"A young prince crippled by a witch—
When Fredrico watches his cruel family mourn his false death and announce to the kingdom their cursed prince has died, is the day he truly embraces his new life and new name Rumplestiltskin. How could he be known by anything else? —His skin is completely rumpled and stilted now. He hides away from the king and queen and grows up as a crippled servant in the castle.
Years later, his younger brother, Marcus, becomes king and humors Aubrynn’s father when he boasts that his daughter can turn straw into gold. Intrigued Marcus locks the distraught maiden in a tower and declares to the kingdom that if she can transform the straw, he will marry her, but if she cannot he will kill her father.
Rumplestiltskin is determined to help Aubrynn save her father and marry the king. Now, if only he can remember to keep his real identity a secret and not fall in love with her himself…"
Okay... I have a problem with fairy tales. Not because of the characters. Not because of the annoying and evil stepsisters. No, it's because of loose endings and odd moves by characters, who seem to have no motivations.
Take Cinderella, for example. Why did the prince fall in love with her that fast? He doesn't know her, but falls immediately in love with her beauty. It's a plot hole and don't give me that "true love at first sight" shit. What about Red Riding Hood? Why Grandmother is living alone? In these fairy tales, loopholes, plot holes, and loose endings are annoying, taunting, and irritating. That's why I read fairy tale retellings. BUT! What makes me really upset is that there's a freaking no-motivation move by one of our beloved character! Why would he rescue her? Why? I don't see the reasoning behind that. It's making me so agitated.
Rumplestiltskin, the book, reminds me of the television show, Once Upon A Time. (Oh, how much I love that show. I love Rumple and Belle, so much!) Of course, there are some differences. Unlike Rumple, Fredrico is wasted away with an ugly hunch in his back and memories of his favorite dead maid in a castle that is wrongfully taken away from him by his family, the Royals including his little brother King Marcus. Like Rumple, Fredrico is able to cast spells, but only with the help of magical stones, unlike Rumple. I don't know if Rumple has beautiful eyes or not, but apparently, from Aubrynn's POV, Fredrico has these gorgeous soulful eyes. (Does that thought make anyone else want to throw up? I know I want to.)
Let's get to the girl. Aubrynn's father is ruined by drinks and spells of alcohol. (Apparently bad parents or evil siblings is a style of Jenni James.) The family's mill is sinking deeper and deeper into to debt, thanks to King Marcus's high taxes and Aubrynn's father's reckless and careless drinking. At a meeting involving something, most likely taxes and golden money, Aubrynn's father drunkenly takes the stage and brags how Aubrynn can spin straw into gold. Obviously, the amused King Marcus appeals to gold, so he decides to lock Aubrynn in a room of straw and forces her to spin straw into gold or else.
Blah, blah, blah. I don't care about that. All I care about is the cheesy ending (and chemistry but we'll get to that). Are you serious, Jenni James? Can any ending surpass this in its cheesiness? *Sigh* I wish these books, written by Jenni James, has a little more action and death. So disappointed.
The chemisty. I'm getting sick of this. Anyone noticed that after peeling off the names and slightly different conflicts, the chemistry is basically the same. Yeah. I don't have anything against recycling, but these books of the Faerie Collections are really pushing my limits and mental defenses. Reading like three of these books is pushing MY, MY, MY limits. If I have a printed copy of this book, I'll toss it to the nearest working fireplace and stomp on the black papers, grinning with every moment.
Characters:
Fredrico is this dashing, remembered yet forgotten, living prince. (Aren't they always dashing?) He's smart and intelligent. He knows his limits and has a strong sense of self-preservation. Fredrico however, is slightly disappointing. He should have spent more time plotting to overthrow the false King and reclaim his rightful place on his throne. Alas, no, he squandered most of his years as a servant! (I am saying this in Draco's voice, from the Harry Potter movies.)
Aubrynn is pretty much reckless and useless. I'm sorry for saying this, but this is what I truly think of her. She basically had Fredrico doing the heavy lifting.
Rating: Two out of Five
"A girl with a secret and a prince on a mission
When Prince Anthony spies Eleanoria Woodston outside her family home dressed as a servant, he knows something is amiss. Pretending to be John, his cousin’s outrider, he decides to take matters into his own hands and figure out why Ella hasn't been seen at court. And more importantly why the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the kingdom dresses like a pauper.
Ella has had her own bout of trials, including losing her beloved father and facing the wrath and jealousy of her stepmother and stepsisters. Becoming a servant doesn’t seem all that bad until the handsome John comes into her life, now he appears to be upsetting everything. Never before has she been so unsettled. Just his presence is making her dream of a life beyond this one.
When John invites Ella to the ball and she grudgingly accepts, he wonders if he’s truly losing his mind. How would he ever pull off pretending to be John while obviously hosting the ball as Anthony? Especially when the stubborn girl has made it quite obvious she would never attend a ball with a snobbish prince."
Wow! I love this retelling of Cinderella better than any other. (Except for Cinder (Cinder #1) by Marissa Meyer) (Read that book if you don't know what I'm talking about). Cinderella (and Cinder) are absolutely delightful. Cinderella is recommended to readers who are at least eleven years old.
The plot isn't twisty or anything, but everything is pretty well written and fitted together. Every word flows and nothing is too wrong or anything. I like the conflict of the story, but it isn't too big of a deal, especially because I know what will happen in the end. We always do know what happens in fairy tale retellings. Usually.
The ending is so "Happily Ever After." It's a nice change after reading bloody endings and cliffhangers. I'm so sick of them and authors who love, just love, to torture readers like you and me. There should be a law that states "All books must and always not have cliffhangers or loose endings."
I like how the author uses switching POVs to tell the Cinderella story. From the hilarious Prince to the 'stubborn' girl, we see the world of Cinderella. I wish, simply wish, for a POV from one of the stepsisters. Or maybe not. I wouldn't want to listen to the rantings and selfish thoughts of the evil stepsister.
Characters:
Eleanoria Woodston, or what we and the prince call her, Ella, is a wonderful character. She's a little too ignorant and thick for my liking, but is still above the range of my hatred. The only reason I like is because this girl has guts to stand up. After all that abuse, insults, she rises against her bullies (stepmother and stepsister). Which is what every bullied kid or person should do.
Prince Anthony is so dashing. I can't help but fall in love in his character and sweet charming words. His little reactions to the hilarious pushings and tauntings of his mother are funny and innocent. He likes Eleanoria, but won't admit it to his mother, no matter what his mother says or do. (We have to love the mother).
Rating: Three out of Five
"A prince disguises himself to find true love—
Prince Nolan has had enough of Princess Blythe—the woman to whom he has been betrothed since infancy—and her simpering letters. Does the princess truly not have a brain in her head? Never before has he communicated with someone who seemed so childish and spoiled. It was time he met her for himself, to decide if he could actually follow through with this marriage. But to do it right, she must not see how handsome he is. He needs a disguise—something that would show him her true nature.
Nolan asks an old herb woman to transform him into a creature that is disgusting to any female—a frog. The spell will last thirty days unless the princess does the impossible and kisses him. Now the true test begins. Will Blythe prove to be as monstrously annoying as he believes she is, or will he learn to see past his judgments and find a loving princess waiting for him?"
This retelling of The Frog Prince is more reasonable than the original tale of "The Frog Prince." Now we understand why frog prince is cursed. It's not because "the mother of the prince insulted..."or "the father says..." or "the witch hated the mother so she..." or "the prince insulted..." Instead it's because of his dimwitted betrothed Princess Blythe, the girl who writes all these boring, shallow letters.
I got to love the plot. The hilarious twists and turns will always delight readers. I have to admit, some of the twists simply leaves me a simple headed, mental, laughing, and cheery Harley Quinn, the girlfriend of the archenemy of Batman. (Archenemy is the Joker. Who else would be the archenemy of Batman?)
I wish the author expand a little more on the time and setting. There isn't a lot of details on when did this book take place and where did this book take place. (And don't say it's in a kingdom that existed "once upon a time.")
The ending is a true "Happily Ever After." I can't help but love the beautiful yet also cheesy ending, even though happy endings don't exist in the real world. Younger readers (around 10-12) will enjoy it and devour the words and sentences, paragraphs and the tiny last chapter/epilogue.
To make it more interesting, the author probably added switching POVs between Princess Blythe and Prince Nolan. It's a nice touch to The Frog Prince and it's nice to see the events and occurrences in the eyes of the two Royals.
Characters:
Princess Blythe is smarter than Prince Nolan, I think. She's more active and funnier than Prince Nolan, too. She has the classic sweet heart of Cinderella. She is clever, yet sometimes a little slow on times in the book.
Prince Nolan is dashing, alright. I don't like him as much as Princess Blythe, though. I thought he is too arrogant, bold, and headstrong.
Rating: Four out of Five.
