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mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Another that I read for the Endeavour Awards.
This one I wanted to hate. First of all because it was a book told all in letters. And primarily to a single recipient, who we never hear back from home. And then more so because it's letters to Rapunzel from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Sigh.
And the plot is a train-wreck.
But the story is pretty good. And the characters end up way more believable than they should have been. Which basically shows you that starting from a known point doesn't mean you have to end at a known point.
So not my kind of book. And I don't know who's book it would be. But not bad. 3.5 of 5.
This one I wanted to hate. First of all because it was a book told all in letters. And primarily to a single recipient, who we never hear back from home. And then more so because it's letters to Rapunzel from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Sigh.
And the plot is a train-wreck.
But the story is pretty good. And the characters end up way more believable than they should have been. Which basically shows you that starting from a known point doesn't mean you have to end at a known point.
So not my kind of book. And I don't know who's book it would be. But not bad. 3.5 of 5.
ahaynie's review against another edition
3.0
Despite what should have been a very obvious title, for some reason I didn't realize this book is entirely written in a series of letters. I personally am not a big fan of letter books, because honestly, who writes a letter detailing personal conversations in book form? It always takes away a bit of the reality I'd like to feel (she says about a fairy tale book).
With that being said, however, I did like the story. It was interesting and funny, with lots of dramatic twists and turns. The princesses were all very different and they each felt differently about their stories and the princes they ended up with. The ending was touching and I even got choked up a little.
With that being said, however, I did like the story. It was interesting and funny, with lots of dramatic twists and turns. The princesses were all very different and they each felt differently about their stories and the princes they ended up with. The ending was touching and I even got choked up a little.
fyredragyn's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the few books I've read in quite awhile that has had me still thinking about the book and the issues raised in it every time I had to put it down and now still after I've finished it. The story is of imperfect women and their imperfect princes trying to find that happily ever after they were promised... even though now they're not so sure that's what they want anymore. Modern issues about love, expectations, and growing up all weave together for an ending that is both heart breaking and hopeful.
Initially I didn't love the letter format, especially not getting to see Zell's responses. But by the 2nd or 3rd chapter it was no longer an annoying device. You could feel Zell's absence in her friends' lives and I kind of liked getting 2-3 perspectives on the same events. And at the end, the letter format is the perfect answer.
Initially I didn't love the letter format, especially not getting to see Zell's responses. But by the 2nd or 3rd chapter it was no longer an annoying device. You could feel Zell's absence in her friends' lives and I kind of liked getting 2-3 perspectives on the same events. And at the end, the letter format is the perfect answer.
ninas_nook's review against another edition
4.0
Originally found on www.booksarelifereviews.com
We all love fairy tale retellings, and this book is a very different take on the classic stories we have been told and it puts a different twist on all of the loved characters. It is told through a different lens as it is written in a series of letters to Zell (Rapunzel) from her closest friends.
Initially this form of story telling was hard to follow for me. I don't often read books told in letter form, so I wasn't used to the style and it made things confusing for me. This feeling passed the farther into the book I went and eventually I didn't notice the story style and became used to it.
The characters were very different than the perfect creatures we are shown in the stories we know. I expect this from retellings, but the unhappiness that was felt by each "princess" was somewhat surprising but it definitely wasn't unwelcome. I enjoyed seeing this potential other side that felt like a "behind the scenes look."
I really liked the idea of their "pages" that they have to finish. These story characters essentially must complete their pages before they are allowed to live their own life -- and even then they are stuck with the life their pages gave them. Their pages reflect the stories we know, but they aren't always life choices the characters are happy with.
We have princesses who are living double lives, and who are unsatisfied living in their storybook -- which is a story I can get behind!
CeCe (Cinderella) was struggling to decide what she truly wants to do with her life, Aurora (Rory) is desperate to please her husband who she really doesn't like too much, and Bianca (Snow White) misses her father and is marrying a guy because it fits into her "pages." The drama was out there, the characters at times confusing, but ultimately this story was good for those interested in fairy tale retellings mixed with The Real World.
They are able to travel to our world which was an added aspect I enjoyed, and though the princesses struggle with who they are and want to be, it was an interesting story filled with bumps and turns!
Overall: If you're a fan of fairy-tale retellings you should check this one out! It is a very original and interesting take on modern day princesses struggling to complete their pages and live their life at the same time.
We all love fairy tale retellings, and this book is a very different take on the classic stories we have been told and it puts a different twist on all of the loved characters. It is told through a different lens as it is written in a series of letters to Zell (Rapunzel) from her closest friends.
Initially this form of story telling was hard to follow for me. I don't often read books told in letter form, so I wasn't used to the style and it made things confusing for me. This feeling passed the farther into the book I went and eventually I didn't notice the story style and became used to it.
The characters were very different than the perfect creatures we are shown in the stories we know. I expect this from retellings, but the unhappiness that was felt by each "princess" was somewhat surprising but it definitely wasn't unwelcome. I enjoyed seeing this potential other side that felt like a "behind the scenes look."
I really liked the idea of their "pages" that they have to finish. These story characters essentially must complete their pages before they are allowed to live their own life -- and even then they are stuck with the life their pages gave them. Their pages reflect the stories we know, but they aren't always life choices the characters are happy with.
We have princesses who are living double lives, and who are unsatisfied living in their storybook -- which is a story I can get behind!
CeCe (Cinderella) was struggling to decide what she truly wants to do with her life, Aurora (Rory) is desperate to please her husband who she really doesn't like too much, and Bianca (Snow White) misses her father and is marrying a guy because it fits into her "pages." The drama was out there, the characters at times confusing, but ultimately this story was good for those interested in fairy tale retellings mixed with The Real World.
They are able to travel to our world which was an added aspect I enjoyed, and though the princesses struggle with who they are and want to be, it was an interesting story filled with bumps and turns!
Overall: If you're a fan of fairy-tale retellings you should check this one out! It is a very original and interesting take on modern day princesses struggling to complete their pages and live their life at the same time.
magdon's review against another edition
4.0
I thought it was going to be fluffy but not at all. Funny and sad.
shogins's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book - it's epistolary! it's about fairy tales! - but ultimately the execution didn't live up to the concept for me.
lberestecki's review
3.0
I'm not totally sure how I felt about this book. On the one hand, it was definitely an interesting take on fairy tale retellings, and the story did emotionally affect me. On the other hand, the characters were generally pretty annoying and I found the whole book to be rather heavy handed. Also the way everyone treated Maro bothered me a lot - like clearly she wasn't a great person, but I felt like she was getting treated much worse than Henry even though they were both at fault.
Overall, I think it's a book that is worth reading if you like fairy tale retellings and can find it for cheap.
Received from NetGalley.
Overall, I think it's a book that is worth reading if you like fairy tale retellings and can find it for cheap.
Received from NetGalley.
amyjoy's review
3.0
This was an enjoyable read but didn't have as much depth I had hoped it would, which isn't necessarily a bad thing; I LOVE light, fluffy reads, and this is definitely one of those. But I feel like the author could have done so much MORE with these characters. I appreciated that Bianca is totally into girls, and no one bats an eye or raises an eyebrow. Also, she's totally my favorite princess. Totally great. The ending felt really rushed and fell pretty flat for me. Like ...
Spoiler
the big resolution to Rory's story is that she ... goes to sleep for another 100 years? Way to just totally avoid your problems. Perhaps that's uncharitable, but it really felt like an authorial cop-out.wordnerdy's review
4.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2015/05/2015-book-126.html
I'm prone to liking books that rework fairy tales, and this one isn't the usual YA fare--instead, it focuses on adult princesses trying to deal when their happy-ever-afters aren't actually that happy. The whole thing is told in letters to Rapunzel, who has left their fairy tale town to run a unicorn preserve, from Cinderella (who longs to be a chef), Snow White (who's being forced to marry a guy who's just a friend), and Sleeping Beauty (her marriage is . . . not great). Now, the letters thing doesn't always work--a lot of them read like, well, book chapters, and not actual letters to a person (they tend to pick up where the last person left off, which means the story moves along, but it's not really authentic). Still, there are some genuinely moving moments, and the characters are great--I am THERE for a foul-mouthed, bisexual Snow White who is perpetually flipping everyone off. This is better than it has any right to be. B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in July.
I'm prone to liking books that rework fairy tales, and this one isn't the usual YA fare--instead, it focuses on adult princesses trying to deal when their happy-ever-afters aren't actually that happy. The whole thing is told in letters to Rapunzel, who has left their fairy tale town to run a unicorn preserve, from Cinderella (who longs to be a chef), Snow White (who's being forced to marry a guy who's just a friend), and Sleeping Beauty (her marriage is . . . not great). Now, the letters thing doesn't always work--a lot of them read like, well, book chapters, and not actual letters to a person (they tend to pick up where the last person left off, which means the story moves along, but it's not really authentic). Still, there are some genuinely moving moments, and the characters are great--I am THERE for a foul-mouthed, bisexual Snow White who is perpetually flipping everyone off. This is better than it has any right to be. B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in July.
libraryvee's review
3.0
Books told in letter form (as in, the story is revealed through "letters" the characters write to each other) are really not my thing. "Letters to Zell" uses this format, which maybe hindered my enjoyment, but this is personal bias.
Camille Griep has taken some standard classic fairy tale characters (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Rapunzel) and turned them upside down. In her version, these girls are close friends, and desperately struggling to find out whether school/marriage/life is as "happily ever after" as it's expected to be. When their friend Rapunzel "Zell" leaves suddenly, leaving behind only a note and no contact, they must come to grips with their fairy tale existence.
It sounds cliche, but it's not. These women have struggles that are surprisingly identifiable in marriage and in adjusting to new situations. I was surprised how often the book surprised me!
It's fun, and original, but still probably only a good read for those who enjoy fairy tale characters.
Camille Griep has taken some standard classic fairy tale characters (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Rapunzel) and turned them upside down. In her version, these girls are close friends, and desperately struggling to find out whether school/marriage/life is as "happily ever after" as it's expected to be. When their friend Rapunzel "Zell" leaves suddenly, leaving behind only a note and no contact, they must come to grips with their fairy tale existence.
It sounds cliche, but it's not. These women have struggles that are surprisingly identifiable in marriage and in adjusting to new situations. I was surprised how often the book surprised me!
It's fun, and original, but still probably only a good read for those who enjoy fairy tale characters.