Cursed Beauty (A Fairy Retelling Book 1) by Dorian Tsukioka

   We all know the Disney fairy tale version of Cinderella and her glass slippers.  What child doesn't?  But did you ever think that perhaps the story was a little bit off?  That maybe there was more to it?  Well, there is.  This novelette is another side of Cinderella that you've never seen before, but explains so much.
   Adelaide was born with a hideous birthmark scarring half of her face.  It makes her feel ugly and although people in the village where she lives have generally gotten used to it, they still whisper about it.  And she knows they do.  People won't even look her in the face when they talk to her.  Word is that she was born cursed.  Her mother died long ago of the pox, the same night that the younger Prince Julian lost his mother to it as well.  Her father had been off to the castle trying to save the queen when Adelaide's mother died right beside her.  The happenings of that night stayed with her for the next several years.  The prince had lashed out at her when his mother died.  He was mean to her and she had never forgiven him.  Now, several years later, he delivers the news of the death of her father.  While she grieves though, her stepmother, Celeste, seems cold and uncaring.  Due to her father's death, Adelaide is forced to become a servant in her own house.  During this time of readjustment, the prince tries to make amends with her by inviting her to the ball for his older brother's birthday.  There's no way Adelaide can go, for several reasons.  An old woman shows up with magic slippers saying she's her fairy godmother.  Even though she wears the slippers, there is a terrible price to pay to use them.  The price is much steeper than Adelaide is willing to pay once she has what the old woman wants.  After all, nothing is free.


   I love the retelling of this old tale.  Disney makes it into a wonderful, feel good story for kids to watch.  But let's be honest here: no one falls in love the first night they go to a ball and dance with a prince.  That's called lust.  This gives Adelaide and the prince a former history already that spans several years.  Not only that, but the poor girl has been deemed cursed by the community because of a prominent birthmark.  And then there is the fairy godmother.  Well this one seems kind of scary to me.  I also like the part Celeste plays in this.  Everything has its explanation and it is a somewhat disturbing tale.  It's short, and definitely not what you would call sweet, but it is a good retelling of it!

5 out of 5 stars!

Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) by Nancy Straight

I thought I knew who I was a week ago.  After contacting my long lost dad that my mom never talked about, now I have no idea who I am.  I do know this though:

-I am Camille, the daughter of Angela Benning and William Strayer
-I have five half-brothers, all older than me

-All of my family are Centaurs

-There is a blood debt on my head thanks to my mom

-I am supposed to have some magical powers

-Zandra Chiron is my grandmother and there's a reason my mom hid from her: she's ruthless and crazy.

-I have feelings for my best friend's fiance'
-I am not supposed to exist

What I realize more than anything is that I cannot communicate with my mom, even though I should have the ability to, and because of that I feel alone in all of these strange and scary changes going on in my life.  

Once in a great while I like to start a review from the character's point of view should that character be talking or thinking.  Camille's mother passed away and right before she did, she finally told her daughter who her father was.  It was a few weeks later that Camille sought out her father, only to find out he has 5 sons and a wife.  They all take her in just like she is one of the family.  William Strayer has a lot of money and it shows.  But they don't act like the normal rich people.  In fact, they act like a normal loving family.  All 5 sons still live at home although the oldest is closer to 30 than 20.  Camille soon finds out that the world they were brought up in was far different than her own.  In her world she was able to date whoever and whenever and be human.  In this world, she wasn't allowed to even go out somewhere alone.  Dates were frowned upon and you had to have a chaperon on dates or while you were with your chosen fiance'.  That's another thing.  In the world of the Centaurs, the women picked their husbands.  All of the men went for great jobs and tried their best to impress because to not be chosen by the time they were 30 would mean they would have to settle for a half-breed Centaur or a human.  This diluted the power in the blood lines so it was best to stay with their own kind.  However, Camille has her own ideas on the subject and won't be swayed.  Then she happens to meet Drake, Bianca's new fiance'.  He catches her before she can fall and saves her from a man's wrath at her brother's wedding.  They both have feelings for each other that neither of them understand or want because of circumstances.  The blood debt on Camille's head has put her in a dangerous situation with the man she owes it to.  And then there is her crazy grandmother that pops up.  Camille has no idea how much danger she is really in until reality hits her in the face.

Another fantastic read!  I highly recommend this one if you are looking for something fresh and different to read!

Dragon's Bride: The Dragon and the Scholar book 4 by H.L. Burke

   In the last installment of the series, Ewan, the Dragon Prince, leaves his new bride, Shannon, in Regone to go in search of answers to become a man for good.  Since being married to Shannon, he realizes she is far more important to him than anything else and he will find a way to be the man she needs him to be.  He and Martin set out to find a dragon, Queen Harviss, who might have answers for him.  They might know something about the wild magic that has bound Ewan.  But when they meet her, things just get more complicated.  Turns out that Ewan has Fey blood running in his veins and the magic worked by Adonna awakened it.  Now he and Martin must travel back in time and find his Fey ancestor to help with the curse.  But when they go back, they run into unexpected trouble with the powerful Queen Idriss.  Now they aren't sure if they will be able to make it back to their own time, and Idriss wants to send herself and many other Fey into the future where they are pretty much non-existent.  If she succeeds, who knows what would happen?


   Shannon and Ewan find themselves in a bit of an unconventional spot in this book.  A dragon is married to a scholar.  They are very much in love, but his dragon form is a problem for their current state.  They had one night together in the end of the third book, but all it did was make them both want more.  Shannon will do her best to be content with him as a dragon as long as he is around.  But not Ewan.  He wants very badly to return to a human state to be able to touch and hold Shannon.
   While Ewan is gone, Shannon finds herself with child and starts getting very lonely without Ewan.  She tries to keep herself busy, waiting on his return.  She did give him a year, but hadn't actually thought it would take that long.  She holds the secret of her pregnancy for as long as possible, but can't forever.  People notice when she hasn't eaten and isn't feeling well so often.  She is doing her best to go on without Ewan there.
   Martin finds himself particularly drawn to Idriss's daughter, Rega.  She is only half Fey and an accomplished hunter.  Her father had long since been turned into a stag and let loose to live out the rest of his days after Idriss was tired of him.  She did this often with her lovers.  They were all disposable to her.  But Rega wasn't like her or even the other Fey.  She had a soft spot for the humans.  But things could never work out between Martin and Rega for an astounding reason you find out later on in the book.
   The ending was absolutely fantastic!  It was just as it should be with some surprise to it as well.  Things never quite end like you expect them to.  And let's just say that Ewan must pay a price to regain his human form.  It is a price that affects everyone around him.  Should he choose to take the risk anyway?

Artemis Rising by Cheri Lasota

   Eva is a 15-year-old girl who has a Catholic father and a pagan mother who worships the goddess Artemis.  Eva's father doesn't know of this, but has heard the rumors among the people in town and is suspicious.  He is a brutal man and won't tolerate them to be anything other than Catholic.  When he does find out, he lashes out at his wife and they leave for a new place.  On the way a dreadful storm wrecks the ship and Eva, who has now taken the name Arethusa after taking her vow to Artemis, is found by a boy that is about her age named Tristao.  When he sees her, he vows to never let anyone hurt her again.  Arethusa had hand and finger marks on her neck suggesting someone had tried to kill her.  At first it was her assumption that it was her father, but the truth is soon revealed that it was another.
   While on board the ship with her parents, there was a young man who Arethusa's mother believed to be her Alpheus.  It was Arethusa's destiny to eventually be with him.  But she isn't so sure he is the one.  The vision she saw was a young man with blue eyes.  Diogo (supposedly Alpheus) has very dark eyes and wants Arethusa, but she is unwilling to give herself to him.  After the wreck, she is taken to an orphanage where she recovers, but cannot speak because of the damage done to her neck.  All the while, Tristao watches over her until Diogo tells everyone her religion.  All of the other children are afraid of her, and Tristao, who she had started having feelings for, suddenly starts avoiding her.  Diogo will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it hurts Arethusa in the process.  Because of his now savage nature, she has to wonder how he could possibly be her Alpheus.
   In time Arethusa and Tristao are adopted by the padre's brother.  He took a keen interest in the two after meeting them and felt that this was the path he should take.  The two go to live with him and his sour acting wife for the next few years.  Thankfully it is a reprieve for them both from Diogo.  The Conde Fernando Estrela becomes a second father to Arethusa and a father to Tristao, who takes the name Tristan.  Both of them have now taken names that are ill-fated according to the old legends.  Tristan's is the story of he and Isolde the Fair.  Arethusa's fate is supposed to be with Alpheus.  And unfortunately, Diogo shows back up, determined to make her his wife.  He has even more tricks up his sleeve this time.  It always ends up with Arethusa getting hurt or being in danger from this crazy guy.  She and Tristan can only wonder if this is just their fate, and if they can change it.


   A story based on two old tales, this was a well written piece about two young adults who are convinced that the names they take are the fates that will be for them.  Unfortunately, they fall for each other and start to wonder if there is a way to change fate.  The padre in the story doesn't believe any of the stories and all that about them being fated to such ill endings.  He is pretty much the only one who feels this way during the book.  Even the Conde has his own Tristan and Isolde story that ties very closely to Arethusa.  Much closer than she would ever think to be possible.  He is the man with many answers to her life.  At the same time, only she can make her mind up about her fate.  However, this is a concept that she has a hard time grasping and struggles with it throughout the book.  Tristan is much the same.  Diogo believes himself to be a god now.  That goes to his head and he gets crazy and dangerous.  Some men don't do well when power is given to them.  He is one of these men.  A man of wealth and connections, he has ways of getting what he wants.  All in all, it brings one question to mind:  What is in a name?