"The Fairy Godmother" by Mercedes Lackey

The Fairy Godmother is yet another book my fabulous Aunt loaned me while I was in college with the guarantee that I'd like the story....and somehow between classes and quarter taps I neglected to read it. A good eleven years later I finally picked it up.  And she was right.  As always.

Summary:  Everyone knows the story of Cinderella.  A beautiful young woman is forced to wait hand and foot on her nasty stepmother and wicked stepsisters until her Fairy Godmother gifts her one enchanted evening that kicks off her Happily Ever After.  It's a classic good things happen to good people tale with a satisfying side of revenge when the husband hunting step sisters see their lowly abused sister blissfully happy as she's crowned a royal princess and married to the hottest hottie of the land.  [Side bar:  do people still say hottie?] 

But what happens when the kingdom's royal prince is just a baby and there isn't a glass slipper in sight? 

Elena Klovis lives a hard life.  Her stepmother runs her ragged and her step sisters aren't any better.  What's worse, even though she dreams of finding a way to escape her days of hard labor, it seems she's doomed to a life of servitude.  When Elena's step-family skips town to avoid angry creditors, she takes matters into her own hands by showing up to the local mop fair in hope of finding employment and a chance at a happier life.  Although Elena's one of the first to arrive, she's one of the last standing when the mop fair closes at sundown.  Before she can give up, Elena spots a small cart pulled by a strange horse and an even stranger passenger.  When the woman in the cart offers Elena an apprenticeship, she thinks she's dreaming.  Little does she know that her acceptance will change the course of not only her life, but those of others all over the 500 Kingdoms. 

What I Liked:  As a former young girl, I've got a soft spot for the fairy tales made popular by Disney.  Show me a glass slipper or talking crab and I am in.

The Fairy Godmother has the trappings of a disney fairy tale but with a grown up twist.  Instead of Cinderella (or in this case Elena "Ella Cinders") marrying her Prince Charming and living the trophy wife life, she gets a job as the fairy godmother who's job is to facilitate happy endings for others in her situation.  Using magic and the unseen power of the Tradition, Elena uses her wits to craft happy endings out of tragic circumstances and teaching handsome princes to know their place.

The Fairy Godmother is clever, funny and has just enough references to modern fairy tales that I got a little giddy each time and kept wondering who would show up next.  Needless to say I've already started the second in the series.

What Drove Me Nuts:  Not a seashell bra or dinglehopper in sight.  But I hear this is a series so there's hope.

Rating:  Disney with a side of practical, sass and kick ass.  If you like the tv show Once Upon a Time this series is quite possible for you.

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Skin Game" by Jim Butcher

I have been reading the Dresden Files series for several years now and started because many of my friends introduced me to the first book. I have recently gotten Tami to read the first book, and you can check out her review here.

Summary: Since this is book #16, let me first give a summary of the series. This is the first person testimony of  Harry Dresden, a wizard who lives in modern day Chicago. He begins his career as a freelance private investigator, who openly advertises his magical ability and uses it to solve mysteries. He has some key friends that help him out when things get complicated, each with their own unique abilities, magical and mundane, that make the difference between success and failure. Each book is a life and death investigation with Harry precariously placed in a position where he can tip the balance either way, but he doesn't have the info to make the right choice until the very end. This formula, used is basically all the books, is best summarized by a neat quote out of the newest book:

"The radio blared with static and a woman's voice spoke in the tones of a news commentator. '...other news, Harry Dresden, Chicago wizard, blindly charges toward his own destruction because he refuses to recognize simple and obvious truths which are right there in front of him. Dresden ignored several excellently placed warnings, and as a result is expected to perish in the next forty-eight hours..."

This is one of hundreds of examples of Butcher having fun with the reader by incorporating into the story a wink and nod that he is right there with you as you laugh at Dresden's adventures.With Dresden as the narrator, he will often throw in a joke, nerd reference or a shameful apology, as appropriate, giving the impression that the book is the transcript from a time Dresden recounted his tales on stage in front of an audience. And I can only imagine how fun that would be!

I am hesitant to put too much of the plot for Skin Game because the Dresden Files culture is very much anti-spoilers. So here is your warning that I will be providing spoilers for any book that comes before Skin Game but I will try and avoid spoiling this book.

In this book Dresden is living in self-imposed isolation on his island, because he fears the entity sharing his head. As the pain increases, and his friends become more distant, Mab comes to him with an offer he can't refuse. Harry is forced to work with his most dangerous enemy, so that Mab can repay a debt. Harry is forced to walk a thin line between helping the villain and betraying him at every turn. To fulfill the debt, Harry teams up with a group of bad guys and breaks into a vault to steal treasure of unimaginable value. 

And of course, he has three days to do it.

What I Liked: YES.

What I Didn't Like: N/A.

Rating: MUST READ.

Also Read by this Author: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites, Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Knight, Small Favor, Turn Coat, Changes, Ghost Story, Cold Days, Side Jobs. 

Reviewed by: Nick

"Storm Front" by Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files has been on my to-read list since it was first suggested to me back in 2008.  Actually, I don't know if it was really 2008, but you get my point....it was a long time ago.  I'm not sure why I put off reading a series that was suggested by so many different people.  Maybe in my heart of hearts I thought I could only love one wizard named Harry and that honor was already spoken for.  Anyway, I've noticed that I've been in a reading slump lately (nothing sounds good and the books I start aren't keeping my attention) so I thought I'd finally see what this series was all about.

Summary:  Need a wizard?  Call Harry Dresden - he's in the phone book.  Please no children's parties or love spells.

Based in Chicago, Harry Dresden is a smart-ass wizard PI who barely makes ends meet taking freelance jobs and occasionally consulting with the Chicago PD.  That's why he jumps at the chance to work two jobs at once; one searching for a missing husband who's taken a recent interest in magic and another consulting on a double a murder that looks to have been done by magical means.  But what at first appears to be a routine missing persons case takes a turn for the ugly when Dresden begins to suspect that the two cases may have more in common than he first thought.

What I Liked:  I liked this book.  That's right, I said it!  I liked this book and it actually surprised me.  I came into the story skeptical that it would be interesting or well written, and it was both and more:

• The Harry Dresden character starts off as rather straight-forward, almost simple, then rapidly evolves into something much more complex as the story unfolds.  While he tries to do the right thing, he's certainly not perfect.  While he can figure out what he needs to do, he's not necessarily an expert.  (This is doubly true when it comes to women.)  I really enjoyed how Harry's character developed throughout the book and how the facets of his personality changed as he encountered new people and situations.
• The story was fast paced and interesting.  While the entire book covered just a few days, the action was well paced, the plot line interesting and dialog witty.
• The world building dynamic was creative and fresh.  The author was able to build his story in the modern world with a magical twist, and he did it by showing instead of telling.  It was refreshing to jump into the story and accept that magic was a part of the world without having to spend half of a book with back story.
• The side characters! I am genuinely interested to read more about them!

What Drove Me Nuts:

• Oh Dresden.  He is the ultimate nerd hero.  While I find that endearing for obvious reasons, at times his dedication to doing the right thing even if it doesn't really make sense drove me absolutely nuts.  I definitely feel that Dresden is the ideal nerd/gamer archetype, and with that comes an inflated sense of chivalry and a bit of prissiness.
• I was able to figure out the plot of the book about half way through.  Humblebrag:  this isn't rare for me, but I was hoping for more a of a twist at the end.

Rating:  If you're open to the fantasy genre and are looking for a more adult take on the supernatural, check this book out.  If you are a self-proclaimed nerd, what are you waiting for?

Also Read By This Author:  Nothing yet, but I've already got the second book on reserve at the library.

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Forbidden" by Tina Smith

We were approached by the author of Forbidden to read and review her book.  While we received a review copy of this book for free, please note that all opinions are Tami's and (for better or worse) are honest.

Image from Amazon.com

Summary:  After her parents bitter divorce, Lila and her mother move from the big city to the small town of Shade, where her mother grew up.  While she's not happy about the move to the strange town in the middle of nowhere, Lila tries to make the best of it when she shows up to her first day of school.

Except the school is weird.  The other students don't talk to her, but she can feel their scrutiny in class and in the halls.  And then Samantha, gorgeous leader of the popular clique corners Lila in the lunchroom and everything changes overnight.  Lila is drawn into the close knit and tight lipped circle of popular kids, but the more time she spends with Sam and the gang, the more she feels as if there is a secret she must discover.  When the school's bad-girl-weirdo Cresida starts to stalk her, Lila is torn between loyalty to her new friends and her desire to dig to the bottom of the truth, a truth that only Cresida can show her.

Will Lila remain loyal to her new friends, or will she listen to Cresida....and herself....and get to the bottom of the secret.

What I Liked:

• The premise of the story, a modern day telling of the Greek myth of Atemis and the wolf, is clever and interesting.  After reading the introduction I was excited to read the rest of the story.
• The author kept true to the main character.  Lila starts off as a self-conscious, slightly depressed teen and her responses to the popular kids' interest in her is genuinely described.
• The main characters progression throughout the story was believable and I appreciated that she actually grew into some self strength towards the end of the book.
• The ending was a little unexpected and closed out in such a way that I'm curious to see what's next.

What Drove Me Nuts:

• The story reminded me a lot of Twilight.  Average girl moves to small town and starts a new school.  She meets a gorgeous, exclusive teen clique and unwittingly joins them.  Average girl has forbidden romance with gorgeous teen until a secret almost destroys them.
• I felt like there were a lot of plot points, but also a lot of missed opportunities.  For example, the beginning of the book mentioned that Shade was Lila's mother's home town.  I honestly expected to learn more about Lila's mother, and perhaps a family secret of Lila's own.
• I felt like this book could have used a bit more polishing - perhaps from a professional edit.

Rating:  I'm not a big fan of this type of supernatural romance (don't want to give the secret away) but if you are interested in the supernatural genres related to vampires, shapeshifters or magic, you may like this book.

Also Read By:  N/A

Reviewed By:  Tami