More Covid-19 Reading

Well, since my last post (sorry it's been so long!), we've still been in semi-lockdown.  My city libraries actually opened back up for a bit, and once again, I had this weird feeling that they were going to close down again and so I made a trip and got a new haul of books the day before they announced the re-closure of all branches.  For some reason, almost all of the books I've read since my last post were at least somewhat related to fairy tales.  So if you like that sort of thing, I've got some great recommendations for you.  If it's not typically what you're into, who knows, maybe if you try one of the ones I thought were fantastic, you might improve your opinion of the genre!

The Beautiful, by Renee Ahdieh, is a fairly new book with a, well, beautiful cover.  Not fairy-tale-ish in the least (I got to those a little later).  Something about the blurb made me want to read it, but I couldn't actually remember what, so I was a bit surprised when I started reading and it was a historical fiction story.  Strike that - it was a historical fantasy story, because it had characters who were apparently vampires, but I didn't get very far in before I decided I'd rather read something else.  There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, other than the fact that I didn't really care for the male lead character, not because of his characteristics, because I am usually a sucker for the bad boy, but I guess just because of the writing, which I guess would explain why I wasn't really into the plot either.  If you like historical fantasy and books about vampires, you might want to give it a try, though.

The Dark Beneath the Ice.  I just couldn't stick with this one, folks.  It was written by Amelinda Berube, the same author as Here There Are Monsters, which I really enjoyed, but I just couldn't get into this one.  For one thing, the main character wasn't very likable.  She wasn't unlikable either, which might actually be worse, because how interesting can a book be when you can't even form an opinion about the heroine?  Also, the story just seemed to be taking absolutely forever to go anywhere, and I just didn't have the patience for that.  So.  Another book abandoned.

Blythewood, by Carol Goodman, had been on my list of books to read for like, years.  I have no idea why I never checked it out.  I couldn't even remember what it was supposed to be about, so I was once again a bit surprised when it turned out to be one of those hot angel guy books.  Only it was actually a hot angel guy book with a twist, because it was a historical fantasy book that read a lot like historical fiction, with girls at a special boarding school learning how to fight all kinds of uncanny creatures, angel (bad angel? actually demons?) types included.  In addition, there was a bit of a mystery involved, and a HUGE twist at the end that really set it apart from the other hot angel guy books I've come across.  It is actually part one in a trilogy, but even though I enjoyed this first installment, I'm not feeling an urge to go out and read the second book.  So, we'll see.  (Reading Level 6.3 / Upper Grades)

Entwined, by Heather Dixon, just might be my new favorite book.  Yes.  F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E.  It retells the story of the twelve dancing princesses, but I can't really tell you how true to the original it is, because I have never actually read the original version.  (For some reason I always hated that story when I was a kid!)  Anyway, this story does have magic, and twelve princesses who go dancing in some otherworld that they enter through the fireplace in their bedroom, and the task set to suitors to find out what is going on, and a guy who had been a soldier, and a magical invisibility cloak, so, based on what my sister-in-law told me, I think it is pretty true to the original.  What I know, though, is that it was amazing!  Everything about the story was fantastic, and the icing on the cake was the unique personalities of each princess.  And the craziest thing is that it didn't really read like a fairy tale, so if you are not really into fairy tales but enjoy historical fantasy, you will love it anyway.  OMG, this book was perfect.  Go read it, if you haven't already!  (Reading Level 5.0 / Middle Grade +)

Strands of Bronze and Gold, by Jane Nickerson, was supposed to be a retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale.  Once again, I've never read the original, but if you read my last post, I told you about a book that was a (kind of?) twisted tale of the same story, so I'm aware of the general gist of it.  This one was set in the antebellum South, and it was a very good work of historical fiction.  Notice I didn't say historical fantasy, because there really wasn't any magic going on.  It just took the main concepts of the story (minus the magic) and used that for the plot.  So basically it was about a red-headed girl who goes to live with her utterly charming godfather, who just so happens to be a sociopath who might have killed all of his ex-wives, all of whom had red hair, just like the girl in the story.  It was surprisingly good, especially considering the fact that I thought her earlier book fell a bit flat.  And to think, I'd had a brand-new copy of it on my bookshelf for over a year now, ever since I got it on a clearance sale for like, two dollars.  (Reading Level 5.8 / Upper Grades)

Tear You Apart, by Sarah Cross, is the companion novel to Kill Me Softly, the twisted tale I just mentioned.  Whereas I had a love-hate relationship with the first book, I absolutely LOVED this one.  It took the story of two of the side characters from the first book and ran with it, and it was so brilliantly done, it is now also one of my favorite books of all time.  (Yes, I've already purchased my own copy!)  It follows the character Viv, who has a Snow White curse, and Henley, her best friend/boyfriend who has been cursed to be her huntsman.  Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that, when it comes time to kill her and take her heart to the queen, he will actually spare her like in the Disney version of the story.  As you might imagine, this causes a lot or relationship angst for the two of them.  It is this dynamic between the two, and the achingly beautiful/sorrowful situation that makes the book so great.  There is only one problem:  there are quite a few references to characteristics of the "cursed," as well as cameos of the major characters from the first book, and none of it is going to make a whole lot of sense if you haven't read  . . . the first book.  Yes, the one that I was so conflicted about.  My suggestion?  Grab a copy of both, read the first one quickly, and then start the second one immediately, before you say, nah, it can't possibly be any better (I almost didn't check it out myself!!!), and then savor every wonderful minute of it.  (Reading Level 5.1 / Upper Grades)

House of Salt and Sorrows, wouldn't you know, was another Twelve Dancing Princesses story.  (I didn't mention it, but that fairy tale actually played a part in the book I just told you about!)  So, it was a fairy tale retold.  But Erin Craig couldn't just do a traditional retelling.  No, she had to tweak the status of the girls, who were the daughters of a Duke instead of princesses, and she had to make a thoroughly unique setting, which was an island dukedom full of seafaring people, and she had to make it a mix of traditional English customs and fantasy religious beliefs, and theeeeen she had to throw in this utterly bizarre horror story element.  It was crazy - but crazy good as well!  Once again, fans of historical fiction, historical fantasy, horror stories, and fairy tales as well should really enjoy this book.  (Reading Level 5.0 / Upper Grades)

The Bone Houses is the second book I've read by Emily Lloyd-Jones.  Her first book was a weird kind of supernatural fantasy/science fiction mix, with such a poignant reveal in the last chapter that I just had to buy my own copy.  This book was also an interesting mix: the reviews on the book jacket call it "a horror-drenched fairy tale" and say that it is "reminiscent of the Grimm Brothers, the Brontes, and Neil Gaiman," and the blurb inside the book jacket says it is "equal parts classic horror novel and original fairy tale."  All are absolutely true, because this book is a zombie apocalypse/fairy tale mashup.  But it doesn't feel like your average zombie story AT ALL.  There just so happens to be a bunch of risen dead, but they have risen because of magic.  And there is a grave-digging girl and a map-making boy, and they both have a secret from their past, and they set out together to stop the fantasy zombies, and then there is such a poignant twist at the end that you want to just run out and buy a copy for your home library because you know you will want to read it several more times in your life and once it is out of print you won't be able to find a copy again.  Guess what?  This is the third new addition to my all-time favorites list in the past month.  How does that even happen?!   (Reading Level ? / Middle Grade +)

So that's all I managed to read over the last seven weeks or so.  Hopefully I can find a way to pick up the pace a bit; otherwise I'll only have four books to share if I put up a new post in a month like I am supposed to!