stararchives's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lcgerstmann's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this book 1-2 stars, my daughter would give it 5 so we compromised!
Good job Mattel, Shannon Hale and Justice stores, we own the books, the dolls, the clothes, we watch the show on Netflix and we chant the mantra "choose your own destiny"! My little girl has been seduced by your ingenious marketing campaign, but all is not bad, I mean, my 8 year old read a 200 page book on her summer break and loved it. We get to snuggle on the couch and watch the series, we spend quality mommy-daughter time together playing dolls at a time when the day she will no longer play dolls with me is fast approaching. As a freethinker, I support the "question authority" message of the books and really, who doesn't love fairy tales?! So why complain? Oh the writing, the terribly obnoxious over-kill of pun, purple prose and fluff. The stuff of little girl dreams. It's not a cafeteria, it's a "castleteria", it's not an auditorium, it's a "charmitorium", get it? It's a fairy tale world so EVERYTHING has to have a totally enchanting name. I couldn't stand it, it really is awful. My 8 year old loves it. :)
Good job Mattel, Shannon Hale and Justice stores, we own the books, the dolls, the clothes, we watch the show on Netflix and we chant the mantra "choose your own destiny"! My little girl has been seduced by your ingenious marketing campaign, but all is not bad, I mean, my 8 year old read a 200 page book on her summer break and loved it. We get to snuggle on the couch and watch the series, we spend quality mommy-daughter time together playing dolls at a time when the day she will no longer play dolls with me is fast approaching. As a freethinker, I support the "question authority" message of the books and really, who doesn't love fairy tales?! So why complain? Oh the writing, the terribly obnoxious over-kill of pun, purple prose and fluff. The stuff of little girl dreams. It's not a cafeteria, it's a "castleteria", it's not an auditorium, it's a "charmitorium", get it? It's a fairy tale world so EVERYTHING has to have a totally enchanting name. I couldn't stand it, it really is awful. My 8 year old loves it. :)
lissajean7's review against another edition
4.0
This is a solid 3.5 stars. The beginning was slow for me, but by chapter 10 or so I finally became intrigued with where the story was going. The author does an imaginative job of merging fairy tale life and modern day both in actions (the teens send hexts on their magic mirror phones) and in language (instead of goosebumps, the teens get Mother-Goosebumps). The story follows the daughters of Snow White (Apple) and The Evil Queen (Raven) as they prepare to sign their lives away to the destinies of their parents to fulfill the story - only Raven doesn't want to be evil. But they've always been told that if they refuse to sign the book and magically seal their destinies to their parents' story that they will cease to exist and their story would disappear. Raven spends the book trying to weigh the consequences of not signing, which could include destroying her new friend Apple's life as well as her own. Apple spends the book trying to convince Raven to sign so that she can get her Happily Ever After. The story plays with the themes of choice and comfort really well. The unknown is scary. The ending was well done, and I will be reading the next in the series.
raven_kxl's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
the_weirdling's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book with my 9 year old daughter. It is perfect reading if your little one enjoys the Ever After High world.
I liked it more than I thought I would. I will admit that getting into it was a bit of a struggle. That probably has about 90% to do with me being a 43 year old man. Let's face it, I am not their target audience. I was sold by the end of the novel, however. I enjoy the constant struggle with "big questions". That's not something you usually see in a lot of children's books based on merchandise related tv shows.
The book is predicated on the relationship of Raven Queen and Apple White, respectively the daughters of the Evil Queen and Snow White. They are destined to repeat their parents' roles. Raven, however, does not want to be evil. She is repulsed by evil. She wants, in stead, to carve out her own path in life. The plot revolves around their quest, as friends who are destined to be enemies, to figure out if choice is even an option.
To be honest, this isn't a book I would ever read myself. But reading it with my 9 yr old daughter was enjoyable. I liked how she got into the conflict, made connections with fairy tales she knows and doesn't know, taught me about a show she really enjoys, and the discussions we had about whether choice was a real thing or not. And if choice is option, whether it is better to surrender to the certainty of destiny (even if it isn't all that great) or opt for a life of choices which could go any conceivable way.
If your little monkey is into Ever After High, the books are worth it. Not just because they are better written than expected, but because they bring up interesting conversations with your little one and also (and here is the endgame, folks) it will help encourage a lifelong love of learning.
I liked it more than I thought I would. I will admit that getting into it was a bit of a struggle. That probably has about 90% to do with me being a 43 year old man. Let's face it, I am not their target audience. I was sold by the end of the novel, however. I enjoy the constant struggle with "big questions". That's not something you usually see in a lot of children's books based on merchandise related tv shows.
The book is predicated on the relationship of Raven Queen and Apple White, respectively the daughters of the Evil Queen and Snow White. They are destined to repeat their parents' roles. Raven, however, does not want to be evil. She is repulsed by evil. She wants, in stead, to carve out her own path in life. The plot revolves around their quest, as friends who are destined to be enemies, to figure out if choice is even an option.
To be honest, this isn't a book I would ever read myself. But reading it with my 9 yr old daughter was enjoyable. I liked how she got into the conflict, made connections with fairy tales she knows and doesn't know, taught me about a show she really enjoys, and the discussions we had about whether choice was a real thing or not. And if choice is option, whether it is better to surrender to the certainty of destiny (even if it isn't all that great) or opt for a life of choices which could go any conceivable way.
If your little monkey is into Ever After High, the books are worth it. Not just because they are better written than expected, but because they bring up interesting conversations with your little one and also (and here is the endgame, folks) it will help encourage a lifelong love of learning.
bak8382's review against another edition
3.0
It's almost Legacy Day where the children of fairy tale characters commit to reliving the roles of their parents stories so that the stories don't disappear. Some students, like Apple White, embrace their destiny's wholeheartedly, but others, such as Raven Queen, aren't quite so sure. Raven is sure that getting a chance to peek at the book of fairy tales before the big day will help her decide, so she embarks on an adventure that just might change Ever After High forever.
This is a cute, quick read that should appeal to tween readers. I was a little surprised to find out it's the series of books based on dolls from Mattel, but that just shows that Hale is a decent writer who can create an appealing standalone series.
This is a cute, quick read that should appeal to tween readers. I was a little surprised to find out it's the series of books based on dolls from Mattel, but that just shows that Hale is a decent writer who can create an appealing standalone series.
addyxbooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
3.0
Get me back to this stage of life
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
I have read several Shannon Hale books, so I was really looking forward to this one, and I can say I am really surprised, this one was really fun.
However, not all characters were good. For instance, I loved Raven and her struggle to fight against her destiny and becoming evil. But I disliked Apple and her lack of empathy and such towards people. She was really rude and mean to Raven, trying to reform her to writing her signature under the story, just so her (Snow White) story will stay alive. I can imagine, she doesn't want her story to disappear or go wrong, but I am sure there are better ways then to change someone's room, to be blunt about a lot of things and just not wanting to understand what Raven is going through.
She gets better later (in the next book), but even there I just wanted to smack her for a big part of the book.
Other than those things I mentioned, it was a good book. I really liked the idea of a boarding school for fairy tale/legend stories. It was also great to see the brothers Grimm and also various smaller and less known story figures. I didn't always get who they were, but mostly I did and I had really much fun seeing their modern personalities in this book.
I can't wait to see what will happen in the further books, I do hope Raven will get her wish, and won't need to be evil or bad.
Review first posted on: http://twirlingbookprincess.com
However, not all characters were good. For instance, I loved Raven and her struggle to fight against her destiny and becoming evil. But I disliked Apple and her lack of empathy and such towards people. She was really rude and mean to Raven, trying to reform her to writing her signature under the story, just so her (Snow White) story will stay alive. I can imagine, she doesn't want her story to disappear or go wrong, but I am sure there are better ways then to change someone's room, to be blunt about a lot of things and just not wanting to understand what Raven is going through.
She gets better later (in the next book), but even there I just wanted to smack her for a big part of the book.
Other than those things I mentioned, it was a good book. I really liked the idea of a boarding school for fairy tale/legend stories. It was also great to see the brothers Grimm and also various smaller and less known story figures. I didn't always get who they were, but mostly I did and I had really much fun seeing their modern personalities in this book.
I can't wait to see what will happen in the further books, I do hope Raven will get her wish, and won't need to be evil or bad.
Review first posted on: http://twirlingbookprincess.com