Once Upon A Time

Ever notice that movies, TV shows, and books all seem to follow a trend, they are all about the same thing for a year and then they get a new theme? For a while it was vampires and werewolves (after the Twilight apocalypse, as I like to call it), then it went to zombies, and now everything is retelling a fairy tale. Don't get me wrong, I love this trend! I am a sucker for a good fairy tale. I am watching Once Upon a Time on ABC and Grimm on NBC, and they are both fantastic.
Now we have two Snow White movies coming up, a Peter Pan movie, and they never stop remaking Cinderella. Did anyone else see the new Cinderella Story movie on ABC Family? All I can say is that it was at least better than the Selena Gomez one. Anyway, my point. I am constantly reading fairy tale books. I highly recommend Alex Flinn. She has some fantastic fairy tale books.
I have been reading these fairy tale books long before the whole obsession started, but I recently started a new set of them. My friend (who shares a similar love of fluffy fairy tales) told me I just had to read the Once Upon A Time books. It is this big series of tiny books that all give a fairy tale a little twist. Now mind you, she didn't say these would be the best books I ever read, just that I would enjoy them. And I do. They aren't incredible literature, but they have the feel-good happy feeling you get at the end of a Disney movie. They are predictable, but the characters are sweet and the stories are so familiar I just love to read them.
So, I'm going to rate 2 of them today. I read Snow by Tracy Lynn last year and I just finished Golden by Cameron Dokey last week. Plus, right now I am reading Belle, also by Cameron Dokey.

Snow is a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In this particular tale, Snow's real name is Jessica. She lives in the Victorian age and just isn't able to fit in in the refined life she was born into. Her new mother seems nice at first, but before long she realizes that she is in great danger. Jessica flees to the city and meets a band of "urban outcasts" who call themselves The Lonely Ones. Jessica takes her chance with the misfits and tries desperately to fit in in a group who, like her, have no home. Only Jessica's stepmother isn't finished with her quite yet. I liked this book, but it wasn't my favorite. It took a little too long for it to get going, but I loved the new take on the dwarfs. Very inventive. I'm glad I read it.

Rating: 3/5


 Golden is a retelling of Rapunzel by Cameron Dokey. I was pleasantly surprised by the beginning, which used the old Grimm's fairy tales beginning instead of the Disney one (Which is a fantastic movie, don't get me wrong). It all began with a witch and a mother with a craving for lettuce (translates into Rapunzel). When Rapunzel is born without a single hair anywhere on her entire body, her vain mother says she doesn't love her and so the baby is taken away by a witch. Rapunzel grows up with the witch. She grows up to be curious, kind, and completely bald. The townspeople think she is cursed and her only friends are the sorceress, and a tinker with his young assistant. Rapunzel lives a happy life until her and the sorceress are run out of town. On their journey away, the sorceress tells Rapunzel of another daughter. Her real daughter, who has been locked away in a tower for many many years. And only with Rapunzel's help will the girl ever escape. Really good. I loved the characters. I thought it was cute, a good, fun twist and of course, utterly full of fluffy romance. 

Rating: 3/5