Fairy Lies is E. D. Baker's sequel to Wings.
Tamisin and Jak have returned as our protagonists, and this time Tamisin seems to be going a little crazy.
Last time, the fairy queen gave Tamisin a kiss on the cheek, which Jak explained would draw Tamisin back to the fey world one day.
That day has come - or is trying to, anyways.
Tamisin is growing irrational, with a bigger temper each time Jak sees her. She really explodes when she finds out that Jak's backyard portal had been open one night and he hadn't told her she could revisit the fey world finally.
So Tamisin finds her own way back - in the form of being kidnapped by the fairy king.
Jak sets out on a rescue mission, even losing his own memory at one point but still determined to find Tamisin.
This book is a great sequel to Wings. I loved seeing Tamisin and Jak again, as well as other recurring characters. Even those who tend to be annoying I found had grown on me.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Wings
Another of E. D. Baker's books is Wings.
This one seems to have a little bit of a darker tone than her other novels just because of the existence of goblins, who at one point stalked the protagonist because she was the only one who could see them.
Our protagonist, or one of them, is named Tamisin. She's your average girl in your average household going to an average school, except for a few physical oddities.
Tamisin has spreckles: freckles that sparkle. She also has pointed ears. And full moons make her dance.
Oh, and did I mention that, one day, actual wings sprout from her back?
The other protagonist is Jak, the new kid at school who is actually a goblin half-breed. Because of his half-breed status, Jak is constantly made fun of in his home world and magic doesn't always work for him the way it's supposed to.
Jak has found advantages to his scandalous heritage, however. And one day, he is given a mission: bring Tamisin to his uncle.
This book is pretty great. I really enjoyed watching Tamisin and Jak grow up; and then for much of the rest of the book, I really loved how their journey together played out.
I've heard that this story is loosely based on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. I guess I'll hae to take that person's word for it, since I've never read that play.
This one seems to have a little bit of a darker tone than her other novels just because of the existence of goblins, who at one point stalked the protagonist because she was the only one who could see them.
Our protagonist, or one of them, is named Tamisin. She's your average girl in your average household going to an average school, except for a few physical oddities.
Tamisin has spreckles: freckles that sparkle. She also has pointed ears. And full moons make her dance.
Oh, and did I mention that, one day, actual wings sprout from her back?
The other protagonist is Jak, the new kid at school who is actually a goblin half-breed. Because of his half-breed status, Jak is constantly made fun of in his home world and magic doesn't always work for him the way it's supposed to.
Jak has found advantages to his scandalous heritage, however. And one day, he is given a mission: bring Tamisin to his uncle.
This book is pretty great. I really enjoyed watching Tamisin and Jak grow up; and then for much of the rest of the book, I really loved how their journey together played out.
I've heard that this story is loosely based on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. I guess I'll hae to take that person's word for it, since I've never read that play.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Unlocking the Spell
Unlocking the Spell is a sequel to The Wide-Awake Princess, and it follows Annie and Gwen and their lovers as they attempt to break the spell put on Gwen's fiance.
The journey gets extremely tedious, considering Gwen is completely unused to not having the best of everything.
Another difficulty resides in finding the dwarf that enchanted Gwen's love, Beldegard, in the first place. After all of Disney's talk about how small of a world it is after all, you'd think it wouldn't be so tough to find one dwarf.
Yet another of Annie's problem's lie within her own heart. Her love, Prince Liam, has been acting odd lately. He won't do much PDA - Public Display of Affection. Annie is worried that he changed his mind about her.
Honestly, I don't remember this book all that well. I only remember that I liked it, and I should probably read it again sometime soon.
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Side note: I skipped posting this past weekend, and I think I'm going to start doing that on a regular basis now. It's kind of difficult to remember on Saturdays, and Sunday mornings can be pretty busy.
The journey gets extremely tedious, considering Gwen is completely unused to not having the best of everything.
Another difficulty resides in finding the dwarf that enchanted Gwen's love, Beldegard, in the first place. After all of Disney's talk about how small of a world it is after all, you'd think it wouldn't be so tough to find one dwarf.
Yet another of Annie's problem's lie within her own heart. Her love, Prince Liam, has been acting odd lately. He won't do much PDA - Public Display of Affection. Annie is worried that he changed his mind about her.
Honestly, I don't remember this book all that well. I only remember that I liked it, and I should probably read it again sometime soon.
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Side note: I skipped posting this past weekend, and I think I'm going to start doing that on a regular basis now. It's kind of difficult to remember on Saturdays, and Sunday mornings can be pretty busy.
Friday, April 4, 2014
The Wide-Awake Princess Pt. 2
Okay, so E. D. Baker's The Wide-Awake Princess, plot time.
As I mentioned in the last post, Annie's older sister Gwen is Sleeping Beauty, though not yet asleep at the beginning of the book.
It's Gwen's birthday, and the paranoia is practically tangible. Annie and all of the guards are on the lookout for evil magic.
It's pretty safe to assume it doesn't work.
Annie is the only one on the entire castle grounds that doesn't fall asleep; it's up to her to run to Gwen's fiance and bring him back to kiss Gwen awake.
With the help of one guard who had been away when the curse fell, Annie roams multiple kingdoms, bringing back every prince she could find just in case Gwen's fiance is not really her true love.
Will any of them be able to wake Gwen? What if Annie herself has fallen for one of the princes? What if that prince is the one that wakes Gwen? What if Gwen gets stuck with one of the nasty princes because they try to cheat?
I really, really enjoyed this book. Like The Frog Princess series, the book's overall tone is light, though of course there are danger or heartbreaking moments. I wanted to strangle the prince into whose contest Annie had entered.
Best of all, there are tons of references to other fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel is one of the obvious references. How many others can you find?
As I mentioned in the last post, Annie's older sister Gwen is Sleeping Beauty, though not yet asleep at the beginning of the book.
It's Gwen's birthday, and the paranoia is practically tangible. Annie and all of the guards are on the lookout for evil magic.
It's pretty safe to assume it doesn't work.
Annie is the only one on the entire castle grounds that doesn't fall asleep; it's up to her to run to Gwen's fiance and bring him back to kiss Gwen awake.
With the help of one guard who had been away when the curse fell, Annie roams multiple kingdoms, bringing back every prince she could find just in case Gwen's fiance is not really her true love.
Will any of them be able to wake Gwen? What if Annie herself has fallen for one of the princes? What if that prince is the one that wakes Gwen? What if Gwen gets stuck with one of the nasty princes because they try to cheat?
I really, really enjoyed this book. Like The Frog Princess series, the book's overall tone is light, though of course there are danger or heartbreaking moments. I wanted to strangle the prince into whose contest Annie had entered.
Best of all, there are tons of references to other fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel is one of the obvious references. How many others can you find?
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Wide-Awake Princess
Another book by E. D. Baker is The Wide-Awake Princess, and it follows Sleeping Beauty's sister as she tries to break the sleeping curse.
Princess Annie, younger daughter to the perfect and wonderful Princess Gwen, is plain and almost forgettable. There's only one thing that makes it impossible to forget that Annie is in the room.
Magic has no effect around her.
Background information: This world is steeped in magic. Fairies give blessings to practically everyone, from royalty to commoners - although of course royalty tends to get more. As a result, practically everyone in Annie's life is magically beautiful, talented, or tamed.
However, Annie was blessed (or cursed, as sometimes people believe) with only one magical gift: No magic can touch her, ever. Not only does that mean she cannot be cursed to eternal slumber like Gwen or blessed with incomparable beauty also like Gwen, but it also means the people around her who have been blessed or cursed will slowly begin to lose those blessings or curses.
You can imagine that few people actually want their beauty and talents to vanish.
Aside from the fact that few people want her nearby, Annie has found her own place in the world. She figures out what things Gwen cannot do, then she learns to do them. Her skills come in very handy throughout the book.
Wow, that's a lot of background information. Should I let it hang here and say go get the book for the rest? Or should I make another post tomorrow that mentions more plot?
Princess Annie, younger daughter to the perfect and wonderful Princess Gwen, is plain and almost forgettable. There's only one thing that makes it impossible to forget that Annie is in the room.
Magic has no effect around her.
Background information: This world is steeped in magic. Fairies give blessings to practically everyone, from royalty to commoners - although of course royalty tends to get more. As a result, practically everyone in Annie's life is magically beautiful, talented, or tamed.
However, Annie was blessed (or cursed, as sometimes people believe) with only one magical gift: No magic can touch her, ever. Not only does that mean she cannot be cursed to eternal slumber like Gwen or blessed with incomparable beauty also like Gwen, but it also means the people around her who have been blessed or cursed will slowly begin to lose those blessings or curses.
You can imagine that few people actually want their beauty and talents to vanish.
Aside from the fact that few people want her nearby, Annie has found her own place in the world. She figures out what things Gwen cannot do, then she learns to do them. Her skills come in very handy throughout the book.
Wow, that's a lot of background information. Should I let it hang here and say go get the book for the rest? Or should I make another post tomorrow that mentions more plot?
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Tales of the Frog Princess, concluding
Hmm, you know what? I don't really want to give away too much of Princess Emeralda's life, so I think I'll cram the rest of E. D. Baker's Tales of the Frog Princess series into this post.
Once Upon a Curse is about Emma trying to break the curse that has tormented her family for centuries.
No Place for Magic has Emma's wedding, although many things try to get in the way of her happily ever after.
The Salamander Spell actually goes back in time to show how Grassina became the Green Witch.
The Dragon Princess shows Emma's daughter, who has anger management issues much worse than normal.
Dragon Kiss follows Emma's daughter's suitor as he tries to find a way to do the impossible: become human for his one true love.
A Prince Among Frogs... Hmm, honestly, I don't remember much about this book. All I can remember is that Emma's infant son has been kidnapped.
This series is fun, generally lighthearted, fraught with irritations that are easily let go by the characters and overlookable (is that even a word?) by the readers. In later books in the series, Baker includes many references to the series itself, which is really exciting at first.
As it draws on, though, it can sometimes feel like the author is running out of new ideas, especially for villains. However, that might just be my opinion, because from what I can remember, each time someone or something returns, it's with a new aspect or twist or something.
This is a great series to read if you're looking for some lighthearted entertainment. Of course there are ups and downs in each book, but it's not a series that tries to make you and the characters suffer until the dramatic conclusion.
Once Upon a Curse is about Emma trying to break the curse that has tormented her family for centuries.
No Place for Magic has Emma's wedding, although many things try to get in the way of her happily ever after.
The Salamander Spell actually goes back in time to show how Grassina became the Green Witch.
The Dragon Princess shows Emma's daughter, who has anger management issues much worse than normal.
Dragon Kiss follows Emma's daughter's suitor as he tries to find a way to do the impossible: become human for his one true love.
A Prince Among Frogs... Hmm, honestly, I don't remember much about this book. All I can remember is that Emma's infant son has been kidnapped.
This series is fun, generally lighthearted, fraught with irritations that are easily let go by the characters and overlookable (is that even a word?) by the readers. In later books in the series, Baker includes many references to the series itself, which is really exciting at first.
As it draws on, though, it can sometimes feel like the author is running out of new ideas, especially for villains. However, that might just be my opinion, because from what I can remember, each time someone or something returns, it's with a new aspect or twist or something.
This is a great series to read if you're looking for some lighthearted entertainment. Of course there are ups and downs in each book, but it's not a series that tries to make you and the characters suffer until the dramatic conclusion.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Dragon's Breath
The next book in Emma's adventures is E. D. Baker's Dragon's Breath.
This book takes place only a day or two after the conclusion of the previous book. Emma has reverted back to normal, been proposed to, learned about her family's curse, realized she actually does have some magical talent, and reunited Grassina with Haywood, her lover turned into an otter.
I think she's been pretty busy. Your thoughts?
Anyways, this book mostly concerns Emma's magic and Haywood's curse. Emma and Eadric set off to learn how to turn Haywood back into an otter. Grassina is way too distracted to be of much use, and Emma's magic is still liable to go askew. Eadric bounces between being highly annoying and being extremely sweet, and Emma is seriously considering rejecting his proposal.
Despite all that, the book really isn't focused on the drama. It's focused on the quest.
I really enjoy Emma's perspective of things. Though she's a princess, she's not bratty or even really spoiled. She can get her hands dirty without a second thought, and in the process, she grows into her magic.
Oh, and did I mentioned there's a war going on during all of this?
It's Grassina's job to help, but as I mentioned earlier, she's way too distracted with Haywood.
This book takes place only a day or two after the conclusion of the previous book. Emma has reverted back to normal, been proposed to, learned about her family's curse, realized she actually does have some magical talent, and reunited Grassina with Haywood, her lover turned into an otter.
I think she's been pretty busy. Your thoughts?
Anyways, this book mostly concerns Emma's magic and Haywood's curse. Emma and Eadric set off to learn how to turn Haywood back into an otter. Grassina is way too distracted to be of much use, and Emma's magic is still liable to go askew. Eadric bounces between being highly annoying and being extremely sweet, and Emma is seriously considering rejecting his proposal.
Despite all that, the book really isn't focused on the drama. It's focused on the quest.
I really enjoy Emma's perspective of things. Though she's a princess, she's not bratty or even really spoiled. She can get her hands dirty without a second thought, and in the process, she grows into her magic.
Oh, and did I mentioned there's a war going on during all of this?
It's Grassina's job to help, but as I mentioned earlier, she's way too distracted with Haywood.
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