Fairytales of Folkshore series by Lucy Tempest --> Restarting April 7th, 2021

[Deanie]

25% (view spoiler)[ Ella finally gets her own story, and it's actually a fairly traditional Cinderella story so far. Though the reveal that she's some kind of supernatural creature that's powering her step-family's magic batteries is very interesting. (hide spoiler)]

50% (view spoiler)[ A dryad. Does that mean that Ella might have faerie family somewhere? Also, who is trying to kill Yulin? Ella is supposed to be keeping him busy because of the assassination plot, but that part seems to be a bit thin. Unless Keenan made it up for the purposes of bringing Ella and Yulin together. (hide spoiler)]

79% (view spoiler)[ Oh wow. Poor Ella. Framed for murder, locked in a dungeon, about to be sentenced to become a tree. Yulin, I really thought better of you if you'd believe that drivel. (hide spoiler)]

100% (view spoiler)[ Yay, Happy Ending! And what seems to be the start of a Snow White story? Is that what's coming after Sleeping Beauty? (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

25% (view spoiler)[ So, Fairuza was a real bitch during the Cahraman books, but I see where she was coming from... too bad they can't see that "noble" doesn't necessarily mean someone royal. Perhaps someone of noble character is needed to save her. (hide spoiler)]

52% (view spoiler)[ Now they're in Faerie! I'm glad everyone can see Fairuza. And I love Keenan. Even in a bit part, his presence emphasizes the connected nature of the stories (that and mentioning Leander and what happened in Cahraman). Robin can't actually be in love with Marian, can he? (hide spoiler)]

75% (view spoiler)[ At this point, I want to knock Robin and Fairuza's heads together an tell them they're idiots and just need to accept that they're meant to be together. But they're adorable idiots. (hide spoiler)]

100% (view spoiler)[ I really do love happy endings, and this one is especially happy, since Fairuza broke away from what her obnoxious parents wanted and is living her own life. I'm glad there are at least two more stories coming in this series. I don't want it to end. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

25% (view spoiler)[I'm kind of surprised Fairuza still harbors so much resentment toward Ada. I thought they left off on okay terms.

Also, I don't exactly remember Leander's relation with Robin Hood in the Rosemead trilogy, and I'm not sure it was explained enough. I had thought they were friends, but now it seems like it was more of a grudging relationship. It also doesn't help that I don't know the story of Robin Hood as well as any of the others.

I thought I wouldn't like this as much as the others, just because Fairuza's perspective is so different from the other three, but then she became a ghost. This is going to be good. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

After having read the books, would you guys agree with this statement: Etheline is the Dumbledore of the Folkshore series?

[Celia]

Deanie wrote: "

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If you go on the author page, she says the next one is going to be a Snow White novella, potentially with Scheneza. I imagine just from the character's name that it might be a mix of Snow White and Arabian Nights.

[Kim]

I could definitely see that point. She’s the weaver of all the storylines but is not directly involved haha.

[Celia]

Kim wrote: "I could definitely see that point. She’s the weaver of all the storylines but is not directly involved haha."

That, and also she pretends to be the savior when really the people end up saving themselves, and she just gives them a little nudge.

[Celia]

52% (view spoiler)[I had a feeling Alan was Keenan, since he's used that name before. I love how these stories are all interconnected, and I'm glad we got to have Bonnie and Ella's experiences of Faerie before Fairuza's perspective, because it just makes a lot more sense now that we know that, as Robin says, Fairies are people too. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

And she’s acting like the savior while having put them in that precarious scenario to begin with. Without her, they would’ve kept on living without the peril.

[Celia]

Exactly

[Celia]

Guys, the next book comes out on March 15! The Faerie Prince: A Retelling of Snow White but I don't think it's on goodreads yet.

[Celia]

75% (view spoiler)[Okay, so this one has a lot more plot twists, and brings in quite a few characters we've seen before throughout the series. I now have a guess at who the Little Mermaid is, although not her prince. I do wonder how Cora is going to fall for the Horned God, though, if that's where this is leading. Maybe, like a lot of characters in this series, he is not what he seems. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

FINISHED (view spoiler)[That ending was amazing, and I really wanted to know up until the end what they planned to do about Marian, because like Fairuza, I cared about her happy ending as well.

I'm still unclear about the exact way that Fairuza was released from death's grip, but that ending was so sweet. I especially admire the budding friendship between Fairuza and Bonnie, and her transformation makes me her of my favorite characters.

Kim, I read parts of your review and I agree I never liked Sleeping Beauty growing up, but this definitely a very different spin on it. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

I will request that this thread be renewed for March 15. I already pre-ordered the next book.

[Celia]

Also, some general observations about the series

(view spoiler)[So, the next big problem seems to be a war with the gods - which seems to have a very Percy Jackson influence with the spin put on it at the end - and some sort of unprecedented virus. With this being published in late 2020, I wonder if that stems from anything...

I figured Persephone had to be Cora with her farm background, she was the only one who made sense. I also guessed vaguely that Ariane would be the Little Mermaid, but then I also didn't suspect that, because she didn't make much of an appearance in the Cahraman trilogy. I'm very interested to see what her deal or curse is, though. (hide spoiler)]

I'll keep this thread open until the end of the month so we have the two week period if anyone wants to comment or anyone new joins, but if not I'll request they reset it for the 15th.

[Alaina]

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RESTARTING MARCH 15TH, 2021

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[Aly]

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RESTARTING APRIL 7TH, 2021

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[Celia]

Hoping to start by the end of next week but I'm not sure, with all of my other challenges. I have a challenge that requires something specific this doesn't have within the next week and then I'll have to see if I'll need to prioritize this or Circe for various challenges.

[Kim]

just started and i had almost forgotten how much i love Tempest's writing style :)

[Celia]

Same here. It just keeps getting better.

20% (view spoiler)[I love that we're seeing more of Keenan in this. I don't remember if we got as much of a physical description of him in the past, and I really like the way Tempest describes him. It's a little different than I'd remembered him.

I also like that we're seeing more of the world of witches as well as humans and faeries because this is something that isn't approached as much, except a little bit in Cahraman. It's really interesting to see how that world works in conjunction with the human and faerie worlds that Tempest has created and borrowed. (hide spoiler)]

40% (view spoiler)[The intersections are one of my favorite things, especially the stuff with Fairuza. It's also interesting that we're introduced to someone who just kind of says WTF at all the drama that Ada, Bonnie, Ella, and Fairuza have faced before we go back to a few more characters who intersect with their stories. I love Snezhana's attitude. And Keenan, of course, who featured heavily in everyone's story except Ada's. (hide spoiler)]

60% (view spoiler)[Not sure why but I'm not enjoying this one as much as the rest. Not that it isn't good, maybe it's that I haven't yet found a Snow White retelling I appreciate as much as those of other fairytales.

I feel like Tempest borrowed from the Percy Jackson series a little bit here, especially in the interactions with Nereus. I know these are all based on the original Greek myths and maybe I'm reading too much into it but as the stories intersect more with mythology I see definite connections between Rick Riordan's books. I do love seeing this. (hide spoiler)]

FINISHED (view spoiler)[This might be the first time I'm giving a Folkshore book four stars instead of five. I enjoyed this immensely, but it wasn't on par with the previous books, especially without the element of interconnectedness between characters. Also, the issue wasn't related to anything we've seen before or that's been hinted at, except by Snezhana herself in Princess of Midnight.

That said, I love the personification of the Horned God over the last three books, it does the story well to have a bit more information about this, and I am looking forward to Cora's story and the conclusion with him.

I also loved how they did work around the immortality piece so that Jana and Keenan could actually be together. This was done well as always, it just didn't compare to the experiences of the previous books.

And my favorite part, of course, was the wedding scene. I'm glad we finally got to see one in these books, as well as an overall reunion. I'm anxiously awaiting Ada's as well, which will hopefully come at the end of Cora's trilogy. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

20% (view spoiler)[ i love that Keenan is part of this. he adds such a spunkiness to the snow white twist. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

Kim wrote: "20% [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[He's such a unique character (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

23% (view spoiler)[ do you think her dream sequence is a foreshadowing of a little mermaid story?? (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

Kim wrote: "23% [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Supposedly, the next book is supposed to be Mermaid of Tritonia featuring Ariane (the fifth contestant in the Cahraman trilogy) and then followed by a Hades and Persephone trilogy featuring Cora. So this is what that has been hinting at. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Celia Buell wrote: "Kim wrote: "23% [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

agh can't wait!!!

[Kim]

70% (view spoiler)[ i figured it was a trick but i didn't expect Aresnia. I thought it would have been the sprite that she had shocked with her magic. where is keenan?! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

78% (view spoiler)[ love the hydra protecting the garden! I’m ready to see what this Apple will do! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

finished! (view spoiler)[ so this was definitely not at the same level as the other books. i liked it but wasn't like "oh wow this was amazing!" like i had felt for the others. to be fair, i never really appreciated the original Snow White so maybe that had an impact.

the ending was fun and Keenan is such a quirky little demon man i enjoy him. her mannerisms reminded me a bit of Bonnie when she was with Leander.

i'm more excited for the other 2 rumored to come out next. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

Kim wrote: "finished! so this was definitely not at the same level as the other books."

(view spoiler)[I feel that too. It was good but not impressive. I'm not that into Snow White stuff either and I felt it was harder to read because it wasn't as interconnected as the rest of the stories. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

Ooh, I forgot the new book came out last month. I need to read it soon.

[Celia]

Deanie it's good, but don't necessarily expect the level of the other ones.