The New Disney Princess Book Tag

Thank you so much to Birdie Bookworm for tagging me to do this! It’s funny because I really wanted to do this one and then BOOM you tagged me so I’m really excited to be doing it! Be sure to head over and check out Birdie’s blog and tag as well guys!

Please make sure you:

• Mention where you saw the tag/thank whoever tagged you
• Tag me and Mandy with our posts so we can check out the wonderful Princess fun throughout the blog world (Mandy’s link & Zuky’s link)
• Play a game of tag at the end!

Snow White – This book, like the movie, started it all!

Favorite debut book from an author 

There are a few debuts I think are fantastic but honesty “Red Rising” just takes the cake because it was perfect in every way. Non-stop action, fast pacing, great world building, and fantastic characters. What more could you want? Honestly, I wish ALL debuts were this wonderful!

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Cinderella – A diamond in the rough

Just like Cinderella, you either didn’t expect much out of this character in the beginning but they turned out to be a total gem. 

I figured Kalinda would be another run-of-the-mill YA Fantasy heroine but as this question states, I was pleasantly surprised by her. She actually was very badass and played on both her weaknesses and her strengths, but she wasn’t one of those heroines who can suddenly be perfect at everything and I always respect that.

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Aurora – Sleeping Beauty

A book that makes you sleepy or just could not hold your attention

No. Just no. Blackbeard origin story should equal pirates right? No pirates here. Greatest book let down ever.

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Ariel – Under the Sea

A book with a water/ocean setting

This is actually a “Little Mermaid” retelling so really….it’s the perfect answer!

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Belle – Beauty and the Books

Name a book with the best Bookworm/Book Lover

There actually are a lot of books with bookworms as their main characters because what better way to make your character relatable to bookworms reading the book? Jane is probably the biggest bookworm I’ve come across though and it’s very endearing!

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Jasmine – The Thief and the Princess

Name a book with an unlikely love story (either in terms of romance, or a book you didn’t expect to love so much)

I’m not usually one to like romance-heavy books or books that feel like they might be romance-heavy so I was surprised I liked it so much. Plus it’s a very forbidden romance within and so “unlikely” but I loved it and the way it ended up working out!

Also it’s an “Aladdin” retelling so there’s that too…..

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Pocahontas – The real life Princess

Name a book that is based on a real life person you want to read/have read

I don’t read many books with real historical (or otherwise) characters but this one is definitely the BEST! It’s about a gender bent Vlad the Impaler and it also happens to be one of my all time favorite books because it’s 100% badass.

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Mulan – The Princess that saved her country

Name the fiercest heroine you know

I couldn’t pick just one because Lada from “And I Darken” and Nemesis from “The Diabolic” are both the most badass characters I’ve ever come across. Well….and any characters Jay Kristoff writes but I digress! I love female characters that don’t give any fucks and these two ladies nail it!

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Tiana – The Princess with the coolest and most diverse crew

Name a diverse book, whether it is a diverse set of characters (like Tiana’s group of Naveen, Louis, Ray, and more) or just diverse in general

This book has a diverse cast of characters and is 100% worth all of the hype as well. Go read it right now!

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Rapunzel – Let your longggggg hair down

Name the longest book you’ve ever read

At a whopping 1,040 pages it’s definitely the longest book I’ve ever read! Epic bragging rights!

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Merida – I determine my own fate

A book where there is no love story/interest or isn’t needed

Characters and a plot that don’t focus on romance at all! It actually revolves more around morally grey characters and monsters, it’s great.

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Anna/Elsa – Frozen Hearts

A book in a winter/cold setting

Sorry but I honestly could not think of any books I’ve read with a “cold” setting at all so I’m gonna be a little cliched and leave this meme….

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Moana – How far I’ll go

A character that goes on a journey

Bilbo Baggins probably goes on the coolest journey ever just saying….

If you’d like to do this tag then please give it a try! I’m too lazy to tag people this time around! 

ARC Review: This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston

No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them.

Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the District Attorney’s Office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys’ case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.

Kate won’t let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has her own reasons for seeking justice for Grant. As she and Stone investigate—the ageing prosecutor relying on Kate to see and hear what he cannot—she realizes that nothing about the case—or the boys—is what it seems. Grant wasn’t who she thought he was, and neither is Stone’s prime suspect. As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own.

**** Big thank you to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review****

I could tell this was going to be a YA mystery/thriller that I would love and I definitely was not wrong! From the first page I was hooked and every time I had to set this down I could not wait to pick it back up again because I needed answers! “This Is Our Story” is a fantastic, compelling book but I did have some minor issues with it which is why it didn’t receive a 5 star rating.

I won’t talk about the details of the plot too much because I definitely do not want to spoil anything for you all since there are more than a few twists you won’t see coming!

My attention was immediately grabbed right at the beginning of the story I was instantly drawn into the mystery of what happened to Grant (the boy that was shot) and who did it. This story is extremely fast-paced and trust me when I say you’ll be turning pages until you reach the conclusion!

I also loved that I didn’t figure out who did it until it was revealed at the end because the plot gives you just enough information without actually giving anything away. The story is told from two perspectives one from Kate who works as an intern in the DA’s office and the other from the shooter but we also get perspective through the use of interrogation videos and old text messages. All of these things added so much atmosphere and suspense to the book.

One of my gripes about the plot were that I thought SOME parts were a little predictable and that’s just a personal opinion, it’s frustrating for me to guess something and have it take the main character forever to come to the same conclusion. However, these were just some minor things and not any of the major plot twists I definitely didn’t see the big ones coming.

The other problem I had was the ending was that, while it was satisfying and made sense and the shooter’s identity was a still a surprise, was that I thought it was just sort of anti-climatic. There wasn’t some completely crazy, mind-blowing ending to the story like I kind of thought there would be. Like I said though that’s just my opinion and it could be completely different for you if you read it!

The characters were very well done and I liked them and hated them by which I mean the good kind of hate of course. I also thought they were very well developed, complex, and realistic.

I really liked Kate I thought she was a very smart and determined heroine and I thought her narrative was very fun to read through.

The friendship between Kate and her best friend Reagan was very well portrayed as well and even though it wasn’t a big focus in the story I appreciated seeing a strong, loyal girl friendship.

The River Point boys were also very well depicted and I liked how flawed they were all shown as being. I won’t elaborate too much on them since that’s part of the joy of reading this book!

Meh, the romance was okay and I liked that it wasn’t too big of a factor in the story too.

One thing that actually bothered me a lot about these two (I won’t say who the other is because spoilers) was that I felt at times Kate put her romantic feelings over doing what was right for the case she was helping on. That irritated the living hell out of me! Like hellooooooo I think the confidential information for the case your working on is a little more important than your crush!

This was another reason I didn’t give a full 5 star rating, stupid decisions, while I respect that our heroine is flawed I thought the complete lack of common sense at times was a little too idiotic.

I enjoyed “This Is Our Story” very, very much despite having just a few minor issues with it. I thought it was a great fast-paced, suspenseful, and thrilling book!

What I Liked:

• Great plot twists
• Unpredictable ending
• Interesting narrative style
• Fast pacing
• Complex characters

What I Didn’t Like:

• Some predictable minor twists
• The ending was kind of anti-climatic
• Romance had some irritating points

Absolutely! I think this book would actually be enjoyable for pretty much anyone who likes YA there’s nothing about it that I think wouldn’t appeal to everyone. I would say if you like very original, fast paced YA mystery/thrillers then you’ll definitely love “This Is Our Story”.

Links: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

ARC Review: Once Upon A Dream by Liz Braswell

 

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’s, 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?

****Thank you to Disney Press and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review****

DNF @ 35%

This was a huge disappointment for me I was very eager to read a twisted retelling of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and what I got instead was a snoozefest. I usually never DNF books and I feel terrible for having to do it to an ARC but honestly no one should have to force their way through this book.

I should have known better than to attempt reading through this when the first in this series of Twisted Tales got less than stellar reviews from reviewers I trust. Alas, the Disney lover in me could not grasp the idea that a twisted version of a Disney movie could be bad. “Once Upon A Dream” definitely proved me wrong on that.

My main problem with this book was the narrative and writing style it was dull and overly simplistic. There were far too many long descriptions of everything that went on longer than they should have. Dialogue between characters was few and far between and what dialogue there was, was very short and immature.

The plot was excruciatingly slow and boring, there was almost no story to even speak of within the 35% I read. Now if absolutely nothing is happening for 35% of a book then there’s no way I’m finishing it.

Everything about “Once Upon A Dream” (the plot, the characters, and the writing) were one-dimensional and flat. Nothing was developed and nothing was explained. You’re basically expected to have knowledge of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty before starting, which for the most part I’m sure isn’t a problem since why would you be reading a twisted version of it if you haven’t seen it, right? The only problem with that is if you haven’t seen Sleeping Beauty then you’d have zero idea of why or what is going on in this story. Even I was wondering what the heck was happening and why and I’ve seen the movie!

The most disappointing part of this book were the characters. Aurora was such a wasted character, she was way too boring and naive. Not to mention her favorite thing to do was sleep, I mean really? Sleeping is her favorite? Because she’s “Sleeping Beauty”? How original……

Maleficent was not nearly as wickedly evil as she could have been and Prince Phillip was foolish and a little spineless. Any other secondary characters were bland and expendable.

Overall I really liked the general idea of this boo, I mean twisted version of our beloved Disney movies? Come on, who wouldn’t get excited? Alas, it was executed very poorly and feel extremely short. “Once Upon A Dream” is a big disappointment and I won’t be reading any other books in this series unfortunately.

Nope, even if you’re a Disney fan I can’t recommend you this book. It doesn’t do Disney’s Sleeping Beauty any sort of justice. In fact, instead of reading this book just go watch the movie, you’re much better off.

Links: Goodreads / Amazon