Synopsis:
In the kingdom of Tranen, a king makes a promise to his dying wife that he'll only remarry a woman who possesses her golden hair. In time, the king's eyes are turned by his daughter. Realizing her father’s intentions, Princess Aurelia tries to trick him by requesting impossible gifts: dresses created by the sun, moon and stars, and a coat made of a thousand furs. But when he is successful, Aurelia sacrifices her privileged life and flees her kingdom, disguised by the cloak and a new name, Allerleirauh.
She enters the safe haven of Saarland der Licht, where the handsome and gentle Prince Klaus takes her under his care. Hoping not to be discovered by her father’s courtiers, Allerleirauh tries to remain hidden under her new identity when she finds unexpected love with Prince Klaus, even though his arranged marriage to the princess of a neighboring kingdom approaches. Risking everything, Allerleirauh must face her troubled past and her fears of the future along her journey to self-acceptance in this triumphant retelling of the classic Grimm Fairy Tale.
Publishing Co.: The Parliament House
Release Date: August 22, 2017
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
I was sent an eARC copy of this book from the author, Chantal Gadoury, and Parliament House publishing company in exchange for my honest review. I waited to read this book until December because it seemed like good 'wintery' type read to get me in the winter spirit.
I loved some many things about this book but there were a few things that I didn't like. I loved all of the rising action leading up to the climax of the story and I mean you could really see the build up to the big bang. I really feel like the amount of imagery used in this was very well done because I could close my eyes and visualize just about everything I was reading.
I genuinely caught feelings for the characters, good for some & bad for others. Chantal did a good job of making you want to get involved in the story, just to slap some sense into some of the characters. I got pretty emotional for some parts, especially the rape scene because it was a quite graphic and brutal scene. *Which brings me to warn those of you who may have rape triggers, even though there's only one scene I wouldn't feel right not mentioning it* I really appreciated the fact that Allerleirauh didn't open up right away to prince Klaus instead she actually was relatable and struggled with the fear of revealing herself and her past.
Now lets get into what I didn't like about this book. I just find it really hard to believe that no one recognized her once she was out of the coat, it was just too much naiveness for me to handle. I also started to grow tiresome and bored of Klaus and Allerleirauh's courtship of sorts, it started to drag on in some places and it felt a bit dry. But at the same time I'm glad it was not love at first sight and there was no love triangle, which I was expecting to happen.
I was expecting more of a search party from Tranen once Allerleirauh disappeared, seeing that she was only in the next town over, but it's almost like she was forgotten by the kingdom until it was convenient for the story. I stared to feel like I was reading almost an entirely different book once Allerleirauh escaped from what I was reading when she was still in Tranen. I also wish I got more of that feeling of urgency to actually hide from Allerleirauh, mind you it had only been a few days, not months, before she decided to do away with the coat.
Thankfully, by the end of the book I was grinning from ear to ear at 2:30 in the morning. Also, the ending reminded me a lot of One Night With the King.
To sum everything up, this was savage yet swoon worth, and sorry but a little of the story was expected(but it didn't really bother me). I think the good of this story outweigh's the bad, or at least balances it out, so I definitely recommend this wonderful retelling.
I loved some many things about this book but there were a few things that I didn't like. I loved all of the rising action leading up to the climax of the story and I mean you could really see the build up to the big bang. I really feel like the amount of imagery used in this was very well done because I could close my eyes and visualize just about everything I was reading.
I genuinely caught feelings for the characters, good for some & bad for others. Chantal did a good job of making you want to get involved in the story, just to slap some sense into some of the characters. I got pretty emotional for some parts, especially the rape scene because it was a quite graphic and brutal scene. *Which brings me to warn those of you who may have rape triggers, even though there's only one scene I wouldn't feel right not mentioning it* I really appreciated the fact that Allerleirauh didn't open up right away to prince Klaus instead she actually was relatable and struggled with the fear of revealing herself and her past.
Now lets get into what I didn't like about this book. I just find it really hard to believe that no one recognized her once she was out of the coat, it was just too much naiveness for me to handle. I also started to grow tiresome and bored of Klaus and Allerleirauh's courtship of sorts, it started to drag on in some places and it felt a bit dry. But at the same time I'm glad it was not love at first sight and there was no love triangle, which I was expecting to happen.
I was expecting more of a search party from Tranen once Allerleirauh disappeared, seeing that she was only in the next town over, but it's almost like she was forgotten by the kingdom until it was convenient for the story. I stared to feel like I was reading almost an entirely different book once Allerleirauh escaped from what I was reading when she was still in Tranen. I also wish I got more of that feeling of urgency to actually hide from Allerleirauh, mind you it had only been a few days, not months, before she decided to do away with the coat.
Thankfully, by the end of the book I was grinning from ear to ear at 2:30 in the morning. Also, the ending reminded me a lot of One Night With the King.
To sum everything up, this was savage yet swoon worth, and sorry but a little of the story was expected(but it didn't really bother me). I think the good of this story outweigh's the bad, or at least balances it out, so I definitely recommend this wonderful retelling.
No comments:
Post a Comment