COILED by H.L. Burke | A Sweet, Mythological Romance

{Image provided by H.L. Burke.}

★★★★☆

(3.5 stars)

Greek mythology retold. A giant, man-eating serpent. A rejected princess with a hideous curse and an astounding gift.

From the moment I first heard about H.L.'s upcoming novel to the moment I saw the cover, I knew this was a story I wanted to read.

A retelling of Eros & Psyche, as well as a Beauty & the Beast retelling in its own right, Coiled is the story of Laidra -- a girl forced into hiding by her own family, treated as if she was the child who was never meant to be, and thrown into political schemes as bait for a monstrous snake.

The characters -- Calen is so adorable! Which is saying a lot, because I hate snakes. But (thankfully!), Calen was no problem for me! He was such a cute, lovely little ginormous guy! 😊

ZEPHIA. She was probably my favorite character in the entire book! A clever, powerful demigoddess, daughter to a wind god? Yes, please!

And Valen. Uhg, Valen. He and his father are both such terrible people that I love/hate it. The pair of them would both, without a doubt, qualify for Paper Fury's "best worst villain to hate".

The romance -- The romance was definitely sweet. As the story progressed, however, I felt like the affection between Laidra and Calen was starting to be displayed a little too physically. A good dose of innocence in the romantic area would've been preferred, but otherwise, the romance was considerably clean. (See notes below.)

The writing -- H.L.'s voice is fast-paced, but not too much -- just enough to keep the story going at a likable, adventure-ready pace.

The setting -- The mythology elements shown through just enough to deliver an allegorical tale evidently set in a fantasy land inspired by ancient Greece. And, being the Greek mythology nerd that I am, I loved uncovering the subtle little references to characters such as Theseus and Perseus!

The plot -- About halfway through, when a certain unfortunate event occurred to a certain primary character, an unforeseen journey came into view. I tend to prefer romance in a story when it's "all or nothing", so I personally would've liked that journey to... not exist? It was certainly enlightening and relevant to the story, but I would've preferred to focus on the relationship between the main characters.

This made for such a lovely read! I'd recommend this to anyone searching for a sweet, romantic read with mythological elements thrown in. 🙂

You may want to know: There are some brief and rather undescriptive references to nudity, as well as strong suggestions/implications. There is violence and references to warfare, along with the involvement of "gods", drinking, magical elements, and kissing. The "ba-word" is used once.

NOTE: I received a free ebook copy of Coiled from the author, in exchange for my honest review.

Click here to read my Goodreads review.

❤, the Book Dragon

SUNLIGHT & SHADOW by Cameron Dokey | A Retelling of THE MAGIC FLUTE

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★☆☆☆☆

I hate not finishing a book, but I particularly hated to do it to this.

A retelling of The Magic Flute, Cameron Dokey's Sunlight & Shadow had so much potential. And as the story started out, I thought it might be a new favourite. But with each new chapter and each new point-of-view, my interest declined.

Sarastro was too dramatic. Lapin talked too much. There was quite the overdose of random, unnecessary backstory. Tern put too much faith in his heart. And then, there was Gayna.

Though Papagena is one of my favourite characters from Mozart's opera, the book-version of her was nasty. Seventy pages in and she hates Mina? For no apparent reason?

The thing that irked me the most about Sunlight & Shadow was just how seriously it took itself. The Magic Flute *is* a comedy, after all. Had there been less drama and whatnot, this could've been a remarkable story.

Click here to read my Goodreads review.

❤, the Book Dragon

ANTIGONE by Sophocles, Dudley Fitts, & Robert Fitzgerald | An Ancient Greek's Perspective on Loyalty

{Image by yours truly.}

★★★☆☆

Antigone's brother has died, and her uncle, King Creon, orders his body to be left to the wilderness, untouched by anyone. But when Antigone defies his orders and buries her brother, Creon is enraged... For should Antigone's highest loyalty be to her God? Or should it be to an earthly authority?

Antigone was a fascinating story, though I feel it might've been better performed rather than actually read. The writing style was supportive and direct, much like a traditional script. However, I didn't feel that much personality was added to the characters. Maybe another sign that Antigone was intended to be a play?

By the end, I was rather confused on what Sophocles's perspective was; did he believe one's highest loyalty should be to God, or to their king? Still, I did enjoy Antigone to a point, and it made for an enlightening read. ☺

You may want to know: There is violence, warfare, and murder, as well as several instances of suicide. There were also false idols (since this was written based on Greek mythology); there might've been a stray swear word or two.

Click here to read my Goodreads review.

❤, the Book Dragon

DRAGONWITCH by Anne Elisabeth Stengl | The Fifth Volume of TALES OF GOLDSTONE WOOD

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★☆☆☆☆

After trying to finish Dragonwitch for the past two years, I've finally given up. I adore Anne Elisabeth's writing, but this story just isn't for me.

If you have never read any Anne Elisabeth Stengl's books before, please do not assume her other stories are all "one star" worthy. She is probably my favourite author ever!! Her writing is utterly amazing; her worldbuilding is awe-inspiring; her characters are fantastic.

I adore Anne Elisabeth's Tales of Goldstone Wood series, and since the books are not all directly associated with one another, I can't wait to move on to Shadow Hand!

A quick synopsis for Dragonwitch, before I go: Within the walls of Gaheris Castle, an heir dreads his wedding day; a young lady learns to read and write, against everyone's wishes; a reclusive chronicler hides away, harboring a deadly secret...

But honestly. If you haven't read any of Anne Elisabeth's books, go do so. Now. One of my personal favourites is Heartless, the first novel in Tales of Goldstone Wood. You can find Heartless on Amazon and Goodreads.

Click here to read my Goodreads review (of Dragonwitch).

❤, the Book Dragon

OUT OF DARKNESS RISING by Gillian Bronte Adams | An Allegorical Novella of Christ's Love for Us

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★★★☆☆

Gillian Bronte Adams's Out of Darkness Rising is a medieval, fantasy retelling of Satan's fall from Heaven, Adam and Eve's mistake in the Garden of Eden, Satan's defeat, and the Lord's love that sets us free.

Though it took me a while to get into the story, I loved how Gillian portrayed Jesus. I've often imagined Him with a good-natured sense of humor, and I thoroughly enjoyed how His character was given just that.

The ending was excellent, as well! Though I didn't connect with Marya much over the course of the story, I began to like her character once she repented and accepted God.

The writing was good and though not as descriptive as I prefer, Out of Darkness Rising was a wonderful story of God's unending love, mercy, and compassion.

You may want to know: There is fantasy violence, as well as a couple un-descriptive human sacrifice scenes.

Click here to read my Goodreads review.

❤, the Book Dragon

FAIREST by Gail Carson Levine | An Original Re-Imagining of SNOW WHITE

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★★★☆☆

Sequel to the Newberry Honor Award-winning Ella Enchanted and a retelling of Snow White, completely its own, Gail Carson Levine's Fairest tells the story of Aza -- a young woman with hideous looks yet a voice to make up for them; abandoned at an inn when she was a child.

I really enjoyed Ella Enchanted, so I had rather high expectations for Fairest. Though the beginning and end were both rather slow, Gail's tasteful writing and curious plot in between helped to make up for it. I greatly admire how Gail can so boldly weave unique cultures and intricate languages into her stories!

The characters, I had a hard time coping with. Aza's battle with discovering inner beauty was certainly relate-able, but I didn't feel like she truly struggled with it -- at least enough to make me empathize much with her.

I also felt no connection to Ijori, Ivi, Areida, or many of the main characters; the character I enjoyed the most was probably zhamH. (Random comment: Gnome Caverns sound like so much fun!)

The setting was good, but I rather wish there had been more description. As interesting as Ayortha's musical culture was, it wasn't enough to make me fall in love with the kingdom.

I do think I'd recommend this book, though likely more so after one's read Ella Enchanted, so they'd have a better knowledge of the setting. Fairest makes for a fun little read, and would probably be enjoyed most by pre-teen girls. :)

You may want to know: There is kissing and mild fantasy violence, along with some magical elements.

Click here to read my Goodreads review.

❤, the Book Dragon

UNBLEMISHED by Sara Ella | An Action-Packed New Fantasy

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★★★★☆

Oh, Unblemished. It seems so long since I've last been completely torn on how to rate a book.

Unblemished tells the story of Eliyana -- a high school senior with a ghastly birthmark that marks her face. She's never considered herself beautiful, and after her mother's death and recurring strange interactions with people she thought she new, her world comes crashing down... and she must be taken to another.

...Don't get me wrong: Unblemished was really good. Sara Ella seems a true wordsmith, and though I'm not a great reader of contemporary fiction (particularly set in a city), she was able to make me like it. It was as if Rick Riordan wrote fairytale-esque novels -- Sara Ella's writing is some of the best I've ever read!

But there were some problems I had with the book. The allegory, for one. I thought I understood it -- it was all rather confusing when I was first introduced to different Reflections, but as time went on, it began to make sense. Until it didn't. I honestly have no idea how the allegory works, or even if there's one at all.

There was also the matter of clichés. Clichés don't typically bother me, but they seemed all too stereotypical for a contemporary fantasy: A girl finds out she's really a chosen one who's supposed to save a magical kingdom surrounded by darkness; she's captured by the villain and escapes multiple times, but every time she's around him, he takes his time explaining his master plans. There's also a love triangle!

So the love triangle. It didn't bother me and seemed somewhat believable, at first. But then there was a giant whirlwind of face-paced emotions, confusing loyalty, and other such drama. The end result was less than satisfactory.

In the end, I think I liked the book? The writing was AMAZING, but I had a hard time standing the characters or the fantasy world. I'd expected Unblemished to be a sweet read about God and true beauty, but there seemed little talk of either, and I must admit that I was a little disappointed... :/  So I'm not sure whether I'd recommend it, or not. If you are interested in reading it, I highly recommend it for the writing style. :)

You may want to know: There was fantasy violence, kissing, and drinking, as well as minor implications.

Click here to read my Goodreads review.

❤, the Book Dragon