A Thousand Perfect Notes - C.G. Drews

A Thousand Perfect Notes

C.G. Drews

SPOILER WARNING

Where to Purchase: Amazon, Book Depository

Official Blurb: An emotionally charged story about the power of dreams, and how passion can turn to obsession.

Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music - because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

As a Retellling: Like Cinderella, Beck has been abused and isolated by his mother. He is then later offered a chance out by his kinder, much richer uncle, which he doesn't accept at first. Parallels to the life of Beethoven come in his name, the fact that he is driven to compose music, and becomes deaf at the end. I would also argue that this is a Rapunzel story in the fact that there is a heavy emphasis on music and August's rescue is a gradual reaching-in to someone who's been isolated their whole life, thus giving him the eventual strength and hope to accept his uncle's offer.

Arista's Thoughts: Drew's writing is simply art, and if you're in the mood for a contemporary that will break your heart and give you hope, this is it. Joey, Beck's younger sister, is adorable, and August is such a violent ray of sunshine, and Beck ... oh, Beck. I don't recommend it to everyone, as it deals with heavy themes, but it has a special place on my shelf. (Also, as a note, the author is Aussie and the book is set in Australia, so don't get confused by the seasons seeming to be backward.)

Inspired by - Cinderella, Beethoven
Unintentional Retelling - Rapunzel
Contemporary
Genderswap

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Ellie and the Prince - J.M. Stengl

Ellie and the Prince

J.M. Stengl

Faraway Castle, #1

Where to Purchase: Amazon

Official Blurb:

 She should resist him . . . but to rescue the unicorn, Ellie needs the prince's help.

Serving as Controller of Magical Creatures at the illustrious Faraway Castle resort, Ellie Calmer knows her place. She is a servant, and she has no business thinking about handsome Prince Omar, a regular visitor at the resort, much less talking to him!

But then a unicorn on the resort grounds attacks a party of riders, frightening the guests, and a band of young and adventurous nobles decide to hunt it down. Suddenly Ellie needs Omar's help. She knows something must be wrong to have driven the unicorn to such desperate extremes. Can she and Omar find the unicorn before it's too late? And will she somehow protect her heart against the irresistible attraction she feels for the kind and gentle prince?

As a Retelling:

This retelling is set at a luxury resort for royalty, and Cinderella is a servant with a talent for calming and understanding animals. The prince is a regular visitor who she's had a crush on for years. Though there's a lot of build-up and meander to get there, the story does eventually arrive at a traditional ball, provided by a Fairy Godmother figure, and there are two girls who fill a step-sister role, though, having no direct relation to Cinderella, have less of an impact on the story. Ultimately, the story does have a different twist to the end, but deepens the outcome rather than chances it.

Arista's Thoughts:
A definite favorite from the moment I read it. There is a small element of convenience to the romance, resulting in a small bit of frustration at the lack of communication it lead to. Also, the unicorn plotline in the blurb seemed more of a side-plot, especially since it was resolved quite a ways before the ending. Not really a complaint, but the blub did have me expecting it to be more of a focus. I did love the story we got, and even though I guessed the ending's plot twist ahead of time, it was really well done and I rather enjoyed it.

True Retelling - Cinderella

Magical

Indie

Medieval Contemporary

Cameo - The Little Mermaid

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The Princess Companion - Melanie Cellier

The Princess Companion

Melanie Cellier

The Four Kingdoms

SPOILER WARNING

Where to Purchase: Amazon

Official Blurb:

Danger and romance await a woodcutter's daughter in a royal palace.

One dark and stormy night, lost and alone, Alyssa finds herself knocking on the door of a castle. After a lifetime spent in the deep forest, Alyssa has no idea what to expect on the other side.

What she finds is two unruly young princesses and one very handsome prince. When Alyssa accepts the job of Princess Companion she knows her life will change. What she doesn't know is that the royal family is about to be swept up in unexpected danger and intrigue, and that she just might be the only thing standing between her kingdom and destruction.

This retelling of the classic fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea, reimagines the risks and rewards that come when one royal family goes searching for a true princess.

As a Retelling:
What if the prince's true love was the first to try the bed? What if she just failed to tell anyone that it was insanely uncomfortable, and then she's hired on to be companion to the prince's younger sisters, allowing her to properly get to know and fall in love with the prince? Alyssa is also a woodcutter's daughter instead of being an actual princess. The prince is also the son of Cinderella and her prince, who have fallen out of love due to her feeling like she can't handle the pressure of being queen.

Arista's Thoughts: 

Very sweet romance here, though it was a bit infurating as most of the book's conflict boils down to "lasp in communication." I also was quite disorinted as most of the book was in Alyssa's first person POV, but there were some "extra" scenes that were in Max's and Ava's, also first person. Lily and Sofie were adorable little girls, the showdown in the final act was pretty nice, and the ending was perfect. 

Fairy Tale Romance - The Princess and the Pea

Twisted Tale

Indie

Fallout - Cinderella

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Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted

Gail Carson Levine

SPOILER WARNING
for "As a retelling"

Where to Purchase: Amazon

Official Blurb: At her birth, Ella of Frell receives a foolish fairy's gift—the “gift” of obedience. Ella must obey any order, whether it's to hop on one foot for a day and a half, or to chop off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not accept her fate...

Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse forever.

As a Retellling: This is a slow-burn retelling that takes its time to establish its characters and setting. In fact, it's only within the last few chapters that the Cinderella story unfolds with the ball, glass slippers, and midnight deadline, though many of the pieces were set on the board ahead of time. Ella's curse of obedience provides both a compelling reason for her stepmother and stepsisters to take advantage of her and make her their servant and motivation for her to run from the ball.

Note: There is a movie adaptation of this book, starring Anne Hathaway, but the plot was changed and most of the Cinderella elements removed. It would be considered a general fairy tale parody instead.

Arista's Thoughts: This was the book that taught me what a retelling was capable of. Having read it multiple times, it's definitely one of my favorite books and well worth its Newberry Honor Award. Ella was an inspiration to me in a difficult

True Retelling: Cinderella
Magical
"I'll Save Myself"
Traditional European

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