Review: Lionheart by Fran Seen

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Lionheart: a Beauty & the Beast Retelling by Fran Seen

*Digital copy was received from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Genre: New Adult - Contemporary

Pub. Date: August 8, 2016

Get a copy here!

AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

I have a thing for a fairytale retelling lately, ever since I stumbled upon a kind of book which runs on the same genre a while ago. And ‘a Beauty and the Beast’ retelling? Please, I’ll stop anything to read the book. Including my long-hiatus of reading.

”I believed all this time that, when I finally saw your face, all I would be able to see is what you were trying to hide”

“But all I see is a man made of shields. All I see is you.”

I received a copy of the book two days ago and had read a few pages yesterday. I caught a cold today so I had a day off-work and using it to take a break while finishing the rest of the book. And Holy God… I did expect that this book would be a good read. I just didn’t expect it would be this good. I mean, not just good, it’s a very well-written fairytale retelling while at the same time didn’t seem like repeating the tale itself. Fran Seen had polished it somehow to be a whole new story with the same essential message of loving someone unconditionally yet wrapped them up in a modern way with a lot heavier issue in the background. To bring a topic like a war, especially a middle-east war in Iraq, it took a lot of efforts for a writer to deliver it through a story, moreover a romance one, and engage the readers to actually read it. In Lionheart, Fran even put so much detail about the war as to enlighten us about what the hero actually went through for us to be taken with his persona. For me, it didn’t just enlighten us on Alo, but it also got me thinking deeper about the sad truth of how people live in the other side of the world. Some people might skip the part about the war but I personally felt so much about Alo Rahim through the way Fran introduced him to us for the first time. How she didn’t quite tell us right away about the war he had faced, but the way she pictured him interacting with others and with himself was strangely enough for his character to ingrain. I already felt so much for him without knowing the details behind the awful past. What I liked so much about the hero is the fact that he’s broken but not hateful. I dig broken hero but a tiny part of me always bothered by their mean personality. I didn’t see this in Alo. He’s withdrawn with others and that’s it. He’s lonely, angry, disappointed but he got control. Yet basically he was just sad. And also got mean humor and corny jokes.

Meanwhile Lula is the kind of heroine who’s got a special spot in my heart. Determined, positive-thinking, caring, and so selfless it hurts me to see her so. But I’m those kind of people who’s believing in a good things happen to good people, so I could relate with Lula a lot. It was a good thing too that Lula was introduced to us while she’s already on her fight to standing up for herself. I loved her way of thinking and there’s a line in chapter 3 that instantly made me think that I totally liked her.

‘I mean-think about it-telling a perfect stranger to smile was pretty rude, like saying: “I don’t like the way you look right now. You’re ruining my scenery with your frown. Please change your facial expression for my benefit.” The premise was that I existed for him to look at and admire and appearing unhappy ruined his admiration.’ 

I never felt more connected to a character than now.

Fran Seen wrote beautifully, like really beautiful. She didn’t prolong the drama, didn’t write unnecessary angst scenes just to make the readers cry. She made me cry alright but it was because I felt like I was one with the characters. Like I’m Lula, dying to fix the unfixable within ‘my’ family, yet at the same time I’m Alo, fighting the undefeated bad memories. But Fran also got me laughing more than once through the humor slipped within the convos Alo and Lula had every single time. They exchanged banter like some old friends and it was just so heartwarming to see two people scarred by their pasts to be able to laugh together in the mere present of each other.

The writer obviously knew how to write a romance scene and I’m not just talking about one or two scenes but a whole romance scene in the book. There was this scene in chapter 12 that got me biting my nails in jealousy because I swear I’ve never been more jealous than when Lula and Alo sat together exchanging questions and answers over imaginary chocolates. God.

Besides the romance and the lovely characters, I loved the way Fran put everything up in their own places in the end. Like she resolved every problem in the book without making it seemed like it had to be resolved because the story has come to an end. No, she actually thought about it and gave the best resolution for everything and everyone. Really, this book just got better and better the more I thought about it.

Anyway there’s this saying in the end of the book that conclude the ending of how a romance book should end that I loved so much.

‘And that was the thing- having a significant other didn’t all of sudden make my life more significant, but he sure as hell made it more enjoyable’

Damn right, girl! It’s not all suddenly rainbows everywhere but at least you got someone to dance under the rain with.

I fully recommend this book to those who enjoy fairytale retelling as much as me, but generally though, to all romance readers, Lionheart is the book worth reading if you’re looking for one to cuddle with.

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Book Review: Princess of Athelia (Unfinished Fairy Tales Novella) by Aya Ling

Princess of Athelia by Aya Ling
Rating: /5

*A complimentary digital copy of this book was received from the author*

Genre: YA (Fantasy, Retelling)
Pub. Date: November 15th, 2015

Get a copy here!

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Read also: Review of The Ugly Stepsister (Unfinished Fairy Tales #1)!

Synopsis
Taking place at the time nearing the ending of its previous book, The Ugly Stepsister, Princess of Athelia told a piece of story after Katriona (or Katherine) had convinced herself that the only happiness needed to end the story is to find the happiness for herself. Giving up her initial goal to get Cinderella and the Prince fall in love, Kat braved her heart to admit the truth she had within. That she, too, felt the same way Prince Edward did about her. Edward sure was more than elated, and good thing his parents, King and Queen were happy as well ‘cause his son had finally agreed to tie the knot. Engagement was on schedule, preparation after preparation started to take place everywhere around the palace, princess lessons were delivered to Kat in dizzying regularity, and last, the wedding was in tow, ready to unite both Edward and Kat in holy matrimony. The wedding should have been the day they couldn’t wait, yet this couple dreaded that very day since the wedding bell would not only confirming their marriage but would also be the last thing Kat would ever hear in Athelia. As the day getting closer, they agreed to make the remaining months of their togetherness happy ones. But while Edward was ready for whatever kind of ending would happen, Kat still could not shake the feelings of guilty: guilty of leaving him, guilty of the possibility of breaking his heart. Add some pressures Kat had to shoulder as princess-to-be and doubts people planted on her mind for being an unpopular second-daughter of an earl, Kat could not be any guiltier and more insecure about her current position. But just like Kat’s growing worries, Edward’s faith to her did grow as well. And whatever would happen in the end, the Prince was determined to show her just how much she worth to be his Princess.

Craved Romance
Reading this novella brought back so many good memories I had with The Ugly Stepsister. I craved for more Eddie-Kat moments more than the author could give in book 1. So imagine my happiness when Aya decided to give us that through Princess of Athelia. Just like before, the romance between the main characters is built smoothly. I love how the couple interact. How they could be so darn sweet without being too cheesy with each other. Edward just makes me fall for him harder the more I read about him. But who wouldn’t when he is his usual charming, calm, and caring Prince-personality. And to top it off, he is just so in love with Kat making me all melting inside with his sincerity to love her knowing the risk... Kat with her unladylike manner trademark never stop to amuse me. Her kindness and social-awareness are always such interesting story to follow.

Other Interesting Points
I love it that this retelling story do not just retell the famous romance part only. I like how Aya always touches social issues during old period, like labor child during TUS, and now the equality of both gender to receive education in this book. The issues always meet realistic resolutions in the end which I really appreciate.
For a novella, Princess of Athelia is satisfying enough in my opinion. I like the neat plot, enough twists thrown in, and still so many other issues covered well. Wrap it all in smooth writing style, then we got a quick heartwarming read to enjoy. But of course, you better read the TUS first to easily relate the story.

Final Thought
The ending is oh so good, it makes me realize just how much I love this couple and never want to part with them. I’m also so darn curious about the continuation of Henry and Elle’s future. Lucky for us there’s the sequel of TUS coming soon! Ever After hopefully would answer all my curiosity and feed my thirstiness of Eddie-Kat moments. But for now, I think I should be happy enough with re-reading TUS during my waiting :)

Love, read, and review,

Cynthia D.

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Release Day: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling (+ Excerpt & Giveaway)

  

One of my favorite YA reads is released today!

As you can see I already posted a pre-release review of the ARC copy of The Ugly Stepsister yesterday and it earned 4.5 stars from me! You can check my review here and below I got an excerpt and a little bit trivia about author's inspiration to write this book. Enjoy!

Publication date: June 12th, 2015

Genre: YA fantasy/fairytale retelling

BLURB:

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella--as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she'll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

Buy links: Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Kobo

HOW THE BOOK CAME TO BE:

Some readers liked the idea of Kat entering the fairy tale by ripping apart the book. Well, here’s the actual book that inspired the concept. You can see that the cover has completely fallen off:

*note: this book is at least 20 years old! I’m so glad I was too sentimental to toss it away, or I might not have come up with the idea!

EXCERPT:

“Girlie, wake up.”

I open my eyes again. This time it’s dark, but from the moonlight streaming through the window, I sense that I’m still in this strange historic-setting room. The candelabra next to my bed has been snuffed out. The fire in the hearth has gone out, but the embers are still glowing.

Then I discover something more shocking than the weird room I’m in.

A semi-transparent being is hovering in thin air, right above the bed. It’s quite ugly—its eyes and nose look squashed together, and it has a stumpy body with arms and legs that look alarmingly short in proportion to the torso.

I am so shocked that I just stare with my mouth wide open. Is that ghost going to eat me up?

“Awake now, are we?” the ghost speaks. His voice is kind of high-pitched with a note of playfulness in it.

Oh no, not again. I pinch my arm again, really hard this time, and yelp in pain. My fingernails have drawn blood.

The ghost starts to laugh. “Two hundred years later and humans are still as dumb as before.”

I am beginning to feel crazy. Here I am in a strange room, with an ugly ghost, and no matter what I do I can’t wake up.

Maybe I’m dead. Maybe when I fell down the stairs I got hit with something really sharp and bled to death. Ouch. I feel over my head, but it seems all I’ve got is a sore spot that feels more like a bruise than a gaping wound. Besides, this room seems a far cry from hell.

“Hey you,” I call to the ghost. “I’m dead, aren’t I? Is this a place I go to before I go to heaven?”

The ghost throws his head back and laughs—a high, raucous sound. I’m surprised that no one hears him—either they can’t hear him or are too deeply asleep. “She thinks this is heaven! Wait till I tell His Majesty…”

What the hell is going on? “Aren’t you a ghost?”

That only makes him laugh harder. He clutches his sides, wheezing, like I’m the greatest comedian in the world.

“You…thick-headed, pea-brained human,” he gasps, wiping his eyes. “Haven’t you seen this room before?”

“In the downtown museum?”

“No, silly, a book.”

Moonlight streams in through the window. Several framed paintings hang on the walls—the biggest one depicts a beautiful garden. The scene does seem familiar; all it lacks is a maid kneeling in front of the fireplace.

“Cinderella?” I gasp. This is the room that’s illustrated on the first page. “Why am I seeing it in a dream?”

“She still thinks it’s a dream…” the ghost mutters, shaking his head. “Look, don’t you remember what happened to the book?”

I rub my temples. “It…fell apart?”

He nods. “When you ripped up the book our king created, a curse is triggered for tampering with his magic. So as punishment, you’re transported into the story itself.”

“Your king?” This is getting simply ridiculous. “Who is this king, and who are you?”

The ghost settles on the foot of my bed. “Might as well tell you or you’ll never get it—I’m Krev. I’m in service of His Majesty Barthelius, the Goblin King.”

“Goblins?” I fall back on the pillow, narrowing missing the headboard. “Please tell me I’m hallucinating, or I got a concussion.”

“We’re from another dimension, but our king has always been interested in human stories. That’s why he created his own books hundreds of years ago. He left a few copies in your world, but never expected that they’d disintegrate.”

“Oh god,” I sink down further into the blankets. There has to be some mistake.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Or you can just go back to pinching your arm.” He rises in the air—now I notice he has a pair of tiny wings. “Bye.”

“Hang on,” I blurt, and sit up. “Okay, suppose I believe you. How am I going to get back?”

Krev grins, showing a row of pointy teeth. “Now you’re listening. All you have to do is put the story back together again.”

“Huh?”

“Finish the story to the very end, where they live happily-ever-after.”

Damn. I’m in a role-playing game. Not that I’ve played any, but it just seems that way to me.

Speaking of role-playing…

“That woman Martha called me Katriona. She said I lost my memory, so I’m not a newcomer in this world. So who am I?”

His bulging, toad-like eyes gleam. “Guess.”

I scowl at him. Well, obviously I’m not Cinderella, given the silken nightdress I’m wearing. And obviously I’m not the evil stepmother either. In the mirror I look just as I am, not some middle-aged woman.

“Am I one of the ugly stepsisters?”

His grin grows wider.

Damn. “If I have to be in the story, why aren’t I Cinderella?”

The goblin suddenly goes off in a peal of laughter. “Cinderella! She thinks she’s pretty enough to be Cinderella!” And he rolls over and over in the air until I feel dizzy and embarrassed. “Don’t you know how the spell works? You assume the role of the person you resemble most.”

Yeah, thanks for pointing out the impossibility of me being the protagonist. I suppose if Paige is the one who dropped the book, she’d become Cinderella.

And even though I still find the whole thing ridiculous, I’m kind of intrigued as well.

“So all I have to do is get Cinderella to the ball, the prince falls in love with her, and then the curse is broken and I can return?”

He waggles a crooked finger at me.

“Not yet. You can’t stop at the ball, when she runs out and leaves her slipper behind. You must follow it all the way to the end. The story is only finished when they’re married with wedding bells pealing and white doves soaring.”

Whoa.

“So when is the ball?”

“No idea.”

“Where’s the fairy godmother?”

“No idea.”

I drop my jaw. “Hello? Are you telling me that I have to find everything on my own while you just hover there and do nothing?”

He shrugs. “That’s because you ripped everything off except the first page. The curse starts where you leave off.”

“And if I do nothing? What if the prince won’t hold the ball? What if I can’t find the godmother?”

Krev lets out an evil chuckle. I have an ominous feeling of impending doom.

“Then you will remain in this book. Forever.”

*read more excerpts on Aya’s website: http://www.ayaling.com/the-ugly-stepsister.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aya is from Taiwan, where she struggles daily to contain her obsession with mouthwatering and unhealthy foods. Often she will devour a good book instead. Her favorite books include martial arts romances, fairy tale retellings, high fantasy, cozy mysteries, and manga.

Connect with Aya: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the release, Aya is also offering a giveaway in which THREE winners can:

          1. Get a paperback copy of The Ugly Stepsister OR any book Aya has on paperback (open internationally!)

          2. Get to name a minor character in the “sequel” novella (will probably be Edward’s niece and nephews)

Here's what you can do to enter the giveaway:

          1. Click HERE to share the book release on Facebook

          2. Click HERE to share the book release on Twitter

          3. Share the book release on your blog. Click HERE for an easy copy-paste media kit that you can adapt however you like. For example, if you have already posted a review on your blog, you can add my author bio, excerpt, giveaway info, etc. Please fill in the link of your post as well, so I won't miss a single entry.

*If you do everything above, you’ll get three entries and have a greater chance to win!

The giveaway ends on June 20. Winners will be announced on June 21.

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ARC Review: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

*I received a digital ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Get a copy here!
AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

I never know that I’m such a sucker for retelling story before I read this book.

Maybe because I never read a retelling fairy tale story before but I truly found this book entertaining. This book might not a mind-blowing great read or such and I might say it’s slightly predictable at some parts (after all, what kind of fairy tale that is not cliché?) but I really really enjoyed reading this. The story was so engaging that I kept wishing I wouldn’t reach the ending anytime soon because I didn’t want it to end at all.

17 years old Katherine was just a high school girl with too much klutziness on her bone, especially when she came across gorgeous boys on her path. Kat knew quite well that she was not that kind of girl who could easily attract boys her age. It was a sad fact yet she didn’t know how to fix it anyway. Kat and Paige, her little sister, lived with their mom in a small house. Ever since their parents got divorced, they’d been living a moderate life, trying to save up money for her college and all.

One fine afternoon, Kat was in the attic of her house going through boxes of her old books that her mom wanted to sell on yard sale on the weekend. She found a years old picture book of Cinderella in one of them. Curious, she opened the first page of the book. Never once she imagined that she was about to experience living in a whole different dimension the moment she tumbled down the stairs after accidentally ripped apart pages of that book …

17 years old Kat was one of the ugly stepsisters’ of Cinderella. That’s the first thing she realized when she woke up with a throbbing head later. No attic, no dusty boxes, no old Cinderella picture book, and most alarming, Paige and her whole house were no longer in sight. Kat woke up in a king-sized bed in a strange old-fashioned room with worry maids crowding by the bed and addressing her ‘Miss Katriona’. She must hit her head hard because everything seemed so surreal yet she could feel the realness with her finger tips.

Turned out the old Cinderella picture book was written by Goblin King and Kat was under a curse where she was punished for ripping the book apart so she was transported to the story world. The only way to come back was to finish the story all the way until the happily-ever-after part. Kat practically tried everything to bring her back to her ordinary life, including being a strangely kind stepsister, tracking a long path to discover true identity of Cinderella, finding a fairy godmother across the country, until doing anything to make the Prince falls in love with her maid a.k.a. Cinderella. Apparently everything didn’t happen as smoothly as children story she’d known her whole life. The other ugly stepsister turned out was far more gorgeous than Cinderella herself; the fairy godmother was nowhere to be found; and the ball was not going to be held until the Prince said so which basically would be a long way because he practically disliked balls. Moreover there was a lot of social issue happened around her that constantly nagged her sensitive heart.

Kat was so focused in creating (or forcing, exactly) a happy ending for Cinderella that she forgot a lesson implied by all these magical experience: that a happy ending was not always the one like what the story told.

I loved the angle Ms. Ling decided to retell the story of Cinderella. Instead of making the heroine the actual Cinderella, she picked one of the ugly stepsisters to play the main role. It’s so dang funny reading how Kat tried literally just everything to go back to her real world. The plot flowed neatly and there were some twists along the way. I loved how the author slipped other issues in the story as well like the social issue about child labor which practically commonly happened on the period. As someone coming from modern period, Kat felt the urge to throw her advanced opinion out there for people to see. But I must agreed with Prince Edward that if Kat herself didn’t have an ounce of socially sensitive feeling in her heart, she might not busy herself with all the work and risk taking part in the protest. I liked Kat’s character. She was funny, witty, and actually selfless. I laughed a lot reading how comical Kat was. Truthfully, I think I liked just everyone on this book. Prince Edward easily became my favorite hero. I loved how he put inner beauty above physical attraction. He was also so caring and understanding. Same goes with Edward’s cousin, Henry. I loved how the romance between each character built up. It was slow and full of consideration and their every moment together… Gosh, I seriously craved for more!

The ending was predictable (again, what kind of ending you can expect from a fairy tale if not HEA?) but wrapped up real nicely. I liked that there was a completed-goal slipped in the end about how Kat finally fixed her lame issue of turning into ‘mute jelly’ in front of gorgeous boys now that she realized her worth, even though I was hoping for more scenes of ‘after transition’ Kat.

The Ugly Stepsister is a light and funny read with some cute moments and life lesson á la Disney. It can be a perfect companion when you feel like escaping from your list of heavy reads!

Love, read, and review,

Cynthia D.

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