Review: Once Upon a [Stolen] Time

Title: Once Upon a [Stolen] Time
Author: Samreen Ahsan
Format: Kindle (e-book)
Pages: 
Date(s) Read: July 15, 2016
Rating: 3

Summary: 

600 years separate Myra Farrow and Edward Hue.  She living in the modern world and obsessed with Medieval castles, princes, kings, and everything involving them.  Edward, living in darkness and ruled by his tyrannical father, who hopes to craft him into a model of himself.   Can Myra save Edward or will she destroy him?

Review: 

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

I do have to admit I do like Myra quite a bit, considering she does not suffer from Snowflake or Mary Sue syndrome.  She is interesting and I do quite like her.  She's grounded and there is an emotional connection with her.  Steven however, I'm not entirely thrilled with considering that he isn't completely honest with Myra about his intentions for her.  Though, he doesn't lie about using her as the main character for his video game based on Hue Castle. 

Hue Castle is somewhere that intrigues me greatly, and in all honesty I want to walk its barren darkness and submerge myself in its history.  There are secrets that thrive within those walls, disappearances (mainly of its last inhabitants as well as others), and the fact that there is absolutely no life within the abandoned walls of this castle.  The cameras cannot capture anything within the boundaries, and there is also a mirror within the castle's chapel.  The mirror was some how preserved from the fire that destroyed everything else - however the reflection within the mirror does not match the reality that it should. 

The reality within the mirror brings several questions to the fore, and begin Myra's search for the truth.  Just a few of the questions that Myra must answer in her search are: 
1. Why is everything within the castle's borders dead? 
2. Who is the man in the mirror?
3. Why is she the only one that can see and feel him?
4. How does he seem to know her?
5. Why can she not forget him?

He should have died six hundred years ago, and yet Myra and Edward share the same eyes. 

The story falls into a few tropes, however, the story was well crafted and one that I did enjoy.  However, this installment doesn't necessarily strike me initially as one based around romance, instead a mystery that needs to be solved and then other things can happen once that's done. 

The prose was delightful, and I could easily picture myself within the world crafted and living the mysterious moments with them.  Their emotions weren't superficial, and the characters actually had quite a bit of depth to them.  

I am looking forward to the next installment in this story, the continuation of the interactions between Myra, Edward and Steven. 

Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Witches of East End

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Format: E-book (Kindle)

Date Read: December 5-7, 2013

Rating: 3/5

Recommend: Maybe

Summary: The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid, live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

Review: 

Okay, so I've become addicted to the television show based on this book.  I am, however not a fan of this book.  It took me a bit to get into it, but ultimately I did end up finishing it in about a day and a half or so (minus a few hours of probably much needed sleep).  I much prefer some of the nuisances of the television show, and definitely prefer the characters as they are portrayed on the television show better than they are portrayed in print - which is ABSOLUTELY something that is unheard of coming from me. 

I do like the characters, don't get me wrong, I just prefer the versions of the characters from the -television- show rather than those exposed in print. Lynch me if you must! 

Review: Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister

Title:  Philippa Fisher’s Fairy Godsister (Philipa Fisher #1)
Author:  Liz Kessler
Rating:  3/5

Summary: Philippa Fisher is just your average eleven-and-a-half-year-old girl. She's a bit shy and not the most popular girl at school. But all that changes one day when a new girl named Daisy arrives at school and reluctantly confesses that she is Philippa's very own fairy godsister.
Unfortunately for Philippa, Daisy is a fairy who is not too fond of humans, and so she is not pleased about having to help Philippa. In fact, she wants nothing more than to grant Philippa her three wishes quickly so that she can move on to a new assignment.
However, things are not that simple. Philippa and Daisy just cannot seem to get along, and Philippa's wishes keep making her life worse rather that better. Will Philippa and Daisy be able to come together to solve the mess they have created before it is too late?  (Taken from goodreads.com)

Review:  A couple of things irked me about this book, but not so much to put me off reading it or recommending it if the need arose.  The title comes from one line in the book, and it is the only time any reference to it is made, otherwise it is the standard cookie-cutter reference of “fairy godmother” when speaking of Daisy (our Fairy God-mother or –sister).  Daisy is only referenced as a fairy godsister simply because of her closeness in age to eleven year old Phillipa Fisher, daughter of scatterbrained, artsy parents. 

The story is cute, but tends to rely a bit too much on message, and cramming as many life lessons as possible into the book.  This, unfortunately reduces the plot to little more than a checklist of things that need to be done.  It is not a book that I probably would have remembered if I’d read as a kid, even now, having read it 4 months ago, some of the details are sketchy at best.  If there had not been the reduction into the former formalities of “fairy godmotherdom” and it had remained light-hearted and stayed in the realm of “fairy godsisterdom” it would have been much, much more entertaining and would have left me with a more lasting impression.

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