The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut — a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale. 

Hardcover, 352 pages  Published March 12th 2013 by Random House Children’s Books

For those readers who have some knowledge of the fairy tale of Bluebeard, the events that happen in this story may not be much a surprise. For those that are not familiar with the fairytale, I wouldn’t recommend that you read up on it ahead time.

Perhaps the most unique part of this retelling is the setting.  The author chose to situate this story in Mississippi during a time in American history in which slaves still existed and people were beginning to travel north on the underground rail road. There is quite a bit more history in the book than I would have expected, but it adds a flavour to the setting that makes the story interesting and compelling. The side tales help push the narrative forward and add human interest to a suspenseful mystery.

Sophie is invited by her godfather to come and live with him in his mansion in Mississippi. It is very obvious from the beginning pages that he has more than just a passing interest in the girl. There is a sexual tension between the two from the moment they meet. Torn between family/guardian ideals and the fact that Sophie is physically attracted to him, lead to some very pensive moments.

As Bernard is a businessman, Sophie is left wandering the mansion where she makes discoveries about the past women and wives that have lived there. She begins to believe that their disappearances are not just coincidence.

The pacing is slow and the main character a bit “classic” in her behaviour ie soft spoken and overly curious. It’s like the old saying, “curiosity killed the cat” and in this instance, Sophie’s nosing around the house does get her into trouble.

This novel has a mystery at it’s core but also includes a soft love story as well as a villain who’s a bit handsy. The writing style mirrors a traditional fairytale but in a more modern day setting that the reader can relate well to.

From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.

– A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
– Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
– A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).

These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.

But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author’s comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.

So, are you curious now?

Hardcover, 304 pages  Published August 1st 2012 by Lerner Publishing Group

ISBN  0761375279 (ISBN13: 9780761375272)

The Curiosities is not only a collection of some of the short stories that these authors have put together, it also contains drawings, comments and moments of interest that each author finds in the others’ work.

The commentary within the pages of the book are helpful hints as to what works in a story and what doesn’t. The book not only contains stories that are entertaining and interesting but the points of interest for me, lay in these notes between the lines. Readers who are particularly interested in writing may find some of these techniques discussed, useful in their own practices.

With experiments like writing a story with no dialogue, to POV and word length, as well as what qualifies as an ending to a story, each story varies from author to author.Also, there are fun drawings outlining what is important to each of them in a story.

I recommend this book for those readers that not only enjoy the author’s novels, but for those interested in writing as a pastime or profession. The topics are interesting and I found the whole book inspiring. 

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Hardcover, 323 pages  Published April 23rd 2013 by HarperTeen  ISBN  0062059963 (ISBN13: 9780062059963)

Now that the competition is down to just the 6 girls, America is having to fight to keep her spot. As she is the lowest caste member still in the race, she has to fight harder than the rest to show the world she deserves the title of Princess.

As the competition tightens, so does the drama. The girls are now down to the best of the competitors and it’s only slight differences that keep them in the running. America is still torn between the easy life she has always lived and striving to want to do more for her country, her family – and on top of that, she is falling for Maxon. We saw in book one, The Selection that Maxon was willing to give her time to think about what she wanted, to heal from her heartache. But now that the race is coming to an end, he must make a decision and the pressure to choose a wife quickly is causing stress in their relationship.

It is not only the drama that is amped up in this sequel, but the attacks on the castle as well. The raids have become more frequent and dangerous. The politics between countries are in a fragile state. Even as the competition is running, the country must still  be governed.

I am not a big fan of drama, especially the love-triangle kind but this series has more to offer than just the romantic aspect. The complicated life of the castle itself keeps the story intense and suspenseful. But lets face it, the romance and the relationships that Maxon holds with each of the 6 remaining competitors is the main focus of the story. A lot of jealousies and doubts arise in the girls as they all try to figure out how to win. After all, it is a competition. 

A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless. When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year old Princess Eliza manages to escape. Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope-and love-once more.Now she must risk everything to ensure that she does not become… The Last Princess.

Hardcover, 295 pages  Published May 1st 2012 by Poppy  ISBN  0316185485 (ISBN13: 9780316185486)

Eliza’s childhood wasn’t so bad. As a member of the royalty, she was raised with the best of everything. When the revolutionaries begins to rise up, Eliza must grow up very quickly. She sees her pregnant mother poisoned, her father shot in front of her eyes and her brother and sister kidnapped by the leader Cornelius Hollister who’s determined to take the crown by destroying all living members of the royal family.

Barely escaping with her life with the help of one of the revolution guards, Eliza is determined to find and kill Cornelius Hollister for everything he has done to her family. She has nothing else to live for and her determination pushes the story forward. She soon ends up within his camp disguised as a soldier and finds that her siblings are alive. She’s called on to fight and help bring back supplies for the army, also having to participate in raids upon the innocent, and even family friends and loved ones.

This story is very fast paced and full of action scenes. Eliza  is tortured and scarred and the difficulties that she has to endure really hook the reader into her plight.

A warning to those that are sensitive there are animal killings and torture scenes.

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.”

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer–if he doesn’t catch her first

Evie O’Neill is the main focus of this epic new paranormal story from Libba Bray set in 1920’s New York City.

Evie has just moved in with her uncle after leaving home. She has the power to read objects and has visions. Unfortunately it doesn’t help her get away from the occult when her uncle runs the Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.

Evie soon gets caught up in the police investigations of a serial killer. Strangely, all clues lead to the long dead Naughty John, who couldn’t possibly be committing the murders… could he? From there on in, Evie is drawn into a world that is dangerous and thrilling.

Bray keeps up a quick-witted, snappy dialogue as she beautifully portrays the fashion, entertainment and superstitions of the time. 

While Evie’s story is pretty well rounded in book one, Libba Bray leaves a lot of the other characters stories unfinished. This will draw the reader in for the next instalment to see what happens next.