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mcoppadge07's review
4.0
Oi I thought I reviews this when I finished it! Hopefully I can gather my thoughts together.
I love retellings and I really liked this book. It took me a little bit to get into it but I really liked it. It was a nice twist on the story. I loved Eva. She was so strong and she went through so much. She was great. And Jack was really great too. But best of all is that the duke REALLY gave me the creeps. Like the entire time I was reading I was so grossed out and ugh which was such a good thing because sometimes when you're reading a book as you continue along the story you kind of get used to the "bad guy" and they lose some of their ugh-ness? I can't think of a better word then ugh. This story was really original and magical. The way the elements from the original story (beanstalk, harp, golden goose) are put into this story was really interesting. Brittany Fichter is brilliant when it comes to world building. I never have problems when it comes to her stories and picturing where they are taking place. I have a feeling that I'm going to really enjoy this entire series.
**I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**
I love retellings and I really liked this book. It took me a little bit to get into it but I really liked it. It was a nice twist on the story. I loved Eva. She was so strong and she went through so much. She was great. And Jack was really great too. But best of all is that the duke REALLY gave me the creeps. Like the entire time I was reading I was so grossed out and ugh which was such a good thing because sometimes when you're reading a book as you continue along the story you kind of get used to the "bad guy" and they lose some of their ugh-ness? I can't think of a better word then ugh. This story was really original and magical. The way the elements from the original story (beanstalk, harp, golden goose) are put into this story was really interesting. Brittany Fichter is brilliant when it comes to world building. I never have problems when it comes to her stories and picturing where they are taking place. I have a feeling that I'm going to really enjoy this entire series.
**I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**
emlickliter's review
5.0
Eva, the only Woodcutter's daughter that her fairy godfather actually likes, has managed to get herself saddled with a very dangerous fairy gift. Using her talent for playing the harp, Mortimer gives the her ability to make plants thrive or die at will. And a greedy duke in the next kingdom sees this as his chance to starve his country into supporting his attempted coup. Luckily for Eva, Jack the Farmer falls in love with her and sets out with dubious assistance from Mortimer to free her from the duke's clutches! This one had a very cute twist at the end, but I will say I feel soooo bad about Eva's future mother-in-law! So cute!
libra17's review
3.0
An Unnatural Beanstalk was moderately entertaining, but I don't understand why it apparently never occurred to Eva to kill the villian with a dinner knife or something. He can't theaten your family if he's dead, although I suppose that would ruin the entire foundation of the plot.
karisa's review
5.0
This is yet another amazing Brittany Fichter book! I absolutely loved the twist on the fairytale, as well as the romance. Even though it is supposed to be a novella, I would've loved more of this story! There was some good suspense and the ending was fantastic. I really didn't like the Duke, but of course that is the intention. Can't wait to see Eva and Jack in the rest of the series!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
candidcopywriter's review
3.0
Honestly, I had thought I would love all the books in this series. After reading A Goose Girl, I went immediately to this book, and somehow got bored in the first two chapters itself. I then read all the other books in this series, hoping that knowing the fate of all the other siblings would make me want to read this book. But no.
Sometimes, I don't have an explanation for why I don't like a book. I somehow just don't. But when I forced myself to go ahead with this book, I understood the reason. I didn't like Eva! She was portrayed in a very disappointing manner. At every point in the book, I would think to myself, "She could have done this bit differently!"
What makes or breaks a book for me, generally, is character development. The plot is, of course, important, and I can never read a dry book even if the characters are developed wonderfully. But if the plot is great, shallow characters just put me off. And that's how I would describe all the characters of this book. Shallow. Eva, the villainous Duke, and even Jack weren't given enough depth.
The ending was wonderful, and it redeemed the book in my eyes. That is the sole reason I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars. I am, after all, a sucker for happy endings. But otherwise, the book just didn't cut it for me.
Sometimes, I don't have an explanation for why I don't like a book. I somehow just don't. But when I forced myself to go ahead with this book, I understood the reason. I didn't like Eva! She was portrayed in a very disappointing manner. At every point in the book, I would think to myself, "She could have done this bit differently!"
What makes or breaks a book for me, generally, is character development. The plot is, of course, important, and I can never read a dry book even if the characters are developed wonderfully. But if the plot is great, shallow characters just put me off. And that's how I would describe all the characters of this book. Shallow. Eva, the villainous Duke, and even Jack weren't given enough depth.
The ending was wonderful, and it redeemed the book in my eyes. That is the sole reason I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars. I am, after all, a sucker for happy endings. But otherwise, the book just didn't cut it for me.
dominiquemarie's review
4.0
I received a free ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily posting my review.
Jack and the Beanstalk has never been one of my favorites as far as fairy tales go, so I wasn't sure how much I would like this. It turns out that I really liked this retelling. It's a very interesting take on the story, and it's humorous too! I laughed a lot. Mortimer is so terrible! He's a hoot! I think he should get his own book, and I am excited to read the rest of the Entwined Tales!
Jack and the Beanstalk has never been one of my favorites as far as fairy tales go, so I wasn't sure how much I would like this. It turns out that I really liked this retelling. It's a very interesting take on the story, and it's humorous too! I laughed a lot. Mortimer is so terrible! He's a hoot! I think he should get his own book, and I am excited to read the rest of the Entwined Tales!
silver_valkyrie_reads's review
4.0
My experience with this author so far has been very hit and miss: one book I didn't finish because I disliked the writing style so much, one story I loved, and this one, which falls somewhere in between those two. This one was definitely better written than the previous book in the series, in my opinion.
I'm planning to continue the series at this point, but it will definitely be interesting to see if the writing quality continues to fluctuate, with every book being written by a different author.
There's no real content issues to speak of here, but I might keep very young readers from reading it, as the villain gets just mildly icky and inappropriate with some of his 'love' stories and poetry.
I'm planning to continue the series at this point, but it will definitely be interesting to see if the writing quality continues to fluctuate, with every book being written by a different author.
There's no real content issues to speak of here, but I might keep very young readers from reading it, as the villain gets just mildly icky and inappropriate with some of his 'love' stories and poetry.