The Ordinary Princess

The Ordinary Princess By: M.M. Kaye

Rating: Incredibly AWESOME

Age Group: 8+

Summary (from Amazon.com):  Along with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, and would rather have adventures than play the harp, embroider tapestries . . . or become a Queen. When her royal parents try to marry her off, Amy runs away and, because she's so ordinary, easily becomes the fourteenth assistant kitchen maid at a neighboring palace. And there . . . much to everyone's surprise . . . she meets a prince just as ordinary (and special) as she is!

My Thoughts:  I loved this book so much!  It was a short, funny read filled with interesting characters and a main character you can’t help but love.  One of my favorite characters was actually the fairy that gifted her with Ordinariness, mostly because the kingdom of Phantasmorania saw her as a villain while she was really looking out for Amy’s best interests.  Princess Amy was such an adventurous and sweet person that you can’t help but want her to achieve everything she sets out to do.  I liked how she was different from what everyone expected (the seventh princess in this kingdom is always the most beautiful and demure) and I liked how her family was described, including the allusion to Sleeping Beauty.  Amy’s relationship with the prince struck me as very believable and sweet.  This is a good, simple, heartwarming read that will bring anyone’s mood up.  I’d recommend this book very highly.

Book Recommendations: The Wide-Awake Princess By: E.D. Baker, Golden By: Cameron Dokey, Ella Enchanted By: Gail Carson Levine

Starstruck

Starstruck By: Cyn Balog

Rating: Not my cup of tea

Age Group: 14+

Summary (from Amazon.com):  Gwendolyn "Dough" X doesn't think she has much going for her—she carries a few extra pounds, her family struggles with their small bakery in a town full of millionaires, and the other kids at her New Jersey high school don't seem to know that she exists. Thank the stars for her longtime boyfriend, Philip P. Wishman—or "Wish." He moved away to California three years ago, when they were 13, but then professed his love for her via e-mail, and he's been her long-distance BF ever since.

At the beginning of her junior year, though, Wish e-mails that he's moving back to Jersey. Great, right? Well, except that Dough has gained about 70 pounds since the last time Wish saw her, while Wish—according to his Facebook photos—has morphed into a blonde god. Convinced that she'll be headed for Dumpsville the minute Wish lays eyes on her, Dough delays their meeting as long as she possibly can.

But when she sees Wish at school, something amazing happens. He looks at Dough like she's just as gorgeous as he is. But Wish is acting a little weird, obsessed with the sun and freaked out by rain. And the creepy new guy working at the bakery, Christian, is convinced that there's more to Wish's good looks than just healthy eating and lots of sun. He tells Dough that a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives. Is Wish and Dough's love meant to be—or are they star-crossed?

My Thoughts:  I’m afraid I’m not very fond of this book.  The concept is very interesting and I did like that the main character wasn’t a stunning beauty, but I didn’t like the way the story was presented.  Dough dwelt on her looks A LOT, and while I can sympathize I don’t think it should be the only think you think about.  She had such awful luck, and almost everyone in the story was a jerk.  I don’t know, it seemed to me this book was about how people are judged by appearances, and yes the end shows that this is wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that the characters sacrificed a lot just so that they would look better or be seen as better looking.  I’ve mentioned before that I don’t like stories that dwell, and this book is filled with characters that do nothing but.  For all the reasons I personally didn’t like the book, it wasn’t the worst book I’ve read by any means.  It’s just not really my cup of tea.  All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this book. L

A Tale of Two Castles

A Tale of Two Castles By: Gail Carson Levine

Rating:  Great

Age Group: 8+

Summary (from BarnesandNoble.com): In this fairy-tale whodunit, country girl Elodie's parents scrounge up fare to send her to the city of Two Castles, with instructions to find a weaver willing to take her on gratis for a 10-year apprenticeship. (Elodie, intent on joining a theatrical troupe, has other ideas.) Alas, months earlier the guilds abolished 10-year apprenticeships; now everyone must pay, and Elodie's one copper is stolen (by a cat) the moment she draws it from her purse. With no other prospects, she takes the only job she is offered: assistant to the dragon Meenore, who, in addition to its skills as mobile water heater, has a sideline as local detective. Elodie must overcome her fear of being eaten to help Meenore save another hated local—Count Jonty Um, the ogre who occupies one of the town's two castles. With a faint echo of Puss in Boots, Carson crafts a persuasive fantasy realm and a capable heroine. Readers should enjoy watching Elodie hone her powers of deduction to unravel the mystery of the ogre's sudden disappearance, and will likely anticipate further sleuthing adventures with this companionable duo.

My Thoughts:  Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite authors of all time, and this book definitely doesn’t disappoint.  I loved all of the main characters, especially Meenore.  Who DOESN’T love a helpful, problem solving dragon?  And Jonty Um was just adorable.  Truly, all of the characters were developed and the plot was interesting.  Elodie was a wonderful character, she was smart and spunky.  I liked watching her grow into herself throughout the story, and I liked seeing the other characters show their colors as well.  Really, the character interaction made this book for me, it was so good.  And the twist at the end?  Yeah, I would never have been able to deduce that.  I’m not really familiar with Puss in Boots, so I can’t say how similar this story is to it unfortunately.  This was a very sweet story filled with wonderful characters, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy books.

Book Recommendations:  Ivy's Ever After By: Dawn Lairamore, Ella Enchanted By: Gail Carson Levine

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children By: Ransom Riggs

Rating: Incredibly AWESOME

Age Group: 14+

Summary (from BarnesandNoble.com):

 A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

My Thoughts:  I really loved this book!  I don’t usually read horror books, much less like them, but this book was just so interesting and unique that I couldn’t put it down!  First I want to say that while this book DID have some very scary parts, the book as a whole wasn’t as dark as I was expecting.  From reading other reviews I thought it would be utterly terrifying, but it wasn’t.  There were many sweet and funny parts that kept the book from being such.  I really liked how the characters were developed and how the Home was introduced, and I loved Miss Peregrine and the children.  Finding out about their pasts and the reason why they hid was my favorite part, along with the children’s peculiarities themselves.  And the pictures!  These added so much to the story, and made the story seem so much more real and believable.  I tend to imagine things as cuter or safer than they are described simply because that’s the direction my mind likes to go, but thanks to the pictures the true nature of the book came through.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes supernatural books as well as those that like horror.

Book Recommendations: Bones of Faerie By: Janni Lee Simner