Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 12

New Book: Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

 

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Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim was just released last month.  It is the second book in the The Blood of Stars duology (this appears to be the second and final book), following Spin the Dawn which was released last year. And the covers are particularly gorgeous, aren't they?
The books draw upon folklore themes. The reviews reference Mulan and the sewing of dresses of the sun, moon, and stars. I love that challenge in folktales--you most often see it in Cinderella/Donkeyskin variants, but this novel doesn't appear to draw much from that particular tale type. An excellent example of the motif can be found in the Grimms' Allerleirauh.
Book Description for Unravel the Dusk:

Maia Tamarin proved her skill as a tailor when she wove the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars, but it will take more than a beautiful gown to hide the darkness rising up within her. . . . The stakes are higher than ever in this breathtaking sequel to Spin the Dawn, perfect for fans of Six of Crows. 

Maia Tamarin's journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone--perhaps forever--and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor's bride-to-be to keep the peace. When the emperor's rivals learn of her deception, there is hell to pay, but the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red; losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It's only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, and in the meantime she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.

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Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland by Lisa Schneidau

 

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Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland by Lisa Schneidau was released a few years ago. I've been enjoying all of the crepe myrtles and other flora and fauna in my area. This book came up in my explorations and it is an interesting assortment of folklore.
Book description:

The islands of Britain and Ireland hold a rich heritage of plant folklore and wisdom, from the magical yew tree to the bad-tempered dandelion. Here are traditional tales about the trees and plants that shape our landscapes and our lives through the seasons. They explore the complex relationship between people and plants, in lowlands and uplands, fields, bogs, moors, woodlands and towns.Suitable for all ages, this is an essential collection of stories for anyone interested in botany, the environment and our living heritage.

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As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here. 

New Book: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

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A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow was released in June of this year. I'm sharing this one because it draws on Sirens folklore, a subset of mermaid folklore.

Book description:

Bethany C. Morrow's A Song Below Water is the story for today’s readers ― a captivating modern fantasy about black sirens, friendship, and self-discovery set against the challenges of today's racism and sexism.

In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers.

Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school’s junior year.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment.

Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it’s only Tavia and Effie’s unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.

SurLaLune's Small Print:

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Help SurLaLune: Folklore Graduate Studies, Resources, Etc.

Hello all,

I've been working on getting SurLaLune updated now that the new site is launched and under various stages of updating and reconstruction. That's a long story I'm not going to share here and now.

One of the pages I would like to attack the fastest is the page recommending Graduate Studies. This page is severely outdated. But soon it won't be! And I need your help to get it updated.

Please share your knowledge of undergraduate and graduate studies in Folklore, Fairy Tales and even Children's Literature or others studies if you like. We don't all approach the topic the same way. Depending on what the final information is gathered for this, I will perhaps change the page title, too.

Things I am looking for:

Names of schools with related undergraduate or graduate programsTestimonials of people of where and how they have done their own approach to Folklore and Fairy Tale studies--I myself came at this through an Information Science degree over two decades ago. I don't have a formal degree in Folklore or Fairy Tale Studies and neither do some of the top names in the field. Organizations and publications dedicated to the studies of folklore and fairy tales. 

My short list includes the list below:

Organizations:

American Folklore Society (https://www.afsnet.org/)

Publications:

Marvels & Tales (https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/marvels/)

Journal of American Folklore (https://www.afsnet.org/page/JAF)

Fairy Tale Review (https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/fairytalereview/)

Studies Programs:

Folklore & Ethnomusicology        M.A.      IU Bloomington (https://www.iu.edu/degrees-majors/deg...)

Folklore & Ethnomusicology        Ph.D.     IU Bloomington (https://www.iu.edu/degrees-majors/deg...)

Folklore & Ethnomusicology        B.A.        IU Bloomington (https://www.iu.edu/degrees-majors/deg...)

So PLEASE, use the comments below or email me directly at fairytales at surlalunefairytales.com any recommended content for the updated page. If you have ideas of other content to include on this page, please share them, too. I want this to be a useful resource! And as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

Thanks!

Heidi

New Book: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

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Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron was released in July 2020. This one is about the descendants of Cinderella.

Book description:

Girls team up to overthrow the kingdom in this unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella from a stunning new voice that's perfect for fans of A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all--and in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they've been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

SurLaLune's Small Print:

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

New Book: Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

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Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar is a new release this week that used Hindu mythology for inspiration. That's always fun! 
Book Description:

“Shveta Thakrar's prose is as beautiful as starlight.”—New York Times bestselling author Holly Black
This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.
The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.
Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens—and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.
Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor.

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As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here. 

TODAY ONLY: Bargain Ebook: Gingerbread: A Novel by Helen Oyeyemi for $1.99

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Gingerbread: A Novel by Helen Oyeyemi is on sale today only for $1.99 in ebook format. This one draws on gingerbread uses in children's literature. We know that means primarily Hansel and Gretel. I'd consider this one for completists (like me) who try to have most fairy tale retellings in their library. This is a cheap way to achieve that goal.
Book description:

The prize-winning, bestselling author of Boy, Snow, Bird and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours returns with a bewitching and imaginative novel. 

Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories, beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe. 

Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (or, according to many sources, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. The world's truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread, however, is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval —a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met.    

Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi's inimitable style and imagination, it is a true feast for the reader.

SurLaLune's Small Print:

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Bargain Ebook: Dearest by Alethea Kontis for $1.99 TODAY ONLY

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Dearest (The Woodcutter Sisters Book 3) by Alethea Kontis is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format TODAY ONLY. This is the third and final book in Kontis' Woodcutter Sisters series and I didn't own it yet although I had the other two from previous sales. And this one is a Six Swans/Wild Swans retelling so who wouldn't want that?

Book description:

“A fabulous fairy-tale mashup that deserves hordes of avid readers. Absolutely delectable.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review of award-winning series debut Enchanted
Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in Enchanted and Hero. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Friday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?

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As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here. 

Bargain Ebook: Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg for $0.99

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Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg is on sale for $0.99, a fairy tale-esque novel. Holmberg uses many fairy tale, myth and folklore themes in her books. 

Book description:

Seventeen-year-old Smitha's wealth, status, and beauty make her the envy of her town—until she rejects a strange man’s marriage proposal and disastrous consequences follow. Smitha becomes cursed, and frost begins to encompass everything she touches. Banished to the hills, hunted by villagers, and chilled to the very core of her soul, she finds companionship with Death, who longs to coax her into his isolated world. But Smitha's desire for life proves stronger than despair, and a newfound purpose gives her hope. Will regrets over the past and an unexpected desire for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm Smitha’s heart, or will Death forever still it?

SurLaLune's Small Print:

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here. 

Bargain Ebook: The Twelve Dancing Princesses by K. M. Shea for $0.99

[image error]   The Twelve Dancing Princesses by K. M. Shea is on sale for $0.99, usually $3.99, so a savings of three dollars. 
Book Description:

Quinn is a loyal soldier of Farset, willing to risk her life on behalf of her country and squad. So, when a fellow soldier volunteers for a dangerous mission, Quinn joins him. Their assignment is to investigate the nightly disappearance of the twelve royal princesses, a mystery none have solved as those who attempt it vanish. But when she follows the girls, Quinn uncovers the truth: the princesses are cursed, and they’re not alone. Emerys, the sarcastic and brash King of the Elves, has lost all hope. His people have been prisoners in their own forest for years, and night after night an unbreakable curse forces them to dance and celebrate against their will. But everything changes when Quinn saves Emerys’ life and the pair form an unlikely friendship. Together, they just might be able to free the princesses and the elves. However, those who cursed the elves will do anything to keep them restrained. And if Quinn breaks the spell, she may pay for it with her life. Will she succeed? Or will Emerys and the elves be lost…forever? THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES is a fairy tale retelling and the tenth book of the TIMELESS FAIRY TALES series. Filled with magic, unbreakable curses, elves, and witty banter, it can be enjoyed as an individual stand-alone book, but will be most enjoyable if read after other books from the series.

SurLaLune's Small Print:

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.