E. L. Tenenbaum

A Rumplestiltskin retelling set in the same universe as the Cinderella one – in fact, the two characters meet briefly, so we get to see that scene from the opposite perspective in this book. Also in the previous book, it is established that people with purple eyes have magic; Ella was a special exception, but now we meet a purple-eyed character who does have magic: Merlin! Yes, that Merlin. In addition to the story of the miller’s daughter spinning straw into gold, we get to see the famous wizard’s origin story unfold in a surprising way!

The miller’s daughter was nameless. Her mother had died and her father, a compulsive liar and teller of tall tales, never gave her one. The first name she was given was by her best friend, Merlin, on the first day of school. He called her Millie, and Millie she would be – until the day one of her father’s ridiculous stories reaches the ears of the wrong person, and Millie is forced to go to great lengths to recreate herself. But her choices have far-reaching consequences that could be devastating, not only for her, but for those she loves as well.

Again, Tenenbaum creates a retelling that really delves into the mind of this fairy tale princess, makes her feel rational, relatable, understandable in her choices, her courage, her fears, her love, her loyalty. And I was not expecting the Merlin backstory, which was really interesting and fit so well into the Rumplestiltskin story! It also broke my heart a little. But I was still very satisfied with the ending.… (plus d'informations)

A unique retelling of Cinderella that goes beyond the “happy ending” to reveal that all is not as perfect as it seems.

Told from the perspective of a future Cinderella looking back on the events of her life with new understanding and insight, the story follows the familiar pattern of the neglected and abused stepdaughter given the chance to live a fantasy for one night, which leads to a complete transformation of lifestyle and identity. After the wedding, however, things slowly begin to unravel; after all, Cinderella and the prince barely knew each other when he proposed. He asked for her hand before he asked for her name. He was enraptured by the beauty and mystery of the masked lady, while she fell in love with the fantasy of trading drudgery for royalty, of being with someone who truly saw her and loved her. Five years later, she realizes her prince might not be as charming as she once believed.

Even though it is still set in a fantasy world where magic and fairies exist, this felt like one of the most realistic versions of the story I have read so far. The naivety of a teenage girl desperate for love and the fundamental lessons she learns about the way the world works were very believable, while not being too dark.

Several other fairy tale characters were introduced as well, so I’m very excited to read the other books in the series and see how their stories play out!… (plus d'informations)

The third book in the End of Ever After series retells the tale of the Little Mermaid (with a side of the Princess and the Frog!)

But this is actually the story of two mermaids: one, the youngest daughter of King Trident, the red-haired, human-obsessed Sienna; the other, Sienna’s would-be playmate, Ariel, who lives her life in the shadows, unnoticed and unremarkable.

When Sienna makes her fateful bargain with the sea witch and trades her tongue for legs, all of Merdom is shocked and offended. Fearing that the king will declare war on the humans for this betrayal, the sea witch sends Ariel after the princess to convince her to return home before it’s too late. Ariel intends to do just that and return to the sea as soon as possible.

But while she has never been discontented with her life as a mermaid, she has an appreciation for the human world that grows deeper the more time she spends on land. She never expected Sienna would be so stubborn. And she never imagined the human prince would take notice of her when no one else ever has.

Once again I’ve fallen in love with Tenenbaum’s retelling! Her characters always feel so real, and this was my favourite love story of the series so far. It felt very organic, and I found myself falling in love with both of them as they fell in love with each other. And ultimately, it is a story about learning to love yourself, which just made it even more beautiful.… (plus d'informations)