Tag Archives: Dark Fairy Tales

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Tales From Ara

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Since the end of January, I’ve been attempting to read this book but have only reached page 162. No matter how many times I tried—and there were many—I couldn’t engage with the story. The characters, especially the main one, Harlette, didn’t captivate me enough to continue reading. Harlette often behaves in a childlike manner, despite being portrayed as a seductive woman. She frequently whines, throws tantrums, and behaves like a petulant child. The king of the land she enters is needlessly harsh and vexing to her and to anyone not in his immediate circle.

Harlette, single and a hopeless romantic, is an ordinary girl with just two dreams: to fall in love and to find her place in the world.
Her life, rather unremarkable until now, changes dramatically when she’s whisked away to another world, Ara, without any explanation or even proper clothing.
Clad only in underwear and stilettos, she ends up in Nimrod’s forest, where she is captured by Karayan, the elven king, and his guards. Nimrod is the mightiest kingdom in Ara, and Karayan is the most formidable of elves.
Although Karayan takes a strong interest in her, the appearance of humans in Ara is rare and often considered an ill omen, leading him to treat Harlette with suspicion and hostility…
Caught amid an escalating interdimensional conflict, branded as an intruder, and with no way back home, Harlette is thrust into a whirlwind of adventures. She soon realizes that this fairy tale, regardless of its cruelty or beauty, is not a figment of her imagination. Love is not as straightforward as in romance novels, and she must toughen up if she is to withstand the storm of events ahead.
Will Harlette uncover the reason for her abrupt transport to Ara, and does she possess the strength to confront the obstacles in her path?

The first thing I thought of when I started reading this was The Wizard of Oz because it has that same feel to it. Like a fairy tale that has a dark side but you have to really look deep to find it. There are elves, which makes the Oz thing not so much.

Though I could not find my way into the story someone else may. This just was not my cuppa on any level.

My rating: ✮

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Charmed I’m sure

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Alright introduction to John Charming

This was a decent introduction to the character though you do not get much of anything. The information to start is kind of vague but gives the impression that something of importance is being left out, which can make you want to read more books. This was like a small day in the life of to give you an idea of the world that he inhabits and the types of supernatural creatures he has to battle.

I would recommend to anyone who is into Knights and or fairy tales made real.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟 of 5

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Glass Frost

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Glass Frost (First Frost #2)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have always liked a story that has a fun yet dark quality to it. This series is definitely one of those stories and has created an alternate world that our fairy tale characters inhabit but can interact with our world in significant ways. The telling of fairy tales within their new contexts is flawless giving life to them as well as the enchanted realm they come from. The story flows perfectly from incident to incident and makes sense even with the fact that these are considered to be make believe characters who only lived within the imagination of their creators.

Bianca has been home from the Everafter for only two weeks after having rescued her mother from a witch and finding her father, who had been missing for ten years, and is still missing the guy she met there. While in her backyard one night she sees a door appear and through it walks Terrance, the man she thought she would never see again. He has come because he wanted to see her again but also because the Queen has requested she return to the Everafter to do a favor for her. And no one refuses a Queen.

So Bianca goes back to the Everafter where she is seen as a powerful witch to do something her mother would not be happy about. While she is fighting for her life and that of her friends Bianca comes to an important decision that will make some happy and at the same time cause pain to others.

I recommend the two books currently in this series and hope more are to come as they have grabbed my imagination. YA is not a genre that I always enjoy but this is one of those exceptions I am always hoping to find.