Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem by Melissa Lemon

Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem

Author: Melissa Lemon

Publisher: Sweetwater Books/Cedar Fort

Published: December 11th, 2012

ISBN13: 9781462111459

Hardcover: 288 pages

FTC FYI: Received a PDF from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, then purchased my own copy.

Inside Book Jacket

Katiyana Whyte's world is only as big as the apple orchard she was raised on.  She can never leave the home where she grew up under the careful eye of her uncle Barney.  But when life at the orchard suddenly becomes dangerous and her childhood friend Jeremy begs her to flee, Kat finds refuge in the Fluttering Forest with seven dwarves.

Meanwhile, the queen of Mayhem, an evil sorceress, learns through her magic mirror that the daughter she believed to be dead, still lives.  Enraged, she sends a servant to kill Kat, the princess of Mayhem, but Kat finds protection in a spell that causes snowstorms whenever she is in danger, giving her the nickname Snow Whyte.

In the wonderfully imagined Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem, nobody is quite who they seem.  Full of romance and adventure, this is the magical tale of Snow White as you've never read it.

My Review

4 of out 5 stars.  I was instantly taken with this story.  I loved the narrator (I won't say who he is for spoiler reasons, but you find out early on).  I really enjoyed seeing each character through his eyes.  The Queen was awesomely evil.  She truly was a wicked queen, and written very well.  Queen Radiance (as she made her subjects call her) stole the show.  There are so many twists in this great story, and lots of fun surprises.  Kat is a sweetheart.  I enjoyed how her little dwarf friends loved her , and how she loved them.  Jeremy was an unexpected surprise, and his story is so cool!  Again, many twists that are very enjoyable.

Author Links

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Seagull Book / Deseret Book

Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Bonded

Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Published: November 2012

ISBN13: 9781936850648

Hardcover: 365 pages

FTC FYI: Received an ebook copy in change for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary

What happened after Cinderella married her prince? How did the evil sorceress in Sleeping Beauty turn evil in the first place? Discover these stories and a world filled with magic, forbidden love, elves, sprites, dragons, and the most powerful creatures of all— the fairies —in Bonded, a collection of three fairy tale inspired novellas.

CINDERS: A Cinderella sequel. Money can’t buy love, but magic isn’t a sure bet either. Cinderella, now officially a princess, finds royal life is not what she once dreamed. When a mysterious elf from her past stirs up long-suppressed passion, Cinderella begins to wonder if there really is love beneath the spell that captured her husband’s heart. But undoing magic can be harder than casting the initial spell, and the results are even less predictable.

THIRDS: A retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale, One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes. Issina is surrounded by magic, yet none of it belongs to her. Despised and abused by her mother and sisters, she finds comfort when she meets the beautiful elves living in the nearby woods. The elves want to help her discover her own magic, but it’s not the kind of power she hoped for, and she learns there is more to magic than getting what you want.

SCALES: A Sleeping Beauty prequel. The sun never sets in the realm of the fairies. When the young fairy Serina looks into her sister’s eyes, she sees darkness for the first time. After her mother is murdered, Serina defies fairy law to follow her sister to the human realm. There she discovers the strength of a bond, the weight of a promise, and the darkness in her own heart.

My Review

I really enjoyed these three novellas by Michelle Davidson Argyle.  Each were very well-written and I was taken into the different story immediately.  Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with fairytales.  I would spend hours in my room reading.  Aurora from Sleeping Beauty is my all-time favorite, and so I was excited to read Scales.  But, if I had to pick a favorite (and it was really hard) it would be Cinders.  Cinderella's (Christina's) story was fascinating to me.  What is happily ever after isn't enough?  The guilt of using magic to win her prince really weighed on Cinderella's heart.  Did her prince really love her?  How Cinderella finds the truth, and the events that take place are actually heart breaking, but I really liked where Michelle took the story, and teaches that not all stories have a happy ending.  

4 out of 5 stars.  I want to thank Michelle for the chance to read and review these amazing stories.  The settings and characters immediately draw you in.  Once you start Bonded, you won't stop until you're done.  Michelle is also the author of The Breakaway, which is on my review list.  The sequel Pieces just came out! Check out all of Michelle's titles, including Monarch. 

Author Links

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Rhemalda