Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik   469 pages

I’m always willing to give an author a chance to challenge my first impressions of their work, so I tried a second title by Naomi Novik. Spinning Silver holds all the ingredients of a magic spell, but the execution leaves one cold and unsatisfied. 

Novik introduces three daring female protagonists in this clever re-imagining of Rumpelstiltskin. Here is a realm of magic and mysticism, of cruelty and heartbreak, fringed with glittering ice and populated with creatures carved from the wildest corners of the imagination. The initial chapters titillate with high stakes, compelling characters, and enchanting descriptions and details, but the narrative is soon bogged down by several ruinous flaws.

Despite encountering wondrous and unexpected forms of magic, Novik's characters are neither astonished nor surprised. Their flat response evokes a perpetual sense of apathy, a problem that's exacerbated by glacial pacing, further compounded by two of the female protagonists having such similar plot lines as to feel redundant.

The final nail in the coffin - or icicle in the heart - is the inclusion of multiple Points of View. Novik opens with two primary voices, but more characters are introduced as the story progresses. A change in POV is indicated by an icon of a spinning wheel, but the speaker is not identified and new character voices are dropped without preamble. Not only does this create extra work and confusion, Novik elects to recount scenes from varied perspectives, resulting in even more redundancy.

Overall, Spinning Silver holds all the ingredients of a magic spell, but the execution leaves one cold and unsatisfied. 

Posted by: Regina C.  

Uprooted

Uprooted by Naomi Novik   438 pages

This book has been highly reviewed butI felt the only thing that has been uprooted is my interest. The hype hooked me:  a fairytale retelling with a spooky forest and a mysterious castle and an enigmatic wizard and a village with a  creepy tradition of gifting a young woman to said  enigmatic wizard every ten years. I don’t know if it’s the incessant foul weather or stay-at-home tedium, but I am struggling to appreciate the books I’m reading during this pandemic hiatus, and this one failed to live up to its hype. I really love the idea, but it almost feels like a rough draft that I would better appreciate when a final copy is polished.

The heroine, Agnieszka, a perpetually filthy klutz, the epitome of the overused clumsy heroine trope, has no explored personality or depth and never becomes  more interesting than her flaws. So when this character transitions from “Who, me?” to “I know all the magics!” her triumphs seem sudden and unearned and  out of character. All other characters were equally undeveloped and reduced to one dimensional stereotypes. 

I’m hesitant to mention the ‘romance’ element, if that’s what it can even be called. There was no emotional undercurrent, no physical attraction, no sexual tension. The Dragon’s role as a romantic interest can only be described as classic Stockholm Syndrome; verbal and emotional abuse is not alluring, no matter how it is delivered or for what reasons. It’s as if the author was putting in scenes to check off a prescribed formula of story requirements: awkward heroine ✔, mysterious wizard ✔, evil archetype ✔, capricious romance ✔.

Overall, I really like the premise of the story, but it almost feels like a rough draft that I would better appreciate when a final copy is polished. Maybe fantasy lovers can overlook the mediocre writing, but it’s not a book I would recommend above others.

Posted By: Regina C.  

Rapunzel and the Vanishing Village

Rapunzel and the Vanishing Village: A Tangled Novel by Leila Howland     Audio Book:  5hours, 48 minutes       Hardback Book:  288 pages         

I am a fan of the Tangled version of the Rapunzel story so this adventure was right up my alley.    Rapunzel is out of the tower the witch had imprisoned her in and craves an adventure to get away from her kingdom and seek out some new experiences, having been deprived of being out of the world so long.    So she, her boyfriend, Eugene, her best friend, Cassandra and accompanying pets set off on an adventure with good and bad results along the way.    Stopping off to check out a village that is said to be the birth place of the Flynn Rider books, they get way more than they bargained for.    There are strange and mysterious goings on and disappearances within the village of Harmony Glen.   People are said to just up and leave home from time to time without an explaination, ie. the sister of one young man, the fiance' of a young woman who is heartbroken and finally Cassandra herself ups and leaves with no word.   What the heck is going on?   All mysteries will be revealed I just don't want to spoil the story for anyone.    Good Rapunzel story.  Leila Howland has captured the true essence of good fairytale telling.   I recommend this to young and old a good fairytale and mystery story in one.     

 - Shirley J

Finding Baba Yaga

Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen     144 pages

From Goodreads:

A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself....

A mythic yet timely novel-in-verse by the beloved and prolific author and poet Jane Yolen, “the Hans Christian Andersen of America.”

Yolen reinvents the classic tale of Baba Yaga with a modern twist, and poetry. I loved the texture of words Yolen created, mixing soft with rough, kind with unkind. You could really get a sense of Tash's turmoil, her sense of self. Her character growth is well developed, from afraid and weak to strong and confident under the Baba's tutelage. 

There are some wonderfully playful elements to this story, between Tash and Vasilisa, and even with Baba Yaga. Yolen plays with modern elements, like with Baba Yaga's upgraded house elements, but still keeps much of the traditional story, like Baba Yaga teaching the girls to fly with the mortar and pestle. All the fun, interesting bits of Baba Yaga lore are there for fans to see, but Yolen also does a good job of ushering a new generation of Baba Yaga enthusiasts into the story, giving time to explain some of the more traditional elements of Baba Yaga's story. 

I really enjoyed this book, and once again, Yolen really hooked me into this modern fantasy world.

Mirrored

Mirrored by Alex Flinn, 374 pages

“Celine's life is the stuff fairy tales are made of. She's beautiful, talented, and brave. Unfortunately, her tale comes complete with a wicked stepmother! When Violet steps into Celine's life, everything changes and weird things begin to happen to her--bizarre accidents, strange illnesses, and rabid animal attacks. Celine doesn't feel safe anywhere. It's almost as if some hateful witch is out to get her. And there is. Violet has been waiting all her life to have Celine's father to herself. Getting rid of his gorgeous daughter is child's play for a witch as powerful as she is. Happy-ever-after isn't enough for Violet. She wants to be the fairest of them all, and Celine is in the way . . . but not for long. Forced to take refuge with her friend Goose and his family, Celine gives up everything she loves and goes deep undercover. But will it be enough to fool Violet, or will Celine's fate be decided by a reflection in a magic mirror? And where do you find Prince Charming in Miami anyway? Mirrored is a modern retelling of Snow White--told from the points of view of Violet, Celine, and Goose--with all the magic and mystery readers will love.” Flinn is a good storyteller and her fairy-tale retellings are excellent. Teens who enjoy fantasy and fairy tales will want to read this.

A Wild Swan: and Other Tales

A Wild Swan: and Other Tales, by Michael Cunningham, 144 pages

I think that part of what I love so much about fairy tales and the re-telling/re-imagining of them is that there is so much room for elaboration and creativity.  What we have with fairy tales is a shared story- everyone knows the foundation- but the author can really develop a completely new, never-before-seen house on that foundation.  I did not find this particular collection of stories to offer much in the way of interesting re-tellings- but for one story about Rumpelstiltskin that painted him in a way I had never considered before.  But aside from that, the stories are very well-written and the short length of the book may be a compelling enough reason for some to pick it up and give it a look-over.

Fairest

Fairest, by Marissa Meyer, 222 pages

I will admit it- one of my guilty pleasure readings is fairy tale retellings.  I enjoyed the rest of the Lunar Chronicles series, and I'm waiting on the release of Winter (come on, already!).  This will tide me over for now, and was actually an interesting, even somewhat sympathetic, take on Levana's story.  Levana is, of course, the evil queen of the Moon, but she parallels the story of the evil queen of the Snow White tale.  Let's just say that she was not always terrible... but there's definitely no redemption in store for her.

East

East by Edith Pattou, 498 pages 

East is a lengthy retelling of the classic fairy tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon."  The likeable protagonist Rose is a north born child.  This means she is destined for traveling, wandering ways and adventure.  It also means she is a bit of a challenge to her parents who had hoped she would be a biddable East born daughter.   Switching perspectives between Rose, her brother, and her father allows the reader to see Rose from the vantage point of those who love her.  Unfortunately, these added perspectives slow down the pacing of the book and do not contribute enough to the plot to make their presence necessary.  The only shifting perspective that really adds anything to Rose's story is that of the White Bear.  The reader first means the mysterious White Bear when it rescues Rose from a frozen lake as a toddler.  Over the years, the connection between girl and bear grows, until one night the White Bear appears at Rose's front door and offers to take her away in exchange for a life free of want for her parents and siblings.  Despite her family's objections, Rose goes with the White Bear not only to save them but because of her own wanderlust and the strange connection she feels with the bear.

The story then slows down considerably as Rose and the White Bear live together in a hidden mountain lodge which she thinks of as a castle.  She relates her daily life in the castle as it is filled with sewing beautiful gowns, learning to communicate with the bear, enjoying his instrument room, and sleeping with a mysterious, unidentified stranger each night.  Oh, and there are trolls and a strange troll drink called slank that manages to enrapture any who consume it.  The action doesn't pick up again until Rose decides to stay up one night to figure out her bedfellow.  By the light of her candle, she realizes the man who shares her bed is none other than the White Bear in man form!  Then, she drops the tallow on his shirt,  harkening for the Troll Queen to come claim her prize.  The man is whisked away, and Rose is left alone and lonely.  She immediately embarks on a epic journey across land, snow and ice to reunite with her White Bear.  This is by far the most engaging part of the book as Rose encounters a variety of characters along the way from Njord (Norway) and Fransk (France) to Greenland and Huldre (the troll kingdom) and finds her own courage and strength as she battles the elements for survival.  She eventually reunites with the White Bear now known as Myk (in human form).  I won't give away any more of the ending in case anyone is unfamiliar with the tale, but let's just say I was a little disappointed.  In addition to all her other life skills, it seems Rose's two most important attributes are her ability to sew well and wash garments.  People interested in reading all possible fairy tale retellings might be interested in reading East, otherwise this version does little to improve on the original. 

Once Upon The End

Once Upon The End by James Riley, 373 pages

This is the third and final book in the series that starts with Half Upon A Time. I found the series a little confusing, actually. The story itself was pretty good but by the time this book starts all of the main characters have separated so we are following each of their stories individually and switching between them. Jack has apparently joined the Evil Queen and is now an Eye, a knight who has pledged his loyalty to her. May and Phillip are also separated because Phillip has left to try to save his kingdom from the giants. May is being held by the Queen, who is trying to get May to agree to be her heir. The series wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t rush to put it into the hands of kids, necessarily. Fans of fantasy would probably enjoy it if they were running out of other choices. I would definitely read these in order.

The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute by P. Craig Russell, adapted from the opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 138 pages

Most of us are familiar with at least some of the music to Mozart's comic opera, since it can be heard everywhere from Gossip Girl to Eat Pray Love to The Simpsons.  I have to admit, however, that I didn't know the story the opera tells until I read this graphic novel adaptation (although the adaptation apparently changes certain details).  Many other operas, like Don Giovanni or Otello or Dialogue of the Carmelites, have relatively simple plots that are easy to grasp.  Not so the comic fairytale that is The Magic Flute.

The hero is Tamino, a prince who receives a mission from the Queen of Night to rescue her daughter, Pamina, from her captor, Sarastro.  He is accompanied on this quest by a cowardly bird-catcher, Papageno, and given a magic flute.  But nothing is as it seems, for Sarastro is on the side of good, the Queen is corrupt, the light is failing, and the flute is the key to it all.

The art is good, and although the plot is threadbare, it is entertaining enough, and more authentically fairytale-like than most of the new wave of revisionist fairytales.  Above all, its a short, easy, enjoyable way to gain greater appreciation for one of the world's greatest musical works.  Russell apparently did a whole series of graphic adaptations of great operas, but sadly this is the only one the library owns.

Steadfast

Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey, 298 pages

The most recent Elemental Masters novel, this book follows Katie, who is running away from the circus. Katie has been a part of the show with her parents for most of her life. After her parents died, the head of the circus convinced her to marry the strongman, Dick. Finally fed up with Dick beating her and cheating on her, Katie left and found refuge with another show. As a magician’s assistant, she has freedom, her own funds, and friends. Not to mention, she has become aware that she has real magic and she has found a teacher for that too. But she lives in fear that Dick will track her down. This was a very good book and fans of fantasy and fairy tale retellings will enjoy it.

Far Far Away

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal  371 pages

'What Follows is the strange and fateful tale of a boy, a girl, and a ghost." 

This is how the tale of Jeremy Johnson Johnson and the ghost of Jacob Grimm begins.  A National Book award finalist, this young adult novel is described as a contemporary fairy tale that readers of Neil Gaiman would like.  I found it to be an enjoyable read, especially for young adults.

Jeremy is able to hear the voice of Jacob Grimm, one of the Brothers Grimm who compiles the famous catalog of fairy tales.  Jacob mentors Jeremy and tries to protect him from an unknown evil.  When Jeremy starts to hang out with Ginger Boultinghouse, Jacob finds himself unable to protect Jeremy from the evil intentions of a shadowy figure known as the Finder of Occasions.  Jacob must face his past if he wishes to save Jeremy and Ginger.

The Witch’s Guide To Cooking With Children

The Witch’s Guide To Cooking With Children by Keith McGowan, 180 pages

Everyone knows that story of Hansel and Gretel, but what most people don’t know is that the witch from the story survived and is still around today, willing to take your children off your hands. Sol and Connie may be about to find this out the hard way, because their father and stepmother may be ready to turn them over to the witch and the witch has lots of recipes for children in her little book.