The Cold King Review

Happy Wednesday Readers!

 Today I am going to be reviewing The Cold King by Amber Jaeger, which is a different way to look at the story of Beauty and the Beast. This story took me on a wild ride that I had no intention of getting off until I reached the end, which I did lose a lot of sleep reading it, but hey it was 100% worth it.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "From the author of The Hemlock Bay Series comes a new retelling of an old tale…

… Not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every Beauty is a maiden just waiting for love…

Calia Thorn has lived her entire life in a small town sheltered by the Cold King’s mountain. Working day and night to care for her younger siblings, complete her unending chores and please her selfish, lazy mother has left her with few dreams for her own future.

But then even those meager hopes are taken from her when the Cold King comes down from his mountain to demand a new servant. Ungraceful, unladylike, undesired and unwanted by even her own family, Calia is chosen to be sent to the palace.

The Cold King has lived for three hundred years under a curse imposed by his own father. With no hope of ever breaking it, he settles for keeping his heart frozen against any pain— or hope.

When his new servant arrives, she challenges him in ways no one ever has and sparks fly. But not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every beauty is a maiden just waiting for love.

Sometimes happily ever after isn’t so easy… "

All Calia wants to do is make sure her younger siblings are taken care of, because her mother is too lazy and self absorbed to take care of them herself. Calia doesn't feel appreciated by her family, and it seems that her mother is always trying to get rid of her. When the chance comes to send a new servant to the Cold Kings castle, Calia's mom jumps at the chance for riches, and to get rid of her daughter. When Calia is deposited at the castle, she sees it as a new challenge to escape the life she previously had. However as she gets to know the Cold King she starts to learn that not everything is as it seems, and that just maybe he is as stuck as she is. With both of them in a situation they never wanted or asked for can they help each other survive or be stuck in their unwanted situations forever?

This book is so beautifully written by Amber that the reader is brought on a wild adventure, and with the detailed description, you will be transported into the castle with Calia. What I really loved about this book is it took the story of Beauty and the Beast, and put a spin on it, while keeping to the spirit of the original story. Any lover of Beauty and the Beast  needs to read this amazing story, and get lost in the Cold King's castle.

Happy enchanted adventures my friends!



Image taken from the Goodreads website.

As Old As Time Review

Hello Fellow Book Geeks!!

  Can you believe that Thanksgiving is this week!?!? Where has this year gone, and why does every year feel like it is going faster and faster? My favorite Disney movie has always been Beauty and the Beast, so you can image when I found out there where doing a retelling of it, I was freaking out. Today I will be reviewing As Old As Time by the amazing Liz Braswell. This is also part of the Twisted Tales series, and I was so happy with this amazing story.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "What if Belle’s mother cursed the Beast?

Belle is a lot of things: smart, resourceful, restless. She longs to escape her poor provincial town for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father’s reluctance to leave their little cottage in case Belle’s mother returns—a mother she barely remembers. Belle also happens to be the captive of a terrifying, angry beast. And that is her primary concern.

But Belle touches the Beast’s enchanted rose, intriguing images flood her mind—images of the mother she believed she would never see again. Stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful Enchantress who cursed the Beast, his castle, and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast must work together to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is twenty-one years in the making."

If you have seen the movie Beauty and the Beast or read the many different versions of the story, you know how the story goes. An enchantress curses a spoiled Prince, and turns him into a hideous beast to teach him a lesson. He has to get someone to fall in love with him to break the spell, and through twists and turns Belle falls in love with the beast and they live happily ever after. However, in this story Belle finds out it was her mom who cursed the beast, and together they must untangle a mystery from the past.

Liz sticks with the original Disney story, however she adds a sense of mystery to it that will leave the reader guessing until the very end of the story. There are new scenes thrown in with the old scenes, and nothing is taken away from the original story. In the movie Belle came to save the beast, however in this story when Belle gets into trouble it's up to the beast to save her. I loved this retelling so much, and I honestly believe that it gives a reader a deeper understanding of the story, and the sacrifices the characters are willing to make for each other. Liz brings a deeper understanding to the beautiful story of accepting someone for who they are, instead of how they look.

Dive into an adventure as old as time my friends!



Image taken from the Goodreads website.