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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A decadently detailed read of beautiful world building and trust in the strength and goodness people hold within to give selflessly and love with abandon. Enchanting and worth settling into with curiosity and good humor.
I've read this book numerous times and I always love it. It is such a great and fantastically fleshed out retelling. And I love that the core relationships are all between women.
I have loved fairy tale retellings since I read [b:Beast|81130|Beast|Donna Jo Napoli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390039681s/81130.jpg|1170737] by Donna Jo Napoli almost 15 years ago. Last Year I read [b:Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294192311s/41424.jpg|2321285] by Robin McKinley and thought it was fairly well done, so I thought I'd try another of McKinley's fairy tales and picked this one about Sleeping Beauty. The twist that McKinley puts on the story is interesting and unlike anything else I'd ever read, and filled with a menagerie of incredible characters of both animal and human kind. However, I did not like the style of writing: too much of the book is in narrative form and I feel closer to the story through dialogue; the overuse of parenthesis nearly drive me to closing the book for good only a few chapters in; and the flowery language the author uses to tell the story is too drawn out and the syntax is confusing in some places.
This won't be a book that I hoard on my shelf and keep close to my heart, but it is one that I am glad to have read and I will continue to read McKinley's works.
This won't be a book that I hoard on my shelf and keep close to my heart, but it is one that I am glad to have read and I will continue to read McKinley's works.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sleeping Beauty at the best of times is a weak example of a princess. Growing up a in a very humble lifestyle, then BOOM BABY (enter Kuzco) she is a princess and a spindle results in a flop and and sleep.
This retelling makes our "Sleeping Beauty" tough, determined, the antithesis of faffy or frou frou. She has beast speech and is a horse leech with short hair and an even shorter temper.
Robin McKinley has a way of spinning worlds of such depth of colour, scent and sound into reality you'd swear you were walking alongside the characters.
10/10. Magic. Kick ass. Life sized fairies. Talking animals. Just... *chef kiss*
This retelling makes our "Sleeping Beauty" tough, determined, the antithesis of faffy or frou frou. She has beast speech and is a horse leech with short hair and an even shorter temper.
Robin McKinley has a way of spinning worlds of such depth of colour, scent and sound into reality you'd swear you were walking alongside the characters.
10/10. Magic. Kick ass. Life sized fairies. Talking animals. Just... *chef kiss*
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
I enjoy McKinley's imagination and creative solutions in writing. Spindle's End is retelling the tale of Sleeping Beauty and is written in a narrative style. I had read this book years ago and remembered liking it, I still enjoyed it and loved the characters.
I loved how the magic is described as scales, and there are odd saying from the land thrown in, and the variety of fairies - who, for the most part, are very practical.
It is a little odd that Katriona feels like the main character in the beginning, while Rosie is the focus by the end of the novel. The final solution feels like a whirlwind, and a bit confusing, as the animals race, the house's upheavals, the briar roses growing and jumping into the sky.
To read my full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com
I loved how the magic is described as scales, and there are odd saying from the land thrown in, and the variety of fairies - who, for the most part, are very practical.
It is a little odd that Katriona feels like the main character in the beginning, while Rosie is the focus by the end of the novel. The final solution feels like a whirlwind, and a bit confusing, as the animals race, the house's upheavals, the briar roses growing and jumping into the sky.
To read my full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No