Waiting on Wednesday: Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4) by Jackson Pearce

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

We all know by now how much I enjoy a good retelling & Jackson Pearce is the queen of these! With her 4th installment in the loosely connected Fairytale Retellings series Cold Spell is sure to make an impression on its November 5 arrival.

Kai and Ginny grew up together–best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora–a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved–and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

Jackson Pearce, author of the acclaimed SISTERS RED and FATHOMLESS, has returned with a unique vision of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” one about power and redemption, failure and hope, and the true meaning of strength.

From Goodreads

This is a bit different of a story as it's not necessarily one of the more well-known fairy tales. It has been done in countless versions in many cultures, but the most recent adaptation will come from Disney in the form of its upcoming movie Frozen. Something tells me though that Ms. Pearce's book will be better than anything Disney could dream up. 

Do you know The Snow Queen story? Have you read other fairytale retellings? What are you waiting on this week?

June Genreflecting: Fantasy: The Basics

I wanted to do a reading challenge for the subject of Genreflecting, but I didn't get much feedback (maybe because it asked you to read 2 books for each genre and discuss them or because it's not really a "reading challenge" per se, but more an educational experiment), so I've turned it into a monthly feature! For each month of 2013, there will be a specific genre that will be analyzed. I'm planning to have author input and at least 2 reviews of books in the genre as well.

June's genre is Fantasy! Fantasy books lead readers on trips into magical realms or worlds where our rules don't necessarily apply. There are dragons, faeries, wizards, and more. It is a genre based upon reality suspension. You don't have to puzzle through the mechanics of the inner workings, you just have to go with the flow. Magic, whether embodied in wands or nature, is a binding agent for most books in this genre as well as magical creatures. The biggest conflict of definition stems from crossover books that mix fantasy with science fiction or paranormal books. There are lots of subgenres in this category ranging from fairy tale retellings to epic adventures, so be sure to check back next week for the details post. (paraphrased from Teen Genreflecting, 2003)

A few of my favorite authors you may recognize in this genre are:

• Michelle Harrison; 13 Treasures
• Maggie Stiefvater; Lament
• Karen Marie Moning; Darkfever (adult)
• Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia; Beautiful Creatures
• Kristin Cashore; Graceling
• Jackson Pearce; Sisters Red

I'm excited to say that I've chosen my two books, one older and one newer, to read for this challenge. The older book is Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (originally published in 1992) and I'll have a review and analysis up on Friday, June 21st. The newer book is Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (originally published in 2012) and I'll have a review and analysis up on Friday, June 28th. I'll also be hosting a giveaway, so stay tuned!

Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3) by Jackson Pearce review

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

From Goodreads

Celia doesn't really know how to be herself. She has always just been one third of the triplet set in the Reynolds family. With a long-dead mother, a father with Alzheimer's & much older brothers, Celia has always felt rather isolated. Add to that the fact that she & her sisters share extra-sensory powers & you've got a recipe for a more-frustrated-than-usual teenager.

Lo is just a sea girl. She has been one for quite some time & doesn't really remember who she was before she became Lo. In a way she doesn't mind, but on the other hand she really can't shake the desire to know her past. The old ones say you can recover your soul & go back to being a land girl if you convince a boy to fall in love with you and then drown him.

In walks Jude, the answer to both girls' desires. He's rebellious enough to encourage Celia to find her own voice & caring enough to become caught in Lo's snare when he falls off the pier. And with his involvement the two girls meet & share in their mutual distress.

Jackson Pearce is one heck of a writer. Written with all the flare, attitude, & reverence as her other two books in the fairytale retellings series (Sisters Red & Sweetly) Fathomless has earned its stripes. I've mentioned before that I am not a fan of mermaid stories & that still holds true; but this book was about so much more than a mermaid that I could suspense my aversion. Lo & Celia contrast just enough to strike a fine balance between their stories. One girl can't seem to shake everyone else's past while the other has the need to chase her own past.

Through in a rather self-assured, yet compassionate young guy (Jude) and you've got a great recipe for conflict. It was amazing to watch the two girls have their own experiences with him that overlapped just enough that neither one caught sight of the other. I enjoyed how their stories flowed from one to the other & was enough more surprised by how much I enjoyed Lo's alternate personality. Now that's something you have to read the book to fully appreciate.

All in all I wouldn't change a thing about this continuation of the series. After having finished the book, I was rather excited to sit back & place the information gathered in this story alongside the information gathered form the other stories. An intricate & complex world is being developed & I sincerely hope that when the series "ends" we get to see all those clues come into play together.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3) by Jackson Pearce

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

It's no secret that I LOVE Jackson Pearce's fairytale retellings. Between Sisters Red & Sweetly, I absolutely cannot wait for Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3) to be release on September 4. As my birthday is on the 8th, I will be picking this one up as a birthday gift to myself. Check out the awesome summary below!

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

From Goodreads 

I'm really excited to see Celia in this one. I love that the Reynolds kids are a binding agent in these books, but this is the first time we've met a gal from the family. I'm not the biggest fan of mermaids, even though I tried a few of those popular books last year. I have a feeling though that Ms. Pearce will bring what is necessary to grasp my attention.

What are you waiting on this week?

Purity by Jackson Pearce review

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.

Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

From Goodreads

Let me just say, that the blurb above does not even begin to do justice to this book. While it covers the basics, this book presented Shelby's dilemma in a funny, approachable way. This was not a "don't have sex until you get married because you're not supposed to" book, it was really about a young woman struggling to figure out what exactly she promised to her dying mother & how she can move forward with her life.

I really enjoyed Shelby's misadventures trying to live up to her mother's three promises. My favorite one was living without restraint. Our heroine chose to interpret that as "do crazy stuff that you otherwise wouldn't do." She even made a "life list" with her two best friends in order to ensure that she lived up to that promise. The hardest promise to deal with was listening to her father. I think Shelby took this one way too seriously because she treated her father's word like law to the point that she would find loopholes in order not to have actually disobeyed his word. Nifty trick, but I think it did more damage to her relationship that she saw at the beginning.


Jackson Pearce's writing is spot on. I was worried that I only liked her fairy tale retellings because of the subject matter, so I was a little hesitant to pick up this book. I assure you that she handles the subject with appropriate amounts of maturity & goofiness. She acknowledges that there are some tough & very personal decisions to be made during the turbulent adolescent years. In order to really grow & find not only your place in the world, but yourself as well, you have to overcome the obstacles that come up on the course.


In short, Purity is a wonderful book. Yes the main character does a few reckless things & some more conservative readers may be a bit offended at the portrayal of sex (getting laid vs. making love), but I still think this book is open to interpretation & a great stepping stone to some important conversations. 


The big question though (for those who have read it): do you agree with Shelby's actions in regards to the loophole for the vow?

Waiting on Wednesday: Purity by Jackson Pearce

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

So, I've been waiting quite a while to pick up something else by Jackson Pearce. I've tried her non-Fairytale Retelling books before and just never seemed to be able to get into them. This book is sure to remedy that issue. Purity, set for an April 24th release, is going to rock my work... I seriously hope.

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.

Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

From Goodreads

Given her ability to spin a tale so imaginative it blows my mind, I'm curious to see if she can pull the same feat in the mundane world. Don't get me wrong, her other books were well done, they just weren't my cup of tea. This though seems to rank right up there with Pure by Terra Elan McVoy, the ever lovely author who inspired me to start this blog. I'm sure you'll be hearing all about my findings once I get my hands on the book.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Sweetly (Sisters Red #2) by Jackson Pearce

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I am so ready for the August 23rd release of Sweetly (Sisters Red #2) by Jackson Pearce. This loosely related series are re-imagined folk tales of stories we all know & most of us love. Sisters Red was a twist on Little Red Riding Hood where "Little Red" became the hunter. In Sweetly we start anew with 2 new characters, with a tie-in Reynolds character that is a re-imagining of Hansel & Gretel. The Fenris are still snatching girls, but this time there is an accomplice.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

I really enjoyed both of these books & you can find the links to my reviews above. I hope to one day meet Jackson Pearce so that I can get the books signed. :) What are you waiting on this week?

Sweetly (Fairytale Retellings #2) by Jackson Pearce

It only took 12 years for Gretchen & Ansel to finally get the boot from their widowed step-mother. They've depended solely on one another ever since Gretchen's twin sister disappeared from the woods. Always a little lost, Gretchen clings to the rock that is her older brother Ansel.

The pair find themselves broken down in the tiny town of Live Oak, just a few hours shy of the Atlantic Ocean they were so looking forward to seeing. Having nearly run out of money the two kids are fortunate enough to find a native resident of the sleepy town who could use a little help on her secluded estate. What started as one afternoon of helping around the property quickly becomes an all-consuming task of assisting Sophia, the chocolatier, in her quest to put on a great chocolate festival.

But as the brother & sister spend more and more time with the candy queen, they start to hear things from the other natives about local girls going missing after her festival & one voice in particular, that of Samuel Reynolds, rings louder than any other. While each sibling goes about finding answers in a different manner, the result is the same. The festival is coming & the local girls need protection. The only question isn't necessarily from whom, but from what.

Jackson Pearce has done it again! The second book in the Sisters Red series does not disappoint at all! This time we're enjoying a reimagining of Hansel & Gretel. The characters are inviting, the twists & turns are quite unexpected & the heart is palpable.

We start off with shy, Skittle-colored hair Gretchen & her big, bad protector brother escaping a life they were dying under. Gretchen, as the main character, is the eyes & ears of the story, but she doesn't seem to miss anything. Every facial expression, every telling movement is noted & examined in her mind. Through her we learn to observe the mundane & extrapolate the truth. Sophia & Samuel present the more "wildcard" elements of this story because we never get their full back story. We can infer Samuel's story from the first book (Sisters Red) but we know nothing of Sophia.

The writing is impeccable with so much feeling & energy expressed without burdening the reader with conversation. Like I said, we learn so much through Gretchen's almost methodical inner-workings that there is little need for extended conversations. Jackson's wit & humor continue to add an amiable quality to her heroes/heroines.

The vibrancy of this story is unparalleled & I am truly thrilled to have gotten a chance to read this latest addition to the series. Although, despite being in a series, this would also serve one well as a stand alone novel. Just a thought for those who might not have enjoyed Sisters Red as much as I did.

Thoughts folks? What do you think of this series take on some of our beloved childhood stories?

Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1) by Jackson Pearce

Scarlett and Rosie March are hunters. They eat, sleep, and breath hunting. We're not talking about rabbits & ducks; these girls hunt Fenris, wolves. These monsters take on men's forms to lure in young girls who they devour. After a horrific Fenris attack that left Scarlett horribly scarred with an eye patch & their grandmother dead, the girls began training with the Pa Reynolds, their neighborhood woodsmen. Growing up with Pa Reynolds's son Silas, the girls do their duty to protect their homeland.

When another wolf ambles by looking for the Potential, all three teen's senses are on alert. They decide to move to the city in search of better luck tracking the Potential & taking down the wolf population in the process. But Rosie isn't really in to it all. Silas, who has just returned from a year long hiatus in San Francisco, can see it in her eyes and encourages her to explore other activities. Rosie discovers that not only does she enjoy these other activities, but she actually has an aptitude for something besides throwing daggers. Scarlett is determined to put a stop to the turning of the Potential. Silas is torn between his heart's desire & his duty.

One thing is for sure, none of these three will ever be the same & the Fenris don't stand a chance against them united.

This was an interesting twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. This time though, Little Red Riding Hood doesn't necessarily need the woodsman to save her. These girls are tough and determined. They are presented as two parts of the same heart which is very understandable given their traumatic experience as children. Put together they really would make a dynamic person, but as two individuals they can't possibly remain together forever. Silas really is just there to throw hormones into the mix. I feel like he didn't really add much to the story other than being a catalyst for Rosie & acting as eye candy.

The Fenris were an interesting group. They really were wolf-possessed men with no souls instead of a traditional werewolf. That was an unexpected element as it made the Little Red Riding Hood background make more sense. I really liked the mythology behind the Potential and how the wolves sought him & found it quite enchanting.

Jackson Pearce is really onto something with this kind of storyline and I look forward to her future works as they seem to be heading down the fables & fairy tales path.