Once Upon A Dream Review

Happy Monday!

 I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! I am excited about the reviews and other posts I have in store for this week. So let's get this amazing week started off with a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell, is an amazing remake of the tale of Sleeping Beauty that we all know and love, except it has a twist to it.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways.

It should be simple—a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess', it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.

With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?"

In the original tale of Sleeping Beauty the Prince defeats the dragon, and rescues Aurora from her curse. But what if when the Prince went to awake Aurora he feel into a deep sleep curse of his own, and becomes trapped within the same dream as Aurora? Aurora is lead on a twisty adventure to find a way back to herself, while trying to figure out just who she is. When she meets Phillip along the journey she has to learn to trust him. Can she trust him to help get them both out of the nightmare or is he just another pawn of Maleficent's that will lead her on a wild goose chase?

This version of sleeping beauty had me enraptured from the very first word. It stays true to the story we all know and love, but the twist that Liz puts on the original story gives the reader a new found respect for Aurora. No longer does Aurora have to have a man to save her from her sleeping curse, but in this story the Princess gets to take her own story into her hands, which helps women see themselves as capable of saving themselves, without having to wait for a Prince's kiss.

Go find your own happily ever after readers!



Image taken from the Goodreads website.

Reflection Review

Hello Readers!

 I hope everyone had an amazing weekend, I know mine was relaxing after getting my final grades and graduation done. You all know how much of a Disney fan I am, and this book is by far one of my favorite retellings. Reflection by Elizabeth Lim, is a retelling of the amazing Disney movie Mulan! The second I saw this book was coming out, and read the description, I knew I had to have this book, and it did not disappoint.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "What if Mulan had to travel to the Underworld?
When Captain Shang is mortally wounded by Shan Yu in battle, Mulan must travel to the Underworld, Diyu, in order to save him from certain death. But King Yama, the ruler of Diyu, is not willing to give Shang up easily. With the help of Shang's great lion guardian ShiShi, Mulan must traverse Diyu to find Shang's spirit, face harrowing obstacles, and leave by sunrise--or become King Yama's prisoner forever. Moreover, Mulan is still disguised as the soldier called Ping, wrestling with the decision to reveal her true identity to her closest friend. Will Mulan be able to save Shang before it's too late? Will he ever be able to trust her again? Or will she lose him--and be lost in the Underworld--forever?"

What would have happened if Shang had been more severely wounded, and got shot with the arrow instead of Mulan? In this retelling, you get to dive into the what if world, and it is one amazing ride. Mulan has to travel to the Underworld to save Shang's soul, and save his life in the process. She joins Shang's guardian ShiShi, and runs into some trouble. She has to save Shang, but when she finds him will he willingly go with her or will he choose to stay where he can be reunited with his deceased loved ones?

What I really loved about this book, as the rest of the books in the series, it takes the story that we all know and love, and ramps it up a couple of notches. This story will take the reader on a wild journey into what would have happened if Shang got shot instead of Mulan. Mulan feels so much guilt that she knows she has to save Shang's life even if it means she exposes her secret and puts her own life in danger. Elizabeth takes the reader on a winding journey through the Underworld, and delivers a more in depth story to Mulan. She doesn't take anything away from what the movie does, but adds on to it and draws the reader into a dark world of what if's.

Enjoy the Underworld dearies!



Image taken from 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.

Part of Your Wold: A Twisted Tale Review

Hey Everyone!!

  So I'm really excited about this review!!! As you may have guessed from the title, it is a twisted tale of The Little Mermaid. The description on the cover explains it all by stating "What if Ariel had never defeated Ursula?" That sentence, plus the cover, plus the author had me screaming and buying the book immediately. Liz Braswell is the author to a couple more twisted tales, which will be reviewed later, but since Part of Your World just came out I wanted to start with this one.

The description on Goodreads states:

 "What if Ariel had never defeated Ursula? Five years after the (twisted) events of the film, Ariel is now the queen of Atlantica, and Ursula is running Eric's kingdom on land. But when the sea witch threatens Atlantica once more, Ariel finds herself returning to a world (and a prince) she thought she'd left behind forever."

Now although this description is short, it packs a punch without giving the entire thing away. This story is differed from The Little Mermaid we all grew up on, however it sticks to the original story so well that it fits perfectly. Ariel has to run Atlantica, because she did not get Eric and turned back into a mermaid. Meanwhile, Ursula is still undercover as Vanessa and running the kingdom that rightfully belongs to Eric. Where is Eric in all of this? All I will say is he is around, however you will have to read the book to see what becomes of him.

Plus all of the characters that you fell in love with in the movie make an appearance, and you even meet new characters that you will love, and one you will want to know more about. You get to learn about each of the main characters from the movie to see how they have changed and get to see their personalities more in depth. When I got done reading this book, it had me wanting to watch Disney's The Little Mermaid again, because it reminded me of how much I loved the movie. 

This story has it all, adventure, romance, laughter, sadness, and longing to be who you were truly meant to be. Any fan of Disney and/or the Little Mermaid needs to read this book. Liz can spin a tale while still keeping true to the heart of the original story without making it unrecognizable.


(Plus the cover is so beautiful!!)



Image from Goodreads website

This would also be a good book to read with Halloween this month, but I highly recommend any Disney lover needs to read this book, and the others in the series, which I will be reviewing later in my blog!

May the reading odds be ever in your favor!