Tag Archives: Retellings

Review: The Secret Diary of Lydia Bennet by Natasha Farrant

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28669645The Secret Diary of Lydia Bennet by Natasha Farrant

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Scholastic
Publication Date: October 25th 2016
Publisher: The Chicken House
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Historical Fiction, Retellings

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

BLURB:

Lydia is the youngest of the five Bennet girls. She’s stubborn, never listens, and can’t seem to keep her mouth shut — not that she would want to anyway. She wishes her older sisters would pay her attention, or that something would happen in her boring country life.

Luckily, that something is right around the corner, and it’s the handsome Wickham, who arrives at Longbourn to sweep her off her feet. Lydia’s not going to let him know THAT, of course, especially since he only seems to be interested in friendship. But when they both decide to summer in the fasionable seaside town of Brighton, their paths inevitably become entangled again.

At the seaside, Lydia also finds exciting new ways of life and a pair of friends who offer her a future she would have never dreamed possible. Lydia finally understands what she really wants. But can she get it? Continue reading →

Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

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28962906Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Publication Date: September 20th 2016
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 14+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery, (Bad) Romance, Jack the Ripper, Retellings, Crime, Feminism

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget. Continue reading →

Review: Red Queen (The Chronicles of Alice, #2) by Christina Henry

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27246122Red Queen by Christina Henry

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Received: NetGalley
Publicatio Date: July 12th 2016
Publisher: Ace
Point of View: 3rd Person
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Dark, Magic, Romance

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BLURB:

The author of Alice takes readers back down the rabbit hole to a dark, twisted, and fascinating world based on the works of Lewis Carroll…
 
The land outside of the Old City was supposed to be green, lush, hopeful. A place where Alice could finally rest, no longer the plaything of the Rabbit, the pawn of Cheshire, or the prey of the Jabberwocky. But the verdant fields are nothing but ash—and hope is nowhere to be found.

Still, Alice and Hatcher are on a mission to find his daughter, a quest they will not forsake even as it takes them deep into the clutches of the mad White Queen and her goblin or into the realm of the twisted and cruel Black King.

The pieces are set and the game has already begun. Each move brings Alice closer to her destiny. But, to win, she will need to harness her newfound abilities and ally herself with someone even more powerful—the mysterious and vengeful Red Queen… Continue reading →

Video Review: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

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Dear readers,

This is a very special book to me. I read it a year ago, after having watched the youtube videos, and it completely stole my heart. Therefore, I decided to present it to you orally as well. Hopefully, you will be charmed by it and decide to give it a try. My editor program gave me some trouble, which is why this video is shorter than my usual ones. Thanks for watching! You can also read my written review of this book here.

LOLA XOXO

Author Interview: Christina Henry (Alice)

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233986061

See my review for this book here.

Interview with Christina Henry:

Tell us a little about yourself… Are you a fan of horror movies? What makes your day? Is being an author the only profession you’ve ever practiced?

I am a fan of certain kinds of horror movies. I’m not a huge fan of modern slasher films but I do love monster movies and anything suspenseful and atmospheric.

As an example, three of my favourite movies of all time are JAWS, ALIEN,

and THE THING. All three movies have very strong atmospheres that shape the tension of the films. I also love Alfred Hitchcock, especially REAR WINDOW.

A good writing day definitely makes my day. By that I mean the writing is flowing smoothly and it doesn’t take me all afternoon to write one paragraph (it feels like it does sometimes).

I’ve done lots of things besides write, including teaching writing, working for an insurance company and selling books. I always wanted to be a writer, though, ever since I was 12 years old. Continue reading →

Review: Alice by Christina Henry

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23398606Alice by Christina Henry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: August 4th 2015
Publisher: Ace
Point of View: 1st Person Feminine
Recommended Age: 14+
Genres & Themes: New Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Retellings, Alice in Wonderland

BLURB:

A mind-bending new novel inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll…

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside.

In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood…

Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago.

Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful.

And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice. Continue reading →

Review: The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

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The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: bought
Publication Date: February 5th 2014
Publisher: Cerulean Books
Genres & Themes: NA, Urban Mythology, Romance, Retellings, Family

BLURB:

What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again. Continue reading →

Review of The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

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The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Received: bought
Publication date: August 5th, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genres & Themes: YA, Paranormal, Mystery, Retellings, Legend.

BLURB:

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret – one that would just kill to get out.

Continue reading →