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tmleblanc's review against another edition
2.0
I was really rooting for this one. A re-telling and a mash-up of Sleeping Beauty and Jack and and the Beanstalk sounded so good. Unfortunately, the story never quite comes together and I felt it drug on too long.
I am also doubtful it is a good fit for the middle grade audience. The vocabulary seems a bit high for the grade level, plus the length of the book and ages of the M.C.s (they are about 9 when the story starts and 16 at the end) seems to speak toward a higher reading level.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I am also doubtful it is a good fit for the middle grade audience. The vocabulary seems a bit high for the grade level, plus the length of the book and ages of the M.C.s (they are about 9 when the story starts and 16 at the end) seems to speak toward a higher reading level.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
lillygabriella's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An excellent fairy tale mash up retelling, that combined the best of both stories to create an original that is heartwarming and full of adventures.
rhodesee's review against another edition
4.0
Briar and Rose and Jack is a really interesting retelling/combination of Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk. Based on the cover I wasn't expecting it to be quite what it was but I was pleasantly surprised by this and not disappointed. All in all a fun middle grades read that offers something a bit different than the classic fairy tale fare.
amac_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Lady Briar and Princess Rose are inseparable. Rose is the most beautiful girl in all the kingdom, while Briar is often made fun of for her appearance. Despite this, they love each other and have bigger problems to worry about – how to destroy an evil giant who is harming their kingdom. They make friends with Jack, a brave peasant boy, and together try to do what none of the adults are capable of – saving their kingdom and those they care about.
This book was a retelling of two classic fairytales: Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk. The author included themes of love, loyalty, bullying, and prejudice in a way that added to the plot and the characters. There wasn’t much character depth or growth throughout the work. And unfortunately, the only things that made Rose and Briar special were magical gifts given to them by the fairies – they boys who loved them loved them because of these gifts. This was a little disappointing.
I would have loved to see the brunette be the beautiful character and the blonde be the plain girl. It would have been great for the author to break away from the blonde hair/blue eyes trope of “standard” beauty. I also would have loved to see a more interesting setting – there wasn’t much detail included in relation to this, except for some small moments dealing with magical music found in nature (which wasn’t explained very well). The author also chose to tell this story in the present tense using the third person, which didn’t feel like the right choice.
This work is written for children/young adults, but it felt like it was written more for an adult audience based off length/wordiness, vocabulary, and the detailed child abuse. Overall, it was an easy read and would likely be enjoyable for readers who like western fairytales.
This book was a retelling of two classic fairytales: Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk. The author included themes of love, loyalty, bullying, and prejudice in a way that added to the plot and the characters. There wasn’t much character depth or growth throughout the work. And unfortunately, the only things that made Rose and Briar special were magical gifts given to them by the fairies – they boys who loved them loved them because of these gifts. This was a little disappointing.
I would have loved to see the brunette be the beautiful character and the blonde be the plain girl. It would have been great for the author to break away from the blonde hair/blue eyes trope of “standard” beauty. I also would have loved to see a more interesting setting – there wasn’t much detail included in relation to this, except for some small moments dealing with magical music found in nature (which wasn’t explained very well). The author also chose to tell this story in the present tense using the third person, which didn’t feel like the right choice.
This work is written for children/young adults, but it felt like it was written more for an adult audience based off length/wordiness, vocabulary, and the detailed child abuse. Overall, it was an easy read and would likely be enjoyable for readers who like western fairytales.
librarydanielle's review against another edition
1.0
Briar and Rose and Jack is a mangled retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast? Briar and Rose are twins, but Briar is ugly and Rose is beautiful. (One thing that bothered me is how it opens up with their mother, the queen focused on "creating something beautiful" by giving birth. NO.) Their parents decide that they can't let it out that they had an ugly baby so announce that Rose is the heir and Briar is a ward. This is really gross. They spend Briar's entire childhood ignoring her and letting her be abused by the rest of the kingdom. She is beaten by the bishop and the king's response is that she needs to not attract his attention. The only love she gets is from Rose, the kennel dogs and her fairy godmother. The only thing that makes Briar special is the gifts her fairy godmother finagled for her (by switching her with Rose during the Sleeping Beauty fairy scene). (Of course, the only thing that makes Rose special is that she's pretty soooo....)
The story is also told in third person present tense, which was not a good fit at all. Katherine Coville uses awkward language that is stilted and the vocab is way out of place for a middle grade book. Phrases that would fit in a high school textbook appear sprinkled throughout what is supposed to be a fun fantasy.
I did like the premise, and the team of children who band together to problem solve an issue that the adults seem to be ignoring, but it was not well executed.
Spoiler
Even Jack, who is supposed to be in love with Briar only falls in love with her because of the fairy's gifts of dance and song.The story is also told in third person present tense, which was not a good fit at all. Katherine Coville uses awkward language that is stilted and the vocab is way out of place for a middle grade book. Phrases that would fit in a high school textbook appear sprinkled throughout what is supposed to be a fun fantasy.
I did like the premise, and the team of children who band together to problem solve an issue that the adults seem to be ignoring, but it was not well executed.
ajs526's review against another edition
5.0
I have to admit it ... I love modern re-tellings of fairy tales and fairy tale mash-ups!
Katherine Coville has managed to do something quite extraordinary with this story, There are some really important lessons to be learned here and Coville mostly includes these lessons so casually that the reader isn't likely to know that they are learning something. It's got so much heart and depth and honesty that it goes well beyond a simple fairy tale.
Briar and Rose and Jack by Katherine Coville is a fantastic fairy tale mashup with a whole lot of heart.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Katherine Coville has managed to do something quite extraordinary with this story, There are some really important lessons to be learned here and Coville mostly includes these lessons so casually that the reader isn't likely to know that they are learning something. It's got so much heart and depth and honesty that it goes well beyond a simple fairy tale.
Briar and Rose and Jack by Katherine Coville is a fantastic fairy tale mashup with a whole lot of heart.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
csd17's review against another edition
1.0
Didn't finish for various reasons. 1. The main characters were 9 (at the beginning) and the voice/vocab was way too old for the average 9-year-old. Also the tenses were off. 2. I'm too busy, at the moment, to read another story about reigion being evil or someone who is "ugly like me." I don't necessarily want Twilight either... I guess I'm just hard to please. Perhaps I will return to it but I'm just over- supplied with more interesting things right now.
sarahsparklenose's review against another edition
4.0
Solid middle grade fiction, a mixed up fairy tale.
morganthebookishbeagle's review
DNF at 27%. There's nothing inherently wrong with this book, it just wasn't what I was looking for (I originally thought it might be f/f but Briar and Rose are twin sisters). I love MG fairy tales but this is definitely the younger end of the spectrum- the characters are 9 years old. I also didn't care for the tense of the writing, third person present. It felt awkward to me. But the characters were charming and got up to lots of mischief and adventures, so I think young readers will enjoy this.
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