authorbgillilan's review
4.0
I love when an author comes up with a fairy tail and adds in a few twists and turns from classics. This book is a bit slow to begin with but once it gets going, it's really cute. The behavior between the sisters really grabs a reader and makes then think of the relationship they have with their own siblings. This book is full of magic and life lessons that the sisters, and in essence the reader, learn as the book carries on.
B. Gillilan
B. Gillilan
limabean74's review
4.0
The Trouble With Toads (The Secret Stepsister Society, #1) Who hasn’t wanted to change their sister into a toad? Well Bettony didn’t mean too. All she wanted to do was change her entire appearance so she was no longer an ugly stepsister. She wanted to be beautiful so she could sing for the king because no one wants someone who is ugly to sing to them. The adventure begins with Bettony going to see her estranged grandmother who just so happens to be a witch and ask her to help her be beautiful. Once she gets her grandmother to agree to make the potion she goes home to become beautiful but everything takes a turn for the worse when her sister Cadmilla accidentally drinks one of the potions and turns into a Toad. Now Bettony has to scramble to get her changed back before their mom finds out but things just keep getting worse. She has to visit an old witch to get the family magic back and could the fairy godmother in the mirror really not be who she seems? This is a great story I really thought Bettony was a cute character she is trying so hard to be better than Desire (her stepsister) and prove she's just as awesome but in truth she is trying to be something she is not. Bettony has too much pride and feels everyone is judging her. She refuses to ask for help and believes she just can't do what we the readers know she can do. Really enjoyed this story. My only issue was how abruptly it ended. I am really excited to read the next one but I was actually surprised with how it ended. This is a great story and I plan on reading the next one and I have no doubt that I will be reading more books from Danyelle Leafty. I loved her writing and she is a really great storyteller. Great story, completely original and totally worth the read.
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Best Kids' Reads.
I honestly cannot begin to tell you how in love I was with this book. After reading it, I felt compelled to immediately go out and find everything else that Danyelle Leafty has ever written because I was enraptured by her whimsical and flowing writing style. She told Bettony's story with such wit and yet with incredibly beautiful language. I found myself constantly thinking, "How does she come up with this stuff?" It's like she's a creative genius. I know I'm gushing, but this is honestly how I felt while reading the book. I just got so caught up in the lush language and fun metaphors that I couldn't put it down! Here's just one example:
"Sometimes magic is all beautiful sparkles and breathtaking views. Other times, its something simpler, easier to understand, and far closer to home . But if you could peel away all the wonder and awe, all the pretty colors and inviting views, you would see magic as it is at its most basic: a wish. A wanting. A need."
Okay, so on to talking about the actual story. The Trouble with Toads was a really adorable story about the trouble that can be caused by dissatisfaction - especially with oneself. Bettony is sure that all of her problems would go away if she were beautiful, so she goes to her grandmother (who happens to be a witch) and asks her for a spell. Despite her grandmother's warnings that magic always has a price, Bettony is sure that beauty will outweigh any price she might have to pay. Unfortunately, it turns out that she is not the one who has to pay the price. Bettony unwittingly turns her sister into a toad! Realizing the depth of her mistake, Bettony tries to go to her grandmother to reverse the spell. But Bettony's grandmother tells her that only Bettony can fix the problem she has created. So Bettony, her sister Cadmilla (now a toad) and her far too perfect step-sister, Desire go off on a quest to try and turn Cadmilla back into a human. Along the way, Bettony learns a lot about herself and about her two sisters.
My one and only complaint about this book (and the only reason I didn't give it a full five stars) is that it ends mid-story. I was looking for some sort of resolution at the end of the book and there really wasn't any. We will need to wait until the next book to find out what happens with our trio of sisters. Our family will definitely be reading the next installment when it comes out!! (I should mention that both of my kids loved this book as well, although my son said that he wasn't too crazy about the flowery musings about magic. He's a 10-year-old boy - he just wanted to get to the action). 4.5/5 stars
I honestly cannot begin to tell you how in love I was with this book. After reading it, I felt compelled to immediately go out and find everything else that Danyelle Leafty has ever written because I was enraptured by her whimsical and flowing writing style. She told Bettony's story with such wit and yet with incredibly beautiful language. I found myself constantly thinking, "How does she come up with this stuff?" It's like she's a creative genius. I know I'm gushing, but this is honestly how I felt while reading the book. I just got so caught up in the lush language and fun metaphors that I couldn't put it down! Here's just one example:
"Sometimes magic is all beautiful sparkles and breathtaking views. Other times, its something simpler, easier to understand, and far closer to home . But if you could peel away all the wonder and awe, all the pretty colors and inviting views, you would see magic as it is at its most basic: a wish. A wanting. A need."
Okay, so on to talking about the actual story. The Trouble with Toads was a really adorable story about the trouble that can be caused by dissatisfaction - especially with oneself. Bettony is sure that all of her problems would go away if she were beautiful, so she goes to her grandmother (who happens to be a witch) and asks her for a spell. Despite her grandmother's warnings that magic always has a price, Bettony is sure that beauty will outweigh any price she might have to pay. Unfortunately, it turns out that she is not the one who has to pay the price. Bettony unwittingly turns her sister into a toad! Realizing the depth of her mistake, Bettony tries to go to her grandmother to reverse the spell. But Bettony's grandmother tells her that only Bettony can fix the problem she has created. So Bettony, her sister Cadmilla (now a toad) and her far too perfect step-sister, Desire go off on a quest to try and turn Cadmilla back into a human. Along the way, Bettony learns a lot about herself and about her two sisters.
My one and only complaint about this book (and the only reason I didn't give it a full five stars) is that it ends mid-story. I was looking for some sort of resolution at the end of the book and there really wasn't any. We will need to wait until the next book to find out what happens with our trio of sisters. Our family will definitely be reading the next installment when it comes out!! (I should mention that both of my kids loved this book as well, although my son said that he wasn't too crazy about the flowery musings about magic. He's a 10-year-old boy - he just wanted to get to the action). 4.5/5 stars
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