This thrilling retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses is captivating and haunting. This story leaves one constantly wondering what is real, and what is a hallucination of the main character and narrator, Annaleigh. This book takes what, to be frank, is a fairly creepy fairytale, and escalates the stakes, turning it into a murder mystery. As Annaleigh’s sisters die, and rumors of a curse on her family abound, Annaleigh attempts to uncover the mysteries surrounding her home, Highmoor, to which she must add the mysterious door which her sisters go through to dance all night. Craig creates a rich world with a complex mythology, converting this story into a tale of ambition and family. Despite the difficulty in following the plot, which can be a little confusing at times, partially thanks to the tenuous grip on reality of the narrator, this book is one I would recommend reading.
In this book, Heyer shows that, like her female protagonist, Jenny, she prefers sensible, realistic, humorous works like Jane Austen’s to Byron’s fantastical dramatics. This story of a marriage of convenience is humorous, poignant, and realistic, without abandoning its romantic core. This book shines with it’s full portrayals of its complex characters. Not a single person in this book is perfect, yet not a single one is unredeemable. Jenny is practical, considerate, helpful, sensible, and strong. Yet she is also brusque, lacking a certain empathy for more delicate characters as well as some tact, and refuses to ask for help. A very realistic young woman, she is not pretty. In fact, she is often described as stout and plain. As someone who has a preference towards fiction but is not exactly a beauty, it’s a relief for me to have the heroine of a romance novel be entirely unremarkable in terms of her looks. Additionally, in her novel, Heyer makes clear that, as one of her characters says, “one man’s meat is another man’s poison.” Jenny’s romantic rival, the beautiful Julia, is vain, a little self-absorbed, and overdramatic. But though she may have her faults, she also has her virtues. Kind, generous, sociable, charming, and romantic, one can see why so many characters are fond of Julia. With her desperate need to be loved and admired, Julia proves to be just as relatable as Jenny in her own way. This extends to all the characters. Adam, the male protagonist, is steadfast and reliable, with a remarkable capacity for remaining tactful by subduing his temper, yet he often falls prey to his significant pride. Adam’s mother constantly diminishes others while victimizing herself, yet she is also described as charming and doting upon children. Jenny’s father, while a vulgar man with a terrible temper, is also generous and well-intentioned. Lydia, Adam’s sister, might be boisterous and over-enthusiastic, but her good nature makes her impossible to dislike. Frankly, I fell in love with this book. Realistic yet sweet, this is my ideal romance novel.
Normally, I’m not a huge fan of murder mysteries. I’ll be honest; they give me nightmares. However, I fell in love with this book. It is utterly addicting; once you start reading you just can’t stop. The story begins when five very different students end up in detention together, each of them hiding a different secret. Then, the story takes a turn when one of them, Simon, who runs a gossip blog, dies. It is quickly discovered that Simon was preparing to reveal the secrets of the other four the next day on his blog. Now, not only do the four main characters have their secrets revealed, but they are suspects in a murder investigation. While this is a suspenseful mystery book with high stakes, it’s portrayal of the trials the characters suffer at the hands of their classmates when their secrets are discovered is what makes the book so poignant. Well-written, with an intriguing mystery, a surprising plot twist, intimate character depictions, and intense character relationships, this is a book you will not regret reading.
Personally, I thought this story was a brilliant feminist subversion of the classic Cinderella fairytale. I always wondered why the princess always had to be beautiful and her step-sisters brushed off as ugly. In this story, the stepsisters are still ugly, and Cinderella is still the kind, beautiful girl swept away to live in a palace. Yet Isabelle is strong, stubborn, and determined; qualities that Donnelly took from her character in the original story. After all, can you imagine the force of will it must have taken to chop off her own toes without letting her pain be seen? This book, picking up after the fairytale ended, stars Isabelle as the heroine. Isabelle is not pretty or submissive; instead she longs to fight. Her sister does not fit in either, being absorbed by her scientific curiosity. While Donnelly explores the resentment between Cinderella and her stepfamily, she also explores the love they hold for each other, as well as the bonds between mother and daughter. This is an excellent story that shows that there are more roles for a female in a fairytale than the innocent damsel and vain villain. Concentrating on making the once two-dimensional characters come to life, Donnelly weaves a beautiful tale of a girl who’s forceful personality allows her to forge her own fate.
So, I’m going to review these together because, frankly, I have difficulty differentiating between the two I blew through them so fast. I basically binged them. As you can clearly already tell, these books are captivating- and kind of addicting. In these fantasy books, following the death of the only heir to the throne of Kolonya, the king’s death threatens to plunge the country into instability. However, as a final gambit, he claims three of his illegitimate daughters and declares that one of them will take the throne. However, Zofi, Akeylah, and Florencia (Ren) all have terrible secrets that could get them killed. As they begin the competition, they find that they have more in common than they thought as they struggle against a mysterious blackmailer. All three girls have amazing character development, finding their purpose as the books go on. The blackmailer reveal is not a letdown, and was definitely a surprise. This fantasy book not only heavily features a page-turning mystery, but is also colored by the beautiful relationships between the characters. The romantic relationships are beautifully written, as are the platonic ones, but the most moving and captivating relationships in the book are familial.
Alcott is one of my favorite authors, and in these two books she’s at her best. These books follow Rose, an orphan who is sent to live with her large extended family under her uncle’s guardianship. While I absolutely love “Eight Cousins”- it’s such a fun book, and I love the different relationships between the cousins- “Rose in Bloom,” set some years after, is my absolute favorite. While “Eight Cousins” can be a little slow, focusing on the portrayal of the characters rather than plot, “Rose in Bloom” has both wonderful character development and an absorbing story. This book features some wonderful romance and strong feminism. These books have good, firm morals, while still being very amusing. Honestly, they always make me feel better. The books are entertaining and light hearted. If you’re a fan of historical or realistic fiction, they’re a wonderful read.
Favorite Characters: Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza and Humberto
So I’m actually still reading this series, but I just want to talk about the first book for now. This book is amazing. Elisa, the main character, has incredible development. She learns- and loses- so much. She really comes into her own throughout the book, going from a clueless princess to a strong leader. She is also incredibly relatable, especially her embarrassment at talking to her crush and her jealousy of her sister. Additionally Elisa is plus-sized. I am so tired of feeling like everyone weighs at least 30 pounds less than me, but Elisa is decidedly not skinny and she never lets that stop her. I also loved her relationship with her stepson- who’s kind of closer to her age than she is to her husband. She is kind of thrown into a very difficult situation, but she makes the best of it. This story also features a significant amount of politics, as well as war tactics, which was really fun to read. All in all, this was a fantastic book that I would definitely recommend.
I fell in love with this series. It’s basically an alternate version of history in which Anne Boleyn had a son. I’m a huge fan of fiction books that heavily feature court politics, history, and romance, so I would definitely recommend these books. It alternates between the perspective of the “Boleyn King,” Elizabeth Tudor, and two of their friends. Expect a very dramatic love triangle that is very well written and a lot of character development. The world this book creates is so rich. It’s full of betrayal, loyalty, friendship, love, and difficult decisions.
The Boleyn King Rating: 8/10
In this book, you are introduced to the four main characters. The intricate stage of religious division, marriage politics, betrayals, rivalries, and romance is set. You see the characters fall in love while struggling to manage the risky environment they live in. The characters, especially the Boleyn King, William, are in a precarious situation and struggle to keep the political balance.
The Boleyn Reckoning: 9/10
I absolutely love this book. The romance between the characters is at its peak as they all struggle against forces opposing their love. The politics in this book are the most complex and absorbing in the entire series. The relationships between the character are the focus of this book, whether they are romantic, platonic, or political.
The Boleyn Deceit: 7/10
While I still found this book a fascinating read, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the other two. The plot twist in the middle of the book, while exciting, changes the direction of the story quite abruptly. The political implications of every action remain fascinating, and the way the author shows the state of each character’s psyche allows you to gain a unique degree of insight into the characters’ decisions.
Hey! Does anyone have books, or anything else (characters, couples, movie adaptions, etc.) they want me to write about? I will seriously appreciate it if anyone can recommend a good book for me to read. Please leave a comment!
Bookworm's Haven 