Welcome to Litsy!

This was a fun little read. This is a fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. What if the fairy gifts weren‘t to protect the Princess, but to protect others *from* the Princess? It really is a charming little novella. Give it a go!

Purchased a copy for a child and realized some readers were concerned about the content and I needed to check it out. I found that this quirky fairytale reminds children that the world can be difficult and silly, but that all are searching and fighting for their heart‘s desire. Read and discuss together. This tale of an unlikely hero fighting fear and rats to save a princess is a four ⭐️ read.

Marra, who is not-quite-a-nun & barely a princess, learns that her eldest sister was killed by her husband, the prince. Her middle sister is now married to the same man, crowned king; she stays pregnant to keep him from beating her — or at least hold him back a bit. Marra vows to save her sister, loosening the political noose around her neck, by killing the monster. She assembles a band of not-so-merry, magical misfits to aid her in her quest.👇🏻

Anyone else have a #tbr mountain 🏔️ and it only grows daily or just me? #sendhelp #bookworm 📚🥹

January 2025 Book #11
This retelling for me is poor integrating and even boring. I‘m not the target audience but didn‘t like it. However, the illustrations are beautiful made by the author. 2⭐️

I can‘t believe it‘s time for May‘s #bookspin list already! Where has the year gone?

Here is yet another “slice of my bookshelves”, plus a few options for my topic bookclub: May‘s topic is a book with a map. And Advice for Future Corpses is for another bookclub.

What will @TheAromaofBooks choose for us this time?

Hmm. Intensely atmospheric. I felt like I could smell the wilderness when reading.

The lack of plot here leads me to docking points. But despite this being more of a love letter to Alaska rather than a “beauty & the beast” style story, I found myself caring about all of the characters, even through their shocking mistakes.

Found this re-telling of The Grimm' s "Six Swans" to be compelling and evocative. There was beautiful world building and Sorcha, the heroine, was strong. I found the last few chapters dragged. The fairy tale was complete so they were dedicated to completing the love story and I'm not much of a romance reader.
Still, it was good. And I think I'll take a break from fairy tales for a while.

As a mood reader craving something dark, this delivers in spades. I like retellings, even when I am not familiar with the original fairy tale. I enjoyed the writing and was surprised by the underlying narcissistic abuse, gaslighting, and resulting behaviour of those being abused. I felt it on all on a personal level and wondered if I was imagining it. The blending of the retelling, themes, and plot were quite genius, and there was humour.

What an incredible read! Although this book will not be for everyone, I personally loved it. The book explores themes of loneliness, freedom, acceptance, and love, all happening in the beautiful and often brutal natural landscape of Alaska.

The ending wasn't quite what I expected, but having reflected on it for a few days now, it really was a perfect ending for this story.