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A review by ichigoluvah
Emerald Bound by Teresa Richards
3.0
This novel is a reimagining of the fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea” and does so in a very interesting way. There's nothing I love more than alternate fairy tales, so I had to give this book a try. This blurb from the book gives a better summary than I ever could:
“It's not a fairy tale, it's a horror story... The bed I slept in almost four hundred years ago had only one mattress. It was not in a castle, and the innkeepers were not royalty. They were not searching for a princess; rather, they sought maidens with plenty of life to live. The item placed under the beds of their victims was not a pea, but a stone. Several stones, in fact.”
Now, I want to start by saying that the audience for this book is definitely for teens. While there are some YA novels have a maturity level that appeals to a wide range of age groups, this is definitely not one of those. Expect teenage humor and thoughts, and falling for a boy you just met that day!
That being said, once you know what type of reading experience you're in for, this was a great book. It was fast paced, there was plenty of excitement and adventure, and the plot kept me interested. Although there wasn't a ton of character development present, it didn't stand out as lacking. The story focuses so much on the events and action taking place that the internal character development missing is not too drastically missed.
Rating
Overall, I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5. It was a fun light read, and it felt fresh and different. While I haven't fully decided whether it was a book I would read again in the future, it was definitely a fun first read and I might see myself picking it up again several years from now. If you enjoy alternate fairy tales and can handle a true “teen” YA novel, then I would definitely recommend this read!
“It's not a fairy tale, it's a horror story... The bed I slept in almost four hundred years ago had only one mattress. It was not in a castle, and the innkeepers were not royalty. They were not searching for a princess; rather, they sought maidens with plenty of life to live. The item placed under the beds of their victims was not a pea, but a stone. Several stones, in fact.”
Now, I want to start by saying that the audience for this book is definitely for teens. While there are some YA novels have a maturity level that appeals to a wide range of age groups, this is definitely not one of those. Expect teenage humor and thoughts, and falling for a boy you just met that day!
That being said, once you know what type of reading experience you're in for, this was a great book. It was fast paced, there was plenty of excitement and adventure, and the plot kept me interested. Although there wasn't a ton of character development present, it didn't stand out as lacking. The story focuses so much on the events and action taking place that the internal character development missing is not too drastically missed.
Rating
Overall, I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5. It was a fun light read, and it felt fresh and different. While I haven't fully decided whether it was a book I would read again in the future, it was definitely a fun first read and I might see myself picking it up again several years from now. If you enjoy alternate fairy tales and can handle a true “teen” YA novel, then I would definitely recommend this read!