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Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #2
Myths of Mish
Hansel and Gretel Herrscher survived the witch in the woods, but the experience has made Hansel paranoid for the past ten years. He sees dark magic at every turn. When Gretel has a marriage arranged to a much older man, and Hansel discovers he’s about to be sent halfway across the galaxy, he knows something sinister is afoot.
Wilhelmine Nordon has plenty of experience with Hansel’s quirkier side. So when she catches him and Gretel running away in the middle of the night, she follows to keep them from getting killed. The siblings have never left the capital of Mish on their own, so they need a babysitter. Except when she’s discovered, Hansel gives her his usual cold shoulder, and Gretel secretly begs her to take them back.
The problem is, Hansel’s paranoia turns out to be well founded, and they’re all being hunted.
Wilhelmine Nordon has plenty of experience with Hansel’s quirkier side. So when she catches him and Gretel running away in the middle of the night, she follows to keep them from getting killed. The siblings have never left the capital of Mish on their own, so they need a babysitter. Except when she’s discovered, Hansel gives her his usual cold shoulder, and Gretel secretly begs her to take them back.
The problem is, Hansel’s paranoia turns out to be well founded, and they’re all being hunted.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2017
4 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Katie Hamstead
24 books218 followersBorn and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush," and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student. Now she lives in Idaho with her daughters and their collection of animals.
When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels available, and is published through REUTS Publishing and Soul Mate Publishing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a mother. She now works as a Special Education Paraprofessional to help support her family while she studies Education and English. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student. Now she lives in Idaho with her daughters and their collection of animals.
When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels available, and is published through REUTS Publishing and Soul Mate Publishing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a mother. She now works as a Special Education Paraprofessional to help support her family while she studies Education and English. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 10, 2018
See my FULL review of this book on my blog along with others at: shesgoingbookcrazy.com
1) Princess of Tyrone: ★★★★½
Release date 3/28/2017
"Fear is very powerful, almost as powerful as love."
Escaping from the woods and the evil witch only proved to be one narrow escape for Hansel and Gretel as they found themselves in another hostile situation once they return home. Their new stepmother is sneaky, tricky, and manipulative. Years go by and her treachery of leading the children into the forest fades from everyone's mind--except Hansel's. He knows something is off about the woman.
Wilhelmine, once embarrassingly love-struck with the famous and heroic Hansel, has accidentally classified herself as being dull and airheaded in Hansel's eyes. The daughter of an important man, she finds herself thrown uncomfortably back into the presence of Hansel, as his younger sister Gretel is betrothed to her father for the sake of political gain. Gretel, being good friends with Minna, becomes the mediator between their awkward relationship. Hansel sees the marriage as a scheme orchestrated by their stepmother to do away with the brother and sister. Deciding before they are split from one another, the two flee before the marriage can take place. Minna, catching them as they escape, joins in their adventure and is taken on a ride that will change her life, and all of their lives, forever.
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This is the first retelling I've read that hasn't opened into a scene of insta-love! I didn't enjoy this retelling as much as its predecessor, Princess of Tyrone. I did like how this book ended and tied back to the prior installment. The first half of the book I had a hard time getting into. Hansel's bipolar attitude was irritating, and I felt terrible for Wilhelmine. Once the plot got moving, the second half took me by surprise as it made a 180-turn. I was drawn in by the sudden twists and didn't see them coming one bit. I won't say further what those were for wanting to keep this review spoiler-free.
Character Breakdown
Wilhelmine (Minna): Poor girl. Talk about emotional and verbal abuse. Hansel put her through the ringer and played with her mind at every turn for years. His reasoning is divulged later on, but it didn't necessarily justify the extent of his treatment of her. However much she had been through, Minna somehow remained gracious enough to rise above Hansel's offense.
Hansel: He drove me nuts through the first half of the book. His irrational dislike of Wilhelmine and unjustifiable cruelty was opposite of what I was expecting in a fairy tale retelling. As he spends more time with Minna, he thankfully manages to grow out of his childish demeanor.
Gretel: She is proof that petty jealousy can get you in a bind if one isn't willing to hear the truth. Her innocence makes her susceptible to believing everything that she sees, rather than investigating further into the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. There are lessons for the characters and readers to learn. It wasn't as captivating as the first book in this series but was entertaining in its own way.
If you enjoy science fiction lite retellings with a side of mythology, this series is for you.
My Rating: ★:★:★:
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March 21, 2018
Thanks to Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for giving me this book to review.
Myths of Mish is a very enjoyable sci-fi fairytale retelling of Hansel and Gretel. It is fast paced, fun and I didn’t want to put it down. The book was full of adventure, romance and good chemistry between the three characters but it was predictable.
Hansel is paranoid, protective and stubborn but I was not a fan of him in the first half of the book as he was so rude and cruel but he grows out of it and shows he is passionate and smart. Gretel is naïve, kind and wants what is best for everyone. My favourite character is Minna as she is clever, resilient and gracious.
I really liked this book and am looking to reading the next book, Dwarves of Calcus. I would recommend Myths of Mish to fans of the first book, Princess of Tyrone, and those who liked The Lunar Chronicles.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
Myths of Mish is a very enjoyable sci-fi fairytale retelling of Hansel and Gretel. It is fast paced, fun and I didn’t want to put it down. The book was full of adventure, romance and good chemistry between the three characters but it was predictable.
Hansel is paranoid, protective and stubborn but I was not a fan of him in the first half of the book as he was so rude and cruel but he grows out of it and shows he is passionate and smart. Gretel is naïve, kind and wants what is best for everyone. My favourite character is Minna as she is clever, resilient and gracious.
I really liked this book and am looking to reading the next book, Dwarves of Calcus. I would recommend Myths of Mish to fans of the first book, Princess of Tyrone, and those who liked The Lunar Chronicles.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
September 4, 2019
I got an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review :) and the first thing I need to tell you guys, is to not worry if you missed the first book, cause this one works perfectly well as a standalone... it takes place in another part of the world created by the lovely Katie, and if I remember correctly, actually before the events of said first book... but I might be mistaken, it's been a while since I read "Princess of Tyrone" :) anyway... :) what you need to know is that it was amazing and you should feel free to read it no matter if you are caught up in the series :) I will do my best to tell you more about this particular installment, but it's gonna be hard... ;) as in it's gonna be really hard to say my feelings without actually spoiling you some pretty big things... but as always, I will try :)
So first things first, what you need to know about this world in general, is that it's a mix of fantasy and sci-fi vibes :) because on one hand, we have all sorts of very cool retellings of fairy tales we know... with "Sleeping beauty" in that first book and now with "Hansel and Gretel" :) but in the meantime we get glimpses about other characters... and let me tell you... how curious those little teasers make me for other books in this series... ;) but all of them take place in this futuristic world, with spaceships and different planets and such... :) and it is a very interesting and entertaining mix :) and to be honest, I really liked the fact that this story takes place in a whole different part of the world, with a bunch of brand new characters... :) it really gives you an opportunity to see more of this very rich world :) now that we have the basics established, let me tell you a bit more about the characters :)
I will say, that we basically have the three main characters: Hansel and Gretel, the siblings who survived a pretty traumatic event when they were younger, and Mina, Gretel's friend... who has a big crush on Hansel... they are both in their early twenties, with Gretel around 17 years old... although there are moments when she acts like an even younger kid... but I kind of understood that about her... after all, she's been sheltered by her very protective brother the majority of her life... so she definitely has some adulting to do :) so why don't I concentrate on our main couple of the story :) since I adored Mina, I will start with Hansel... ;) because I was not the biggest fan of him throughout the first half of the book... he definitely acted towards Mina like... let's call him an insensitive jerk, because other things I would like to say cannot be said in public ;) Hansel is paranoid, acting like everyone is against him and have some secret, evil agenda... which is not entirely worng, but I can't get into more details ;) at first almost everyone think he's crazy, but later on, when *the truth* comes out... oh man, do they feel bad about it... because he was totally right :) Mina on the other hand... :) I loved her :) she was smart and resourceful, saving both Hansel and Gretel numerous times throughout the story :) by any means, she's not perfect and have secrets of her own that again, I can't share with you guys but it's nothing bad, I promise :) the romance part bewteen Hansel and Mina was... I'm still not really sure how I feel about it... she had a crush on him for the longest time, but he definitely did not treat her well... he was mean and those few sweet moments inbetween shouldn't have been enough for her to still have those feelings for him... but apparently with Hansel it was the there-is-very-thin-line-between-what-you-think-is-hate-and-what-is-in-fact-love types of situations... yeah... he's not very good at reading his own feelings... ;) cause quite a few people beside him figured that stuff out sooner ;) but once he realizes his feelings for Mina, he of course immediately change his behaviour towards her... so I'm on the road to forgive him for that awful things in the beginning :)
After reading the fist book in this series last year, and absolutely loving it, I was more than curious to get my hands on the sequel :) well, curious and a bit apprehensive, since I wasn't sure if it will be as good as the first book :) but I was not disappointed ;) this installment is once again full of adventures and action and all sorts of surprising and shocking twists and turns... and it's killing me to not be able to say anything else... I can't even give you the smallest hint, becuase it would ruin the surprise... :) so take my word for it... :) the whole explanation and the truth behind Hansel's paranoia was absolutely brilliant :) the writing style was once again sooo entertainig, it pulled me in from the very first chapter and made it really hard for me to be at work on time :) cause I read it on my way to and from work, and I had to be very careful to not miss my stop ;) I highly recommend you guys this book, and this whole series in general :) especially if you're looking for the mix of fantasy and sci-fi vibes with great humour and lots of adventures... you can't be bored while reading those books :) I already can't wait to get back to this world and see what kind of a story the lovely Katie will have for us next :)
XOXO
A
So first things first, what you need to know about this world in general, is that it's a mix of fantasy and sci-fi vibes :) because on one hand, we have all sorts of very cool retellings of fairy tales we know... with "Sleeping beauty" in that first book and now with "Hansel and Gretel" :) but in the meantime we get glimpses about other characters... and let me tell you... how curious those little teasers make me for other books in this series... ;) but all of them take place in this futuristic world, with spaceships and different planets and such... :) and it is a very interesting and entertaining mix :) and to be honest, I really liked the fact that this story takes place in a whole different part of the world, with a bunch of brand new characters... :) it really gives you an opportunity to see more of this very rich world :) now that we have the basics established, let me tell you a bit more about the characters :)
I will say, that we basically have the three main characters: Hansel and Gretel, the siblings who survived a pretty traumatic event when they were younger, and Mina, Gretel's friend... who has a big crush on Hansel... they are both in their early twenties, with Gretel around 17 years old... although there are moments when she acts like an even younger kid... but I kind of understood that about her... after all, she's been sheltered by her very protective brother the majority of her life... so she definitely has some adulting to do :) so why don't I concentrate on our main couple of the story :) since I adored Mina, I will start with Hansel... ;) because I was not the biggest fan of him throughout the first half of the book... he definitely acted towards Mina like... let's call him an insensitive jerk, because other things I would like to say cannot be said in public ;) Hansel is paranoid, acting like everyone is against him and have some secret, evil agenda... which is not entirely worng, but I can't get into more details ;) at first almost everyone think he's crazy, but later on, when *the truth* comes out... oh man, do they feel bad about it... because he was totally right :) Mina on the other hand... :) I loved her :) she was smart and resourceful, saving both Hansel and Gretel numerous times throughout the story :) by any means, she's not perfect and have secrets of her own that again, I can't share with you guys but it's nothing bad, I promise :) the romance part bewteen Hansel and Mina was... I'm still not really sure how I feel about it... she had a crush on him for the longest time, but he definitely did not treat her well... he was mean and those few sweet moments inbetween shouldn't have been enough for her to still have those feelings for him... but apparently with Hansel it was the there-is-very-thin-line-between-what-you-think-is-hate-and-what-is-in-fact-love types of situations... yeah... he's not very good at reading his own feelings... ;) cause quite a few people beside him figured that stuff out sooner ;) but once he realizes his feelings for Mina, he of course immediately change his behaviour towards her... so I'm on the road to forgive him for that awful things in the beginning :)
After reading the fist book in this series last year, and absolutely loving it, I was more than curious to get my hands on the sequel :) well, curious and a bit apprehensive, since I wasn't sure if it will be as good as the first book :) but I was not disappointed ;) this installment is once again full of adventures and action and all sorts of surprising and shocking twists and turns... and it's killing me to not be able to say anything else... I can't even give you the smallest hint, becuase it would ruin the surprise... :) so take my word for it... :) the whole explanation and the truth behind Hansel's paranoia was absolutely brilliant :) the writing style was once again sooo entertainig, it pulled me in from the very first chapter and made it really hard for me to be at work on time :) cause I read it on my way to and from work, and I had to be very careful to not miss my stop ;) I highly recommend you guys this book, and this whole series in general :) especially if you're looking for the mix of fantasy and sci-fi vibes with great humour and lots of adventures... you can't be bored while reading those books :) I already can't wait to get back to this world and see what kind of a story the lovely Katie will have for us next :)
XOXO
A
March 20, 2017
If you don't remember from a little bit ago, I had finally found it - the Sleeping Beauty retelling that I finalllllllllly loved. It was Princess of Tyrone by Katie Hamstead, and I'm in serious heart eyes still because despite my intense love of Sleeping Beauty, there has never been a fairytale retelling of her that has been good - until Princess of Tyrone came around. When I heard that Katie was going to be doing a second book, I jumped at the chance to return to this beautiful sci-fi fairytale world.
If you've been with me on this blog journey for a while, you know I have a weird relationship with sci-fi stories. For the most part, I don't like them, but there is the occasional one that will somehow get my devoted attention. What Hamstead does in both of her novels is something so unique that a good deal of the time, I forget I'm actually reading something sci-fi and on another planet. She didn't disappoint with this setting either. It had just another sci-fi to be different, but she creates a beautiful old fairytale setting that will take you back to another world and time. I love how she combines the two, and she wasted no time in doing that again.
I also loved Wilhelmine. She was such a strong heroine, and while she wasn't part of the original fairytale, I was so glad that Hamstead added her in. There were a few times that she could be stronger, but for the most part, she kicked major butt. She was definitely my favorite character and I totally thought she rocked being our heroine.
The other characters were great as well. I loved how the Hansel and Gretel's parents had a little different twist on them. They weren't clearly evil as they were in the fairytale, and you kind of have to guess is Hansel reading things too far or are they really the bad guys? It was interesting to kind of have that mystery behind them when it was super obvious in the original story. And Gretel was another good character. She was dreamy and just like the little girl from the folk tale.
Hamstead also has such a nice writing style. Her pace is just right, and although this one rushed into things a bit faster than Princess of Tyrone, it was still very good.
There was one main issue that I had with the novel, and it was sadly Hansel. While I like a good hate to love relationship, for me, the hate dragged out a little too long for me and I began to just give :P faces at Hansel who needed to get his act together. I totally see the character arc Hamstead was going for and I think she did a good job with it by the end, but Hansel just got a little toooooo alpha for me at the beginning that it kind of colored him for the rest of the book for me.
Overall, this was a nice addition to her unique series. Hansel did make me do a lot of :P faces, but Hamstead's other characters, storyline, writing, and world were as amazing as always. If you're looking for a cool fairytale retelling that literally out of this world, these books are for you. Princess of Tyrone will forever be my Sleeping Beauty go-to, and while this book was knocked down a crown for me, Hamstead still created a wonderfully unique story. I've never been too fond of the Hansel and Gretel story, but Hamstead certainly took it on a unique spin.
4 crowns, and since Merida literally did find a witch in the woods (since there was no candy tho and thankfully no crazy oven), she's coming for a visit today! And seriously, go check out Princess of Tyrone!!
If you've been with me on this blog journey for a while, you know I have a weird relationship with sci-fi stories. For the most part, I don't like them, but there is the occasional one that will somehow get my devoted attention. What Hamstead does in both of her novels is something so unique that a good deal of the time, I forget I'm actually reading something sci-fi and on another planet. She didn't disappoint with this setting either. It had just another sci-fi to be different, but she creates a beautiful old fairytale setting that will take you back to another world and time. I love how she combines the two, and she wasted no time in doing that again.
I also loved Wilhelmine. She was such a strong heroine, and while she wasn't part of the original fairytale, I was so glad that Hamstead added her in. There were a few times that she could be stronger, but for the most part, she kicked major butt. She was definitely my favorite character and I totally thought she rocked being our heroine.
The other characters were great as well. I loved how the Hansel and Gretel's parents had a little different twist on them. They weren't clearly evil as they were in the fairytale, and you kind of have to guess is Hansel reading things too far or are they really the bad guys? It was interesting to kind of have that mystery behind them when it was super obvious in the original story. And Gretel was another good character. She was dreamy and just like the little girl from the folk tale.
Hamstead also has such a nice writing style. Her pace is just right, and although this one rushed into things a bit faster than Princess of Tyrone, it was still very good.
There was one main issue that I had with the novel, and it was sadly Hansel. While I like a good hate to love relationship, for me, the hate dragged out a little too long for me and I began to just give :P faces at Hansel who needed to get his act together. I totally see the character arc Hamstead was going for and I think she did a good job with it by the end, but Hansel just got a little toooooo alpha for me at the beginning that it kind of colored him for the rest of the book for me.
Overall, this was a nice addition to her unique series. Hansel did make me do a lot of :P faces, but Hamstead's other characters, storyline, writing, and world were as amazing as always. If you're looking for a cool fairytale retelling that literally out of this world, these books are for you. Princess of Tyrone will forever be my Sleeping Beauty go-to, and while this book was knocked down a crown for me, Hamstead still created a wonderfully unique story. I've never been too fond of the Hansel and Gretel story, but Hamstead certainly took it on a unique spin.
4 crowns, and since Merida literally did find a witch in the woods (since there was no candy tho and thankfully no crazy oven), she's coming for a visit today! And seriously, go check out Princess of Tyrone!!
March 27, 2017
Hansel and Gretel survived the witch in the forest, but the stepmother who left them in the woods is still alive and well. Hansel has never been able to rid himself of the suspicion that his stepmother was a partner of the witch. Now, Hansel is positive that his stepmother is trying to get rid of him and his sister once again—him to a college he never should have attended and Gretel to an arranged marriage. So Hansel sneaks Gretel out of their father’s (the president) palace to prove once and for all that their stepmother is evil. But their stowaway could make all the difference.
After reading the first book in this crazy sci-fi/fairy tale crossover, I expected a cute romance among the children of the presidents of their planets. Myths of Mish provided that and more. It was very much a seafaring novel—vanishing islands, tropical storms, pirates, mermaids, and the rest. Except their ship could also fly and there are floating airports. Myths of Mish is definitely a sci-fi/fantasy/fairytale crossover. But it accomplishes he combination marvelously. Did I mention that I love mermaids and seafaring novels?
The sparks between Hansel and the other main character, Minna, were adorable. They fought, but they eventually came together beautifully. The mix of technology and magic was seamless. You would think that magic would not be possible in a world so very sciency, but it works. The “aliens” all have different traits and abilities, some of which could be considered magical. Elves, mermaids, fairies, and the like are all a part of the story and came from different worlds. I enjoyed the plot. There were some instances that could have used more foreshadowing, though. I mean, it changed so quickly from being a group of young adults (17-21 years old) running away from undesirable circumstances to a bunch of mermaid mystery that I think some better foreshadowing is in order. But it wasn’t detrimental to the novel. The only thing that I can think of that I didn’t actually like about this novel goes back to personal preference, so I can’t really complain.
If you enjoy spaceships, fairy tales, and mermaids, this is definitely the book for you. I loved it, and I hope you will too.
The only warnings I have are about some passionate kissing, sexual innuendos, and a little bit of violence and magic. So nothing terrible.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from YA Bound book tours. All opinions are expressly my own.
After reading the first book in this crazy sci-fi/fairy tale crossover, I expected a cute romance among the children of the presidents of their planets. Myths of Mish provided that and more. It was very much a seafaring novel—vanishing islands, tropical storms, pirates, mermaids, and the rest. Except their ship could also fly and there are floating airports. Myths of Mish is definitely a sci-fi/fantasy/fairytale crossover. But it accomplishes he combination marvelously. Did I mention that I love mermaids and seafaring novels?
The sparks between Hansel and the other main character, Minna, were adorable. They fought, but they eventually came together beautifully. The mix of technology and magic was seamless. You would think that magic would not be possible in a world so very sciency, but it works. The “aliens” all have different traits and abilities, some of which could be considered magical. Elves, mermaids, fairies, and the like are all a part of the story and came from different worlds. I enjoyed the plot. There were some instances that could have used more foreshadowing, though. I mean, it changed so quickly from being a group of young adults (17-21 years old) running away from undesirable circumstances to a bunch of mermaid mystery that I think some better foreshadowing is in order. But it wasn’t detrimental to the novel. The only thing that I can think of that I didn’t actually like about this novel goes back to personal preference, so I can’t really complain.
If you enjoy spaceships, fairy tales, and mermaids, this is definitely the book for you. I loved it, and I hope you will too.
The only warnings I have are about some passionate kissing, sexual innuendos, and a little bit of violence and magic. So nothing terrible.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from YA Bound book tours. All opinions are expressly my own.
April 1, 2017
(
I received this book free in exchange for my honest review
)
Oh this was a treat, I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings., and I was not disappoint! Like the first this book was rich in design, characters and of course the galaxy.. just wow!
I won't say all to much, because I don't want to spoil anything.
But my god, I was sucked into this book and I couldn't get out. It was like a vortex and I loved every minute of it. I loved the intertravle, the evilness and of course, how good conquers all. There is so much good about this book, about this world, that I will be reading everything there is to written about it.
I have to say, the twist at the midway point had my heart in a vice grip. I loved Wilhelmine, she was strong, smart and just bas-ass. She is what a female lead should be like. She was not at all the damsel-in-distress type. She embraced who she was and didn't let anything stop her from coming out on top.
The only thing I didn't like, not about the writing or the over all story, just the way Hansel treated Wilhelmine. He was a complete ass, and at times I wanted to smack him up-side the head. But it all works out in the end, even if I wasn't a fan of his at the start.
Gretel, she was quite the girly girl. She actually reminded me of my girl cat. She was annoying, but showed her true colours at the end, she grew up you could say. She went from a winny little brat, to a smart, confident woman.
This book actually takes place before the first, it was interesting to read, and it makes you wonder what happened between the time this adventure took place to Apolline's. I'm hoping there will be more in-between, more mysteries to uncover, and want happened to the planet Mish. Being that this book does take place before Princess of Tyrone there are a tone of easter eggs, so in truth, reading the first is a must, but you can read this one first. There aren't many spoilers, but at the end you will get a pleasant surprise.
In all I highly recommend this book, it's everything you never knew you wanted in a fairy tale.
Happy Reading.
E.A. Walsh
Oh this was a treat, I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings., and I was not disappoint! Like the first this book was rich in design, characters and of course the galaxy.. just wow!
I won't say all to much, because I don't want to spoil anything.
But my god, I was sucked into this book and I couldn't get out. It was like a vortex and I loved every minute of it. I loved the intertravle, the evilness and of course, how good conquers all. There is so much good about this book, about this world, that I will be reading everything there is to written about it.
I have to say, the twist at the midway point had my heart in a vice grip. I loved Wilhelmine, she was strong, smart and just bas-ass. She is what a female lead should be like. She was not at all the damsel-in-distress type. She embraced who she was and didn't let anything stop her from coming out on top.
The only thing I didn't like, not about the writing or the over all story, just the way Hansel treated Wilhelmine. He was a complete ass, and at times I wanted to smack him up-side the head. But it all works out in the end, even if I wasn't a fan of his at the start.
Gretel, she was quite the girly girl. She actually reminded me of my girl cat. She was annoying, but showed her true colours at the end, she grew up you could say. She went from a winny little brat, to a smart, confident woman.
This book actually takes place before the first, it was interesting to read, and it makes you wonder what happened between the time this adventure took place to Apolline's. I'm hoping there will be more in-between, more mysteries to uncover, and want happened to the planet Mish. Being that this book does take place before Princess of Tyrone there are a tone of easter eggs, so in truth, reading the first is a must, but you can read this one first. There aren't many spoilers, but at the end you will get a pleasant surprise.
In all I highly recommend this book, it's everything you never knew you wanted in a fairy tale.
Happy Reading.
E.A. Walsh
March 28, 2017
I really liked this book. It wasn’t quite as good as the first book in the series, but I still enjoyed reading it a lot. Honestly, I can’t really remember the last time I read such a fast-paced book. It felt like I started reading it, and then it was just over. I’m still trying to process everything. I’m a bit sad it was over so fast, though, because now I have to wait for the next book.
I didn’t really like Hansel and Gretel at first.
Hansel felt really over-the-top, like everything about him was made out to be really big and important, which didn’t convince me. In the beginning, he’s also really mean to just about everyone but Gretel. And Gretel was really naïve, she trusted everyone without a second thought, and she gave off the impression of being way younger than she actually was. Both of them did. It felt more like a Young Adult book than New Adult, because Hansel and Gretel were just so immature.
But, the good thing was that they both grew a lot through the book, and by the end of it, I really liked them both.
I really liked Minna, though.
Minna is great. She doesn’t fit into any stereotypes; she just does what she wants regardless of what others thinks she should do. It was great! And she was a lot more mature than Hansel and Gretel. I really loved reading about her and watching her grow.
I have mixed feelings about the romance.
I liked the romance between Minna and Hansel, it worked really well with the rest of the story, and I liked to see them grow, both as individuals and as a couple. But, the romance between Gretel and Rune felt a bit hurried. I’m not a big fan of love at first sight, and while they’re a great couple, it was just too much love at first sight.
I was a bit hesitant about the perspective changes, but it worked.
The perspectives changed a lot, and at first, I didn’t like it, but surprisingly, it worked for this book. The different perspectives were necessary for this book; it gave a better perspective on everything that was going on. It worked really well.
The plot was really fast.
When I started reading, I was surprised at how fast it went. The plot started immediately, and it was really easy to get into it. That made it impossible to put down, and it was over way too soon. And the way she took a beloved children’s fairytale and made it something completely different and unpredictable was amazing!
To sum it up, Myths of Mish is a fast-paced space adventure filled with family, friendship and love, and it takes the story of Hansel and Gretel to a whole new level. This is a must-read for every Sci-Fi (and Retelling) lover out there!
I didn’t really like Hansel and Gretel at first.
Hansel felt really over-the-top, like everything about him was made out to be really big and important, which didn’t convince me. In the beginning, he’s also really mean to just about everyone but Gretel. And Gretel was really naïve, she trusted everyone without a second thought, and she gave off the impression of being way younger than she actually was. Both of them did. It felt more like a Young Adult book than New Adult, because Hansel and Gretel were just so immature.
But, the good thing was that they both grew a lot through the book, and by the end of it, I really liked them both.
I really liked Minna, though.
Minna is great. She doesn’t fit into any stereotypes; she just does what she wants regardless of what others thinks she should do. It was great! And she was a lot more mature than Hansel and Gretel. I really loved reading about her and watching her grow.
I have mixed feelings about the romance.
I liked the romance between Minna and Hansel, it worked really well with the rest of the story, and I liked to see them grow, both as individuals and as a couple. But, the romance between Gretel and Rune felt a bit hurried. I’m not a big fan of love at first sight, and while they’re a great couple, it was just too much love at first sight.
I was a bit hesitant about the perspective changes, but it worked.
The perspectives changed a lot, and at first, I didn’t like it, but surprisingly, it worked for this book. The different perspectives were necessary for this book; it gave a better perspective on everything that was going on. It worked really well.
The plot was really fast.
When I started reading, I was surprised at how fast it went. The plot started immediately, and it was really easy to get into it. That made it impossible to put down, and it was over way too soon. And the way she took a beloved children’s fairytale and made it something completely different and unpredictable was amazing!
To sum it up, Myths of Mish is a fast-paced space adventure filled with family, friendship and love, and it takes the story of Hansel and Gretel to a whole new level. This is a must-read for every Sci-Fi (and Retelling) lover out there!
April 9, 2017
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
This second installment in the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles features different characters from The Princess of Tyrone, which I was looking forward to. Meet Hansel and Gretel, ten years after the events in the well known fairytale.
Please let me introduce to you my theory: the real villain in this book is no-one less than: Hansel himself. He's an ass. Acts like an ass for the entire book and I'm supposed to cheer for him? No thank you.
As it might have become clear, I didn't like Hansel as the main character. The other characters only filled the background in my experience. The space travel and the other stories fitted better in this one, since it was not - as far as I could tell - a retelling, but Hansel ruined what could have been a nice story. It felt a bit like there were too many things the author tried to fit into the story, but otherwise I liked it better.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This second installment in the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles features different characters from The Princess of Tyrone, which I was looking forward to. Meet Hansel and Gretel, ten years after the events in the well known fairytale.
Please let me introduce to you my theory: the real villain in this book is no-one less than: Hansel himself. He's an ass. Acts like an ass for the entire book and I'm supposed to cheer for him? No thank you.
As it might have become clear, I didn't like Hansel as the main character. The other characters only filled the background in my experience. The space travel and the other stories fitted better in this one, since it was not - as far as I could tell - a retelling, but Hansel ruined what could have been a nice story. It felt a bit like there were too many things the author tried to fit into the story, but otherwise I liked it better.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
February 16, 2017
I want to thank the author for sending me an arc against an honest review.
It’s good to be back!
I loved Katie Hamstead’s first book in this series, so I knew I was in a for a treat when I got sent this new novel. I feel like a very lucky bunny right now.
While it is very different from the first book, this story has many good qualities. The first one would be the characters. They are very strong, different from and another and wonderfully flawed, to the point where you just don’t know if one is “good” or not at times. My favourite is Minna, which I found was a true model of perseverance and strength.
The plot is really good and fun. I had loved the science fiction aspects in Princess of Tyrone, and I am delighted that the author actually kept those nice touches in this sequel. Space ships, planets and all that jazz… definitely my thing!
It was fast-paced, but not so much, intense and well-balanced and I am so happy to have had the chance to read it in advance
It’s good to be back!
I loved Katie Hamstead’s first book in this series, so I knew I was in a for a treat when I got sent this new novel. I feel like a very lucky bunny right now.
While it is very different from the first book, this story has many good qualities. The first one would be the characters. They are very strong, different from and another and wonderfully flawed, to the point where you just don’t know if one is “good” or not at times. My favourite is Minna, which I found was a true model of perseverance and strength.
The plot is really good and fun. I had loved the science fiction aspects in Princess of Tyrone, and I am delighted that the author actually kept those nice touches in this sequel. Space ships, planets and all that jazz… definitely my thing!
It was fast-paced, but not so much, intense and well-balanced and I am so happy to have had the chance to read it in advance
March 31, 2017
Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)
I received this copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Let's go :D
*~.Book Analysis.~*
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader :)
Myths of Mish was a non-stop rollercoaster of adventure with a unique narrative and a mind-blowing plot. Hansel and Gretel meets The Little Mermaid and they all seriously kick ass together <3 Once again, Hamstead sucked me into her fairy-tale galaxies and I loved it – my only solid complain was Hansel’s personality shift. Don’t get me wrong, the guy was a jerk with a capital J, but I felt his change of heart was too sudden and too hard, if that makes sense? I also missed a little of the “OMG IT’S HAPPENING, OMG IT’S HAPPENING!! CALL 911!!” magic from the first book, so 4 stars AND OMG WHEN DOES THE NEXT BOOK WILL BE OUT?!
As I said, the narrative in this book is quite unique and I LOVED IT. Hamstead tells us the story from three different points of view: Hansel, Gretel and Wilhelmine, aka. Minna. The catch? Hansel and Gretel’s POV is third person styled, while Minna’s POV is FIRST PERSON. ISN’T THIS PERFECT?!!
Seriously, I had never seem a book written like this and I squealed when I identified the pattern. Hamstead, you’re a genius. Never change. Also, her writing style is addicting – you never want to put her books down, trust me ;)
The plot, as I expected, was full of twists and turns. While Hamstead kept me pinning the whole time and make me swear a little when I found out who The Little Mermaid was, it was an amazing ride. I don’t go through that serendipity journey through most plots anymore at this point of life, with more than a thousand different books read at the age of 22, so I always save a delightful spot in my heart for all books and authors who manage to truly surprise me. Katie, come here for a hug.
If I had to use only one word to describe the characters in Myths of Mish, it would be ‘strong’. Of course you aren’t that lucky and I won’t stop at one word, haha! #evilpandastrickes My favourite along the ride was Minna. She is so not your typical YA heroine: she has poise, patience and knows exactly when to kick butt and when to keep quiet on an argument. Seriously, she was so mature in all the right ways, but still being flawed – HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT, HAMSTEAD?!!
On the other hand, I hated Hansel with the force. The guy had a weak case for all his jerkiness and I can’t believe how Minna didn’t kick his ass early. It’s literally too much love that stopped her, ugh.
But Annelise, you’re pouring your heart out in compliments and only gave the book 4 stars. What in hell went wrong?
Yeah, there’s that. Besides my strong negative feelings towards Hansel, the lack of the special spark that the first book gives and Myths of Mish fails to deliver, there was one more factor that made me decide to definitely take off a star. It was this line:
MOST. OVERUSED. LINE. IN LITERATURE. IN EVER. The fact that it was used in the third person didn’t do any wonders to soothe my poor brain.
Ahem. I’m controlled now. Let’s talk about quotes? I think we should. Nooothing sells the book like quotes /o/ Myths of Mish isn’t the kind of book full of funny pearls all over, but there was one dialogue that cracked me up for good. LAUGH WITH ME, CHILDREN.
I received this copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Let's go :D
*~.Book Analysis.~*
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader :)
Myths of Mish was a non-stop rollercoaster of adventure with a unique narrative and a mind-blowing plot. Hansel and Gretel meets The Little Mermaid and they all seriously kick ass together <3 Once again, Hamstead sucked me into her fairy-tale galaxies and I loved it – my only solid complain was Hansel’s personality shift. Don’t get me wrong, the guy was a jerk with a capital J, but I felt his change of heart was too sudden and too hard, if that makes sense? I also missed a little of the “OMG IT’S HAPPENING, OMG IT’S HAPPENING!! CALL 911!!” magic from the first book, so 4 stars AND OMG WHEN DOES THE NEXT BOOK WILL BE OUT?!
As I said, the narrative in this book is quite unique and I LOVED IT. Hamstead tells us the story from three different points of view: Hansel, Gretel and Wilhelmine, aka. Minna. The catch? Hansel and Gretel’s POV is third person styled, while Minna’s POV is FIRST PERSON. ISN’T THIS PERFECT?!!
Seriously, I had never seem a book written like this and I squealed when I identified the pattern. Hamstead, you’re a genius. Never change. Also, her writing style is addicting – you never want to put her books down, trust me ;)
The plot, as I expected, was full of twists and turns. While Hamstead kept me pinning the whole time and make me swear a little when I found out who The Little Mermaid was, it was an amazing ride. I don’t go through that serendipity journey through most plots anymore at this point of life, with more than a thousand different books read at the age of 22, so I always save a delightful spot in my heart for all books and authors who manage to truly surprise me. Katie, come here for a hug.
If I had to use only one word to describe the characters in Myths of Mish, it would be ‘strong’. Of course you aren’t that lucky and I won’t stop at one word, haha! #evilpandastrickes My favourite along the ride was Minna. She is so not your typical YA heroine: she has poise, patience and knows exactly when to kick butt and when to keep quiet on an argument. Seriously, she was so mature in all the right ways, but still being flawed – HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT, HAMSTEAD?!!
On the other hand, I hated Hansel with the force. The guy had a weak case for all his jerkiness and I can’t believe how Minna didn’t kick his ass early. It’s literally too much love that stopped her, ugh.
But Annelise, you’re pouring your heart out in compliments and only gave the book 4 stars. What in hell went wrong?
Yeah, there’s that. Besides my strong negative feelings towards Hansel, the lack of the special spark that the first book gives and Myths of Mish fails to deliver, there was one more factor that made me decide to definitely take off a star. It was this line:
“Hansel let out the breath he hadn’t noticed himself holding.”
MOST. OVERUSED. LINE. IN LITERATURE. IN EVER. The fact that it was used in the third person didn’t do any wonders to soothe my poor brain.
Ahem. I’m controlled now. Let’s talk about quotes? I think we should. Nooothing sells the book like quotes /o/ Myths of Mish isn’t the kind of book full of funny pearls all over, but there was one dialogue that cracked me up for good. LAUGH WITH ME, CHILDREN.
Minna: You look exhausted. Did you sleep at all last night?
Hansel: *grunts*
Minna: Very articulate. If you’d like, I can take over.
Hansel: *scoffs*
Minna: Are you going to use words?
Hansel: *grunts*
Minna: Mmm. *brushes her fingers on his*
Hansel: What are you doing?
Minna: Ah! Words!
Hansel: *scowls*
*~.Cover Analysis.~*
Just because I was excited it doesn’t mean I loved this. Quite on the contrary: I’m utterly disappointed. Princess of Tyrone has one of the prettiest covers ever, so I set my expectations too high. Flying hands, really? Moreover, I don’t feel this cover representing the story at all! Also, the tittle is a little heavy on the typo effects, if you ask me.
I did like all the glitter and purple, haha!
~*~
Overall, if you like fantasy, sci-fi, fairy-tale retellings and adventure, YOU MUST read this book and this series <3 And that’s it! Thank you so much for reading this review and, of course, thanks again to YA Bound Book Tours for this review copy =D
March 24, 2017
Reviewed at my blog: Babbling Books
*I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley by invitation from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review*
Going into this book I didn’t know what to expect as it had been awhile since I read the last one and I wasn’t sure whether this was going to be a sequel, or something else. Well it turned out to be more like a prequel, where you get to learn more about how the different kingdoms came together in the first place. I really loved getting to know more about the individual kingdoms and some of the legends and lore that surrounded them.
I’ll be honest in saying that while I know the basic story of Hansel and Gretel (you know, two little kids go into woods and almost get eaten by evil witch) I don’t know much past that. So it was great to read Hamstead’s new spin on it. Also I feel like there might’ve been a twist on The Little Mermaid in there somewhere as well, which was fantastic. As an author she does a marvelous job of weaving these new stories and making them believable in these worlds.
The characters she creates have such excellent depth as well. In the beginning Hansel was starting to grate on me after awhile being so overtly rude to Minna and acting like a little child on the playground, always so paranoid. But by the end of the book I was just as in love with him as Minna was. And it takes great skill as a writer to make a reader change their mind about how they feel about a character over such a short span, so serious kudos for that. I think part of it had to do with that adorable faux-play scene near the end, so adorable! And I’m so happy that she always keeps the romances passionate but chaste at the same time. Gretel was cute and I liked her added sweetness and the lighthearted aspects she brought to the book, but I did want to slap her for being almost too naive near the end, but as always it all came together and everyone fit perfectly, including Rune who was such a quirky, awesome guy.
I only have two nit-picks about this book, but they’re not really anything that changes my opinion overall. My first one is that I’m not a huge fan of the cover this time around, I get why that’s the cover after reading the book, but the last cover for Princess of Tyrone was so stunning I just wish I could love this one the same.
Also, the pacing of this book did feel a little rushed compared to Princess of Tyrone, but I think that fit this book better as the circumstances called for a faster pace as the characters were under more constraints. My only wish would’ve been for the ending to have been dragged out maybe a couple of chapters more, I felt like the action was pushed through pretty quickly and there could’ve been more added to it, but overall it was still done wonderfully.
I’m so excited that I got invited to read this. It’s hard to find fairytale retellings that are done well, and done so consistently, but Hamsead has delivered a stunning book not once, but twice now so I look forward to reading as many books in these Chronicles as she wants to write!
Read my review of the first book: Princess of Tyrone
*I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley by invitation from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review*
“You should never compare yourself to other people. When you do, all you see is their strengths and put them against your weaknesses. It’s not a fair comparison.”Hamstead has done it again with this addition to the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles. I simply couldn’t put this book down. Her ability to create the most captivating characters, imagery and world is just astounding.
Going into this book I didn’t know what to expect as it had been awhile since I read the last one and I wasn’t sure whether this was going to be a sequel, or something else. Well it turned out to be more like a prequel, where you get to learn more about how the different kingdoms came together in the first place. I really loved getting to know more about the individual kingdoms and some of the legends and lore that surrounded them.
I’ll be honest in saying that while I know the basic story of Hansel and Gretel (you know, two little kids go into woods and almost get eaten by evil witch) I don’t know much past that. So it was great to read Hamstead’s new spin on it. Also I feel like there might’ve been a twist on The Little Mermaid in there somewhere as well, which was fantastic. As an author she does a marvelous job of weaving these new stories and making them believable in these worlds.
The characters she creates have such excellent depth as well. In the beginning Hansel was starting to grate on me after awhile being so overtly rude to Minna and acting like a little child on the playground, always so paranoid. But by the end of the book I was just as in love with him as Minna was. And it takes great skill as a writer to make a reader change their mind about how they feel about a character over such a short span, so serious kudos for that. I think part of it had to do with that adorable faux-play scene near the end, so adorable! And I’m so happy that she always keeps the romances passionate but chaste at the same time. Gretel was cute and I liked her added sweetness and the lighthearted aspects she brought to the book, but I did want to slap her for being almost too naive near the end, but as always it all came together and everyone fit perfectly, including Rune who was such a quirky, awesome guy.
I only have two nit-picks about this book, but they’re not really anything that changes my opinion overall. My first one is that I’m not a huge fan of the cover this time around, I get why that’s the cover after reading the book, but the last cover for Princess of Tyrone was so stunning I just wish I could love this one the same.
Also, the pacing of this book did feel a little rushed compared to Princess of Tyrone, but I think that fit this book better as the circumstances called for a faster pace as the characters were under more constraints. My only wish would’ve been for the ending to have been dragged out maybe a couple of chapters more, I felt like the action was pushed through pretty quickly and there could’ve been more added to it, but overall it was still done wonderfully.
I’m so excited that I got invited to read this. It’s hard to find fairytale retellings that are done well, and done so consistently, but Hamsead has delivered a stunning book not once, but twice now so I look forward to reading as many books in these Chronicles as she wants to write!
Read my review of the first book: Princess of Tyrone
April 11, 2017
Flying ships and magical planets--Hansel and Gretel dive into a galactic tale which brings the shadows and thrills of the original fairy tale to life in a whole new way.
Gretel's arranged marriage has been announced, and Hansel discovers that he's about to be 'pushed off' to one of the top schools. Some might see these as a blessing, but Hansel's convinced it's all part of his step-mother's evil plot to get rid of the two. Again. Hansel does the only thing he can--takes Gretel and runs.
This is the second book in the science fiction series, and I did not read the first one. Still, I had no trouble disappearing into these pages. In other words, it's a definite stand alone.
Although this falls into the science fiction category, there's a lovely mixture of fairy tale and fantasy tossed in. It takes places on an alien planet, but it's not hard core and is easy to get lost in the magical world. Descriptions are kept to a minimum, which, at times, was a little disappointing. But then, this tale is all about adventure and a fast-paced plot. The first pages start out with a bang, illustrating the tempo which holds on the whole way through. The characters are well enough explored to get to know them fairly well, but depth isn't key in this book. It's a set sail and enjoy the high-wave ride sort of read.
Hansel and Gretel catch the eye from the beginning on and are true siblings to the very end. Gretel has the exact same innocence and dreaminess that is to be expected from her character in the original tale. Hansel, on the other hand, is prickly. Where Gretel trusts everyone, he trusts no one. He's harsh, rude, commanding and doesn't set of the slightest warm-fuzzy feeling. Although this changes through the book, it takes a bit and, at times, it's hard not to give him a big, fat raspberry. But by the end, he redeems himself completely.
Minna is the new addition, and what an add on she is! Spunk, elegance, cleverness and finesse surround her like a pleasant cloud. She adds just the right amount of zest to Hansel and Gretel, and rounds off the story in so many ways.
There's adventure, action, danger, witches, mystery, a bit of steampunk and romance. It's easy to get lost in the story. The sheer excitement of joining the trio as they search out the mystical island to get to the bottom of Hansel's paranoia makes it worth the read, and I can't wait to see which fairy tale joins this series next.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and enjoyed it so much I wanted to leave my thoughts.
Gretel's arranged marriage has been announced, and Hansel discovers that he's about to be 'pushed off' to one of the top schools. Some might see these as a blessing, but Hansel's convinced it's all part of his step-mother's evil plot to get rid of the two. Again. Hansel does the only thing he can--takes Gretel and runs.
This is the second book in the science fiction series, and I did not read the first one. Still, I had no trouble disappearing into these pages. In other words, it's a definite stand alone.
Although this falls into the science fiction category, there's a lovely mixture of fairy tale and fantasy tossed in. It takes places on an alien planet, but it's not hard core and is easy to get lost in the magical world. Descriptions are kept to a minimum, which, at times, was a little disappointing. But then, this tale is all about adventure and a fast-paced plot. The first pages start out with a bang, illustrating the tempo which holds on the whole way through. The characters are well enough explored to get to know them fairly well, but depth isn't key in this book. It's a set sail and enjoy the high-wave ride sort of read.
Hansel and Gretel catch the eye from the beginning on and are true siblings to the very end. Gretel has the exact same innocence and dreaminess that is to be expected from her character in the original tale. Hansel, on the other hand, is prickly. Where Gretel trusts everyone, he trusts no one. He's harsh, rude, commanding and doesn't set of the slightest warm-fuzzy feeling. Although this changes through the book, it takes a bit and, at times, it's hard not to give him a big, fat raspberry. But by the end, he redeems himself completely.
Minna is the new addition, and what an add on she is! Spunk, elegance, cleverness and finesse surround her like a pleasant cloud. She adds just the right amount of zest to Hansel and Gretel, and rounds off the story in so many ways.
There's adventure, action, danger, witches, mystery, a bit of steampunk and romance. It's easy to get lost in the story. The sheer excitement of joining the trio as they search out the mystical island to get to the bottom of Hansel's paranoia makes it worth the read, and I can't wait to see which fairy tale joins this series next.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and enjoyed it so much I wanted to leave my thoughts.
April 4, 2017
First off I love Katie. Not only as a wonderful author but as a dear friend. Book one was honestly one of my favorite stories I have been so excited for book 2, and I was not disappointed. The characters were so personable. I fell in love with Minna and Hansel's whole story. The wicked people were truly wicked and the heroes were wonderfully amazing. I don't want to give spoilers but please know this book was amazing.
March 17, 2017
4.5 magical stars!
This is a clever and futuristic re-telling of Hansel and Gretel, with another fairy tale mixed in for good measure. (No spoilers here, you’ll have to read to find out which!)
Older brother Hansel is head strong and super protective of his sister Gretel, especially ever since their father’s new wife tried to lose them in the woods when they were children. Now that Hansel is 21, his father has given up trying to form an alliance via his marriage, and instead has arranged for sweet, 17-year-old Gretel to marry a neighboring President. Fearing for his sister’s safety and happiness, Hansel steals her away in the middle of the night to avoid early morning nuptials. Gretel’s childhood friend, Wilhelmine (Minna), sneaks onboard the spaceship to help look after of them.
As Hansel, Gretel, and Minna journey off on the adventure of a lifetime, they learn more about each other and themselves.
Perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer’s ‘The Lunar Chronicles’!
I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.
‘Myths of Mish’ will be available as part of the Kindle Unlimited program starting on March 28, 2017.
This is a clever and futuristic re-telling of Hansel and Gretel, with another fairy tale mixed in for good measure. (No spoilers here, you’ll have to read to find out which!)
Older brother Hansel is head strong and super protective of his sister Gretel, especially ever since their father’s new wife tried to lose them in the woods when they were children. Now that Hansel is 21, his father has given up trying to form an alliance via his marriage, and instead has arranged for sweet, 17-year-old Gretel to marry a neighboring President. Fearing for his sister’s safety and happiness, Hansel steals her away in the middle of the night to avoid early morning nuptials. Gretel’s childhood friend, Wilhelmine (Minna), sneaks onboard the spaceship to help look after of them.
As Hansel, Gretel, and Minna journey off on the adventure of a lifetime, they learn more about each other and themselves.
Perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer’s ‘The Lunar Chronicles’!
I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.
‘Myths of Mish’ will be available as part of the Kindle Unlimited program starting on March 28, 2017.
May 27, 2017
I received this eBook from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
To see more reviews like this, please visit me at Shh, I am Reading
Thank you, Katie Hamstead, for having a deep love for Firefly and continuing to use it as inspiration in her stories. I love it and it completely fills that Space Cowboy and Steampunk love that I have.
Hansel and Gretel, we’re all familiar with that story. House made of gingerbread and a witch captures them to eat them. Well, the story happened. Now Hansel and Gretel are all grown up.
Hansel’s father and stepmother plan to marry Gretel off to a much older man, and the father of Gretel’s friend Mina. Hansel tries to stop it and takes off with his sister to save her. Ever since he returned from the witches house, he has been highly suspicious of his parents, especially his step mother. If something traumatic like that happened to you or I, we would be just as suspicious too.
However, Hansel is one of the most disagreeable characters ever. He is neurotic to the point of insanity. He is also really, really rude to Mina. Some of that is because he had forgotten she had grown up and was her own person, not some fourteen year old girl with silly fantasies in her mind. But you know, the bigger the jerk, the harder they fall… right?
It would have been nice to see Gretel in a different light. She kind of took a back burner to Hansel. In that, she seemed meek and naive. At least until much later in the book when she began to truly shine.
Mina, she was the best character. She was everything people look for in a character. She was bad ass, head of her own naval ship, in league with the pirates and could handle herself easily. She also managed to keep Hansel at an arm’s length without revealing her feelings.
I truly enjoyed the mixing of fairy tales and myths in this. Mermaid’s and siren’s was perfect to add into the tale. Especially with siren’s. It was a perfect Brother’s Grimm tale with that. Also, nothing like evil step parents!
I totally look forward to seeing where Ms. Hamstead takes her stories. I hope to see more myths and fairy tales retold. I do enjoy a good retelling!
To see more reviews like this, please visit me at Shh, I am Reading
Thank you, Katie Hamstead, for having a deep love for Firefly and continuing to use it as inspiration in her stories. I love it and it completely fills that Space Cowboy and Steampunk love that I have.
Hansel and Gretel, we’re all familiar with that story. House made of gingerbread and a witch captures them to eat them. Well, the story happened. Now Hansel and Gretel are all grown up.
Hansel’s father and stepmother plan to marry Gretel off to a much older man, and the father of Gretel’s friend Mina. Hansel tries to stop it and takes off with his sister to save her. Ever since he returned from the witches house, he has been highly suspicious of his parents, especially his step mother. If something traumatic like that happened to you or I, we would be just as suspicious too.
However, Hansel is one of the most disagreeable characters ever. He is neurotic to the point of insanity. He is also really, really rude to Mina. Some of that is because he had forgotten she had grown up and was her own person, not some fourteen year old girl with silly fantasies in her mind. But you know, the bigger the jerk, the harder they fall… right?
It would have been nice to see Gretel in a different light. She kind of took a back burner to Hansel. In that, she seemed meek and naive. At least until much later in the book when she began to truly shine.
Mina, she was the best character. She was everything people look for in a character. She was bad ass, head of her own naval ship, in league with the pirates and could handle herself easily. She also managed to keep Hansel at an arm’s length without revealing her feelings.
I truly enjoyed the mixing of fairy tales and myths in this. Mermaid’s and siren’s was perfect to add into the tale. Especially with siren’s. It was a perfect Brother’s Grimm tale with that. Also, nothing like evil step parents!
I totally look forward to seeing where Ms. Hamstead takes her stories. I hope to see more myths and fairy tales retold. I do enjoy a good retelling!
August 11, 2017
*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I just cannot get over how interesting this world is. I remember being absolutely blown away in the first book. In this one.... not so much. I honestly just needed more details to understand what everything looked and felt like. Because of the first book I assumed when they got into their ship that they would be going into space yet then there was talking about an ocean and.... I will admit to being more confused while reading this book.
I really loved the personalities of the characters in this book (Except Hansel who is a big jerk). Minna was awesome and pretty kickass, while Gretel had her moments of cuteness (Even though she acted more 14 than 17). I even liked Rune and Stein who barely had any time! Hansel... he seemed quite irredeemable to me-- I just don't accept his reasoning or the way anyone could have put up with him talking to them the way he did! He went from being a 21 y/o to a 15y/o I SWEAR!! So, maturity was pretty low in this...
I also didn't really understand the purpose of the adventure. "I'm going to Mythos!!" Cool....why? Seriously, why did he want to? Originally...
Okay, so there is still even more I did not quite understand, but I feel like I am more forgiving because of the first book I thoroughly enjoyed and the atmosphere of the book. If the book was like double the length I think I may have totally been in love with it. It just needed those added details, clarification on motives, and maybe slow down the adventure so there are down times the crew could talk and not be in danger of dying. (That poor abused ship).
I'm looking forward to the third installment!!
I just cannot get over how interesting this world is. I remember being absolutely blown away in the first book. In this one.... not so much. I honestly just needed more details to understand what everything looked and felt like. Because of the first book I assumed when they got into their ship that they would be going into space yet then there was talking about an ocean and.... I will admit to being more confused while reading this book.
I really loved the personalities of the characters in this book (Except Hansel who is a big jerk). Minna was awesome and pretty kickass, while Gretel had her moments of cuteness (Even though she acted more 14 than 17). I even liked Rune and Stein who barely had any time! Hansel... he seemed quite irredeemable to me-- I just don't accept his reasoning or the way anyone could have put up with him talking to them the way he did! He went from being a 21 y/o to a 15y/o I SWEAR!! So, maturity was pretty low in this...
I also didn't really understand the purpose of the adventure. "I'm going to Mythos!!" Cool....why? Seriously, why did he want to? Originally...
Okay, so there is still even more I did not quite understand, but I feel like I am more forgiving because of the first book I thoroughly enjoyed and the atmosphere of the book. If the book was like double the length I think I may have totally been in love with it. It just needed those added details, clarification on motives, and maybe slow down the adventure so there are down times the crew could talk and not be in danger of dying. (That poor abused ship).
I'm looking forward to the third installment!!
March 27, 2018
Myths wasn't as good as Princess of Tyrone. Not that Myths was a bad book; but the hero, Hansel, is a little over the top with the paranoia and his abusive treatment of Minna through almost 3/4 of the story.
And Minna falls in love with him anyway (before he stops acting like an a-hole).
The plot itself is fast paced, and while I could see the plot twists coming, I didn't accurately predict where they were headed until each was upon me. Gretel tries desperately to play matchmaker between Hansel and Minna (again, why? He's an absolute jerk to Minna - why would you try to hook your best friend up with someone who treats her like trash?).
Perhaps my issue with the relationship between hero and heroine in this story is my age. This is, of course, a YA sci fi romance, and here I am at 41, a survivor of abuse, trying to wrap my head around a young woman falling in love with an abusive male. Yes, Hansel mostly outgrows his perpetual jerkdom by the end of the book. The evil antagonist is vanguished, everyone gets married and has a happy-ever-after (Gretel meets someone on their adventure... if I tell you more, I'd have to put spoiler alerts all over this post!).
My final verdict, though? Mixed review, 3 stars. Great plot and character development; had a hard time accepting the love-the-abuser thing.
And Minna falls in love with him anyway (before he stops acting like an a-hole).
The plot itself is fast paced, and while I could see the plot twists coming, I didn't accurately predict where they were headed until each was upon me. Gretel tries desperately to play matchmaker between Hansel and Minna (again, why? He's an absolute jerk to Minna - why would you try to hook your best friend up with someone who treats her like trash?).
Perhaps my issue with the relationship between hero and heroine in this story is my age. This is, of course, a YA sci fi romance, and here I am at 41, a survivor of abuse, trying to wrap my head around a young woman falling in love with an abusive male. Yes, Hansel mostly outgrows his perpetual jerkdom by the end of the book. The evil antagonist is vanguished, everyone gets married and has a happy-ever-after (Gretel meets someone on their adventure... if I tell you more, I'd have to put spoiler alerts all over this post!).
My final verdict, though? Mixed review, 3 stars. Great plot and character development; had a hard time accepting the love-the-abuser thing.
February 27, 2018
I want to thank Katie Hamstead for reaching out and providing me an e-arc copy of this book.
This is a loosely related story to Hansel and Gretel. Actually, it's more of what happens to them after the whole breadcrumbs and witch story. It's also in space, which is cool. Unfortunately, I did not like this one as much as the first book.
I could not stand Hansel. He was really just a jerk for most of the book. He was legit rude and obnoxious throughout most of the story. THEN he suddenly stops being so rude and I'm supposed to just love his character? I couldn't. At this point, I just could not get over how he treated his sister and Minna.
I understand that this was supposed to be a fresh take on the romance not being an "insta" love. I just don't know that I can get behind how he treated her and then fell in love with her. It was juts a bit too much of a stretch for me.
I did like Minna and Gretel, but mostly Minna. She was really not going to take any crap but her only flaw was letting Hansel be a jerk. Haha. I mean, she did okay standing up for herself but I don't know how she loved him the whole time. Maybe it's the whole changing a bad guy complex, who knows.
The plot was really predictable for me, almost too much. I did like it but I just loved the first book so much more. The first half of the book was really rough to get through but it picked up for me the last half. It's a light read and quick read.
You can see this review on my blog: Books are the New Black
This is a loosely related story to Hansel and Gretel. Actually, it's more of what happens to them after the whole breadcrumbs and witch story. It's also in space, which is cool. Unfortunately, I did not like this one as much as the first book.
I could not stand Hansel. He was really just a jerk for most of the book. He was legit rude and obnoxious throughout most of the story. THEN he suddenly stops being so rude and I'm supposed to just love his character? I couldn't. At this point, I just could not get over how he treated his sister and Minna.
I understand that this was supposed to be a fresh take on the romance not being an "insta" love. I just don't know that I can get behind how he treated her and then fell in love with her. It was juts a bit too much of a stretch for me.
I did like Minna and Gretel, but mostly Minna. She was really not going to take any crap but her only flaw was letting Hansel be a jerk. Haha. I mean, she did okay standing up for herself but I don't know how she loved him the whole time. Maybe it's the whole changing a bad guy complex, who knows.
The plot was really predictable for me, almost too much. I did like it but I just loved the first book so much more. The first half of the book was really rough to get through but it picked up for me the last half. It's a light read and quick read.
You can see this review on my blog: Books are the New Black
March 29, 2017
This was an interesting take on the traditional “Hansel and Gretel” story that went places I certainly wasn’t expecting. I liked that Wilhelmine had some hidden skills and that whole aspect (avoiding spoilers sorry to be oblique!), but the plot felt very meandering until we get to the main action. Additionally, the romance also felt much more forced than in “Princess of Tyrone” where the couple was able to develop a friendship in addition to the instant attraction. In contrast, I found Hansel to have very few redeeming features to justify the “instalove”.
Generally, I enjoyed this book and really liked the adventurous aspects with a few interesting characters mixed in. I found the romance more distracting then enhancing to the book, but it certainly didn’t ruin my delight in the world building and myth combinations. As I really loved “Princess of Tyrone”, I will certainly be continuing this series as they come out!
Warning: Contains some violence.
Who should read it? Fairy tale retelling fans and young adult fans.
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
Generally, I enjoyed this book and really liked the adventurous aspects with a few interesting characters mixed in. I found the romance more distracting then enhancing to the book, but it certainly didn’t ruin my delight in the world building and myth combinations. As I really loved “Princess of Tyrone”, I will certainly be continuing this series as they come out!
Warning: Contains some violence.
Who should read it? Fairy tale retelling fans and young adult fans.
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
March 29, 2018
This book was so awesome! It's a continuation of Hansel and Gretel, not a traditional retelling, and yeah, it was so great! We saw so much more of this universe, and yeah, I know it's set before book 1, since the main couple of the first book visited Hansel and Gretel's graves, it was great to see their story play out!
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August 12, 2025I received a copy for review courtesy of the author. My full review can be found here: https://pirateladypages.wordpress.com/
September 5, 2023
Book 2 in the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles.
Hansel and Gretel meets The Little Mermaid, while sailing the seas of Mish.
Hansel and Gretel meets The Little Mermaid, while sailing the seas of Mish.
April 18, 2017
I feel bad being the first person to give this a lower rating, but I was just so bored for most of this book. Which was disappointing because I really liked the first one and that's why I gave this one a shot.
The world building here was great. It was so easy to picture everywhere they went and all that was going on. The story was interesting too. I loved the twist on Hansel and Gretel and what "really" happened in the woods to them. My problem was that the majority of this book was about Minna's love for Hansel and how he slowly comes to realize how much he loves her. It was so cheesy and tedious. While they do slowly make progress toward finding the island of Mythos (which I thought was going to be the main thing here), the focus was definitely on their romance. Which was not that exciting or entertaining.
Hansel is an extremely paranoid person who trusts nobody except for his sister. His love for Gretel is so strong it's almost disturbing. When he refuses to accept a marriage contract it forces Gretel to accept one. He doesn't want it, she doesn't want it, and they run away. Minna is Gretel's best friend and the one that Hansel refused to marry, but she still wants to help keep them from doing something stupid so she hides on the ship and refuses to leave them. Reluctantly Hansel allows her to stay because she is proving more useful than he ever thought she could be. The more time they spend together, the more his eyes open up to who Minna really is. He has such a hatred for magic though that he thinks she has bewitched him. It takes him quite a while to figure out that's not it.
Along the way they meet pirates, sirens and men who managed to survive the sirens who are living in the frozen fortress that use to belong to the merpeople. We learn quite a bit about Minna and about Hansel's step mother while there. Turns out while he was wrong on what she is, he was totally right to have never ever trusted her. Nothing like a paranoid person being validated. Gretel's immaturity and naivety make a mess of things and are used to build up to the end. There's a fight that is easily won, so not quite all that exciting. The whole portal thing at the end was cool though. After their victory, their lives will all change. Perhaps even for their planet. But what happened was quite unbelievable .
Despite not particularly liking this book, I'll hold out hope that the next one will be good. I did like the first, so it could still happen.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
The world building here was great. It was so easy to picture everywhere they went and all that was going on. The story was interesting too. I loved the twist on Hansel and Gretel and what "really" happened in the woods to them. My problem was that the majority of this book was about Minna's love for Hansel and how he slowly comes to realize how much he loves her. It was so cheesy and tedious. While they do slowly make progress toward finding the island of Mythos (which I thought was going to be the main thing here), the focus was definitely on their romance. Which was not that exciting or entertaining.
Hansel is an extremely paranoid person who trusts nobody except for his sister. His love for Gretel is so strong it's almost disturbing. When he refuses to accept a marriage contract it forces Gretel to accept one. He doesn't want it, she doesn't want it, and they run away. Minna is Gretel's best friend and the one that Hansel refused to marry, but she still wants to help keep them from doing something stupid so she hides on the ship and refuses to leave them. Reluctantly Hansel allows her to stay because she is proving more useful than he ever thought she could be. The more time they spend together, the more his eyes open up to who Minna really is. He has such a hatred for magic though that he thinks she has bewitched him. It takes him quite a while to figure out that's not it.
Along the way they meet pirates, sirens and men who managed to survive the sirens who are living in the frozen fortress that use to belong to the merpeople. We learn quite a bit about Minna and about Hansel's step mother while there. Turns out while he was wrong on what she is, he was totally right to have never ever trusted her. Nothing like a paranoid person being validated. Gretel's immaturity and naivety make a mess of things and are used to build up to the end. There's a fight that is easily won, so not quite all that exciting. The whole portal thing at the end was cool though. After their victory, their lives will all change. Perhaps even for their planet. But what happened was quite unbelievable .
Despite not particularly liking this book, I'll hold out hope that the next one will be good. I did like the first, so it could still happen.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
March 30, 2017
You can read my thoughts on Princess of Tyrone here: http://wp.me/p4pNA4-1lZ, but let's just say I was a bit of a fan. Although this second installment didn't immediately woo me as with the first, I did find that I grew to love the characters just as much as the story progressed. I absolutely adored Minna and the author's sneaky use of multiple fairy tales, not just the obvious, was really quite clever.
If you like retellings that aren't so close to the original tale that they are a bore, you should check out the Fairy Tale Galaxy Chronicles. It's not just another Cinder, I promise!
If you like retellings that aren't so close to the original tale that they are a bore, you should check out the Fairy Tale Galaxy Chronicles. It's not just another Cinder, I promise!
April 1, 2017
This review was originally published on Spinatale Reviews.
Hansel and Gretel have survived the witch in the wood, but have they truly escaped? The Myths of Mish takes the premise of Hansel and Gretel and expands upon it in a very creative fashion. Years after their escape from the evil witch, Hansel starts to suspect that their evil stepmother is again plotting to do away with him and Gretel. He decides to reveal the truth and sets out on an adventure with Gretel and Mina, a girl with whom he has a complicated history.
I was happily surprised by how well the science fiction and fantasy aspects were blended together. The latter half of the book is definitely more fantasy based, but the transition was gradual and fit in with the adventure story. The author is good at using the dynamic between the three characters to make the reader question whether or not Hansel is the only who sees the truth. I do wish that there had been a bit more build-up or foreshadowing before certain moments (particularly toward the end) but overall the plot had a nice pace.
The relationship between Hansel and Mina was definitely entertaining. I liked how the author set up an awkward history between them. At the beginning, I wasn’t a huge fan of how Hansel spoke to or about Mina. However, I did enjoy seeing how he struggled with his changing feelings toward her and how introspective he become during that struggle. While he was still a jerk, I came to understand him a bit more. My favorite part of their relationship was that he had to realize she was his equal (or better) before the relationship progressed at all. Gretel and Mina’s friendship anchored the book for me. They balanced each other well, with Mina helping Gretel grow and Gretel pushing Mina to accept herself. Mina herself was a wonderful character – mature, knowledgeable, respected, and flawed. I don’t quite believe that Hansel deserves her but at least he acknowledged that fact (and that he plans to work on being a better man).
This was a cute, easy read that I would recommend for those who enjoy seafaring adventures and mermaids. This one would be appropriate for younger readers, there’s nothing too adult or explicit.
Disclaimer: I received this book from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
Hansel and Gretel have survived the witch in the wood, but have they truly escaped? The Myths of Mish takes the premise of Hansel and Gretel and expands upon it in a very creative fashion. Years after their escape from the evil witch, Hansel starts to suspect that their evil stepmother is again plotting to do away with him and Gretel. He decides to reveal the truth and sets out on an adventure with Gretel and Mina, a girl with whom he has a complicated history.
I was happily surprised by how well the science fiction and fantasy aspects were blended together. The latter half of the book is definitely more fantasy based, but the transition was gradual and fit in with the adventure story. The author is good at using the dynamic between the three characters to make the reader question whether or not Hansel is the only who sees the truth. I do wish that there had been a bit more build-up or foreshadowing before certain moments (particularly toward the end) but overall the plot had a nice pace.
The relationship between Hansel and Mina was definitely entertaining. I liked how the author set up an awkward history between them. At the beginning, I wasn’t a huge fan of how Hansel spoke to or about Mina. However, I did enjoy seeing how he struggled with his changing feelings toward her and how introspective he become during that struggle. While he was still a jerk, I came to understand him a bit more. My favorite part of their relationship was that he had to realize she was his equal (or better) before the relationship progressed at all. Gretel and Mina’s friendship anchored the book for me. They balanced each other well, with Mina helping Gretel grow and Gretel pushing Mina to accept herself. Mina herself was a wonderful character – mature, knowledgeable, respected, and flawed. I don’t quite believe that Hansel deserves her but at least he acknowledged that fact (and that he plans to work on being a better man).
This was a cute, easy read that I would recommend for those who enjoy seafaring adventures and mermaids. This one would be appropriate for younger readers, there’s nothing too adult or explicit.
Disclaimer: I received this book from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
April 13, 2017
(I received this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and so when I was contacted and pre-approved to read this second book I was very excited as I knew this would be something I would enjoy, and I was right.
This story follow Hansel and Gretel years after they survived the witch in the woods which I thought was such an interesting concept which worked really well. At first, I wasn't too sure about the characters of Hansel or Gretel, as Hansel was mean to everyone other than Gretel and Gretel seemed rather young and naive for her age. However both of these characters had great character development and by the end of the book I really liked them both. I also really liked Minna, who was strong and independent and together the friendship between the three was great.
I liked the romance in this book as it didn't take over the entire story and as with the first book I loved the world and side characters. Overall I really enjoyed this second book, it was fun, fast paced and I never knew was was going to happen next.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and so when I was contacted and pre-approved to read this second book I was very excited as I knew this would be something I would enjoy, and I was right.
This story follow Hansel and Gretel years after they survived the witch in the woods which I thought was such an interesting concept which worked really well. At first, I wasn't too sure about the characters of Hansel or Gretel, as Hansel was mean to everyone other than Gretel and Gretel seemed rather young and naive for her age. However both of these characters had great character development and by the end of the book I really liked them both. I also really liked Minna, who was strong and independent and together the friendship between the three was great.
I liked the romance in this book as it didn't take over the entire story and as with the first book I loved the world and side characters. Overall I really enjoyed this second book, it was fun, fast paced and I never knew was was going to happen next.
April 17, 2017
Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours and author Katie Hamstead for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!
Myths of Mish is the second novel in Katie Hamstead’s delicious Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles and is another great read perfect for those who love their fairytales with a sci-fi flair or who are fans of Marissa Meyer.
Everyone knows the story of Hansel and Gretel; how they were lost in the woods and tricked by a wicked witch before ultimately killing the witch and saving themselves. Well, after years and years Hansel would like nothing more than to be rid of that stigma. It doesn’t help that he’s convinced that the experience in the woods was more sinister than it appeared and his step mother Berta is up to no good. Deemed paranoid and untrusting, all Hansel wants to do is protect his sister, even if it means helping her run away from an arranged marriage. Wilhelmine “Minna” Nordon has known the siblings since she was a child and if anyone knows about Hansel’s issues it’s her. So when Minna catches Hansel and Gretel running away she decides to stow away on their ship to protect her friend and the boy she has loved for years….if only Hansel would stop being so stubborn and give her a chance. Yet with Hansel’s fears turning out to be well founded, will Hansel finally see the wonderful person Minna really is? Or will it be too late for their happily ever after?
Following up the first novel in this adventurous series, Myths of Mish is a lovely twist on the Hansel and Gretel classic with sci-fi mixing with magic and romance. Featuring strong characters and unfolding through the varying POV’s of Hansel, Minna and Gretel, Myths of Mish was a well-rounded tale and kept me eagerly reading along.
I liked the characters in the story, although Hansel’s stubbornness was occasionally a bit grating and his cruel treatment of Minna in the beginning disheartening. That being said, I enjoyed seeing the growth in him and that Hamstead forced him to re-evaluate the way saw and treated Minna. It made me smile that his natural male pride made him want to always control his ship, although he wasn’t the best driver. It made him such a guy in this regard.
Personally I thought Myths of Mish was just a really well told entertaining read. It was just fun; exciting, romantic, action, adventure filled and very enjoyable. There was chemistry between the characters, plenty of fight sequences and dashing moments and of course romance and love that pleased the romantic in me.
A solid read and great addition to the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles, I’m looking forward to whatever tale Katie Hamstead has in store for us next!
Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!
Myths of Mish is the second novel in Katie Hamstead’s delicious Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles and is another great read perfect for those who love their fairytales with a sci-fi flair or who are fans of Marissa Meyer.
Everyone knows the story of Hansel and Gretel; how they were lost in the woods and tricked by a wicked witch before ultimately killing the witch and saving themselves. Well, after years and years Hansel would like nothing more than to be rid of that stigma. It doesn’t help that he’s convinced that the experience in the woods was more sinister than it appeared and his step mother Berta is up to no good. Deemed paranoid and untrusting, all Hansel wants to do is protect his sister, even if it means helping her run away from an arranged marriage. Wilhelmine “Minna” Nordon has known the siblings since she was a child and if anyone knows about Hansel’s issues it’s her. So when Minna catches Hansel and Gretel running away she decides to stow away on their ship to protect her friend and the boy she has loved for years….if only Hansel would stop being so stubborn and give her a chance. Yet with Hansel’s fears turning out to be well founded, will Hansel finally see the wonderful person Minna really is? Or will it be too late for their happily ever after?
Following up the first novel in this adventurous series, Myths of Mish is a lovely twist on the Hansel and Gretel classic with sci-fi mixing with magic and romance. Featuring strong characters and unfolding through the varying POV’s of Hansel, Minna and Gretel, Myths of Mish was a well-rounded tale and kept me eagerly reading along.
I liked the characters in the story, although Hansel’s stubbornness was occasionally a bit grating and his cruel treatment of Minna in the beginning disheartening. That being said, I enjoyed seeing the growth in him and that Hamstead forced him to re-evaluate the way saw and treated Minna. It made me smile that his natural male pride made him want to always control his ship, although he wasn’t the best driver. It made him such a guy in this regard.
Personally I thought Myths of Mish was just a really well told entertaining read. It was just fun; exciting, romantic, action, adventure filled and very enjoyable. There was chemistry between the characters, plenty of fight sequences and dashing moments and of course romance and love that pleased the romantic in me.
A solid read and great addition to the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles, I’m looking forward to whatever tale Katie Hamstead has in store for us next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 21, 2017I really enjoyed Myths of Mish. I’m always a fan of any kind of sci-fi, especially ones that include flying ships. I thought the mixing in of the fairytales was perfect.
The story takes the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel and gives it a new twist. The brother and sister pair are now grown up but still living with the stepmother that left them in the woods. Hansel is convinced that what happened to them as children was no accident and becomes obsessed with finding proof. In fact he has spent since they were lost until now trying to do that.
Hansel and Gretel might be the foundation of the story but my absolute favorite character is Wilhelmine or Minna. She is extremely strong and caring. Kicking butt and taking names, saving Hansel’s butt even when he doesn’t deserve her kindness. I really loved her personality and the rational ways she approached situations.
I would find Hansel to be the most interesting character because he changes so much from beginning to end of the story. He is cruel at the beginning to everyone except Gretel. I couldn’t believe the things he often said to Minna. She should have thrown him overboard from the start. I liked that she could see there was more to him. There is no excuse for his actions and she knows that but she helps to coax out the softer side of him. Also his paranoia is what makes him so crazy but as pieces start to finally fall into place, I think it tames his madness. By the end of the story he is still the same person but also not. He finally feels validated.
I had difficulty liking Gretel. I know that she is sheltered but she is such a ninny. I’m glad she stayed by her brothers side for the most part but even Minna had to point out to her why Hansel was the way he was. His main focus is protecting Gretel. I couldn’t understand how she couldn’t see that Berta was no good, even with Hansel showing her things that seemed suspicous. Believe the person who lost you in the woods or the person who saved you from being eaten in the woods? I feel like that shouldn’t have been a tough choice.
I loved this plot so much. Not only do we have the witches from the original Hansel and Gretel tale but also Merfolk and Sirens mixed in. There is the appearance of Elves, Fairies and Pirates even if only for brief moments. They really enriched the story. I love a good adventure and Hansel’s quest for Mythos definitely brought plenty of that. Even if they don’t end up finding what they were originally looking for. It was such a fun story to read!
I’m not a big fan of the cover for this book. It does relate to the story but still.
I would definitely say pick this one up. I really liked the writing and the plot and can’t wait to go back and read the Princess of Tyrone. Since I haven’t had the chance yet. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
The story takes the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel and gives it a new twist. The brother and sister pair are now grown up but still living with the stepmother that left them in the woods. Hansel is convinced that what happened to them as children was no accident and becomes obsessed with finding proof. In fact he has spent since they were lost until now trying to do that.
Hansel and Gretel might be the foundation of the story but my absolute favorite character is Wilhelmine or Minna. She is extremely strong and caring. Kicking butt and taking names, saving Hansel’s butt even when he doesn’t deserve her kindness. I really loved her personality and the rational ways she approached situations.
I would find Hansel to be the most interesting character because he changes so much from beginning to end of the story. He is cruel at the beginning to everyone except Gretel. I couldn’t believe the things he often said to Minna. She should have thrown him overboard from the start. I liked that she could see there was more to him. There is no excuse for his actions and she knows that but she helps to coax out the softer side of him. Also his paranoia is what makes him so crazy but as pieces start to finally fall into place, I think it tames his madness. By the end of the story he is still the same person but also not. He finally feels validated.
I had difficulty liking Gretel. I know that she is sheltered but she is such a ninny. I’m glad she stayed by her brothers side for the most part but even Minna had to point out to her why Hansel was the way he was. His main focus is protecting Gretel. I couldn’t understand how she couldn’t see that Berta was no good, even with Hansel showing her things that seemed suspicous. Believe the person who lost you in the woods or the person who saved you from being eaten in the woods? I feel like that shouldn’t have been a tough choice.
I loved this plot so much. Not only do we have the witches from the original Hansel and Gretel tale but also Merfolk and Sirens mixed in. There is the appearance of Elves, Fairies and Pirates even if only for brief moments. They really enriched the story. I love a good adventure and Hansel’s quest for Mythos definitely brought plenty of that. Even if they don’t end up finding what they were originally looking for. It was such a fun story to read!
I’m not a big fan of the cover for this book. It does relate to the story but still.
I would definitely say pick this one up. I really liked the writing and the plot and can’t wait to go back and read the Princess of Tyrone. Since I haven’t had the chance yet. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
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