So This Is Love // Book Review

About The Book
Faced with questions of love and loyalty to the kingdom, Cinderella must find a way to stop the villains of past and present . . . before it’s too late. The 9th installment in the New York Times best-selling A TWISTED TALE series asks: What if Cinderella never tried on the glass slipper?
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3Sm0mjp

My Rating


I was wary going into this book, since I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. However, Cinderella reminds me a lot of my mom, so I have a special place in my heart for her.

Right off the bat, the writing style was wonderful. The author really brought the story to life, as well as adding a lot of interesting little tidbits into the story. Like creating a wonderful backstory behind Cinderella’s name.

In the retelling, the characters hold true to their original personalities. Cinderella is just as sweet, kind, and positive as she has always been. Yet, she is independent, and not a damsel in distress. She fight for herself, which makes sense considering the life she has had.

The evil stepmother and stepsisters didn’t play a huge role in the book, but were, for the most part, similar to the original characters.

However, the evil stepmother was a lot crueler this time around, and really hated Cinderella. In the book, I couldn’t believe the length her evil stepmother would go to get rid of her.

The prince was an okay character, but didn’t have much personality. There was the addition of the Prince’s aunt, which I enjoyed a lot. She was a strong willed women with a hidden soft side. They also gave Cinderella a human friend, however the mice and her dog were still included in the story.

“Women are always waiting on men- let it be the other way around for a change.”

The villain of the story was the king’s advisor, and he was a despicable villain. I despised him throughout the story, so the author did a great job at creating a truly unlikeable villain.

The story is slow moving, but there are many interesting pieces to the plot. Especially the fact that magic is forbidden in the land. That twist added such a cool element to the story, making it more fantastical and less of a simple love story.

Still, the love story side was sweet and romantic. And the notion that not everyone will love you, but that’s okay was also a nice added message to the story. Also, the fact that there was more to their love story, instead of them just living happily ever after, was very realistic.

Overall, the ending was good, and the story was well-executed. It isn’t my favorite retelling, but a good read nonetheless. I would have just preferred a more fast paced plot.

Let me know in the comments if you have read this twisted tale book. And before you go, check out my reviews of some of the other twisted tale books.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

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What Once Was Mine // Book Review

About The Book
What Once Was Mine is the 12th book in the series. This book is focused on the story of Tangled. Instead of Rapunzel’s mother being given the Sundrop Flower, she is instead given the Moondrop Flower. Needless to say, Rapunzel’s story becomes a much different tale than the one that we all know and love.

My Rating

 


I had a feeling going into this book that I was going to enjoy it, and I wasn’t wrong. The plot was different than I imagined, but that wasn’t a bed thing. Right from the start, I got ‘The Princess Bride’ vibes, because there was a whole storytelling aspect thrown in. If you’ve seen the movie, or read the book, then you will know what I’m talking about.

As for the story, it was very original, yet it still kept the true the essence of the ‘Tangled’ movie. There were (of course) some differences, but they just made the story more interesting. It was truly a new, refreshing take on the story that, as a tangled fan, I found entertaining.

Unlike the movie, Mother Gothel was way more cruel and ruthless. Honestly, I felt bad for Rapunzel, because it was almost as if she was neglected, or even unloved. She was gaslighted, and possible had Stockholm syndrome. I might be overreacting, but Rapunzel and Mother Gothel’s relationship seemed darker in the book, as compared to the movie.

In the book, I found Rapunzel to be a bit annoying and childish at times, yet I can see that being locked in a tower can make you not able to grow up, so to speak. Also, she came off as boy crazy., which was irritating. However, even in the movie, I found her a tad annoying, so I guess the author kept true to her personality. She just isn’t my favorite Disney princess.

There was the addition of some new characters, which I loved. We got a strong female, an older witch, and of course Flynn Rider. Let me say, out of all the Disney princess’ love interests, Flynn is my favorite. He’s cocky, funny, and charming! Who isn’t in love with Flynn Rider?

“The truth about you is all tangled, like your braids, Rapunzel. Bound up unnaturally. It’s time to let it all down, to let it out, let it go.”

Of course, to keep true to the original story, Rapunzel and Flynn end up together, but to me it was an instant love romance. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I like a good insta-love plot, but only if they are done right. However, this one fell short, since I didn’t see a real connection between the two characters. At least, not the same connection they developed in the animated film.

The message within the story was that we must accept and forgive ourselves. And, we must look deep inside us to find what true love means to us. The plot had a lot to do with loving yourself, as well as love in general. It was a simple message that wasn’t shoved in the reader’s face. It existed more in the background, but was there all the same.

Overall, I liked the story, writing, and how everything was wrapped up at the end. However, the plot as a whole is darker than the original story, while still being tween and teen friendly. I would daresay that I liked the book slightly more than the movie, and the movie was good. The book does touch on the topic of cancer, specifically in teenagers, so that may be triggering to some readers.

In the comments, let me know which Disney princess is your favorite. Mine has always been Belle from ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Don’t forget to give this post a like and share! If you want to support my blog, and like bookish content like this, you can follow my blog to get post notifications.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

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Disney Princess // Book Tag

Hi Friends,
A while ago, I did a post recommending books based on three Disney Princesses. Well, I came across the ‘Disney Princess Book Tag’. It seemed appropriate that I to do it, since you already know my love for all things Disney. The tag was created by Of Stacks and Cups.

1) Snow White – Favorite Classic?

Normally I would choose ‘A Christmas Carol’, since it is my all-time favorite book. But thought I’d step out of my comfort zone. I excepted myself to pick ‘Little Women’, which I did enjoy. Yet, the classic that sticks out in my mind is ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J. D. Salinger. I don’t hear many people talk about, or like this book. I might be an oddball, but it is a pretty good classic in my opinion.

2) Cinderella – A Book you kept reading past bedtime?

A book has to be pretty amazing to make me stay up late. Since I can rarely make it passed 10pm before passing out. One book I know I couldn’t put down was ‘P.S. I Still Love You’ by Jenny Han. This is the second book in the ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ trilogy, and my favorite of the three book. I was up pretty late to finishing this book.

3) Aurora – Favorite Classic Romance?

Can I say the family romance (love) in ‘A Christmas Carol?’ No, okay bye.

4) Ariel – A book about making sacrifices & not giving upon your dreams?

‘My Sister’s Keeper’ by Jodi Picoult is all about these two things. First off, I want to say that I don’t remember a lot of this book, but I apparently gave it three stars. However, I do remember the basics of the story. This book is all about sacrifices and getting the power to make your dreams come true. Things don’t turnout perfect at the end of this book, but it is a pretty powerful story. I would say it is more about sacrifices, but there is much more to the story.

5) Belle – A book with a smart, independent main character in it?

‘The Hate You Give’ by Angie Thomas! Starr grew into the strong and intelligent young women. She wasn’t afraid to fight for what was right, and call-out her so-called friends for their racist behaviors.

6) Jasmine – A book with a character who has challenged social norms of his or her world?

Audrey Rose in the ‘Stalking Jack the Ripper’ series. She has a passion for forensic medicine, and doesn’t care if society tells up it isn’t proper work for a girl. Unlike other girls, she gets a thrill from working on corpses in her uncle’s laboratory. She doesn’t care about people’s opinions and knows what she wants out of life.

7) Pocahontas – A book with an ending that was a roller coaster of emotions?

I have to go with ‘The Project’ by Courtney Summers (review). This book is a cult story that is full of twists and turns. It had my emotions all over the place for days.

8) Mulan – A book with a kick butt female character?

Instead of going with the obvious choice (Katniss Everdeen). My pick is a little different. There’s a character at the end of ‘There’s Someone Inside Your House’ by Stephanie Perkins that was totally bad-ass. The killer went after her, but she fought like hell not to die.

9) Rapunzel – A book that features an artist?

I don’t believe I have read any books featuring an artist except for ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ series. Lena, who was my favorite character, was an aspiring artist. She was sweet and shy, and expressed herself through her art work.

10) Merida – A book with a mother daughter relationship?

‘The Hazel Wood’ by Melissa Albert. Now the mother and daughter relationship isn’t a big feature in this book, but I found it very interesting. The twist about their relationship was unexpected.

11) Anna & Elsa – A book that has a great relationship between siblings?

I am going to go with ‘Conceal, Don’t Feel’ by Jen Calonita, which is a Frozen retelling. The book gives readers a look at “what if” Anna and Elsa never met. I thought the sibling relationship was special, because even though they didn’t know each other, they still had a bond. They both went out of their way to find one another. If that doesn’t portray the love of siblings, I don’t know what does.

12) Tiana – A book or the character puts her dreams above a romance?

What does it say about me that I don’t have an answer for this question. I typically read YA contemporaries, which are usually love stories. If you have a good answer to this question leave it below so that I can read it.

I hope that you enjoyed this post, and I tag all of you to do this tag. Please share and like this post with your bookish friends. You can follow the blog via email if you would like to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny