Tattered Slippers: The Dancing Princess by Kendra E. Ardnek

Hullo, friends! It seems that every time I post something exciting (like the cover reveal a few weeks ago), I can’t quite figure out what to post afterward! Luckily, this week, the Tattered Slippers release tour is going on! I’m so excited to have the chance to review not one, but two of these Twelve Dancing Princess retellings. Today I’m reviewing The Dancing Princess (A Twist of Adventure #5) by Kendra E. Ardnek. So let’s get on to the review!

Description

Plagued by nightmares for the last few years, Katrine only wanted answers. Instead, she finds herself trapped in a tangled web of melody as she tries to free a cursed king and his brothers. No one deserves existence such as theirs, but dare she risk her very life?

Amazon | Goodreads

 

My Review

This book was so much fun to read! It was fast-paced, the characters were intriguing, and the plot was intense. I’ve read a few of the other Twist of Adventure books (which you don’t have to do to read this one!), and I always enjoy the spin Kendra puts on the original fairytales. I especially enjoyed the magic system in this one.

I’d say my one complaint was that it was too short! I wish it had been longer so there could be more time to flesh out the characters and their storylines and to expand the plot. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this little book, and I highly recommend it to any fantasy fans out there!

 

Tour Info

There are so many awesome books to go for this tour! I’ll be posting again later this week, but check out this link to see the full schedule AND enter the Tattered Slippers giveaway! Make sure you check out all the other posts and keep a lookout this week for the other books.

 

Are you participating in the tour, and have you read this book? Comment down below to let me know your thoughts!

Blog Tour: Beast of the Night by E.E. Rawls Review

Hullo, friends! Today I am participating in the release tour for Beast of the Night by E.E. Rawls. This book just came out, and it’s a fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Without further ado, let’s get into the post!

Book Blurb:

A one-armed, practical girl. A rude lord hiding a curse. A dark secret with the town’s fate hanging in the balance.

A Beauty and the Beast retelling with an Austrian twist and a new breed of curse.

When Rosen moves to Freudendorf—a secluded town in the Alps—with her dad, he vanishes on her and the debt collectors come to call: taking her into slave labor. As if that wasn’t bad enough, just when all her hopes and dreams for a normal life are ruined, a frail zombie-like butler purchases her: taking her to serve Lord Varick, who currently resides in the forbidden castle near the salt mines, where the Beast of the Night is said to roam.

Varick is handsome, with an attitude that’s the exact opposite. The servants aren’t human, and the castle itself is an ugly wreck. But if Rosen cannot solve the dark secret spreading beneath Freudendorf, and the curse holding Varick’s cold heart, then both they and the town will fall prey to a waiting evil—and worse, even lose their memory of it.

Book Purchase Links:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

 

Author Bio:

E.E. Rawls is the product of a traveling family, who even lived in Italy for 6 years. She loves exploring the unknown, whether it be in a forest, inside a forgotten castle, or within the pages of a book.

She runs on coffee, cuddly cats and the beauty of nature to keep the story wheels of her mind running, as she writes tales that will both entertain and inspire others, giving them worlds they can explore and become lost within.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

 

My Review:

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

There may be minor spoilers in this review, so be forewarned if you want to go into this book not knowing anything. No major plot points will be spoiled!

What I liked: The character building in this book was wonderful! I felt like I really got to know Rosen, and I loved that she didn’t let missing an arm stop her throughout the story. As someone who’s been reading and writing a lot about disabilities lately, it was so awesome to read a story where the disability wasn’t a major plot point. It was handled really well without being a main focal point, and I highly applaud the author for that!

The plot was done really nicely, too, and I especially loved some of the twists close to the end. I really liked the twists on the classic Beauty and Beast story, especially on the curse.

And can I take a second to appreciate how awesome the Austrian setting is?? The cultural aspects that came up were awesome, and the setting itself was beautifully described. I think it was a great choice and it played into the story really well.

What I didn’t: Personally, I’ve never been a fan of books with vampires, and while technically this book doesn’t have any vampires per se… they’re basically vampires. That wasn’t something I was really expecting, but if that’s not something that bothers you, then go for it! My only other issue was a few unanswered questions I had, but that could be because the author may be planning a sequel.

Overall, if this sounds like a book you’d be interested in reading, you should definitely check it out!

 

Blog Release Tour Schedule:

June 11^th

https://rawlse.wordpress.com/2020/06/01/it-has-finally-r…y-tale-retelling/ ‎-opening

http://www.jenelleschmidt.com -review

12th

https://bookslesstravelledreviews.wordpress.com -review & spotlight

13th

https://elizabethdragina.files.wordpress.com -review

15th

https://www.hsjwilliams.com/blog -spotlight

16th

http://www.djedwardson.com -spotlight

17th

https://www.rachaelritchey.com -review

18th

http://www.hlburkeauthor.com/blog -spotlight

19th

https://abigailfalangaauthor.wordpress.com -review & spotlight

Sarah Ashwood  -spotlight

20th

https://twitter.com/justviews -spotlight

21st

http://www.kylerobertshultz.com -spotlight

22nd

https://christinesmithauthor.com/ -review

http://www.jlmbewe.com/blog/ -review

23rd

https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com -spotlight

24th

https://triciamingerink.com/blog/ -spotlight

25th

https://theworldofthewriter.wordpress.com -review

26th

https://wordsofhannahkay.wordpress.com/  -review & spotlight

https://rawlse.wordpress.com/blog/ -closing

Five Golden Braids Blog Tour: Mechanical Heart Review

Hullo, everyone! I’m so excited to be a part of the Five Golden Braids release tour! If you haven’t heard of this release, there are 5 authors, and each is releasing a Rapunzel retelling. All of the stories are in different genres, everything from classic fantasy to steampunk! The book releasing today (just kidding, yesterday, because I forgot to schedule this post…) is Mechanical Heart by Sarah Pennington. I’m so excited to be bringing you guys my review, so let’s get started!

Description:

Can you save someone who doesn’t know if she’s alive?

Breen lives locked away, separated from the world by the walls of her clock tower and the machine of gems, gears, and magic that replaces her heart. That is, until an unexpected visitor appears in her tower, offering a dangerous gift: freedom. His promises awaken hope for a life unbound by the tower walls — but she knows that if he learns about her heart, it’s only a matter of time before he turns on her.

Josiah is powerless. Though he’s the crown prince of the mighty Chanian empire, he feels stifled by his inability to protect his people from the schemes of corrupt nobles. When he discovers a girl trapped in a locked clock tower, he thinks he’s finally found a problem he can solve . . . but more than just walls keep her captive.

From the royal palace to the streets of Rivenford to the tops of clock towers, secrets hide around every corner in this steampunk retelling of Rapunzel. Breen and Josiah hold the keys to each other’s struggles — if they can break down the barriers that divide them.

Amazon | Goodreads

My Review:

I love a good fairytale retelling, and this book was no exception. Mechanical Heart is the first book I’ve been able to read by Sarah Pennington, but I’ve been following her blog for a long time, and I’ve been able to read some things she’s written on there. Because of that, I was not at all surprised at how much I loved this book! The world was absolutely amazing and so well developed, and I couldn’t put the book down.

[Probably some minor SPOILERS below, so if you want to read this book without knowing anything about the plot… just go buy it!]

The plot itself wasn’t necessarily fast-paced or full of action that keeps you reading, but it was more suspense-driven. There was so much character development, and I loved getting to know these characters, especially Breen and Josiah. I also really liked the approach the author took to the characters’ interactions in the clock tower. Grace provided a great contrast to Josiah as well, and I loved that the little sister was taking over. That played into the plot so well. (I’m trying so hard to avoid spoilers…) The tension with Madame and my own questions kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. While I guessed some of the plot twists ahead of time, I was still surprised by a lot of things, which was awesome.

Breen was probably my absolute favorite. I loved having a deaf main character, and the author handled that aspect of Breen’s character so well… plus it plays into the story in an important way later on. Her development really tugged at my heart, too. Basically, she’s awesome and the best and I want to give her a hug. ❤

Josiah was also pretty awesome. I loved his character arc too, and I also loved that he did his own research throughout the story. He wasn’t a typical stuck-up noble, but you can also see that he has his shortcomings, too. He was a really well-rounded character, and I would love to see more of both him and Breen. 😀

There’s not anything I really disliked about the book. There were a lot of senate/government meetings, but they provided important information and tied in really well with the rest of the plot, so they weren’t boring. There’s also a lot of magic and alchemy, if that’s something that concerns you.

Author Bio:

Sarah Pennington has been writing stories since before she actually knew how to write, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She is perpetually in the middle of writing at least one or two novels, most of which are in the fantasy and fairy tale retelling genres. Sarah’s first published work, Blood in the Snow, received a perfect score and Special Unicorn status in Rooglewood Press’s Five Poisoned Apples contest. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys knitting, photography, and trying to conquer her massive to-be-read list. Find her online at:

Website | Blog | Second Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Amazon

 

Overall, this was an awesome book, and I highly recommend it! You can check out the book with the links below, and you can also check out the tour giveaway and full tour schedule here. Be sure to let me know in the comments below if you’ve read this book, and if not, go check it out! 

Amazon | Goodreads

Finding Christmas Joy Review (And Release!)

Hullo, everyone! So today is the last day to submit your work for the fan art contest! I plan to announce the winners next Monday, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, here’s a review of a fun short story that was released today!

My Review

This story was such a sweet short story!! The story didn’t drag like a lot of Christmas-themed stories seem to do, and it had such a great message. It felt just like a Hallmark movie (which is actually something the author herself mentioned in an Author’s Note and her review), except with a better theme to it: God provides true change, not the “spirit of Christmas.”

The descriptions were so vivid and I felt like I could picture everything so well in my head. I also loved the change of heart, although most of the characters other than Melonie weren’t very developed. I do think that a chance was missed to make give Patricia a little more development when she was talking to Melonie (view spoiler), but it was a short story, so I didn’t mind too much.

Overall, a fun, encouraging read, and a nice bit of Christmas in the middle of the summer!

I received a free copy for review from the author. However, I wasn’t required to provide positive feedback.

If you want to find out more about the release, check out Amanda Tero’s post on her blog, and if you’re interested in picking up the book for only $0.99 (e-book edition), check it out on Amazon!