Top Ten Tuesdays is a
great weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where you get
to share fun book related topic top ten lists. It is also another great meme
for finding great new books, authors and blogs!
This week is
Top 10 All Time Favorite
Fairy Tale/Fantasy Books
(or so, maybe a few extra)
Scarlet by
Marissa Meyer
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling
installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of
prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted
fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It
turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or
the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf,
a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts,
she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he
to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when
they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious
Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become
her husband, her king, her prisoner. (Goodreads)
The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
When
Lucinda Chapdelaine was a small child, her parents left for the royal ball and
never returned. Ever since, Lucinda has been stuck in perpetual servitude at
her evil aunt’s jewelry store. Then, on the very same day, a mysterious visitor
and an even more bizarre piece of jewelry both enter the shop, setting in motion
a string of twists and turns that will forever alter Lucinda’s path. In this
magical story filled with delightful surprises, Lucinda will dance at the royal
ball, fall under the Amaranth Witch’s spell, avenge her parents’ death, and
maybe—just maybe—capture the heart of a prince. (Goodreads)
The Goose
Girl by Shannon Hale
Anidori-Kiladra Talianna
Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, spends the first years of her life under
her aunt's guidance learning to communicate with animals. As she grows up Ani
develops the skills of animal speech, but is never comfortable speaking with
people, so when her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting leads a mutiny during Ani's
journey to be married in a foreign land, Ani is helpless and cannot persuade
anyone to assist her.
Becoming a goose girl for the king, Ani eventually uses her own
special, nearly magical powers to find her way to her true destiny. Shannon
Hale has woven an incredible, original and magical tale of a girl who must find
her own unusual talents before she can become queen of the people she has made
her own. (Goodreads)
A Kiss in Time by
Alex Flinn
In
the same vein as Flinn's Beastly, this clever and humorous retelling of
"Sleeping Beauty" follows an aimless American boy who awakens a
princess who has been slumbering for 300 years. Jack is on a European tour
mandated by his parents ("What they don't tell you about Europe is how
completely lame it is") when he breaks an ancient curse by kissing the
slumbering Princess Talia. Instead of rejoicing, she and other awakened members
of their magical kingdom are confused and perturbed to find themselves in the
21st century. In order to escape the wrath of her father, who blames her for
causing the curse, Talia flees with Jack to his home in Florida. While
acclimating to the modern world-cell phones, television, Jell-o shots-the princess
manages to charm everyone she meets and help Jack sort out his life.
Alternating between the teenagers' distinctive points of view, Flinn skillfully
delineates how their upbringings set them apart while drawing parallels between
their family conflicts. Fans of happily-ever-after endings will delight in the
upbeat resolution, which confirms the notion that "love conquers
all."
(Publishers Weekly via Amazon)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
At birth,
Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who
bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to
do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but
not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a
rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother
dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and
later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and
well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature
keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and
self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending
off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way.
Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but
this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella
you'll ever read. (Goodreads)
Forgive My
Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge
crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat
flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl,
but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a
simple crush.
Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since
she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out
three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why
she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and
going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly
belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor
Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is,
mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for
life.
When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized
case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama,
and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never
sails quite as smoothly as you planned. (Goodreads)
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
In the
kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is
thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she
makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has–a magical
voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they
attract the attention of a handsome prince – and a dangerous new queen. In this
masterful novel filled with humour, adventure, romance, and song, Newbery Honor
author Gail Carson Levine invites you to join Aza as she discovers how
exquisite she truly is. (Goodreads)
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Galen is a
young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to
dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search
for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the
midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain
knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of
all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent
forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King
Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that
awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.
Captivating
from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The
Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning
something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew. (Goodreads)
Stork by Wendy Delsol
Family secrets. Lost memories. And the arrival of an ancient
magical ability that will reveal everything.
Sixteen-year-old Katla LeBlanc has just moved from Los Angeles
to Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws
stares, Katla soon finds out that she’s a Stork, a member of a mysterious order
of women tasked with a very unique duty. But Katla’s biggest challenge may be
finding her flock at a new school. Between being ignored by Wade, the arrogant
jock she stupidly fooled around with, and constantly arguing with gorgeous farm
boy and editor-in-chief Jack, Katla is relieved when her assignment as the
school paper’s fashion columnist brings with it some much-needed friendship.
But as Homecoming approaches, Katla uncovers a shocking secret about her past —
a secret that binds her fate to Jack’s in a way neither could have ever
anticipated. With a nod to Hans Christian Andersen and inspired by Norse lore,
Wendy Delsol’s debut novel introduces a hip and witty heroine who finds herself
tail-feathers deep in small-town life. (Goodreads)
Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher
Every
night, Shahrazad begins a story. And every morning, the Sultan lets her live
another day -- providing the story is interesting enough to capture his
attention. After almost one thousand nights, Shahrazad is running out of tales.
And that is how Marjan's story begins....
It
falls to Marjan to help Shahrazad find new stories -- ones the Sultan has never
heard before. To do that, the girl is forced to undertake a dangerous and
forbidden mission: sneak from the harem and travel the city, pulling tales from
strangers and bringing them back to Shahrazad. But as she searches the city, a
wonderful thing happens. From a quiet spinner of tales, Marjan suddenly becomes
the center of a more surprising story than she ever could have imagined. (Amazon)
Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
In a
secluded village, magic sparkles on the edges of the forest. There, a young
girl named Evie possesses unusually strong powers as a healer. A gypsy's
charms—no more than trinkets when worn by others—are remarkably potent when
Evie ties them around her neck. Her talents, and charms, have not escaped the
notice of the shy stonemason's apprentice. But Evie wants more than a quiet
village and the boy next-door. When the young king's carriage arrives one day,
and his footman has fallen ill, Evie might just get her chance after all . .
.
Berry's debut novel garnered glowing reviews and strong sales—and now she's
done it again with a beautifully woven tale to keep all readers, young and old,
absolutely charmed. (Goodreads)
Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
High in
the mountains, Zel lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need
-- for they have each other. Zel's life is peaceful and protected -- until a
chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at
the market one day, she is profoundly moved by new emotions. But Zel's mother
sees the future unfolding -- and she will do the unspeakable to prevent Zel
from leaving her... (Goodreads)
Okay, so that was more like Top 12…but some were by the same author so I'm going with it. Too many great books! :)
How about you: anyone read any of these fairy tale-esque fantasies? What genre did you choose?
Please feel free to comment and link up so I can visit your Top Ten!
Jenn
Tale of Two Doxies
