Fairytale Keeper by Angela Cefalo (Gally copy)
267 pgs
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Wizard

Synopsis from back cover
"Snow White was a pet name her mother had given her, but her mother's dead now. Adelaide hates that name anyway. A rampant fever claimed Adelaide's mother just like a thousand others in Cologne where the people die without last rites and the dead are dumped in a large pit outside of the city walls. Adelaide's father is determined to obtain a funeral for his wife, but that requires bribing the parish priest, Father Soren. When Soren commits an unforgivable atrocity, he pushes Adelaide to her breaking point, but if she seeks justice against the cruel priest, she risks sacrificing everything: her father, her friends, her first love, and mabe even her life."

I liked the unusual nature of the fairytale retelling, where the protagonist, Adelaide, appears to be the source of all the Grimm's Tales. Cinderella, Snow White, and The Elves and the Shoemaker all make an appearance. Her father is the shoemaker, Adelaide is Snow White and her mother's beautiful cousin is the evil stepmother from Cinderella. It's a genuinely cool way to interweave more than one fairytale into your story. I did notice however that she also included the tale The Six Swans but there was no indication of that tale in the book. So I'm assuming that means it will appear in some way in the forthcoming titles in the series. The medieval Cologne setting was beautifully laid out and gave the stories depth and ambiance. I really liked the budding romance between Adelaide and Ivo. Ivo was hands down my favorite character in the book. I can so easily imagine him as any number of Grimm characters. It will be very interesting to see where he ends up. The corruption in the church was an intriguing thread in the storyline and I wonder if that will continue in the next installment.
I want to thank the author, Andrea Cefalo, for sending me a copy of this fabulous debut to enjoy and feature here on my blog.

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Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler
212 pgs.
age 8-12
Rating: Wizard

Synopsis from inside front cover
"Princess Meriel's brothers have been cursed. A terrible enchantmnt -- cast by their conniving new stepmother -- has transformed the handsome princes into swans. They now swim forlornly on a beautiful heart-shaped lake that lies just beyond the castle walls.
      Meriel will do whatever it takes to rescue her beloved brothers. But she must act quickly. If Heart Lake freezes, her brothers will be forced to fly south or perish.
      With help from her newfound friends Riona and Liam -- a pretty half-witch and her clever brother-- Meriel vows to finish a seemingly impossible task. If she completes it, her brothers may be saved.

But if she fails...

all will be lost."

I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition of the Grimm fairytale, The Seven Brothers. Meriel is a strong heroine whose love and fierce loyalty to her family drives her to finish the painful task of sewing shirts of cloth spun from the prickly nettles. Even though the brothers spend most of the story as swans, their individual traits are clearly drawn and easily transferred to swan form. The new queen, Lady Orianna,  is deliciously wicked and brings a new twist to the tale by using her power over the king to open the portal between the human and fairy world. I liked how the threat of a winter freezing placed a deadline on Meriel's task. I especially loved how the town stood by the royal family and helped them defeat Orianna in the end. Granted Meriel couldn't be helped in the task of sewing the shirts to save her brothers, but she did get help in other ways which shows that a ruler who is fair, just and genuinely cares for his/her people is rewarded with loyalty. There is a touch of romantic interest between Meriel and Rionna's brother, Liam. This book is short but packed with adventure, peril and heroism. Fans of fairytale retellings will eat this book up. 

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A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
416 pgs.
Target audence: Age 8-12
Rating: Wizard

As we all know the original tales of the Brothers Grimm are quite grim The author reminds the reader at frequent intervals during the narrative by asking if there are small children in the house and suggesting they go to bed before they read any further. Gidwitz weaves a web through some of the more obscure and bloody stories using Hansel and Gretel as the heroes in each one. Where most parents would be appalled at the gruesomeness, Gidwitz deftly embraces it with humor an snarky comments on the contents of the story which kids will love and adults will want to stay up into the wee hours to finish. I listened to this on audio and it had me completely engrossed. I love the Grimm fairytales and its nice to see them told in a way that doesn't sugarcoat. This book will generate interest in reading the original tales. The heart and soul of this book lies with the question, "Where are all the good parents?"

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