The impetus of change in Sam’s life is two pronged, the expectation that she is to marry within the year is announced to her. Rebelling against this edict causes Sam to run from her father. Found by her mother, a Demon catches them as they are returning home. The death of her mother is the big push for Sam to hide her gender as she seeks a place with the lauded Paladins.

This opening is not so unfamiliar a story. What is different about Paladin, is the stuff happening more in the background. Sam is a trainee throughout most of the tale. She starts her training in the Paladin fortress. But it is not long before her trainer, the esteemed Tristan Lyons and fellow trainee, the half demon Braeden are sent off on a mission.

It seems simple enough, gather information on the rebels in the west. Only, things become far from straightforward as growing evidence of corruption among the elite ranks of the Paladins arises. Paladins are supposed to fight the demons that ravage the land. But what happens when you start fighting other Paladins? Added to that, are the secrets Braeden and Sam are keeping.

I liked the pacing kept by the book. It could have slowed down at any number of points. It could become a story about training, like a school book story. It could have focused more on the complications of hiding her gender – it definitely explored some interesting complications associated with that. Interestingly, while the novel followed three perspectives – Sam, Braeden and Tristan – it was also about the lies that had been told by the people in charge.

The story was about change and change of perspective. There was a great deal of focus on the relationships between three three main characters and how they evolved over time. But what I find myself reflecting on is what is happening in the world. How the High Commander is so corrupt and manipulative. How he is bringing about the Second Age of Shadows. His big revel at the end does explain why more demons are terrorizing the land and how Braeden came to exist. It also explains why the Paladins, the supposed protectors of the people, have become corrupted. Why so many more demons are terrorizing the land and why the Paladins are increasingly not present to drive back the monsters. What I don’t know is how the High Commander learned to ward, since that form of blood magic was thought lost.

It ends with war looming between the Paladins and the ‘rebels’ of the west. Sam is willing to fight in the war against demons and paladins, but first she is going to help her best friend, Braeden break the seals chaining him to the High Commander’s control. In that way, this book feels like a beginning. Yet, as of writing this, it is the only book I can find by the author. Which means it is not part of a series. I kind of hope that it remains a stand-alone. I hope that it remains feeling like the introduction to a bigger, sweeping saga that the reader is left to imagine.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun. The pace was strong. The was complex – more so the further you read. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

A Sharpened Axe – Book Review

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A Sharpened Axe
-by Jill M. Beene
Spoiler Warning!

A Sharpened Axe is a fairy tale inspired story of Samiris, a young woman struggling to support her family during the curse that has blanketed the country of Leiria. It has the lovely feel of a traditional fairy tale. And there are enough elements to draw similarities to Beauty and the Beast. However, this is not a retelling of a classic and that is what I love best about A Sharpened Axe. It is its own story!

When a fae princess places the Crown Prince under a curse, the furthest reaches of Leiria are hit the hardest. The land becomes barren and people struggle to find enough food to live. Samiris’ father was a wealthy lord of a prosperous farm, but he now suffers from the Wasting sickness. Samiris’ mother died with the birth of her younger sister some twelve years earlier. In response, Samiris teaches herself to use the axe so she can harvest wood in the forest to keep their home heated and help ease the pain of the illness destroying her father.

Things are rough. Samiris is facing a marriage she doesn’t want in order to abide by the inheritance laws of the country. Until she is Chosen as one of the twenty young women who are selected each year to fall in love with the Crown Prince. Each year, one woman from the group faces the Questioning. And each year that woman is burned alive by magic for not having actually fallen in love with the Crown Prince and he with her.

Afraid of what the extended absence would mean for her family, Samiris rebels against going north to the capital city. The one place in the country where abundance still remains, a stark contrast to the starvation and poverty Samiris knows. She is disparaging of the Crown Prince and the other nobility. She is caustic towards the other Chosen woman, who in turn are catty bullies towards her unrefined manners and appearance.

Book cover for A Sharpened Axe. Image from the internet.

Samiris is particularly antagonistic towards Duke Artem Trego, Captain of the Royal Guard, who was sent to fetch Samiris when she didn’t respond to her summons as Chosen. This relationship starts off brilliantly with both parties frustrated with the other person. Naturally, they banter and over the course of the story they fall in love. It was a slow progression that was well crafted and reminiscent of Eliza and Darcy. I am a sucker for friction turned friends turned lovers as a story progression. So naturally I ate this up!

I think there is a fair bit of change in the main character’s perspective on life at court. Although I did find Samiris a bit repetitive at times. She also helps to bring a different point of view to some key members of the court with her own way of looking at things. I like that she is focused on making everyone’s life better. For a woman who can and does fight with an axe, many of her other skirmishes were fought and won with words (and some kindness).

For me the biggest weakness surrounds the scheming nature of the court and those involved in the whole Chosen program. There is a scene in a back alley, where Samiris and her maid overhear two people discussing this year’s crop of girls and clearly planning that none should successfully fall in love with the Crown Prince, who naturally is physically unattractive. Unfortunately this was not followed up. Sure it ties to killing off one of the girls at the end of the story, but really it leaves too many unanswered questions. For example, who picks the women that are to be Chosen? And how easy/hard is it to sneak in and murder one of them. What other changes in the court have been manipulated by this political group? It was a good idea, but not fleshed out properly.

My other question comes at the end of A Sharpened Axe. When it is revealed that the man everyone thought was the Crown Prince, was just a scholar yanked into position by the curse. So, was the woman being his mother actually his mother or the mother of the real Crown Prince? And if the dowager was the biological mother of the scholar, then does the real Crown Prince actually have any family? And why did Lady Evanora not take more control over the court? She seemed far too passive and in the background.

Despite these lingering questions, I really enjoyed A Sharpened Axe. I was hooked from the first chapter and ate my way through to the end. The characters were great. I really enjoyed the dialogue. The setting was interesting. I am now sad that I read it too quickly! Overall I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars for a wonderful fairy tale!

Knight from the Ashes – Book Review

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Knight from the Ashes
-series: Crown and Crest Book 1
-by Shari L. Tapscott, Jake Andrews
Spoiler Warning!

Knight from the Ashes is a fine book, particularly for young adults. It is going for high fantasy and fun. The biggest problem is that between the jacket-cover style description and the sample chapters I had developed certain expectations which, in the end, were not met.

Henrik is a soldier questing to become a sealed Knight, a position of respect. Certainly a station well above his blacksmith origins. He has his eyes focused tightly on the seal, which would bring him up to level with the beautiful princess.

Clover also has royal aspirations. She is already a lady-in-waiting to the princess, who Clover despises. Beautiful, noble born and raised largely by her male relations, Clover oscillates between delicate damsel and adventuring tomboy.

Book cover for Knight from the Ashes. Image from the internet.

When Henrik is sent on a supply run north, he ends up being asked to keep a close eye on Clover. The two are quick to bicker and declare their disdain for the other. The description read, “By the time they reach their destination, they are more than ready to be rid of each other.” Between this line and the starting chapters (sample portion), I thought this was setting up to be a good antagonistic relationship turn to love. I was right, but I expected more head bashing and less falling into the liquid splendor of the other’s eyes. They banter and snipe at each other, but all too soon they are feeling the feels and pining with desire for the other person.

The pacing was off for me. I really liked the mutual dislike for the other person that was expressed at the beginning of the story. I would have liked to see that carry through to the end, where they could start to feel less antagonistic. After all this is going to be a series, so we don’t want to rush the romance too soon. Or you risk setting up the same cycle for all the rest of the books, which I find tedious. Also, the two main characters focus too much on each other. I would really have liked them to connect with one of the side characters more. The side characters felt more like after thoughts, there to be some window dressing and show how amazing Henrik and Clover are in contrast. In fact, they were so background to the story, I am not bothering with their names.

Another aspect that was a struggle for me, was the high fantasy world building. I suppose that is my own fault. I did read “troll-pit” in the blurb, but I didn’t take that to mean this was going to be a Tolkien inspired world of high elves, humans, hog-people, rock-gnomes, wood elves, trolls and all sorts of other fantasy creature. I can appreciate the author was trying to make the different races a little different from their Tolkien versions, but I don’t see the point. I don’t see what the different races bring to the table. Why do we have wood elves and humans and high elves and hog-people and rock-gnomes and trolls and… Also, because you can see the romances being set up, what are the procreation possibilities? From a line dropped early in the book, Clover is supposed to have high elf in her family tree, suggesting that humans can mate with high elves. But can they also have children with the wood elves, which have antlers? What about the hog-people or rock-gnomes? I was not feeling the multi-race system being set up in Knight from the Ashes.

Finally, I am confused about the magic in this world. It seems like it is held in distaste. Expect when it is healing magic because people are always getting hurt. And what are the powers of necromancy? Is it the ability to speak to the dead and learn how they were killed? Or can a necromancer raise an army of zombies? The level of magic and its tolerance was unclear in the book.

I did like the jacquesalaupe – a bunny with antlers that grows huge and vicious when threatened. This is probably my favourite critter in the world because it is not a troll, or rock-gnome or hog-people or elf… It is different, cute and scary, and just makes me smile. I also liked Clover’s ability to use a bow 🙂

Book covers for the first two books in the Crown and Crest series; book 1 is Knight from the Ashes, book 2 is Forged in Cursed Flames. And yes, these covers are fantasy tropes.

I can see where Knight from the Ashes is going to be a fun adventure for some people. It just wasn’t for me. Clover was too inconsistent in her strong independence or desperately needing help. And really, why is she there? Henrik is cold and competent and way too blood thirsty. I would give Knight from the Ashes 3 stars out of 5. It was fine, reasonably enjoyable, but not quite my thing.

The Salamander Prince – Book Review

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The Salamander Prince
-series: Refurbished Fairy Tales Book 1
-by S.R. Nulton

I liked the Salamander Prince. It had a calm and relaxed tone about the writing. It was almost passive in the story telling with very little overt action and a great deal more introspection. Which in the right mood is a joy to read.

I liked the strong female enchantress that we follow as she is abruptly married to a cursed salamander and then forced to leave her home in the woods. Grace is a charming character, faulted, powerful and with a wicked sense of humor. She is great.

As Grace travels from her cottage on the edge of the forest to a new kingdom, she passes through some different lands with some different kinds of people. I liked that each land was known for something, greed, military, family… There were some interesting locations visited in the story.

Book cover for the Salamander Prince. Image from the internet.

What first struck me was a line from the prologue, “It’s a tale of broken souls and corruption that pitted brother against brother.” I kept waiting for things to go wrong. I kept waiting for some terrible betrayal. But the story ran smoothly. It never actually felt like the characters were playing for high stakes. The abundance of magic was always present to smooth over problems (or cause them when the plot needed a push). It was a very quiet feeling story.

Also, I am still not clear on this twin soul thing going on in the family. Two brothers, sharing one soul? Other than feeling a connection to each other, what does it mean? I suppose it was only there to explain the dark magic of pitting the brothers against each other.

To be clear, the Salamander Prince is a retelling of the Frog Prince. Which it supposedly combines with King Thrushbeard, but as I am not familiar with that story I cannot confirm. However, it is clear that this is part of a bigger world retelling many familiar fairy tales, some of which are set up as Grace walks her way through the plot.

The book was sweet. Grace was charming. Her husband, the salamander, was fine – but far from memorable. Overall I would give this 3.5 stars out of 5. It might be interesting to see what else is happening in this world by reading some of the others in this series.

Kingdom of Beauty – Book Review

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Kingdom of Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
-series: The Kingdom tales Book 1
-by Deborah Grace White

Apparently I am in a fairy tale reading phase! A Kingdom of Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It is a well done version without any major surprises. It follows more of the Disney movie version with Felicity and her family expelled from the capital city to some forgotten village. Naturally there is a Gaston-like boorish male in the village who believes Felicity will marry him. And will eventually cause problems for her later on.

Book Cover for Kingdom of Beauty. Image from the internet.

The beast, the Prince Justin, is a self-centered, arrogant male transformed into a hideous beast and locked away in the summer palace, which vanished from the land when the curse took hold. He is cold and very slow to change. He is suspicious of everyone. Which is his fault, because he is now an adult. Although I will say that his upbringing was pretty poor with a horrendous father to instill horrendous ideals. However, I will also point out that the father has been dead for ten years, and Justin’s Uncle could have been a model for being a better kind of human being.

The play on visible / invisible castle and servants is sort of interesting. The inclusion of dragons seems largely superfluous. But I guess this might weave into a larger narrative that the author is clearly building in this world. In addition to the dragons, other fairy tales have been alluded to, so you know more are coming in this series. It is good the author is setting things up early so the stories will all feel connected.

It is also passingly interesting that the sorceress that curses Prince Justin is then surprised at how strong her curse is. And is lasting much longer than she planned. This leads the woman to actively try to help break the curse, ultimately placing Felicity on the path to meet Justin. But also hints at bigger problems on a global scale in this world.

The character progression for Felicity and Justin is solidly done. I cannot fault how things grow and develop between them. Their path is very true to the Beauty and the Beast route. It was all competently done. I suppose my only hesitation with the series (outside of the random dragons) is the predictability. Which is perhaps unfair as I am choosing to read a story that says clearly in the title it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. For me, I would give this 3.5 stars out of 5. I liked Kingdom of Beauty quite well. It is another solid retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I might even pick up the next in the series.

The Legendary Inge-Book Review

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The Legendary Inge

-by Kate Stradling

I don’t often read the preface before starting a book, but for the Legendary Inge I did. It did not spoil the story, since I know nothing of Beowulf and am also confident this story is at best loosely inspired. First off, I liked the Legendary Inge. It had just enough surprises to make it interesting, but no dramatic twists that come out of nowhere and make no sense. In fact the entire story flowed well together and you could see how the little clues about the characters and plot were sprinkled well in advance.

The Legendary Inge starts with the titular character Inge (Ingrid), accidentally killing a monster plaguing the castle. As her reward, Ingrid is adopted by the king as his son and heir to the throne. While Ingrid might be dressed as a boy when she takes down the monster, she is most unhappy to be slotted into that role. She is the eldest girl in her family of seven children. With her parents dead from a wasting sickness, Ingrid has a lot of responsibilities and no time to play prince to the kin.

Unable to decline the king’s reward, Ingrid is forced to discover that things at the castle are not as they seem. The monster, a terrifying nightwalker, is not the only problem in the castle. The king is going mad according to rumours and the court is a vicious place for the untrained. Inge is forced to face all this as she grows in her own confidence as an individual and learns to accept the great legacy left by her own father.

Book cover for the Legendary Inge from the internet. I think I like this one best of the two.

Well written, the characters are competently developed. While they are a little on the young side, I recognize that I am getting older. Young adults want to read books with characters of their age. Still, the world was interesting. It had that nordic-viking flare, while including plenty of magic to make it truly fantastical. More than the setting, it was the character interactions that sold the narrative. I like books with family, and this had plenty of it. Sure, there were a couple of orphans, because all great legends seem to circle around them. In the end, everything really came back to family – both chosen and blood.

I like the author’s way of writing. The Legendary Inge is a solidly developed story with great characters and a fantastic plot – 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Twelve Dancing Princesses

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Today I am going to talk about K.M. Shea’s Twelve Dancing Princesses. This another of the Timeless Fairy Tales, which are individual fairy tales set in the same world. In fact over time they have developed another world wide arc that is playing out in the background and in the Fairy Tale Enchantress series.

As always, beware of spoilers.

Book cover for Twelve Dancing Princesses. Image from the internet.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is unlike many other retellings as it focuses very little on the princesses. In fact the main character, Quinn of the Farset military, gets roped into trying to break the princesses’ curse by her fellow forest soldier. Only a little time is spent following the princesses – three nights to be precise.

Since the Twelve Dancing Princesses is the 10th book in the series, it plays more of a role in the world-wide story arc than the books at the beginning of the series. For this reason it is less of a stand-alone. It is also less constrained to the traditional plot line of the twelve dancing princesses. Yes there are nightly dances and yes the king is searching for someone to solve the mystery (and break the curse). But this story is about Quinn, how she meets the young King of the Elves and saves them. In saving the Elves, Quinn also saves the Princesses.

Interestingly enough, the Princesses are not entirely blameless in their curse. Two of the twelve are the reason the others become cursed. I like that there is a greater range of characterization of the twelve princesses, however little time is spent with them.

The story is enjoyable and I like what it does for the bigger plot-line. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

When thinking about my review for this book, however, there were two things that I wanted to discuss. The first was the idea of authenticity – how much should a re-imagined story follow the original plot-line? Clearly, the author has chosen to take the Twelve Dancing Princesses in a different direction. She is barely interacting with the titular characters. Is this good, bad, or just a thing?

For me, I don’t think you need to follow the original tales that closely. In fact some of my concerns for other books in this series is that they tried too hard to follow our general understanding of the fairy tales which made for very clunky endings. These are good places to start, then let creativity run free.

I will make one additional note though, if your story deviates too much from the original source material – call it something else. I watched a movie that was supposedly about King Arthur but was so wildly different from the tales I grew up with it was abrasive. The movie would have been a hundred times better if it were called A Roman Soldier or such. To title your book in a specific way, like the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and then write a story about a forest ranger, can be off putting to some readers. They will expect one thing and get something completely different. Which is not the best example, because the curse and the twelve princesses do follow the traditional plot very well. The reader just follows a different character to get to the same information point.

The other thought I had while preparing this reflection was about favourites. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is the favourite fairy tale of a friend. She loves the different incarnations of this story. This, however, is not my favourite. I much prefer Beauty and the Beast. I really like relationships that start as mistrust and turn to love. But I also really like that Beauty and the Beast takes place over a long period of time. These characters learn to love each other slowly. So, it made me wonder, what fairy tale is your favourite? Which story do you read in all its different incarnations?

The Benighted – Book Review

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The Benighted by A. M. Dunnewin is already six years old and the sequel, which is promised in the subtitle “The Benighted Saga – Book 1” has yet to be released. Needless to say, I will only be reviewing the first book in this series.

Book cover for The Benighted, book 1 in the Benighted Saga – image from the internet.

The Benighted is about the Royal Princess of Correnth, Skylar Mandolyn. As we learn in the opening chapter, Skylar has been imprisoned. The story is told through a series of flashbacks covering the events that have lead to her current abuse and torture. Memories of her family, court ladies and of course her personal knight, are interspersed with the dark, cold cell, the beatings and pressure to sign a mysterious document.

I really appreciated the out of order telling of Skylar’s life from her brother’s death, meeting Sir Harlin Brien (her personal guard), through the estrangement with her father, the mecanations of the evil court advisor Cross Lutherus, to Skylar eventually being locked in the prison tower. I think the tension that was woven through this tail of reflection would have been lost if everything had been presented chronologically.

It also keeps some of the surprises, those important dangling threads needed for any sequels, nicely hidden until the end of the book. The reader can than look back over the course of events leading to our protagonist being locked up and start to understand some of the rational used to come to this point.

The other aspect that I liked was the level of technology. The world is not deeply discussed in the book. Really, it sits there as a backdrop, more obscured, as Skylar is focussed on her personal grief than the welfare of the Kingdom. Established early on, Skylar’s brother was heir to the throne before his death. And many of her first revealed memories circle around the sense of loss she feels because of her brother’s absence.

Book cover for The Illusory, book 2 in the Benighted Saga – image from the internet.

While sword wielding knights exist in this world – as is epitomized by Sir Brien’s summoning to court to become Skylar’s personal guard – they also have guns! And steamships. So, the feel of the world is not medieval, though not actually modern either. There is electricity and firearms. There are large metal boats in the harbour and by the end of the novel this is the promise of a threat from a more advanced enemy. However, shortswords are still heavily used in the book. And guns are accepted to be in constant danger of exploding (if not well cared for).

The caste of named characters is also small. Again, we meet Skylar as she is grieving (and locked up). Her thoughts focus on those incidents most relevant to her current imprisoned situation so there is not a lot of names to learn in the story. I suppose in many ways it is more of a character study with its very tight focus on our heroine.

While we learn the actual time of the book spans only a few days, the memories span months. Time is easily distorted in this format.

Overall, I thought it was an interesting read and I would give this book a solid 4 (maybe even a 4.5) out of 5 stars. That said, I have a difficult time imagining how the series can continue forward. Yes, there is a world you could explore. But the real draw of this book was that personal story of a deeply wounded character fighting for sanity in a time when her life was descending into madness. The same format would not work a second time. So the story will have to move in a completely different direction, but to what success? I suppose the only way to know would be to read the sequel – if it ever releases.