Welcome to my stop on the Fairest of Them All blog tour! Today I have an except from the book, my review, and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway!
The Fairest of Them All
Author: Carolyn Turgeon
Genre: YA Fantasy/Fairy Tale Retelling
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Publisher: Touchstone
288 pages
Buy Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble/ The Book Depository
Description:
What if Rapunzel was Snow White’s evil stepmother?
From the author of Godmother and Mermaid, The Fairest of Them All explores what happens when fairy tale heroines grow up and don’t live happily ever after.Living in an enchanted forest, Rapunzel spends her days tending a mystical garden with her adoptive mother, Mathena. A witch, Mathena was banished from court because of her magic powers, though the women from the kingdom still seek her advice and herbal remedies. She waits, biding her time to exact revenge against those who betrayed her.
One day Rapunzel’s beautiful voice and long golden locks captivate a young prince hunting in the forest nearby. Overcome, he climbs her hair up to her chamber and they fall into each other’s arms. But their afternoon of passion is fleeting, and the prince must return to his kingdom, as he is betrothed to another.
Now king, he marries his intended to bring peace to his kingdom. They have a stunning daughter named Snow White. Yet the king is haunted by his memories of Rapunzel, and after the mysterious death of his wife, realizes he is free to marry the woman he never stopped longing for. In hopes of also replacing the mother of his beloved daughter, the king makes Rapunzel his queen.
But when Mathena’s wedding gift of an ancient mirror begins speaking to her, Rapunzel falls under its evil spell, and the king begins to realize that Rapunzel is not the beautiful, kind woman he dreamed of.
Prologue
I was the girl with the long long hair, trapped in the tower. You have no doubt heard of me. As a young woman I was very famous for those tresses, even though I lived in the middle of the woods and had never even been to court, not for a feast or a wedding or a matter of law.
My hair was like threads of gold flowing down my back and past the floor. If I didn't tie it up, it would sweep across the stone and collect dust like a broom. I could lean out my tower window and it would fall out like an avalanche, gleaming like the sun hitting the water. It was as bright as sunflowers or daisies, softer than fur, stronger than an iron chain.
Every night I took horsetail and aloe from the garden, spoke words over them, and boiled them and mashed them into a thin pulp, which I then combed through my locks to make them strong and healthy and almost impossible to break. I would sing, and inhale the rich scent, to make the work go faster. To this day I love that feeling, of fingers running through my hair, the weight of it as it falls on my back.
Poets and troubadours sang of my beauty then.
It was sorcery, that hair. Sometimes now I wonder if things would have been different, had I been plain.
It is a hard thing, not being that girl any longer. Even as I sit here, I cannot help but turn toward the mirror and ask the question I have asked a thousand times before:
"Who is the fairest of them all?"
The mirror shifts. The glass moves back and forth, like water. And then my image disappears, until a voice, like a memory, or something from my bones and skin, gives me the same answer it always does now:
She is.
I turn back to the parchment in front of me and try to ignore the ache inside. The apple waits on the table next to me, gleaming with poison. All that's left to do is write it down, everything that happened, so that there will still be some record in this world.
This was a captivating and enchanting novel that I couldn't put down. Fairy tales and retellings are pretty popular right now, but this one stood out for me. I loved the idea of mixing two fairy tales together - Rapunzel and Snow White - and playing out what would happen. Like most, I have never considered the possibility that these two could be related - let alone Rapunzel being Snow White's evil stepmother. I was instantly curious about the plot and dying to see what would become of the story. What the novel gave me far exceeded any expectations I may have had and then some. The narrative is told from Rapunzel's point of view, and begins when she is just a teenager. We get an inside look at her life at the tower and how she helps heal those around her - although she always dreams of something more for herself. I loved getting to know this famous girl by listening to her thoughts and seeing her daily life. She was a wonderful character - kind, strong, smart, devoted, and beautiful. As the book progresses, we see Rapunzel's character mature, grow, and then change as she falls in love with the prince (who becomes king) and when she ascends the throne as the new queen (and there's magic!). I both loved and hated seeing her character grow and change - it made the story both sweet and heartbreaking. Since it's told from Rapunzel's POV, you get to see what really happens behind the scenes on her side and things aren't as simple as you would think. The plot was original and unique - one that definitely stands out from others in the genre. The writing was lyrical with vivid details and descriptions that had me easily imagining myself beside the characters as the book played out. There was a natural yet fast pace to the story and the events flowed effortlessly together throughout the novel. I'll definitely be eagerly awaiting this author's next work and reading everything else she's published while I wait. I very highly recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy fiction, fairy tales, and fairy tale retellings - you will love the twist to the fairy tales you know and love while gaining access to a captivating new story at the same time.
WEBSITE: http://carolynturgeon.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/carolynturgeon
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/132091.Carolyn_Turgeon FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/carolynturgeonbooks
PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/carolynturgeon/the-fairest-of-them-all/
MERMAID BLOG: http://carolynturgeon.com/mermaid-blog/
Giveaway: (1) Signed copy of The Fairest of Them All - Open Internationally!
Question of the Day: What did you think of the excerpt?
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Follow the tour:
August 6
The UnofficialAddiction Book Fan Club & A Reading Nurse -> Welcome to the Fantastic Flying Book Club!
August
7
Dedicated Readers Only -> Review + Dream Cast
Between The Pages
-> Review
Musings Of A Blodger -> Review
Addicted 2 Heroines ->
Review
August 8
Boricuan Bookworms -> Review +
Interview
Looking For The Panacea -> Review + Favorite Quote
The Book Rat -> Review
August 9
Closed The Cover -> Review
A Backwards Story -> Review + Guest Post
Reader Rising -> Review
Cecilia Robert -> Excerpt
Cecilia Robert -> Excerpt
August 10
Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy, Paranormal and Romance -> Review + Favorite
Quote After Dark Rendezvous -> Review + Interview
Literary, etc.
-> Review
Paranormal Book Club -> Review + Favorite Quote
August
11
Bookcase To Heaven -> Review + Dream Cast
Bookish Outsider ->
Review
Bookhounds -> Review + Excerpt
On The Shelf -> Review
August
12
Paper Cuts -> Review + Excerpt
Bound By Words -> Review
Tressa's Wishful Endings -> Review + Favorite Quote
Wicca Witch 4 BookBlog -> Guest Post + Playlist
August 13
Trips Down Imagination Road -> Review + Guest Post
The Reader's Antidote ->
Review
A Dream Within A Dream -> Review + Excerpt
Read. Sleep. Repeat
-> Excerpt
Loved your review. I like the twist and have added it to my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteHi Steph,
ReplyDeleteWe love your review and the excerpt you chose. Personally, it's our favorite ;)
Thank you so much for being part of this tour and for being part of our FFBC Team ^^
Patri & Rosa
That is so disgusting to think that your hair would collect dust
ReplyDeleteThat is so disgusting to think that your hair would collect dust like a broom. Ewwww...
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I like mixing the stories up that way
ReplyDelete