blueleonora's review against another edition
4.0
Vi ricordate la mitologia, quella mitologia che amavate da bambini? Quella fatta di streghe, fate, troll, folletti? Ecco. Se come me avete passato gli ultimi anni a sentirla stravolta di qua e di là da tutti i possibili young adult, questo libro è un ritorno alle origini.
Ci sono fate, c'è la Baba Yaga, ci sono i ragazzi lupo, ci sono i personaggi cattivi cattivissimi e quelli buoni. Ci sono persino delle mani, proprio come quella della famiglia Addams!
Jane Yolen è stata definita la Andersen americana, eppure in questo libro c'è molto di più. E' una fiaba moderna, che ci presenta il nostro mondo visto dagli occhi di due fate: loro, pure e abituate alla vita nel loro mondo, che devono avere a che fare con il nostro sporco, incivile e complicato pianeta, un pianeta dove le persone anziane sono invisibili, dove ci sono degli approfittatori e servono delle cose strane, chiamate soldi, per poter mangiare.
Ben scritto, scorrevole, interessante e, cosa che non guasta dire, scritto a quattro mani.
Se il titolo vi aveva fatto supporre di essere davanti all'ennesimo young adult e la copertina lo aveva persino confermato, beh, non datevi credito: titolo e copertina c'entrano ben poco col contenuto.
Ci sono fate, c'è la Baba Yaga, ci sono i ragazzi lupo, ci sono i personaggi cattivi cattivissimi e quelli buoni. Ci sono persino delle mani, proprio come quella della famiglia Addams!
Jane Yolen è stata definita la Andersen americana, eppure in questo libro c'è molto di più. E' una fiaba moderna, che ci presenta il nostro mondo visto dagli occhi di due fate: loro, pure e abituate alla vita nel loro mondo, che devono avere a che fare con il nostro sporco, incivile e complicato pianeta, un pianeta dove le persone anziane sono invisibili, dove ci sono degli approfittatori e servono delle cose strane, chiamate soldi, per poter mangiare.
Ben scritto, scorrevole, interessante e, cosa che non guasta dire, scritto a quattro mani.
Se il titolo vi aveva fatto supporre di essere davanti all'ennesimo young adult e la copertina lo aveva persino confermato, beh, non datevi credito: titolo e copertina c'entrano ben poco col contenuto.
madhamster's review against another edition
5.0
Members of the Seelie Court, sisters Serana and Meteora are banished to the mortal realms for telling the Seelie Queen's secret - that she had a mortal lover. Stripped of their illusions of youth, the majority of their magic, and separated from each other, the two must learn to survive in an unknown environment.
There Meteora, now known as Sophia, finds shelter in Baba Yaga's house. There she also discovers Sparrow, a young woman with deep secrets.
Serana is taken in by the authorities and renames herself Mabel (after a cow). To her is drawn Robin, one of the fey and a hound.
The sisters form alliances - human and fey - to aid their upcoming battle. Because the Unseelie have brought their ageless war into the mortal realm.
Beguiling and fun, this is a reasonably quick read, yet one worth savouring.
Meteora and Serana's confusion upon being confronted with life in the mortal world is amusing, yet bittersweet, as they struggle with money, conventions, and turns of phrase.
Many of the main characters have the chance to show their own points of view in interludes that add to the main story arc, which is carried by the sisters. These interludes also pique the reader's interest as you try to figure out who the characters really are.
Review previously on: http://randomactsofreviewing.blogspot.co.nz/
There Meteora, now known as Sophia, finds shelter in Baba Yaga's house. There she also discovers Sparrow, a young woman with deep secrets.
Serana is taken in by the authorities and renames herself Mabel (after a cow). To her is drawn Robin, one of the fey and a hound.
The sisters form alliances - human and fey - to aid their upcoming battle. Because the Unseelie have brought their ageless war into the mortal realm.
Beguiling and fun, this is a reasonably quick read, yet one worth savouring.
Meteora and Serana's confusion upon being confronted with life in the mortal world is amusing, yet bittersweet, as they struggle with money, conventions, and turns of phrase.
Many of the main characters have the chance to show their own points of view in interludes that add to the main story arc, which is carried by the sisters. These interludes also pique the reader's interest as you try to figure out who the characters really are.
Review previously on: http://randomactsofreviewing.blogspot.co.nz/
jjmbookstam92's review against another edition
4.0
The chapters of this book are short and varied in a way that make you think: "one more chapter won't hurt" at the end of every chapter. The main characters are very likeable and go through some great development, but also contain flaws so they aren't flat. The moral background is mostly black-and-white, though, this book is not for people who like some shades of grey in their story's morality.
peregrineace's review against another edition
3.0
I read this for my book club and hoped that the discussion would let me decide if I liked it or not. Alas, this was not to be.
There's nothing really wrong with this book and I suspect I was simply not the intended audience (not a huge follower of fae/fairy tales, so many of the plot elements left me puzzled). I just never felt particularly connected to the characters. Or the plot. Or the world.
It was an easy enough read and I enjoyed the gentle humor inherent in two people finding their way in an unfamiliar culture.
I've read books by Yolen before and enjoyed them and have several of Snyder's on my "to read" list. This book didn't made me move Snyder's work ahead or behind where it is now.
Recommended to those interested in both fairy tales and urban fantasy.
There's nothing really wrong with this book and I suspect I was simply not the intended audience (not a huge follower of fae/fairy tales, so many of the plot elements left me puzzled). I just never felt particularly connected to the characters. Or the plot. Or the world.
It was an easy enough read and I enjoyed the gentle humor inherent in two people finding their way in an unfamiliar culture.
I've read books by Yolen before and enjoyed them and have several of Snyder's on my "to read" list. This book didn't made me move Snyder's work ahead or behind where it is now.
Recommended to those interested in both fairy tales and urban fantasy.
evilcallie's review
2.0
This book took me ages to read, and is the first Jane Yolen book I have not liked. I just... could not get into it, I did not care one way or the other about the characters. It was written in such a way that half the time I had no idea what was going on.
yonitdm's review against another edition
4.0
It was easy to get caught up in the dual worlds described in the book. Seeing our world through the eyes of the banished fey made everything seem different, fresh, exciting, menacing, confusing. I would love to read more about the journey the characters are taking.
angeljkay's review
5.0
How can I give this less than 5 stars when I wanted to start over and reread it after I finished?
One of my favorite lines: "I think if there is something that the humans have that the fey do not, it is chocolate." p. 197
One of my favorite lines: "I think if there is something that the humans have that the fey do not, it is chocolate." p. 197
bibliotropic's review
5.0
When Meteora and Serana get cast out of the faerie realm of Greenwood and shoved into aging mortal bodies in the modern world, you’ve got you expect that things will be interesting, not just for the characters but also for the reader. Banished from their home not even for a prank but for knowing too much about the Queens secrets, they have to do their best at making their way in a life that’s difficult for those who have been brought up to it, let alone those who are used to something quite dissimilar.
Naturally, this leads to a whole host of humourous misunderstandings, both linguistically and culturally, made worse by the fact that they aren’t plunked into this world together but instead sent cities apart. Aside from having to adjust to the annoyances of aging bodies that don’t work half as well as they’re used to, the sisters experience shocks at the way people will casually fling about vulgar curses without a care, misread “Co-op” as coop and wondering why there are no chickens running around, and send letters to each other by pigeon until they discover the baffling system of postal service, which they refer to as “eagle mail.” You can’t help but chuckle at what they get themselves into and how they misinterpret all the little things we take for granted.
But this book isn’t all fun and games, and it takes a look into the darker side of the faerie realm and fey natures. Interwoven with Meteora and Serana are the stories of Sparrow, plagued by nightmares and unknowingly marked by an UnSeelie fey as part of his blood tithe, and Robin, son of and slave to an UnSeelie fey who’s spent his life at his father’s beck and call, thinking himself no better than a dog. Their stories weave in and out and around each other like ribbons on a Maypole, making the story rich and intriguing, and brings everything together at the end in a convincing and satisfying way.
Which, is we discover, is exactly how it should have been all along. It goes without saying that things aren’t always as they appear, especially when you’re dealing with the fey.
The style and pacing of this book is flawless, fascinating, and as an introduction to these two authors, I can safely say that my curiosity has been piqued enough to make me want to check out what else they’ve done. If it’s even half as good as Except the Queen, I think I’m bound to enjoy it. With its dark background, mythological interest, and sense of humour, this book is highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy and faeries.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
Naturally, this leads to a whole host of humourous misunderstandings, both linguistically and culturally, made worse by the fact that they aren’t plunked into this world together but instead sent cities apart. Aside from having to adjust to the annoyances of aging bodies that don’t work half as well as they’re used to, the sisters experience shocks at the way people will casually fling about vulgar curses without a care, misread “Co-op” as coop and wondering why there are no chickens running around, and send letters to each other by pigeon until they discover the baffling system of postal service, which they refer to as “eagle mail.” You can’t help but chuckle at what they get themselves into and how they misinterpret all the little things we take for granted.
But this book isn’t all fun and games, and it takes a look into the darker side of the faerie realm and fey natures. Interwoven with Meteora and Serana are the stories of Sparrow, plagued by nightmares and unknowingly marked by an UnSeelie fey as part of his blood tithe, and Robin, son of and slave to an UnSeelie fey who’s spent his life at his father’s beck and call, thinking himself no better than a dog. Their stories weave in and out and around each other like ribbons on a Maypole, making the story rich and intriguing, and brings everything together at the end in a convincing and satisfying way.
Which, is we discover, is exactly how it should have been all along. It goes without saying that things aren’t always as they appear, especially when you’re dealing with the fey.
The style and pacing of this book is flawless, fascinating, and as an introduction to these two authors, I can safely say that my curiosity has been piqued enough to make me want to check out what else they’ve done. If it’s even half as good as Except the Queen, I think I’m bound to enjoy it. With its dark background, mythological interest, and sense of humour, this book is highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy and faeries.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
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