Hayden Wand

I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK.

I picked this up on kindle when it was free, and thought, hey I liked the other book I read by this author; I'll give it a try! And I didn't have super high hopes.

But I was wrong.

I should have known, after reading Hidden Pearls by the same author, that this one would not disappoint.

I simple love Wand's writing style! It's just so beautiful. Not prosy, but not overly poetic either. Just lovely!

The setting for this fairytale retelling was so unique! Renaissance Italy? Sign me up! I loved the fact that it was historical, instead of true fantasy. I don't mind some magical elements in a story, but it was nice to read a fairytale retelling in which there is no magic.

Benedict = AMAZINGNESS! I think my favorite fairy tale protagonist! He was just so amazing! And I mean seriously, with a name like Benedict Allesandro, how can you not be amazing? ;) He wasn't perfect, but that's what made him so awesome! And Nella was very good too. I had a hard time likingrelating to her character for the first half, but towards the end, I really started liking her.

All in all, I loved this book! I devoured it in less than 24 hours, and bought a paperback copy. Hayden Wand is an exceptionally talented author, and I can't wait to see what she writes next! Highly recommended!
… (lisätietoja)

Wow! This book delightfully surprised me! It's basically Jane Austen meets adventure. It was epically awesome! (In more ways than one . . . )

The characters were all so amazing, although at times I found the cousins to be confusing. I think slightly less characters in the family would have been less confusing, but at the same time, the dynamic was quite interesting. Jack was very lovable and reminding me in many ways of my brothers. I also loved Constance; she was a very relatable and real character. Margaret was very sweet, and her relationship with Constance and with Arthur Breckenridge was very sweet. I also love - ahem - Yancy Berkleep! I knew from the very beginning where that story line was going!

Speaking of predictable storylines, that one was it! There were 2 or 3 times I was in complete jaw dropped shock over what was happening. Never let it be said that Hayden Wand doesn't know how to do plot twists!

I simply adored Wand's writing style. It was so beautiful, flowery, and unique. I also loved her generous use of the word "prodigious", my favorite word ever. ;) The humor mixed liberally in was very entertaining, and never felt forced.

The adventure scenes were very well written. It is hard to write adventure in a way that doesn't leave your reader confused as to what is happening. Wand did a great job; I felt like I was actually a part of the scene.

I loved the romance in this book. It was very mild, sweet, pure and clean. Just the way I like it.

All in all, this book was very well done! There were a few minor things that seemed unlikely or confusing, but overall, I loved this book! Well done, Hayden Wand! Highly recommended!!
… (lisätietoja)

Looking for a little fairy tale magic this season? This collection offers six stories which are both distinct and unique. From steampunk to western to WWII, this little book offers something for every reader. Not all of them end happily ever after, and as usual with such an anthology, I liked some stories better than others. I didn't like the Snow White story as much, but they were all good stories. I wasn't completely crazy about any of them, but I did like them each enough that I want to see how a full length story by these authors stands up.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, but my opinion is my own. Verdict: worth checking out!… (lisätietoja)