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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.
jaymeshaw's review against another edition
1.0
I shelved this on my to-read list a bazillion years ago and I thought I could try to get through a bunch of the books on my list. Turns out, what I wanted to read 5 or so years ago is not what I want to read now. I'm sure that I would have enjoyed this a long time ago, but it just wasn't for me at this time.
DID NOT FINISH.
DID NOT FINISH.
skundrik87's review
2.0
https://librarianonthelake.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/letters-to-zell-by-camille-griep/
maddyd51's review
3.0
The princesses from our childhood grew up in Letters to Zell and you might not recognize them. For one thing, Snow White has a seriously foul mouth. In this novel, you get to catch up with Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel after their stories have ended. The focus is on how they find their way once their Pages are complete and how their decisions affect the complicated friendship that has developed through the years.
This novel was a fun and entertaining read, but I was about 25 percent through Letters to Zell before I really understood what was going on. Then the characters were not just caricatures of their fairy tale stories - they began to stand on their own. However, none of them were particularly appealing to me, so I wasn't quite sure for whom I should be rooting.
The epistolary format of this novel also seemed to fall away mid-letter at times, which was distracting. It might bother some that the correspondence is one-sided, but I found that device introduced a puzzle that needed to be figured out by the reader. Another puzzle was remembering the difference between the original stories and the Disney versions - Letters to Zell relies on the former, not the latter.
The best aspect of this book was the world building - characters from the stories of my youth were running restaurants, unicorn ranches, and bakeries. I would definitely read another book set in this world, though I would hope for at least one character who was more likable than those included in Letters to Zell. I would love to learn more about why princes seem interchangeable and how the fairy godmothers operate.
Give this novel a try if you love fairy tale retellings, but expect some foul language from our dear Snow White.
{I received an eARC copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.}
This novel was a fun and entertaining read, but I was about 25 percent through Letters to Zell before I really understood what was going on. Then the characters were not just caricatures of their fairy tale stories - they began to stand on their own. However, none of them were particularly appealing to me, so I wasn't quite sure for whom I should be rooting.
The epistolary format of this novel also seemed to fall away mid-letter at times, which was distracting. It might bother some that the correspondence is one-sided, but I found that device introduced a puzzle that needed to be figured out by the reader. Another puzzle was remembering the difference between the original stories and the Disney versions - Letters to Zell relies on the former, not the latter.
The best aspect of this book was the world building - characters from the stories of my youth were running restaurants, unicorn ranches, and bakeries. I would definitely read another book set in this world, though I would hope for at least one character who was more likable than those included in Letters to Zell. I would love to learn more about why princes seem interchangeable and how the fairy godmothers operate.
Give this novel a try if you love fairy tale retellings, but expect some foul language from our dear Snow White.
{I received an eARC copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.}
ecath's review
3.0
Zell = Rapunzel, which tells you right off this book is turning fairy tales, and their princesses--upside down. It's a book told in letters, the princesses writing to each other, which is a challenging format to maintain for such a length. Griep is best in weaving the voices here--snarky and sharp, each wholly unique and worth journeying with.
cyndiamakes's review against another edition
1.0
I got to page 6 and could not for the life of me keep reading. it was a great concept but the execution was done terribly.
mara_miriam's review
2.0
I'm sucker for re-imagined fairy tales and the novel is well paced. That said, the letter format was not entirely effective, as it left Zell as a half-formed character. Also, I found myself more interested in the fairy godmothers than in the princesses themselves, especially because their friendships were not entirely believable to me.
popestig's review against another edition
2.0
Princesses with shit relationship skills exchange letters, using dialogue from Sex in the City.
Not entirely my cup of tea.
Not entirely my cup of tea.