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shereadstales's review
4.0
Quick thank you to NetGalley and Less Than Three Press for the review copy of this one.
Once upon a time, there was a princess held captive by a dragon. A prince came along, slayed the dragon, and saved his lady love. He whisked her back to his kingdom where they were to be wed. A water fairy stole the prince away, and the princess then set off to save her love through a series of trials. But that’s not really what happened.
What if the princess wasn’t a princess at all? And what if she felt she had to save the prince out of duty and not true love? And what if the water fairy wasn’t the villain everyone made her out to be? What then?
I read Ripples of Smoke and Water in one day, and I probably could have read it on a single sitting if I hadn’t kept getting interrupted. What a delightful tale. It takes elements from some classic fairy tales and lore and turns them on their heads.
Oakes gives us a lady who was saved by a prince but also who is the only one brave enough to save him in return. She gives us a lady who is saved by a prince but doesn’t let that define the rest of her life. She gives us a lady who is saved by a prince but becomes a much stronger person for it.
It’s only 128 pages and was the perfect getaway in between some longer works that I am tackling of late. I obviously loved the characters, even the prince a little. Sure, he’s still a dude, but he’s kind of charming and genuinely cares about his people and his princess, even if he doesn’t really love her, either.
Once upon a time, there was a princess held captive by a dragon. A prince came along, slayed the dragon, and saved his lady love. He whisked her back to his kingdom where they were to be wed. A water fairy stole the prince away, and the princess then set off to save her love through a series of trials. But that’s not really what happened.
What if the princess wasn’t a princess at all? And what if she felt she had to save the prince out of duty and not true love? And what if the water fairy wasn’t the villain everyone made her out to be? What then?
I read Ripples of Smoke and Water in one day, and I probably could have read it on a single sitting if I hadn’t kept getting interrupted. What a delightful tale. It takes elements from some classic fairy tales and lore and turns them on their heads.
Oakes gives us a lady who was saved by a prince but also who is the only one brave enough to save him in return. She gives us a lady who is saved by a prince but doesn’t let that define the rest of her life. She gives us a lady who is saved by a prince but becomes a much stronger person for it.
It’s only 128 pages and was the perfect getaway in between some longer works that I am tackling of late. I obviously loved the characters, even the prince a little. Sure, he’s still a dude, but he’s kind of charming and genuinely cares about his people and his princess, even if he doesn’t really love her, either.
theknightswhosaybook's review
4.0
A good, short fantasy book! It takes general fantasy elements like the dragon's captive and the girl rescuing a prince through three trials and weaves them into a new fairytale for queer girls with a traditional feel to it.
I do think that some elements in it could have been more fleshed out. For example, though solving challenges with magical gifts is a fairytale tradition, I wish Adara had used her wits to solve the riddles more. But other than that, I really enjoyed that this story had pretty writing and managed to add more depth to some traditional tropes while still being a quicker kind of read. I'd happily read more about Adara (the ending is closed so I don't really expect a sequel, but I'd love one).
I do think that some elements in it could have been more fleshed out. For example, though solving challenges with magical gifts is a fairytale tradition, I wish Adara had used her wits to solve the riddles more. But other than that, I really enjoyed that this story had pretty writing and managed to add more depth to some traditional tropes while still being a quicker kind of read. I'd happily read more about Adara (the ending is closed so I don't really expect a sequel, but I'd love one).
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