Rating: Excellent! (5)

If you think you know fairy tales, think again! The original fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm will shock you with how different they are from what you've seen in the movies. You occasional catch a happily ever after, but more often than not you just get a hard to swallow lesson about how to be a better person. This book is wonderful; containing some old favorites but also some lesser known stories that are just as wonderful. So, if you're looking for an easy and interesting read, this book is for you!

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Find this Book in the Library Catalog (V-Cat):

"Grimm's Fairy Tales" by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm

]]> Danielle D, Thu, 16 Jan 2014 13:01:58 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=113&BlogPostID=13134

Rating: Just Okay (3)

The Brides of Rollrock Island tells a tale of an island that has no women. Or rather, they have beautiful women who are born of seals and magic.

There are multiple POVs in the book, including the witch who creates the seal women, sons, and husbands. But never any seal women.

This is not a book of happiness. At it's happiness, it is bittersweet. It is a book about revenge, sorrow, and despair. It is a dark fairy tale.

The book will leave angry and sad about the cruelty of human nature.

It takes a few chapters to really get into the book.
 

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"The Brides Of Rollrock Island" by Margo Lanagan

]]> Temi B. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:30:59 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=113&BlogPostID=13127

Rating: Excellent! (5)

Sword fighting, royalty, death, true love, a Zoo of Death... all of these are combined to form a masterpiece. Princess Buttercup, crushed by the death of her true love, reluctantly gets engaged to Prince Humperink. Little does she know that she is only a pawn in a war game. While the story is captivating, it is also slightly complicated- after all, she is kidnapped (by a giant, a philosopher, and a Spaniard), kidnapped from the kidnappers by a pirate, forced to wed Humperdink, rescued from the Prince by her former kidnappers, and eventually finds true love again. Looking for a good read? This book is it!

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"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

]]> Hannah A. Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:48:55 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=113&BlogPostID=12627

Rating: Excellent! (5)

It doesn't take long to decipher which fantasy princess this well written retelling is about. With a heroine beautiful both inside and out, and her rescuer willing to put his life on the line for her, this story sweeps you off your feet. The details and twists hold you captive as you wait to see if Sophie is really the duke's daughter, and if she and handsome Gabehart will escape alive with their heads and hearts intact. Read this lively, passionate book to find out that God's plan for two young people may not be what everyone would expect.

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Find this Book in our Library Catalog (V-Cat):
The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

 

]]> Abigail H. Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:58:48 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=113&BlogPostID=12480

]]> Abigail H. Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:49:22 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=113&BlogPostID=12280

Rating: Excellent! (5)

A beastly lord. A beautiful lady made a servant. Throw a slighted bailif into the mix, and you have a marvelous retelling of Beauty and the Beast. "A Merchant's Daughter" holds its own with humorous dialoge, spine-tingling threats, and love that's formed from beauty that is not outward, but inward. Read the book for yourself, and who knows what other lessons you can pull from its script.

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Find this Book in our Library Catalog (V-Cat):
The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

 

]]> Abigail H. Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:12:01 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=113&BlogPostID=12265

Rating: Just Okay (3)

We all know and dream about Peter Pan and the lost boys, but do we know what happens before Wendy arrives? This is Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell's story. Tiger Lily is found under a bush as a baby, and adopted by the tribe's shaman. But always the tribe people whisper about the silent, strong girl behind her back. Tinker Bell's curiosity draws her to this brave, prickly girl, and the two embark on a strange and sad adventure. Tiger Lily falls in love with the most unlikely of beings, a pirate loves her enough to kill her, mermaids are mean, and Peter Pan can't really fly, but that doesn't make him any less of a boy. Your heart will be squeezed and trampled on along with Tiger Lily's as you read this book. I'm grateful for the happy ending, but indignant over the trials Tiger Lily and Tink had to go through in order to get there.

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Find this Book in our Library Catalog (V-Cat):
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

]]> Abigail H. Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:49:23 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=113&BlogPostID=12224

Rating: Excellent! (5)

'I am just a woodcutter's daughter.' Rose is convinced that she will never have a love that her friend Hildy fantasizes about all the time. After all, she is just a poor woodcutter's daughter, now the healer's apprentice. So when she has to help care for the injured Lord Hamlin she refuses to entertain any daydreams about him, or his kind manner, or his deep blue eyes... She knows that he is engaged to the mysterious princess who is nowhere to be found. Despite herself, she begins to fall in love with him. When she finally realizes this fact, will it be too late? The plot thickens as an unexpected turn of events threatens the safety of everyone Rose has come to care for.

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Find this Book in our Library Catalog (V-Cat):
The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

 

]]> Hannah A. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:18:01 GMT