RAPUNZEL UNTANGLED by Cindy C. Bennett

Title: Rapunzel Untangled
Author: Cindy C. Bennett

Summary

Rapunzel has been confined to her own few rooms in Gothel Manor for as long as she can remember, not that she has ever had a problem with it.  She has SCID, or Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, which means that any contact with germs could result in her death.  And according to a prophecy, Rapunzel's hair is magic and is the key to saving the world, so Rapunzel is quite content to live in her tower with only her mother for contact in order to protect herself.

That all changes when Rapunzel joins Facebook and befriends a boy named Fane.  Having never communicated with anyone besides her mother, Fane introduces Rapunzel to the world outside of her tower and what it means to be a teenager.  Suddenly Rapunzel is breaking all the rules and in the process discovers that everything her mother told her may not be the whole truth.

My Impression

While reading the first few chapters, I was a little unsure of how I would like this retelling.  Rapunzel and Fane meet on Facebook, and though the two characters had to meet and communicate in some way despite Rapunzel's isolation, I cringe a bit whenever social media is brought into a book.  I think naming specific sites such as Facebook and Skype really limits the audience of a text because it makes it too obvious that this story takes place in a time when both programs are popular; if those two sites ever become obsolete, readers won't get the reference.  

However, it was necessary to have some form of communication to connect the two characters, so I just accepted the reference as a part of the story, because how else could they possibly communicate?  The more I read, the more I liked the purpose that the online communication served in the book.  It does a great job of illustrating how ignorant Rapunzel is of expressions, acronyms, and pop culture references, and how her isolation doesn't just limit her contact with people but also limits her contact with the world and the things that regular kids take for granted.  Plus it was also cute to see Rapunzel and Fane get to know each other without seeing each other face-to-face, and how their friendship develops throughout the book.

I also liked the motivation behind Gothel, Rapunzel's mother.  I wasn't sure how similar her motivation would be to Mother Gothel's in the movie Tangled, but I was glad to learn that it was different.  The book slowly reveals her motivation as Rapunzel becomes more and more curious about the world outside of her tower; though her motivation is pretty dark, I liked that I got to learn along with Rapunzel, instead of knowing and watching Rapunzel's discovery.  

Magic plays an important role in this book, and though it isn't until later in the book that we learn about its complete role, I felt a little unsatisfied with how magic fits into the world.  Though this story is Rapunzel's story, I would have liked to know a bit more about the magic that some of the characters use/possess, where the magic comes from, and why it fits in this world.  

Why I Picked Up This Book

I have always liked retellings of fairy tales, and when I saw that the ARC of this book was available on NetGalley, I decided to request it.

Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Romance
My Rating: Four Stars

CRIMSON FROST by Jennifer Estep

Title: Crimson Frost

Series: Mythos Academy #4

Author: Jennifer Estep

Summary

Loki is free and Gwen blames herself for his release; after all, the Reapers wouldn't have gotten the Helheim Dagger if Gwen hadn't found it.  While the Reapers are helping Loki to regain his strength and start the second Chaos War, Gwen has to accept her destiny: to be the one to kill Loki.

But Gwen doesn't just have to worry about the Reapers trying to kill her and her friends.  Gwen has been accused of being a Reaper and she must prove her innocence to The Protectorate, the Pantheon's police force, or die for her supposed crimes.  For once Gwen must follow all the rules at Mythos Academy, because one wrong step could only convince the Protectorate of her guilt.  It's times like these when friends show their true colors, and Gwen needs all the friends she can get.

My Impression

I really liked the spin that this book took.  While I have to say that I hated the Protectorate on a moral level because of their accusation that Gwen is a Reaper, I loved what they did for this series.  Before this point, there haven't been any characters that have truly questioned Gwen's actions besides herself.  And while I knew that their accusations were clearly false because I have read about all of Gwen's actions, I think it was important that she be questioned and that she really has to prove herself.  This book and the Protectorate do three things:

1. They show Gwen who her real friends are.  As news spreads of her supposed crimes, many people at Mythos Academy are hostile towards Gwen.  While she has been mostly ignored by many of her peers or blown off as "that Gypsy girl", it was good to learn which people actually trust Gwen, and which characters we might be seeing more of as their friendship with Gwen grows.
2. They show that you can't trust everyone.  Gwen lives in a world where Reapers hide in plain site; Jasmine even mentioned in Touch of Frost that there are students and teachers are Mythos Academy that are Reapers, and yet there are very few times that Gwen, or anyone, actually questions whether the people they are sitting in a classroom with are actually Reapers.  While Gwen is a trustworthy person, no one has ever doubted that she is telling the truth, but in her world, blind faith in a person can get you killed.
3. They force Gwen to accept her previous actions.  While she has made some mistakes that have ultimately led to the release of Loki, she has made every decision with the intent to defeat the Reapers and stop Loki.  Gwen constantly doubts herself and in order to prove her innocence, she first has to accept that she is a good person and that some things that happened were out of her control.

Something I found a bit frustrating in this book is how Gwen still constantly doubts herself.  While some of her moments of doubt are justifiable, such as her role in the release of Loki and murdering Preston, some things that run through her head make me want to shake some sense into her.  There is a moment in the book where she compares herself to Logan, thinking about how amazing, gorgeous, strong, and brave he is, and then she goes on to say that the only interesting thing about her is the necklace that Logan gave her.  I think she has proved herself to be just as strong and brave as Logan and her other friends, and that she has learned a great deal about her power and how to use it.  While she may feel inadequate when she compares looks and weaponry skills, she still has a lot to be proud of and has many interesting things about her.  My hope is that after having to own her actions in this book that she will appreciate more about herself in Midnight Frost.

Why I Picked Up This Book

I fell in love with Gwen's character from the first time I read Touch of Frost, and I can't wait for Midnight Frost's release.

Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Mythology

My Rating: Five Stars

Interested in other books by Jennifer Estep?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.

DARK FROST by Jennifer Estep

Title: Dark Frost

Series: Mythos Academy #3

Author: Jennifer Estep

Summary

It's the beginning of her second semester at Mythos Academy and Gwen already has a lot on her plate. 

Nike has charged her with recovering the Helheim Dagger, an artifact that Gwen's mother was charged with protecting from the Reapers of Chaos.  Gwen has spent most of her winter break searching through her mom's belongings with the hope that her touch magic will reveal some clue about the dagger's location. 

When Gwen and some fellow second year students are attacked by the Reapers of Chaos, Gwen finally meets Loki's Champion.  Though the Champion is masked, Gwen has bigger things to worry about than the Champion's true identity.  The Reapers have a lead on the dagger's location, and if they find it before Gwen does, then they hold the power to break the last seal on Loki's prison and start the Second Chaos War.

My Impressions

I think this is my favorite book in the series so far.  Though I really enjoyed Touch of Frost and Kiss of Frost, it feels like those two books have really led up to the events of this book.  Touch of Frost seemed to mostly be about convincing Gwen that the gods do exist and that Loki and his Reapers are determined to bring Chaos back into the world; it was also the book that clearly sets Gwen up to face off against Loki by becoming Nike's Champion.  Kiss of Frost was mostly about Gwen's developing friendships and developing powers; instead of her being just a "Gypsy girl", she gets to discover more of what her touch magic can really do.  It also really sets up her main motivation for wanting to defeat the Reapers - revenge against Loki's Champion.  While this is necessary set up, it was definitely nice to see more of the urgent struggle between the Pantheon and the Reapers.  There was definitely more action, more battle scenes, and more suspense that make this book a really quick (and enjoyable) read.

One thing I really liked about this book was the character development.  While there aren't many new characters introduced in this book, a lot of the old characters grow and I liked being able to see other sides to certain characters (Daphne, Morgan, Logan, Nickamedes), instead of their one steady role in Gwen's life.  It made them seem more real and it made Gwen seem more real because she is the one who notices and recognizes their changes.

Something I struggled with in this book was some of the repetition.  In Touch of Frost we (and Gwen) are introduced to the First Chaos War, Loki, the Reapers of Chaos, the Pantheon, Gwen's Gypsy power, and other such things that were clearly part of the developing plot of the book.  A lot of this information is summarized/restated via Gwen's inner dialogue in Kiss of Frost, and while this felt a bit repetitive, I also thought it was a bit necessary to make sure the concept from Touch of Frost was fully understood and carried over.  However, this is the third book of the series and I didn't need the summary of all of these things and the danger Loki's release poses to the world.  I will admit that I skimmed over this part of the book because I felt like I was reading something I had already read.  Thankfully the summary part is towards the beginning of the book, so I was able to get into the new action rather quickly.

Why I Picked Up This Book

I can honestly say that I am addicted to this series, and I can't wait to see what happens to Gwen next!

Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Mythology

My Rating: Five Stars

Interested in other books by Jennifer Estep?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.

SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW by Cameron Dokey

Title: Sunlight and Shadow
Series: Once Upon a Time
Author: Cameron Dokey

Summary

Mina is the daughter of Pamina, the Queen of the Night, and Sarastro, the Mage of the Day.  With her birth, a prophecy was given that her marriage would change the world in a way that would remove and give power to her parents.  So her parents made a pact that, for the first sixteen years of her life, Mina would live in the darkness with her mother; on the day of her sixteenth birthday, she would be given to her father and he would select a husband.

But when Mina's father breaks his oath, it takes all of Mina's strength, and the help of some friends, to find her heart's desire.

My Impression

I have never encountered The Magic Flute, so I am not sure how closely/loosely this story follows the original.  I liked this story for that fact, since it had familiar feel of a fairy tale but was at the same time new, even though some of the plot was predictable.  

The thing that I had the hardest time with in this book was the switching perspectives.  There are a total of five narrators for this story, and each one tells the story from a first-person perspective.  Though I really liked seeing inside the heads of various characters, the shifts are not clearly marked in the book, so it often took me a couple sentences before I realized that a different person was "speaking."

Why I Picked Up This Book

I have always had a love for retellings of myths and fairytales, so the Once Upon a Time series, and with it this book, have been on my "to read" list for a while.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Romance

My Rating: Four Stars

Interested in more books from this series? Click here to see a list of the other books in the Once Upon a Time series and my reviews of them.

DEAD RADIANCE by T.G. Ayer

Title: Dead Radiance

Series: Valkyrie #1
Author: T.G. Ayer

Summary

The first book in a trilogy, Dead Radiance focuses on Bryn Halbrook, a foster-child whose best friend has just died.  In the days leading up to Joshua's death, Bryn had begun to notice a glow form around him, and it grew stronger each day until the car crash that took his life.  Bryn has seen the glow all of her life, but it isn't until Joshua dies that she realizes that people begin to glow right before they die.

When her foster mother takes in a boy named Aidan, Bryn's life begins to change.  Aidan is mysterious and has a weird fascination with Norse mythology, and is the first person Bryn trusts her secret to.  Then, when Aidan disappears and leaves behind the book he was translating, Bryn becomes obsessed with finishing his translation, only to discover that there are things about her own story that she never knew.

My Impression

I really loved this book.  I am a huge fan of mythology, and though I don't know a lot about Norse mythology, this book definitely sparked my interest.  In the world of the book, all of the Norse gods exist, but there are some differences between the myths we know and the truth behind the myths.  I thought the original spin on the mythology was very clever and allowed this book to really provide the reader with something new, despite their level of familiarity with Norse myth.

That being said, it was really easy to become attached to Bryn and her tragedy: that she knows when the people she loves are about to die, and yet she is powerless to save them.  Her adventure was thrilling and as I found myself trying to predict what would happen next in the book, I was consistently wrong, which made the story that more intriguing. 

Why I Picked Up This Book

I first came upon Dead Radiance while looking at Maria V. Snyder''s recent activity on Goodreads.  Since I love her writing, I followed the link and began to read about this book by T.G. Ayer...I was immediately interested.  After waiting the few weeks for the book to finally be released, and then waiting for Amazon to deliver my book (since neither Barnes & Noble or Hastings had the book in their records), I was finally able to read the book.

Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Mythology, Romance

My Rating: Five Stars