Tag Archives: retelling

Review: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors

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Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
by Sonali Dev
4 stars

I greatly enjoyed Sonali Dev’s twist on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Dev introduces to the aristocratic Raje family through the youngest daughter, Trisha. She is our Mr. Darcy in this gender flipped version with DJ Caine, a master chef from a poor background, playing Elizabeth’s role. Dev includes lots and humor and sweetness with the right mix of tart. Trisha, a talented surgeon, is set on saving DJ’s younger sister’s life after the sister is diagnosed with a brain tumor. An awkward first meeting between our protagonists, followed by (you guess it!) misunderstandings, roughly follow the original plot. I spent a little too much time trying to pick out who was whom from Pride and Prejudice, but I eventually focused more on Trisha and DJ’s own story. I’m looking forward to the next entry in Dev’s Raje family series…perhaps a new take on Sense and Sensibility is headed our way!

 

Read-alikes

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

 

Review: Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

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Beauty and the Clockwork Beast
by Nancy Campbell Allen
4 stars

When Lucy Pickett goes to stay at Blackwell Manor to care for her ill cousin Kate, she’s surprised to learn that her recently wed cousin may be cursed.  Women who marry into the Blackwell family tend to die mysterious deaths, including Kate’s brother-in-law’s late wife and sister.

Miles, the lord of the manor, is concerned for his new sister-in-law, but also has other issues to worry about.  Ghosts are haunting his guests, vampires have been reported nearby, and he has a dangerous secret of his own.  Not to mention his attraction to his most recent guest, Lucy.

Lucy and Miles work together to try to figure out what’s happening at Blackwell Manor and bring peace back to the family in this steampunk romance.  I haven’t read many steampunk titles before, and I really enjoyed this one.  There’s definitely a lot going on, which sounds a bit chaotic when describing the story, but Nancy Campbell Allen makes it all work together.  It doesn’t hurt that it’s a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales.

Read-alikes

Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine

The Water Witch by Juliet Dark

The Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen

Review: The Kiss of the Spindle

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The Kiss of the Spindle: A Steampunk Sleeping Beauty
by Nancy Campbell Allen
4 stars

In The Kiss of the Spindle Nancy Campbell Allen gives the reader a delightful Sleeping Beauty tale with a steampunk twist. Our heroine, Dr. Isla Cooper, has been cursed by a powerful witch so that she goes into a deep, nearly dead, sleep at the stroke of midnight each evening and cannot wake for six hours. The curse will end after a year…with her never waking up at all. As the year mark draws near, Isla’s on a quest to track down the witch, who is the only one who can reverse the curse, to a Caribbean island. To gain transportation from England, she blackmails shipping magnet Daniel Pickett to take her along on his airship (yes, this is steampunk!) to the island. Unbeknownst to her, Pickett is secretly transporting illegal shapeshifters who can be free in the Caribbean. And Nigel Crowe, a government official who wants to eradicate shapeshifters, forces himself along for the ride, too. Isla, who is an empath for shapeshifters, and Daniel join forces to protect the shapeshifters from Crowe. And Daniel pledges to help Isla on her quest for survival. Packed in between all that drama, a sweet romance (read: no explicit scenes) emerges between Isla and Daniel. I’m not a huge steampunk fan, but Nancy Campbell Allen’s world is wonderfully developed, and she has a knack for developing the relationships amongst her characters. A fun, quick read!

Read-alikes:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

 

 

 

Review: Flame in the Mist

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Flame in the Mist
by Renee Ahdieh
4 stars

For those of you who have not seen my “My Librarian” page, I am a huge fan of Renee Ahdieh’s books.  Her first series The Wrath and the Dawn is a YA retelling of Scheherazade from Arabian Nights.  Flame in the Mist was described to me as Mulan meet 47 Ronin.  I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy, the official release date for Flame in the Mist is May 16th, 2017.

Set in feudal Japan, Flame in the Mist tells the story of 17 year old Mariko.  She is the daughter of a prominent samurai who is being married off for political advantage.  After being attacked and nearly killed on her way to meet her betrothed, she disguises herself as a boy and infiltrates the group of bandits that attacked her.  Political intrigue, deception, and slow burning romance abound.  Both Flame in the Mist and Wrath and the Dawn are 2-book series.  Sadly the 2nd book in Flame and the Mist does not have a release date as of yet, but I am eagerly anticipating reading the rest of this story!  However, this will give you time to pick up The Wrath and the Dawn and the sequel The Rose and the Dagger.

Read-alikes

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir