Red Hood's Revenge

            After giving you a write up about Jim C. Hines THE STEPSISTER SCHEME I went to his website and looked around.  I was happy I did as I found I had missed a book and a new one is out here in 2011.  I found a copy of RED HOOD'S REVENGE at the local used bookstore and devoured it in two days time.  I guess one reason was it contained the story of Sleeping Beauty, Talia, who I really like as a character.

            Hines has twisted the Fairy Tale story on its ear a bit by taking it back to the roots of the genre where all never really ended well.  The three princesses who are central to the novel have had horrendous heartbreak and only Cinderella, Danielle, made it to a truly happy ending.  Snow White or Snow is very funny and will be central in the next book.  She has a twist on her seven dwarfs that have only really appeared in the first book.  She is however the resident sorceress. 

            It is Sleeping Beauty who was tragic and now we get to see her tale revisited as another tragic figure steps from the shadows.  Little Red Riding Hood, or Roudette (The Lady of the Red Hood) as she is named here is an assassin and has tangled with Talia before.  Now their paths cross again in a twisted story of political intrigue with fairy magic thrown in.  She has some interesting secrets.  The story really is superb.

            Also included is the European based Wild Hunt.  This group of terrifying warriors that hunt and kill from midnight until dawn is a great scary element to this book.  I love how Hines seamlessly integrates the elements of so many fairy tales and legends.  It is what in my opinion makes these books special.  Making Sleeping Beauty such a strong yet broken figure is what makes me root for her.  She slept for 100 years, when the Prince chopped through the deadly thorn hedge he killed her entire family and household, basically raped her as she still slept and left telling all she was dead while his family assumed control of the country.  She awakens nine moths later as she gives birth to twins.  Later she kills the Prince as he tries to force her to be with him again and flees the country a murderer and has to leave her boys behind.  So to say that she is not a very complex character would be nonsense.

            These are wonderful books that I really enjoy.  I hope if you try them you will enjoy them as well.

BDS

The Stepsister Scheme

The Stepsister Scheme

By Jim C. Hines

I saw this book via a new follower on the old blog, whom I think came there via Brainfreeze's Blog, and I went via that person's Blog and found another Blog which had this book's cover on it. How is that for an awesome run on sentence? This is a wonderful book. I started reading on a Monday Night and finished it Wednesday Night, and I was just casually reading. I guess to imply that I devoured it because it was good, but I didn't totally give up sleep like I have been known to do.

The book is what occurred after the phrase "Happily Ever After....." in the old Fairy Tales. The real stories behind the oft told stories are more along the lines of the Grimm Fairy Tales than the sanitized Disney version most of us grew up on. I also had a thought about "Women in Refrigerators" in regards to Sleeping Beauty once the whole story was implied. Still debating just whether that was a needed push beyond the already hard stuff she encountered because of the Fairy "blessings" and the hard edge she maintains.

Danielle is the main character. You know her as Cinderella. Her Stepsisters are up to no good and have made an alliance with another Fairy Tale evil that is pretty powerful. Oh, did I mention that they kidnap her Prince? Yep, she has to go and find her husband before the plan that is obscure for so long takes place. She has help. See Sleeping Beauty, Talia, is a real tough woman. The Grace blessing has allowed her to become a perfect fighter and weapons expert. She sees these skills as a dance so she is able to kick much behind as she aids the Prince's mother Queen Beatrice. Her back story is the most tragic.

Snow White is the other help Danielle has as she begins her quest. I really love Snow. Slutty is the word that kinda fits, but it is an innocent slutty. This is really hard to explain. You really have to read the book to appreciate the humorous remarks that she says. In fact sometimes it is necessary to reread to get the full funny effect of her teasing. She says a great many things to get under Talia's skin. Her nature hides her strength of magic and wait until you hear the twist on the seven dwarfs. This was very creative and unique.

I loved this book and have the next book involving the three Princesses that is to came out in October 2009. It will spin around the Little Mermaid Tale. A Fish Tale, sorry I just had to do it.

BDS

(A reworked post from the old blog.)