Lisa Dawn's Blog: The Princess Blog, page 79
April 14, 2018
Review: The Autumn Fairy
I took a break from the many fairy tale adaptations I've been reviewing lately to read
The Autumn Fairy
by Brittany Fichter. Brittany has a fairy tale adaptation collection of her own called The Classical Kingdoms Collection, but it's also refreshing to see an original story for a change. I first learned about Brittany's work at the Entwined Tales Launch Party on Facebook. She contributed An Unnatural Beanstalk to the Entwined Tales series, which is a retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk." So far, the only book I've read from the series is A Little Mermaid by Aya Ling. I was excited to learn that Brittany is working on a trilogy about a fairy since adult books about fairies or faery princesses are something of a rarity these days.
The Autumn Fairy starts out a little rough due to the lack of a proper introduction to the setting. However, Katy is such an empathetic character that it's hard not to become hooked despite knowing so little about her at first. When I finished the book, I learned there is a prologue available online that contains a better explanation of Katy's past, but it was unfortunately cut from the final draft in favor of making it more of a mystery. There also wasn't much magic at the beginning of the book, but Katy's powers grew gradually throughout the story along with the magic in the world around her. Katy, which is short for Katrin, grew up like a normal human even though she didn't know where she came from or why she had powers. Until she was twelve, she had the support of her childhood friend Peter to keep her mind off such things. After Peter left her for eight years, Katy was alone and frightened of the dangerous magic inside of her and what it might do to those around her.
Though it was an original story, the book reminded me of several movies I've seen, such as Disney's Frozen , the Ah! My Goddess anime movie, and the Broadway show Wicked. It is a beautiful amalgamation of many different things that I love, but it is also surprisingly human. Unlike the issues I have had with many of K.M. Shea's books where the characters appear to have no emotions, Katy is painfully easy to relate to. Katy is afraid of her powers and tries to suppress them like Elsa from Frozen. Peter goes up against powerful forces to protect her despite being a mere human who seems to have no chance against such strong magic like Keiichi does for Belldandy in Ah! My Goddess: The Movie. Like Elphaba in Wicked, Katy is ostracized by the general populace and made out to be a villain because of the abilities that she was born with and never asked for. Despite the strong will she had as a child, it's hard for her to not let them get to her. Katy often prays to her god when she finds herself in situations that seem hopeless. She goes through so many internal and external struggles throughout the course of the story that it is very difficult to put the book down and suppress the desire to find out if she and Peter will turn out okay.
The relationship between Katy and Peter is one of the most touching love stories I have ever read. Their love is constantly put to the test. They nearly give up so many times that the fleeting moments they have together felt incredibly rewarding. Their eight-year separation takes such a large toll on both of them both mentally and physically that is clear they cannot be their best selves unless they are together. Peter makes many sacrifices to be with Katy and finds her again just when she had lost hope. They both consider settling for other people at certain points in the story because there are too many forces trying to keep them apart because of the circumstances of their birth that neither of them had control over. However, as well all know, true love always comes through in the end. Peter plays just as large of a role in the story as Katy does, so his character never falls flat like many animated princes do. It's touching how much torment he goes through to protect Katy.
The Autumn Fairy also had one of the best fantasy villains I've ever seen. Tearlach, who is the same species a Katy, comes up with a brilliantly wicked plan to use her to do his bidding. She comes dangerously close to succumbing to it. Though he does toy with her emotions many times like Hans from Frozen, he is a much stronger character and a very formidable enemy for Peter. Near the climax of the story, he seems to have become so powerful that any chance of a happy ending seems virtually nonexistent. It was a truly epic battle of good vs. evil, but without any of the clichés you would find in that sort of story. It hits a lot closer to home when so much of the darkness they are trying to defeat comes from within Katy herself. There is never a dull moment in this book, which is quite impressive considering its length.
Brittany Fichter is still working on the next book in The Autumn Fairy trilogy, and I am very eager to read it. It promises even more fantasy and romance than the first one. Anyone who loves fairy tales but wants to read something original should definitely check out The Autumn Fairy. Though it's not a quick read, it is packed with suspense and emotion. For more stories about faeries, check out the book I wrote a few years ago, Rebirth: A Faery's Tale . It is about a fire faery who falls in love with a blacksmith and struggles with how she can get near him without burning him. Writing it helped me get through a difficult time in my life. Happy reading!
The Autumn Fairy starts out a little rough due to the lack of a proper introduction to the setting. However, Katy is such an empathetic character that it's hard not to become hooked despite knowing so little about her at first. When I finished the book, I learned there is a prologue available online that contains a better explanation of Katy's past, but it was unfortunately cut from the final draft in favor of making it more of a mystery. There also wasn't much magic at the beginning of the book, but Katy's powers grew gradually throughout the story along with the magic in the world around her. Katy, which is short for Katrin, grew up like a normal human even though she didn't know where she came from or why she had powers. Until she was twelve, she had the support of her childhood friend Peter to keep her mind off such things. After Peter left her for eight years, Katy was alone and frightened of the dangerous magic inside of her and what it might do to those around her.
Though it was an original story, the book reminded me of several movies I've seen, such as Disney's Frozen , the Ah! My Goddess anime movie, and the Broadway show Wicked. It is a beautiful amalgamation of many different things that I love, but it is also surprisingly human. Unlike the issues I have had with many of K.M. Shea's books where the characters appear to have no emotions, Katy is painfully easy to relate to. Katy is afraid of her powers and tries to suppress them like Elsa from Frozen. Peter goes up against powerful forces to protect her despite being a mere human who seems to have no chance against such strong magic like Keiichi does for Belldandy in Ah! My Goddess: The Movie. Like Elphaba in Wicked, Katy is ostracized by the general populace and made out to be a villain because of the abilities that she was born with and never asked for. Despite the strong will she had as a child, it's hard for her to not let them get to her. Katy often prays to her god when she finds herself in situations that seem hopeless. She goes through so many internal and external struggles throughout the course of the story that it is very difficult to put the book down and suppress the desire to find out if she and Peter will turn out okay.
The relationship between Katy and Peter is one of the most touching love stories I have ever read. Their love is constantly put to the test. They nearly give up so many times that the fleeting moments they have together felt incredibly rewarding. Their eight-year separation takes such a large toll on both of them both mentally and physically that is clear they cannot be their best selves unless they are together. Peter makes many sacrifices to be with Katy and finds her again just when she had lost hope. They both consider settling for other people at certain points in the story because there are too many forces trying to keep them apart because of the circumstances of their birth that neither of them had control over. However, as well all know, true love always comes through in the end. Peter plays just as large of a role in the story as Katy does, so his character never falls flat like many animated princes do. It's touching how much torment he goes through to protect Katy.
The Autumn Fairy also had one of the best fantasy villains I've ever seen. Tearlach, who is the same species a Katy, comes up with a brilliantly wicked plan to use her to do his bidding. She comes dangerously close to succumbing to it. Though he does toy with her emotions many times like Hans from Frozen, he is a much stronger character and a very formidable enemy for Peter. Near the climax of the story, he seems to have become so powerful that any chance of a happy ending seems virtually nonexistent. It was a truly epic battle of good vs. evil, but without any of the clichés you would find in that sort of story. It hits a lot closer to home when so much of the darkness they are trying to defeat comes from within Katy herself. There is never a dull moment in this book, which is quite impressive considering its length.
Brittany Fichter is still working on the next book in The Autumn Fairy trilogy, and I am very eager to read it. It promises even more fantasy and romance than the first one. Anyone who loves fairy tales but wants to read something original should definitely check out The Autumn Fairy. Though it's not a quick read, it is packed with suspense and emotion. For more stories about faeries, check out the book I wrote a few years ago, Rebirth: A Faery's Tale . It is about a fire faery who falls in love with a blacksmith and struggles with how she can get near him without burning him. Writing it helped me get through a difficult time in my life. Happy reading!
April 8, 2018
The Renaissance Faire Is in Town!
Where can you go to get transported to the time of princesses and knights and have a whole lot of fun too? The Renaissance Faire, of course! If you've never been to a Faire before, you should definitely go at least once. It's a great opportunity to get out of the house and meet other fantasy aficionados while also having fun with history. Today I attended the opening weekend of The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, California. It was my second time attending this particular Faire. They had many of the same booths, activities, and shows that I assume come back every year. This time, instead of wearing my generic Renaissance dress that I made in high school, I decided to cosplay with my husband as the Fairytale Designer versions of Ariel and Prince Eric from
The Little Mermaid
.
It was particularly fun to cosplay during opening weekend because most people save their character costumes for theme weekends. We got a lot of attention from fans of the movie who recognized us. It was great to have a Prince Eric with me because when I wore this Ariel dress by myself in the past, many people confused me with Anna from Frozen , who wears a similar dress. True fans know that Ariel wore it first! If you ever plan on wearing this version of Ariel's dress to an event, be prepared for people who are less familiar with Disney movies to confuse you with Anna. The costumed staff at the Faire who recognized us acknowledged our costumes by singing songs from The Little Mermaid such as "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea." If you live in the area and want to wear your favorite costume to the Renaissance Faire this year, a good weekend to go is the 21st or 22nd of April because they are having a fan convention theme that weekend called "RennCon."
The staff behind the Renaissance Faires are the true reason they are so much fun. They don't just blend into the background with their gorgeous costumes to create the historical setting. Instead, they directly interact with all of their visitors to make them feel as though they are part of the experience. They are masters of improv, making everyone feel like they are truly living in an era long past and having the time of their lives doing so. For instance, when we witnessed the "mayor" of the Renaissance Faire playing a giant game of Jenga using a sword to move the blocks, his jester was running around telling everyone how amazing and talented his master was and how he could only wish to be as skilled with a sword. When we were eating lunch, I was approached by a missionary with a baby Satan doll who asked me if I was English or French. Curious about her reaction, I told her I'm Jewish, and she said not to tell too many people that because of the way Jews were regarded at the time. My husband and I later got yelled at by two of Queen Elizabeth's disciples for "canoodling" because we were holding hands. They said that if we didn't stop, we'd be forced to have an embarrassing marriage ceremony in front of the queen herself.
It is customary to have royalty present at all Renaissance Faires. Queen Elizabeth is the featured queen at this particular Faire, though she was played by a different actress this year than the last time I attended. Most of my familiarity with Queen Elizabeth comes from the final season of the CW's Reign, where she was portrayed as a morally gray monarch who struggles to maintain her the respect of her people due to not having a husband. The queen is carried into the Faire in a portable throne by four footmen, after which she hosts a show where she greets her subjects, oversees a joust, holds a tea, and walks around enjoying the festivities in between. Everyone bows and shouts "All hail the queen!" when she walks by. At one point, we were pulled into a court-style line dance that she oversaw.
My favorite activity at the Renaissance Faire is a massive swing lined with flowers that two strong men push high into the air. For most people, the biggest selling point is the jousting. The jousts at the Renaissance Faire are pretty similar to the ones at Medieval Times except that they are performed at an outdoor arena instead of indoors. Personally, I get bored pretty quickly when it comes to jousts. There's a very long amount of preparation and buildup, but the actual joust part only takes a few seconds. Two knights run at each other with lances and try to knock out the other's shield. Since I don't know any of the knights personally, it makes little difference to me which one wins, but it is interesting that it's one of the oldest sports in existence. These jousts were hosted by a countess who also rode a horse and wore a beautiful and unique costume. The Renaissance Faire has several jousts throughout the day, and they sell the broken shields afterward. There were also some swordplay demonstrations in a different area, which I found more interesting.
If you want to experience an interactive trip to the past with a touch of fantasy, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire might be just the thing for you. The downside is that it's completely outdoors, so it can involve a lot of walking and get very hot. It's very important to wear lots of sunscreen and stay hydrated. If you want a similar experience without all the sun and walking, check out the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade, an interactive fantasy experience that takes place at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles every year. Unlike the Renaissance Faire, the Labyrinth requires all attendees to wear a costume, so be sure to put your best cosplay foot forward. I definitely recommend cosplaying for the Renaissance Faire too, though. It's way more fun to interact with the staff if you also dress the part.
It was particularly fun to cosplay during opening weekend because most people save their character costumes for theme weekends. We got a lot of attention from fans of the movie who recognized us. It was great to have a Prince Eric with me because when I wore this Ariel dress by myself in the past, many people confused me with Anna from Frozen , who wears a similar dress. True fans know that Ariel wore it first! If you ever plan on wearing this version of Ariel's dress to an event, be prepared for people who are less familiar with Disney movies to confuse you with Anna. The costumed staff at the Faire who recognized us acknowledged our costumes by singing songs from The Little Mermaid such as "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea." If you live in the area and want to wear your favorite costume to the Renaissance Faire this year, a good weekend to go is the 21st or 22nd of April because they are having a fan convention theme that weekend called "RennCon."
The staff behind the Renaissance Faires are the true reason they are so much fun. They don't just blend into the background with their gorgeous costumes to create the historical setting. Instead, they directly interact with all of their visitors to make them feel as though they are part of the experience. They are masters of improv, making everyone feel like they are truly living in an era long past and having the time of their lives doing so. For instance, when we witnessed the "mayor" of the Renaissance Faire playing a giant game of Jenga using a sword to move the blocks, his jester was running around telling everyone how amazing and talented his master was and how he could only wish to be as skilled with a sword. When we were eating lunch, I was approached by a missionary with a baby Satan doll who asked me if I was English or French. Curious about her reaction, I told her I'm Jewish, and she said not to tell too many people that because of the way Jews were regarded at the time. My husband and I later got yelled at by two of Queen Elizabeth's disciples for "canoodling" because we were holding hands. They said that if we didn't stop, we'd be forced to have an embarrassing marriage ceremony in front of the queen herself.
It is customary to have royalty present at all Renaissance Faires. Queen Elizabeth is the featured queen at this particular Faire, though she was played by a different actress this year than the last time I attended. Most of my familiarity with Queen Elizabeth comes from the final season of the CW's Reign, where she was portrayed as a morally gray monarch who struggles to maintain her the respect of her people due to not having a husband. The queen is carried into the Faire in a portable throne by four footmen, after which she hosts a show where she greets her subjects, oversees a joust, holds a tea, and walks around enjoying the festivities in between. Everyone bows and shouts "All hail the queen!" when she walks by. At one point, we were pulled into a court-style line dance that she oversaw.
My favorite activity at the Renaissance Faire is a massive swing lined with flowers that two strong men push high into the air. For most people, the biggest selling point is the jousting. The jousts at the Renaissance Faire are pretty similar to the ones at Medieval Times except that they are performed at an outdoor arena instead of indoors. Personally, I get bored pretty quickly when it comes to jousts. There's a very long amount of preparation and buildup, but the actual joust part only takes a few seconds. Two knights run at each other with lances and try to knock out the other's shield. Since I don't know any of the knights personally, it makes little difference to me which one wins, but it is interesting that it's one of the oldest sports in existence. These jousts were hosted by a countess who also rode a horse and wore a beautiful and unique costume. The Renaissance Faire has several jousts throughout the day, and they sell the broken shields afterward. There were also some swordplay demonstrations in a different area, which I found more interesting.
If you want to experience an interactive trip to the past with a touch of fantasy, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire might be just the thing for you. The downside is that it's completely outdoors, so it can involve a lot of walking and get very hot. It's very important to wear lots of sunscreen and stay hydrated. If you want a similar experience without all the sun and walking, check out the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade, an interactive fantasy experience that takes place at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles every year. Unlike the Renaissance Faire, the Labyrinth requires all attendees to wear a costume, so be sure to put your best cosplay foot forward. I definitely recommend cosplaying for the Renaissance Faire too, though. It's way more fun to interact with the staff if you also dress the part.
April 7, 2018
Review: Swan Lake by K.M. Shea
After reviewing
Cinderella and the Colonel
,
Beauty and the Beast
, and
The Little Selkie
from K. M. Shea's Timeless Fairy Tales series, I wasn't sure what to expect from
Swan Lake
. On the one hand, I did not enjoy two of the three books by her that I had read, but on the other hand, the story of "Swan Lake" is unique because it is performed in dance more often than it is told in prose. My instinct to give this book a chance in spite of Shea's shortcomings as a writer turned out to be spot on. Swan Lake was a real page-turner that stayed true to many elements of the ballet while adding in some modern twists. It is the seventh book in the series, and it is the best one that I have read so far.
Like K. M. Shea's other fairy tale adaptations, Swan Lake features a clever and calculating version of Odette who leads and protects the other cursed swans of the lake. For this reason, she is given the nickname "Swan Queen" like in the ballet, though her shortcomings prevent her from wearing that title with pride. Odette was the first of Rothbart's victims Unlike the others, she came to him voluntarily in exchange for paying off her family's debt. Just like in the original story, Odette, along with Rothbart's other victims, are swans by day and humans by night. Odette trains the others to do smuggling jobs for an unknown client while also working to keep their curse a secret by preventing others from coming near the lake in case Rothbart finds them and curses them as well.
Her plan works out just fine for four years until two princes discover the secret of Swan Lake and insist on trying to help find a way to break curse despite Odette's numerous protests. One major difference between this version and the ballet as well as Richard Rich's famous film is that instead of making the prince's companion a bumbling friend who has no real significance to the story, Alexsei visits Swan Lake with his brother Yakov, who is a self-proclaimed expert at charming ladies. Odette's lack of interest in Yakov is a tribute to her astute ability to see past people's outward appearances. In fact, she finds Yakov just as cheesy as any modern princess would find a superficial prince of old. Odette's relationship with Alexsei is slow and filled with doubt due to a lack of self-esteem on both sides. Alexsei sees himself as unworthy of love due to living in his brother's shadow, and Odette views herself as an unimportant peasant in spite of her strong leadership abilities.
Rothbart's daughter Odile, while still Odette's foil, is very different from the dark seductress portrayed by Natalie Portman's character in the 2010 movie Black Swan. Since this version of Odette is a strong modern warrior as opposed to the frightened mousy version in the ballet, Odile is shy and delicate to contrast her. Also in contrast to the original story, is on Odette's side in wanting to stop her father, making things rather awkward when Rothbart transforms her into an Odette lookalike at the ball to try to fool the princes. Odile's mother is mentioned on occasion, but never seen in the context of the book. She is implied to be a wicked sorceress like Rothbart. Though she does not inherit all of her parents' magic, Odile has an enchanted flute that she uses to tame wild animals, which comes in handy when Rothbart releases some extremely dangerous wyverns near the end of the book.
It seems to me that K. M. Shea is a lot better at writing high fantasy than she is at realistic romance stories. She was able to bring the myth of the selkies to life in The Little Selkie. With Swan Lake, she brings us a fully realized world of dark magic, dragons, and magical transformations. I found Odette to be a lot easier to relate to than Elle from Beauty and the Beast because she keeps fewer secrets from the audience, and her intentions of protecting everyone under Rothbart's spell were clear from the beginning. It was interesting to see the unassuming Prince Alexsei strip down her protective layers one by one until they both saw each other for who they truly are. I really enjoyed this version of "Swan Lake" and felt that it added a much-needed modern perspective to the classic ballet.
Like K. M. Shea's other fairy tale adaptations, Swan Lake features a clever and calculating version of Odette who leads and protects the other cursed swans of the lake. For this reason, she is given the nickname "Swan Queen" like in the ballet, though her shortcomings prevent her from wearing that title with pride. Odette was the first of Rothbart's victims Unlike the others, she came to him voluntarily in exchange for paying off her family's debt. Just like in the original story, Odette, along with Rothbart's other victims, are swans by day and humans by night. Odette trains the others to do smuggling jobs for an unknown client while also working to keep their curse a secret by preventing others from coming near the lake in case Rothbart finds them and curses them as well.
Her plan works out just fine for four years until two princes discover the secret of Swan Lake and insist on trying to help find a way to break curse despite Odette's numerous protests. One major difference between this version and the ballet as well as Richard Rich's famous film is that instead of making the prince's companion a bumbling friend who has no real significance to the story, Alexsei visits Swan Lake with his brother Yakov, who is a self-proclaimed expert at charming ladies. Odette's lack of interest in Yakov is a tribute to her astute ability to see past people's outward appearances. In fact, she finds Yakov just as cheesy as any modern princess would find a superficial prince of old. Odette's relationship with Alexsei is slow and filled with doubt due to a lack of self-esteem on both sides. Alexsei sees himself as unworthy of love due to living in his brother's shadow, and Odette views herself as an unimportant peasant in spite of her strong leadership abilities.
Rothbart's daughter Odile, while still Odette's foil, is very different from the dark seductress portrayed by Natalie Portman's character in the 2010 movie Black Swan. Since this version of Odette is a strong modern warrior as opposed to the frightened mousy version in the ballet, Odile is shy and delicate to contrast her. Also in contrast to the original story, is on Odette's side in wanting to stop her father, making things rather awkward when Rothbart transforms her into an Odette lookalike at the ball to try to fool the princes. Odile's mother is mentioned on occasion, but never seen in the context of the book. She is implied to be a wicked sorceress like Rothbart. Though she does not inherit all of her parents' magic, Odile has an enchanted flute that she uses to tame wild animals, which comes in handy when Rothbart releases some extremely dangerous wyverns near the end of the book.
It seems to me that K. M. Shea is a lot better at writing high fantasy than she is at realistic romance stories. She was able to bring the myth of the selkies to life in The Little Selkie. With Swan Lake, she brings us a fully realized world of dark magic, dragons, and magical transformations. I found Odette to be a lot easier to relate to than Elle from Beauty and the Beast because she keeps fewer secrets from the audience, and her intentions of protecting everyone under Rothbart's spell were clear from the beginning. It was interesting to see the unassuming Prince Alexsei strip down her protective layers one by one until they both saw each other for who they truly are. I really enjoyed this version of "Swan Lake" and felt that it added a much-needed modern perspective to the classic ballet.
April 3, 2018
What's With All the Unicorns?
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic recently began its eighth season, making the unfortunate decision to focus more on the plot of the sub-par movie than the epic new characters that were introduced in the season finale. Even though this colorful series about winged unicorn princesses has been losing some traction over the past few years, the incorporation of unicorns into everyday life has not. Within the past month, I have seen promotions for a unicorn cereal, unicorn ice cream, and even unicorn nail art. There have also been many unicorn-themed makeup kits that popping up over the past few years. Who can forget all the fuss last year over Starbuck's limited edition Unicorn Frappuccino? When it comes to unicorns, you either get it or you don't. There is no in between. If you're wondering why does this generation seem to leap at the chance to add some sparkly pastel-colored magic to their everyday lives, please read on.
For many, it simply comes down to feeling like a princess. Unicorns are associated with princesses, innocent maidens, and fairy tales. Partaking in unicorn-related activities and merchandise brings a little bit of magic into an otherwise mundane reality. The creators of the 1995 animated series Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders were well aware of this. Early prototypes of the show feature Fallon, one of the three leading Magical Girls, riding a purple lion in contrast to Princess Gwenevere's unicorn (which later became an alicorn), but research for the series showed that girls overwhelmingly prefer unicorns, so Fallon's beloved unicorn princess friend Moondance was born. By the second season, all three Jewel Riders had unicorn friends to assist them in traveling through the wild magic. The first time I saw a clip from the show, it was the unicorns that really sold it for me. Unicorn imagery builds upon the world of imagination and makes the impossible possible.
For the Millennial generation, the unicorn obsession probably began with the artwork of Lisa Frank. Lisa's rainbow-colored artwork was on everyone's school supplies in the '90s. Though she tried to place more of a focus on real animals in eye-popping colors that were brighter than life, she eventually added a unicorn into the mix. It became an instant hit. The fact that unicorn artwork would appeal to Lisa Frank fans in particular, who is known for her psychedelic rainbow colors, is no mere coincidence. Unicorn-themed products such as makeup, ice cream, cereal, and frappuccinos can often only be identified as unicorn-themed from their pastel princess-like colors such as pink, lavender, sky blue, and sea green. Unicorn manes can contain every color of the rainbow, creating a world that appears more cheerful and welcoming than the more subtle earth tones of world we actually live in.
This sort of brightly colored fantasy setting allows us to see the world through rose-colored glasses and picture ourselves as princesses or princes in a life that is happier and more carefree than the one that we are actually living. Unicorn art, along with faeries, are often associated with written expressions about believing in magic, meaning that they encourage our imaginations to run wild with daydreams and stories. The most famous unicorn story is The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, who wrote the novel and screenplay for the 1982 animated film. The Last Unicorn is about a unicorn who seeks the help of a sorcerer to find the rest of her kind after learning that they were lured away by the unicorn predator, the Red Bull. Some unexpected twists in her journey allow her to experience life as a human woman and learn what it is to love. The imaginative simplicity of the story makes it the quintessential unicorn tale for people who want to believe in magic and love fairy tales.
So, if you're wondering what the deal is with the unicorn craze that is popping up everywhere, maybe you should take a moment to indulge in the beautiful pastel fantasy of castles, princesses, and enchanting horses that play in the clouds with glowing horns. Unicorns allow us to indulge in a simpler time when the most important thing in life was daydreaming and telling stories. We're probably not going to get our live-action Last Unicorn remake any time soon, so we'll take whatever unicorn-themed products we can get. Considering how difficult it is for Millennials to make a living for themselves, it is very important that they have options such as these to experience a fleeting moment of innocence, happiness, and imagination.
For many, it simply comes down to feeling like a princess. Unicorns are associated with princesses, innocent maidens, and fairy tales. Partaking in unicorn-related activities and merchandise brings a little bit of magic into an otherwise mundane reality. The creators of the 1995 animated series Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders were well aware of this. Early prototypes of the show feature Fallon, one of the three leading Magical Girls, riding a purple lion in contrast to Princess Gwenevere's unicorn (which later became an alicorn), but research for the series showed that girls overwhelmingly prefer unicorns, so Fallon's beloved unicorn princess friend Moondance was born. By the second season, all three Jewel Riders had unicorn friends to assist them in traveling through the wild magic. The first time I saw a clip from the show, it was the unicorns that really sold it for me. Unicorn imagery builds upon the world of imagination and makes the impossible possible.
For the Millennial generation, the unicorn obsession probably began with the artwork of Lisa Frank. Lisa's rainbow-colored artwork was on everyone's school supplies in the '90s. Though she tried to place more of a focus on real animals in eye-popping colors that were brighter than life, she eventually added a unicorn into the mix. It became an instant hit. The fact that unicorn artwork would appeal to Lisa Frank fans in particular, who is known for her psychedelic rainbow colors, is no mere coincidence. Unicorn-themed products such as makeup, ice cream, cereal, and frappuccinos can often only be identified as unicorn-themed from their pastel princess-like colors such as pink, lavender, sky blue, and sea green. Unicorn manes can contain every color of the rainbow, creating a world that appears more cheerful and welcoming than the more subtle earth tones of world we actually live in.
This sort of brightly colored fantasy setting allows us to see the world through rose-colored glasses and picture ourselves as princesses or princes in a life that is happier and more carefree than the one that we are actually living. Unicorn art, along with faeries, are often associated with written expressions about believing in magic, meaning that they encourage our imaginations to run wild with daydreams and stories. The most famous unicorn story is The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, who wrote the novel and screenplay for the 1982 animated film. The Last Unicorn is about a unicorn who seeks the help of a sorcerer to find the rest of her kind after learning that they were lured away by the unicorn predator, the Red Bull. Some unexpected twists in her journey allow her to experience life as a human woman and learn what it is to love. The imaginative simplicity of the story makes it the quintessential unicorn tale for people who want to believe in magic and love fairy tales.
So, if you're wondering what the deal is with the unicorn craze that is popping up everywhere, maybe you should take a moment to indulge in the beautiful pastel fantasy of castles, princesses, and enchanting horses that play in the clouds with glowing horns. Unicorns allow us to indulge in a simpler time when the most important thing in life was daydreaming and telling stories. We're probably not going to get our live-action Last Unicorn remake any time soon, so we'll take whatever unicorn-themed products we can get. Considering how difficult it is for Millennials to make a living for themselves, it is very important that they have options such as these to experience a fleeting moment of innocence, happiness, and imagination.
April 1, 2018
Review: Beauty and the Beast by K.M. Shea
After completing her mediocre "Cinderella" novel that focused mostly on taxes, I was only going to review
The Little Selkie
and
Swan Lake
from K.M. Shea's Timeless Tales series, but then she released
Beauty and the Beast
for free. I just can't say no to a free princess book, so I read it, suffering through every cold and tedious page. Beauty and the Beast is the first book in the Timeless Tales series, and the lack of experience shows. The book commits many amateur writing decisions and pushes its audience further and further away from the characters as a result. It's probably the worst adaptation I've read of "Beauty and the Beast" in my short life.
K.M. Shea's Beauty and the Beast focuses on a girl named Elle as the "Beauty" character with a well-mannered "Beast" named Prince Severin. As a result of somehow falling through the roof of Severin's castle and breaking her leg, Elle must stay with him as his guest while his servants see to her recovery. My biggest issue with the book is that Elle was completely disconnected from the audience for the vast majority of the story. Even though the story is mostly told from Elle's perspective, we don't learn why she was on the roof until the last quarter of the book, making it difficult to root for her. She drops hints about being a spy and covering up her identity, but we don't know what her true identity is, which creates a disconnect between the protagonist and the reader. Elle also shows very little emotion, which makes it hard to even feel bad when she breaks her leg and is forced to live in the palace. Unlike the original fairy tale in which she sacrifices herself to protect her family, we don't know what she's doing there for most of the book, and she shows few signs of being sad or afraid to be so far from home.
This is also the least romantic version of "Beauty and the Beast" I've ever seen. Even though Elle is not afraid of Severin despite his giant cat head, she is not particularly drawn to him either. Severin does not see Elle as a viable option to break his curse due to the completely understandable reason that she is clearly hiding something from him (as well as the audience). Even after the curse is broken, her secret nearly rips the two star-crossed lovers apart, allowing no opportunity for romance. Only Severin's servants see the chemistry between Elle and Severin, but they have selfish reasons as well. The curse took away their faces and voices, forcing them to wear masks and write on slates. Their schemes to bring Elle and Severin together would allow them to recover their identities once the curse is broken.
The lack of emotion in this book made it painful to read. Elle was just as cold and calculating of a heroine as Cinderella from Cinderella and Colonel. Not knowing her true identity or goals made her even more difficult to relate to. Each chapter listed more of her calculated attempts to cover up her unknown secret which I quickly lost interest in. There were also chapters in which Severin had political discussions with his brother, Lucien. These sections felt very out of place considering that the story was supposed to be a romance. The political discussions appeared to have no relation to Elle and her situation in the castle and just dragged on and on like meaningless drivel. The final payoff was not worth so many confusing pages of cold emotionless plots and secrets.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to fans of "Beauty and the Beast" because it lacks all of the warmth and romance that made the fairy tale great. Elle is a bland and frigid character with a hidden backstory and a broken leg, and Severin acts just like any other prince, giving him no rough outer shell for Elle to break through. The most interesting character in the book is a servant girl named Emele who befriends Elle, but she does not have a big enough part to make it worth reading. If you want to read a truly good "Beauty and the Beast" adaptation, check out A Tale of Beauty and the Beast by Melanie Cellier.
K.M. Shea's Beauty and the Beast focuses on a girl named Elle as the "Beauty" character with a well-mannered "Beast" named Prince Severin. As a result of somehow falling through the roof of Severin's castle and breaking her leg, Elle must stay with him as his guest while his servants see to her recovery. My biggest issue with the book is that Elle was completely disconnected from the audience for the vast majority of the story. Even though the story is mostly told from Elle's perspective, we don't learn why she was on the roof until the last quarter of the book, making it difficult to root for her. She drops hints about being a spy and covering up her identity, but we don't know what her true identity is, which creates a disconnect between the protagonist and the reader. Elle also shows very little emotion, which makes it hard to even feel bad when she breaks her leg and is forced to live in the palace. Unlike the original fairy tale in which she sacrifices herself to protect her family, we don't know what she's doing there for most of the book, and she shows few signs of being sad or afraid to be so far from home.
This is also the least romantic version of "Beauty and the Beast" I've ever seen. Even though Elle is not afraid of Severin despite his giant cat head, she is not particularly drawn to him either. Severin does not see Elle as a viable option to break his curse due to the completely understandable reason that she is clearly hiding something from him (as well as the audience). Even after the curse is broken, her secret nearly rips the two star-crossed lovers apart, allowing no opportunity for romance. Only Severin's servants see the chemistry between Elle and Severin, but they have selfish reasons as well. The curse took away their faces and voices, forcing them to wear masks and write on slates. Their schemes to bring Elle and Severin together would allow them to recover their identities once the curse is broken.
The lack of emotion in this book made it painful to read. Elle was just as cold and calculating of a heroine as Cinderella from Cinderella and Colonel. Not knowing her true identity or goals made her even more difficult to relate to. Each chapter listed more of her calculated attempts to cover up her unknown secret which I quickly lost interest in. There were also chapters in which Severin had political discussions with his brother, Lucien. These sections felt very out of place considering that the story was supposed to be a romance. The political discussions appeared to have no relation to Elle and her situation in the castle and just dragged on and on like meaningless drivel. The final payoff was not worth so many confusing pages of cold emotionless plots and secrets.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to fans of "Beauty and the Beast" because it lacks all of the warmth and romance that made the fairy tale great. Elle is a bland and frigid character with a hidden backstory and a broken leg, and Severin acts just like any other prince, giving him no rough outer shell for Elle to break through. The most interesting character in the book is a servant girl named Emele who befriends Elle, but she does not have a big enough part to make it worth reading. If you want to read a truly good "Beauty and the Beast" adaptation, check out A Tale of Beauty and the Beast by Melanie Cellier.
March 28, 2018
A Royal MyZtery: WHY?
If you didn't know that was another Swan Princess sequel released yesterday, you are a very fortunate person indeed. The Swan Princess: A Royal MyZtery (yes, that's the actual title) marks what I believe is the eighth movie featuring the characters from Richard Rich's 1994 classic,
The Swan Princess
. It was no mistake that I left "The Swan Princess" portion out of the title of my blog post, as these movies are so far and away from what was once an adaptation of the "Swan Lake" ballet that they may as well be on another plane of existence entirely. All of the CGI sequels that started with
The Swan Princess Christmas
in 2012 have been pretty terrible, but this one might just be the worst yet. Don't worry, though. I went ahead and watched this abomination so you don't have to. Below the image is a description of all the most cringe-worthy things that happened in the movie and why it is objectively terrible and should never have been made, just like all of the other CGI sequels.
The two traditionally animated Swan Princess sequels from the '90s, Escape from Castle Mountain and The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure did something that every good sequel should be able to do. Even though they were not exactly great movies, they could be enjoyed as standalone stories without requiring the audience to have seen the original. That is not the case for the CGI sequels. Each CGI abomination, of which there are now five, introduces a new character who gets carried into the next movie with absolutely no explanation of who they are and why they are hanging out with Odette and Derek. Continuity is great for TV shows and book series, but not for a series of badly written movies that no one in their right mind would want to binge watch in order.
By attempting to take all the other sequels into account, we now have a cat who sees dead people, an orphan girl who was adopted by Odette and Derek, a "orphan" boy who was reunited with his parents in one of the sequels but seems to be living with Odette and Derek now anyway, an old king who lives in the next kingdom over, and a strange alien-like race of creatures who take up a ton of screen time despite having no apparent purpose. These creatures spend a large chunk of the movie holding some sort of strange trial involving a ghost squirrel or something like that. During the trial, there are cuts to interviews with the alien creatures in the style of a realty TV show where they address their thoughts on the trial directly to the camera. Not only is it extremely awkward, but also irrelevant. As a result of all these leftovers from past sequels that nobody wanted, A Royal MyZtery is a huge mess that makes no sense and is virtually impossible to follow.
The villain in this movie only makes sense if you were paying attention to the last movie. Even then his motivations are a bit murky. But wait, there's more! This villain also has also appears to have Dissociative Identity Disorder (unless he was faking it) and performs a duet--with himself. You read that correctly. This movie has a man in it who performs a duet with himself. I think that says it all right there. Not only does it turn mental illness into an awkward joke, but it isn't even entertaining in the slightest. The way he is defeated doesn't make much sense either. There is some kind of scale with a weight on one side over a pit so jumping off the scale would mean falling into the pit. It made a strange kind of sense when the two children were placed on it because one of them jumping off would mean the other falling, but when Derek jumped onto the scale in their place, he could have easily jumped onto the ledge that was inches in front of him instead of forcing Odette to think he was going to die only to make a grand escape a few minutes later.
The characters we already know and love from the original movie are now ridiculous caricatures of themselves, showing us that they have not learned or grown at all from their experiences over the past eight films. Queen Uberta, who is somehow still alive, opens the movie with a signing tour for the book she wrote recounting the events of the previous sequel. She turns the tour into a ridiculous convention honoring herself with cosplayers who are all dressed as her, posters of herself that scale buildings, and a carriage with a giant painting of her face on the door. Princess Odette has forsaken her bravery from the first movie where she sang the song "No Fear" by singing a song in this movie to a cat called "Man Up" because she didn't want to face a bunch of little rodents herlf. If it wasn't bad enough that a strong-willed princess was telling a cat to "man up" for her, she then awkwardly attempts to face the rodents while squealing "Don't make me use these heels!" Rogers, Derek's adviser from the first movie, is now in love with Queen Uberta for some reason and can understand Odette's animal friends Jean-Bob, Speed, and Puffin even though the only reason Odette was able to talk to them was because she spent time as a swan. He also has technology that allows him to talk to ghosts. I guess they wanted him to have a bigger part than Derek's sarcastic adviser who only came up with clever one-liners, even though that's what made him great..
Before I wrap up this excruciatingly painful review, there are a few other ridiculous additions to the Swan Princess universe I'd like to point out. Some of the characters are able to communicate by placing stars in the sky that blink in Morse Code. That's right. Stars. They create them by reflecting light from the moon using small mirrors. How do they know the other person happens to be looking at the sky at that exact moment and that it's not just a twinkling star? That never comes up. They have full conversations using this method, blinking out full sentences and paragraphs using only mirrors. As protective as Odette and Derek are of their two adoptive children, neither they, nor anyone else who works at the palace notices when they get kidnapped by the villain. This is a full castle staffed with guards, not just some shack in the woods with no locks on the doors! What kind of security do they have at this place? Okay, I think I'm done rambling now. Obviously, you should not watch this movie unless you're on a dare or playing a drinking game for things that don't make sense. I wish I could say this is the last sequel, but as far as I know, there are still plans to make more.
The two traditionally animated Swan Princess sequels from the '90s, Escape from Castle Mountain and The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure did something that every good sequel should be able to do. Even though they were not exactly great movies, they could be enjoyed as standalone stories without requiring the audience to have seen the original. That is not the case for the CGI sequels. Each CGI abomination, of which there are now five, introduces a new character who gets carried into the next movie with absolutely no explanation of who they are and why they are hanging out with Odette and Derek. Continuity is great for TV shows and book series, but not for a series of badly written movies that no one in their right mind would want to binge watch in order.
By attempting to take all the other sequels into account, we now have a cat who sees dead people, an orphan girl who was adopted by Odette and Derek, a "orphan" boy who was reunited with his parents in one of the sequels but seems to be living with Odette and Derek now anyway, an old king who lives in the next kingdom over, and a strange alien-like race of creatures who take up a ton of screen time despite having no apparent purpose. These creatures spend a large chunk of the movie holding some sort of strange trial involving a ghost squirrel or something like that. During the trial, there are cuts to interviews with the alien creatures in the style of a realty TV show where they address their thoughts on the trial directly to the camera. Not only is it extremely awkward, but also irrelevant. As a result of all these leftovers from past sequels that nobody wanted, A Royal MyZtery is a huge mess that makes no sense and is virtually impossible to follow.
The villain in this movie only makes sense if you were paying attention to the last movie. Even then his motivations are a bit murky. But wait, there's more! This villain also has also appears to have Dissociative Identity Disorder (unless he was faking it) and performs a duet--with himself. You read that correctly. This movie has a man in it who performs a duet with himself. I think that says it all right there. Not only does it turn mental illness into an awkward joke, but it isn't even entertaining in the slightest. The way he is defeated doesn't make much sense either. There is some kind of scale with a weight on one side over a pit so jumping off the scale would mean falling into the pit. It made a strange kind of sense when the two children were placed on it because one of them jumping off would mean the other falling, but when Derek jumped onto the scale in their place, he could have easily jumped onto the ledge that was inches in front of him instead of forcing Odette to think he was going to die only to make a grand escape a few minutes later.
The characters we already know and love from the original movie are now ridiculous caricatures of themselves, showing us that they have not learned or grown at all from their experiences over the past eight films. Queen Uberta, who is somehow still alive, opens the movie with a signing tour for the book she wrote recounting the events of the previous sequel. She turns the tour into a ridiculous convention honoring herself with cosplayers who are all dressed as her, posters of herself that scale buildings, and a carriage with a giant painting of her face on the door. Princess Odette has forsaken her bravery from the first movie where she sang the song "No Fear" by singing a song in this movie to a cat called "Man Up" because she didn't want to face a bunch of little rodents herlf. If it wasn't bad enough that a strong-willed princess was telling a cat to "man up" for her, she then awkwardly attempts to face the rodents while squealing "Don't make me use these heels!" Rogers, Derek's adviser from the first movie, is now in love with Queen Uberta for some reason and can understand Odette's animal friends Jean-Bob, Speed, and Puffin even though the only reason Odette was able to talk to them was because she spent time as a swan. He also has technology that allows him to talk to ghosts. I guess they wanted him to have a bigger part than Derek's sarcastic adviser who only came up with clever one-liners, even though that's what made him great..
Before I wrap up this excruciatingly painful review, there are a few other ridiculous additions to the Swan Princess universe I'd like to point out. Some of the characters are able to communicate by placing stars in the sky that blink in Morse Code. That's right. Stars. They create them by reflecting light from the moon using small mirrors. How do they know the other person happens to be looking at the sky at that exact moment and that it's not just a twinkling star? That never comes up. They have full conversations using this method, blinking out full sentences and paragraphs using only mirrors. As protective as Odette and Derek are of their two adoptive children, neither they, nor anyone else who works at the palace notices when they get kidnapped by the villain. This is a full castle staffed with guards, not just some shack in the woods with no locks on the doors! What kind of security do they have at this place? Okay, I think I'm done rambling now. Obviously, you should not watch this movie unless you're on a dare or playing a drinking game for things that don't make sense. I wish I could say this is the last sequel, but as far as I know, there are still plans to make more.
March 25, 2018
Review: The Little Selkie
Mermaids are huge right now. Yesterday, I wrote a short story about a siren. Today, I'm going to a Mermaid Museum to promote Freeform's upcoming Siren series. K.M. Shea, the author of
Cinderella and the Colonel
from the Timeless Tales series and
A Goose Girl
from the Entwined Tales series, decided to take the story of "The Little Mermaid" in a new direction with her fifth Timeless Tales novel
The Little Selkie
. Unlike the Entwined Tales version of the story, A Little Mermaid by Aya Ling, The Little Selkie reimagines the little mermaid and her family as selkies, beings from Celtic mythology who have the ability to transform into seals by putting on seal pelts and taking them off to become human. This obscure mythology was featured in the 2014 animated movie,
Song of the Sea
.
Dylan is not like other selkies. Instead of a seal skin, she was born with the pelt of a sea lion. In Dylan's world, sea lions are less respected among selkies, but she compensates for it by being a daughter of the selkie king and queen and by having the most powerful singing voice among her sisters. The song of the selkies holds a great deal of magic, allowing them to control the ocean. Dylan is coveted for her powerful singing voice. When she is kidnapped by the wicked Sea Witch who steals her pelt, she begs an enchantress to seal her voice away to ensure her safety from the witch's goons until her pelt is recovered. Dylan's insufferable pride is her greatest weakness, but it also makes her very interesting as a character. She refuses to ask anyone for help or even tell her family she was kidnapped. When she becomes the unwilling ward of one of the Sea Witch's goons, Dylan is given refuge at a castle where a prince she had rescued before her voice was sealed resides.
I enjoyed this book significantly more than Cinderella and the Colonel. It was less political and did not drag as much. The magic and mythology of the selkies kept the story interesting, and Dylan's romance with Prince Callan felt much more organic. They both eventually recognized each other from their initial meeting, eliminating the mistaken identity plot from the fairy tale. I loved reading about how Dylan gradually acclimated to human life in spite of her preference for her sea lion body. Prince Callan presented her some of the most beautiful gowns during her stay with him, considerately taking into account her preferences toward sea glass instead of expensive jewels and flowing fabrics that resemble the waves of the ocean. Like in A Little Mermaid, Dylan was able to communicate with the other humans through writing even though her was voice sealed. She was given a slate and chalk to use for conversations with those around her, particularly Callan. Despite Callan's curiousity, she was very careful in how much she revealed to him because she feared that her pelt would be destroyed by Jarlath if she gave too much away. If that were to happen, she could never become a sea lion again.
When it comes to mermaid stories, I usually enjoy reading about imaginative cultures and underwater worlds. The Little Selkie did not have any of that since seals and sea lions spend more time on the surface than they do in the water. Though that was a little disappointing, it still did not divert from my interest in the story. The Sea Witch made for a formidable villain even though Dylan's biggest obstacle for most of the story was Jarlath, an incompetent goon who held her hostage at the castle. Overall, A Little Selkie was an enjoyable alternative to "The Little Mermaid" with a daring and clever heroine. I enjoyed the use of selkie mythology would recommend it to anyone who likes reading fairy tale retellings. It is the fifth book in K.M. Shea's Timeless Tales series. For more retellings of "The Little Mermaid," check out Of Land and Sea: The Untold Story of the Little Mermaid , the book I wrote in 2009, as well as A Little Mermaid by Aya Ling.
Dylan is not like other selkies. Instead of a seal skin, she was born with the pelt of a sea lion. In Dylan's world, sea lions are less respected among selkies, but she compensates for it by being a daughter of the selkie king and queen and by having the most powerful singing voice among her sisters. The song of the selkies holds a great deal of magic, allowing them to control the ocean. Dylan is coveted for her powerful singing voice. When she is kidnapped by the wicked Sea Witch who steals her pelt, she begs an enchantress to seal her voice away to ensure her safety from the witch's goons until her pelt is recovered. Dylan's insufferable pride is her greatest weakness, but it also makes her very interesting as a character. She refuses to ask anyone for help or even tell her family she was kidnapped. When she becomes the unwilling ward of one of the Sea Witch's goons, Dylan is given refuge at a castle where a prince she had rescued before her voice was sealed resides.
I enjoyed this book significantly more than Cinderella and the Colonel. It was less political and did not drag as much. The magic and mythology of the selkies kept the story interesting, and Dylan's romance with Prince Callan felt much more organic. They both eventually recognized each other from their initial meeting, eliminating the mistaken identity plot from the fairy tale. I loved reading about how Dylan gradually acclimated to human life in spite of her preference for her sea lion body. Prince Callan presented her some of the most beautiful gowns during her stay with him, considerately taking into account her preferences toward sea glass instead of expensive jewels and flowing fabrics that resemble the waves of the ocean. Like in A Little Mermaid, Dylan was able to communicate with the other humans through writing even though her was voice sealed. She was given a slate and chalk to use for conversations with those around her, particularly Callan. Despite Callan's curiousity, she was very careful in how much she revealed to him because she feared that her pelt would be destroyed by Jarlath if she gave too much away. If that were to happen, she could never become a sea lion again.
When it comes to mermaid stories, I usually enjoy reading about imaginative cultures and underwater worlds. The Little Selkie did not have any of that since seals and sea lions spend more time on the surface than they do in the water. Though that was a little disappointing, it still did not divert from my interest in the story. The Sea Witch made for a formidable villain even though Dylan's biggest obstacle for most of the story was Jarlath, an incompetent goon who held her hostage at the castle. Overall, A Little Selkie was an enjoyable alternative to "The Little Mermaid" with a daring and clever heroine. I enjoyed the use of selkie mythology would recommend it to anyone who likes reading fairy tale retellings. It is the fifth book in K.M. Shea's Timeless Tales series. For more retellings of "The Little Mermaid," check out Of Land and Sea: The Untold Story of the Little Mermaid , the book I wrote in 2009, as well as A Little Mermaid by Aya Ling.
