Genre: Fairy Tale re-telling

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Sep 25

{Mermaid Makeup+Giveaway} #PartofYourWorld by Liz Braswell #ATwistedTale

To celebrate the release of Part of Your World by Liz Braswell, I have created a pinterest board of some of my favorite mermaid inspired makeup ideas and fun mermaid makeup brushes and mermaid nails! I have partnered with Disney Books to bring you an awesome giveaway for this series as well! So check out my pinterest board below and be sure to enter to win the Twisted Tale Giveaway! If you are new to the twisted tale series, you need to check them out! Each book follows a beloved disney tale, but with a dark twist on it. For example, Part of Your World asks the question, What would happen if the little mermaid never defeated Ursula? Cool idea, right? ———————————— View this post on Instagram A post shared by BookBriefs (@bookbriefs) on Sep 25, 2018 at 12:32pm PDT To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win A Twisted Tail! One (1) winner receives: a copy of Part of Your World, a mermaid tail blanket, and a… Read more »

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Sep 04

{Excerpt+Release Day Giveaway} Jaclyn and the Beanstalk by Mary Ting

On sale for $1.99 for a limited time only! To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win a $20 amazon gift card (Open INT) Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Aug 09

{Review+Giveaway} The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell

The Forest Queen is a young adult fantasy retelling by Betsy Cornwell. It is labeled as being book 0.5 in the Mechanica series. While I have not read Mechanica, I believe this is a standalone story that is set in the same world. Mechanica is a retelling of Cinderella but The Forest Queen is a female retelling of Robin Hood. I loved that Robin Hood was in fact our main character, Sylvie. In fact, the Forest Queen has a very strong female empowerment vibe throughout. I enjoyed The Forest Queen. I am a fan of the tale of Robin Hood and I thought the Forest Queen provided a new spin on that story. That being said, while I liked this book, it didn’t completely blow me away. It was a good novel, but something stopped me from completely falling in love with it. In the Forest Queen we meet Sylvie and her brother John. I got the impression that Sylvie and her brother John used to be pretty close, but… Read more »

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Jan 17

{Re-Review+Excerpt+Giveaway} Slumber by Christy Sloat

I read Slumber when it was previously released but it has since gotten a new cover, and I believe the book has been reworked a bit! Today I am sharing the new cover of Slumber, which I absolutely love! It is a big upgrade in my opinion, as well as my thoughts on the book, an excerpt and a giveaway for a new finished copy of Slumber! Slumber is the first book in the young adult Slumber Duology by Christy Sloat. I liked Slumber, but in the end it was just an ok read for me. Slumber is a fairy tale re-telling and I loved the twist that author Christy Sloat took on the tale. It is the story of sleeping beauty but it takes place in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane, where they have convinced the princess that she murdered her boyfriend. Interesting starting point, right? I thought so too, and the idea behind the story I still think is great. I think it would be better suited for younger,… Read more »

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Mar 01

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Beauty of the Beast by @RachelLDemeter

Beauty of the Beast is the first book in the new adult Fairy Tale retellings series by Rachel Demeter. I loved Beauty of the Beast. Totally and completely loved this book. I have been really into retellings lately, and this is a great one. The blurb claims it is “Perfect for fans of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> and <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>” and I can totally see that! This is a dark and gothic retelling, so it is not going to be light and fluffy, but it is so heartbreakingly romantic. I just loved seeing Isabelle and Adam. Isabelle is taking care of her sick father and Adam is a Prince and also the sole survivor of a raid on his castle when he was younger. He now lives in seculsion and when Isabelle and her father happen upon his castle she trades herself to save her father and that is really where our story starts. This story made me super emotional. Both happy and sad emotions. There are two… Read more »

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Oct 11

{Review+Giveaway} Spindle by @ShonnaSlayton @EntangledTeen

Spindle by Shonna Slyaton is a young adult fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I knew I had to read Spindle because I love retellings, because Sleeping Beauty is one disney classic that I never watched too much and because the cover is bea-u-ti-ful! I mean, seriously it is so pretty! I loved Spindle. I thought it was well executed, had a great flair for the classic story, but Shonna Slayton still made it her own. Spindle is the story of Briar Rose, a young girl trying to work for a better life for her siblings. I really loved Rose. I thought her work ethic was admirable and I loved her dedication to her brothers and sister. But no story is complete without a prince. In this case, her best friend Henry Prince. Which I thought was a cute twist. His family is hiding a big secret, which totally intriged me. I had my guesses from the beginning but I would be lying if I said I easily had this… Read more »

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Aug 20

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Dead Upon a Time by Elizabeth Paulson @Scholastic

Dead Upon A Time is set in a fairy tale world that is a little darker and a little more twisted than the fairy tales we all remember as kids. And in this world, children are being taken and tortured in creepy ways. I liked (and maybe liked is the wrong word because that makes me sound kind of sadistic) that the children were each tortured in a unique way to their particular story. One was forced to eat a poison apple over and over again, others were cooked alive, etc. Dead Upon a Time is the story of Jack and Kate, two outcasts in the village that embark on a quest to save the children, and Kate’s grandmother. Dead Upon a Time is a very quick read that I think would appeal to a younger crowd of young adult readers as well as older readers who are fans of grimm brothers, once upon a time series, and twisted fairy tale re-tellings. I loved the interplay in Elizabeth Paulson’s world… Read more »

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Feb 26

{Review+Giveaway} Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis @daviskaitlyn

Gathering Frost is the first book in the young adult fantasy series. The Series is called Once Upon a Curse, and each of the books are loosely based on fairy tale re-tellings. But let me tell you that if the rest of the books are anything like the first one, these are fairy tales that are twisted and turned in ways that you will not see coming. Gathering Frost is a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty, but there is no sleeping beauty in this tale. It is a waking curse placed on the heroine, who in the very first chapter claims that she is actually the bad guy? Sounds different than your average take, doesn’t it? It is! Gathering Frost seemed like Sleeping Beauty meets the Snow Queen meets the creativity that is Kaitlyn Davis’ mind. Jade is an interesting girl. I loved seeing the bland, emotionless shell that she was at the start of the book because it makes you appreciate the moments where the real Jade starts to peek… Read more »

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Feb 25

{ #Review } Insanity by @CameronJace

Insanity is the first book in the young adult series of the same name. Originally I thought that the series was going to be called Mad in Wonderland, and I have to admit that I liked that name more, but insanity is very fitting for this book. I loved this book. I think it might be my first (and only) 5 star book of the month. I thought that Cameron Jace did an amazing job capturing the mad essence and nonsensical sense of Lewis Carrol in his writing. I am a huge fan of both Through the Looking Glass and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so these books were a match made in mad heaven for me. I loved Cameron Jace’s Grimm Diaries, but Insanity has to be my favorite book of his to date. All of the characters came to life right in front of my eyes. Pillar the Killer was incredible. I know it sounds weird, but I am totally infatuated with him. I know that was not the… Read more »

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Aug 14

{Guest Post+Giveaway} TaleSpins by Michael Mullin @GemiknightPress

Guest Post by Michael Mullin Author of TaleSpins, a collection of 3 twisted fairytales for YA readers 10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT CREEPY THE 8TH DWARF 1) He doesn’t like the nickname “Creepy.” (Who would?) His real name is Edgar. He was named after an uncle who allegedly saved his village by leading an ogre off a cliff. Over time the story has come into question, but a dedication plaque in his honor still exists in the village square (although you do have to dig through some brush to see it). 2) It was Creepy who found the plot of land on which the dwarves built their cottage. He drew plans for a bigger dwelling that used the space more efficiently (and did not include a basement), but his design was voted down in favor of “quaint” and “simple.” 3) Creepy’s favorite Sesame Street character was (ok . . . is) Grover. 4) In his youth Creepy went through a short, but intense phase of political activism. During this… Read more »