Obsidian Butterfly and Books 20, 21, & 22
Oct. 24th, 2018 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavendersparkI finished Obsidian Butterfly. The writing never got better, but the story was interesting enough that I wanted to know how it ended. It wasn't a terrible book, but I won't be picking up any of her other books.
I looked through my box of TBR books and found Beauty
Fair of face and figure, Kristine is young, innocent, pure. Yet she has been condemned to the gallows for killing a man. The only one who can save her is a lord so infamous that some say he is the son of the Devil himself. . .
And the Beast
Erik Trevayne is called the Demon Lord of Hawksbridge Castle, but few know of the curse he lives under. Or the terrifying changes slowly gnawing away at his humanity. When he weds her, all he wants of Kristine is a son. But when he beds her, a wild hope is born--that love that can tame even the most monstrous of beasts. . .
The summary and cover would have you believe its a trashy romance novel, but it really isn't. That's not to say there aren't sex scenes, but they're very short (for a romance novel).
I actually really liked it. I'm a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings, but this one was good. There were magic and supernatural elements, all equally balanced and explained. The main story was essentially the same, man is turned into a beast by a witch and saved by love. But it's a much slower process and the solution isn't as easy. It was a quick easy read, I finished it in a couple days.
Then I charged up my Kindle and looked through what I've got there. I have a bunch that I've gotten for free that I haven't read. Usually book one of a series, mostly "young adult" and pretty short.
I flipped through and found And you thought the stepsisters were wicked....
I'm not who they think I am. A docile girl who meekly obeys her stepmother and stepsisters. Some kind of sick angel who cheerfully bears their mistreatment. That's what I WANT them to think. Because then they won't suspect what I'm really up to.
The ball, the prince - it's all part of my plan to come out on top. Stepmother and her demented daughters will pay for every floor I have scoured, every sneer I have borne. They don't know about the white magic, how I use it to enhance myself. They can't see that my heart is black as midnight, rotten as a poisoned apple.
They're about to find out.
It's another re-telling and while the writing was a bit...juvenile? It wasn't bad, just felt like it was for a very young audience. If not for the content, my 8 year old could read it. But the story was great. I loved the idea of Cinderella being a bit evil. And it set up nicely for the next one with Cinderella as the Evil Queen. I may look into getting the rest of the series. At only 100 pages, I read it pretty quick.
So now I've started A secret prophecy. A mad king. An unwanted marriage proposal.
Amaleah must deal with them all. Being a princess isn't always what it's cracked up to be, especially when even your nursemaid is a spy against you. Still, Amaleah must determine if she has what it takes to save not only her kingdom...but herself.
Prince Colin Stormbearer is soon to be the king of Szarmi, but there have already been multiple attempts on his life. With his coronation drawing ever closer, will he survive the remaining attacks?
Together, Amaleah and Colin have a chance to take control of their destinies and to do the one thing countless generations before them could not: fulfill the First Prophecy. But with war building between their kingdoms and a greater darkness sweeping across the land, the odds are stacked against them.
This is another eBook, so book one of a series, but it's about 400 pages, so it'll take a bit longer to read. The story just jumps right in so far and seems to be quick paced. I haven't gotten in far enough to have a real sense of what's going on, but it's good so far.
I looked through my box of TBR books and found Beauty
Fair of face and figure, Kristine is young, innocent, pure. Yet she has been condemned to the gallows for killing a man. The only one who can save her is a lord so infamous that some say he is the son of the Devil himself. . .
And the Beast
Erik Trevayne is called the Demon Lord of Hawksbridge Castle, but few know of the curse he lives under. Or the terrifying changes slowly gnawing away at his humanity. When he weds her, all he wants of Kristine is a son. But when he beds her, a wild hope is born--that love that can tame even the most monstrous of beasts. . .
The summary and cover would have you believe its a trashy romance novel, but it really isn't. That's not to say there aren't sex scenes, but they're very short (for a romance novel).
I actually really liked it. I'm a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings, but this one was good. There were magic and supernatural elements, all equally balanced and explained. The main story was essentially the same, man is turned into a beast by a witch and saved by love. But it's a much slower process and the solution isn't as easy. It was a quick easy read, I finished it in a couple days.
Then I charged up my Kindle and looked through what I've got there. I have a bunch that I've gotten for free that I haven't read. Usually book one of a series, mostly "young adult" and pretty short.
I flipped through and found And you thought the stepsisters were wicked....
I'm not who they think I am. A docile girl who meekly obeys her stepmother and stepsisters. Some kind of sick angel who cheerfully bears their mistreatment. That's what I WANT them to think. Because then they won't suspect what I'm really up to.
The ball, the prince - it's all part of my plan to come out on top. Stepmother and her demented daughters will pay for every floor I have scoured, every sneer I have borne. They don't know about the white magic, how I use it to enhance myself. They can't see that my heart is black as midnight, rotten as a poisoned apple.
They're about to find out.
It's another re-telling and while the writing was a bit...juvenile? It wasn't bad, just felt like it was for a very young audience. If not for the content, my 8 year old could read it. But the story was great. I loved the idea of Cinderella being a bit evil. And it set up nicely for the next one with Cinderella as the Evil Queen. I may look into getting the rest of the series. At only 100 pages, I read it pretty quick.
So now I've started A secret prophecy. A mad king. An unwanted marriage proposal.
Amaleah must deal with them all. Being a princess isn't always what it's cracked up to be, especially when even your nursemaid is a spy against you. Still, Amaleah must determine if she has what it takes to save not only her kingdom...but herself.
Prince Colin Stormbearer is soon to be the king of Szarmi, but there have already been multiple attempts on his life. With his coronation drawing ever closer, will he survive the remaining attacks?
Together, Amaleah and Colin have a chance to take control of their destinies and to do the one thing countless generations before them could not: fulfill the First Prophecy. But with war building between their kingdoms and a greater darkness sweeping across the land, the odds are stacked against them.
This is another eBook, so book one of a series, but it's about 400 pages, so it'll take a bit longer to read. The story just jumps right in so far and seems to be quick paced. I haven't gotten in far enough to have a real sense of what's going on, but it's good so far.