Fairest
by Marissa Meyer
Fairest is the tragic tale of Levana who is so lonely for love that she turns her crush into an obsession which later translates to a very intimate and disturbing lust story. Oh yes, and did we mention she has the ability to mind control, so she literally do whatever she wants with the guy?
It's a horrible story and totally inappropriate for teens and YA. Even for adults, it's a complete waste of time. I know a lot of you fans will nonetheless be curious to read it, because there are interesting things of note related to the rest of the series. My advice? Look it up on online on reviews or its wikia page. That way at least, you won't feel so personally contaminated by Levana's twisted perspective.
A Curse as Dark as Gold
Elizabeth C. Bunce
It's a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin . The
writing of this story is truly wonderful, bringing the characters and world to life.
Indeed, it is SO real, you might as well be reading a historical
fiction. SO real...that the magic felt way more like demonic activity
than faerie. So I started to find myself rather disturbed. Although this story does have a happy ending, the mess this girl gets herself into would not have had a happy ending realistically without God. At one point, it is so creepy when the Rumpelstiltskin character says, "Ah, but who has authority over me?" There is mention of a religion alongside all the superstition, but there is nothing to indicate a divine good able to stop the creepiness of curses and ill luck.
There's no inappropriate content in here. But it's not a fairytale, it's a ghost story. So if that's not your thing, you may want to stay away.
11 comments:
Thanks for the warning about Fairest. I hadn't gotten it yet, and still don't know if I want to. While I still plan to read Winter, I had never been that enthused to read Levana's story. She's just too evil.
Yeah, good call, Rebekah! She is WAY too evil. And WAY too powerful.
I started losing interest in the Lunar Chronicles after Cinder, so this isn't too heartbreaking for me. : / I am disappointed in Bunce, though. I love her book Starcrossed.
Thanks Hannah! I'll remember that.
Jemma
On your second review: I've heard a similar review from another friend, so I'm definitely not going to pick it up. :P
On your first review: I read what you said about Fairest on Goodreads, and that's about half the reason I didn't read Fairest when I got it out from the library. (I requested it before I knew what it was like, and after that I kept the request so I could read the sample chapters of Winter- which, I'll note, were rather awesome. :D I've barely even MET Winter and I already love her.)
Yeah, I'm not definitely not reading Fairest. Thank you for the heads up, Hannah!
Oh, it's interesting to see you write warning reviews. People often wonder why my amazon reviews are always 5 or 4 stars, and it's simply because I don't like writing negative reviews. However, you've given me something to think about.
I enjoy stories about how villains became villains, but I like there to be some sort of redeeming quality to the story. Sounds like Fairest has none. That's a pity, because I love Snow White stories.
And, I actually read A Curse Dark as Gold. I was impressed by the writing style and couldn't put the book down. I felt such empathy for the Rumpelstiltskin character and thought the ending actually had merit. However, I agree that it's not as much a fairy tale retelling as a paranormal or ghost story, so readers definitely need to be aware of this. I admired Charlotte's determination to keep the mill running, although she was foolish in not asking for help from the right people. For instance, the banker offered her refuge but she refused. Even when she and her husband married, she didn't confide in him until it was nearly too late. I think that's one of the book's best themes, the importance of not letting pride and stubbornness dictate our lives. God bless.
@Sarah: That three chapter bit from Winter at the end of Fairest has me MAJOR jealous. JACIN AND WINTER!!!!
Meredith: Fairest isn't actually a Snow White story as it is the backstory of the evil queen. Winter, coming out later this year, is the Snow White story. I'm still looking forward to it with much anticipation. Just you so you know, it's not a stand alone. Its the climax of all of the books.
There were a lot of wonderful things about A Curse Dark as Gold! I'm glad you liked it. Paranormal never settles well with me though...
Thank you so much for this information! Now reconsidering "A Curse Dark as Gold"; bought it a few years ago and was planning to read it, this summer... Thank you for letting it be known that it's best to stay away from it! :)
Thanks, Hannah. Haven't read any of the Lunar Chronicles although they're finally being produced for the Library for the Blind, so I plan to check them out.
You're right. Paranormal is a very sticky genre and one I usually avoid, but I enjoy anything that hints at a fairy tale retelling so that's why I read it. It was really interesting to me that the story addressed the theme of vengeance and that the Rumpelstiltskin character actually had a son. The way that character was treated was appalling. I do remember really being disturbed when the mill actually began attacking Charlotte. There are definitely aspects of the book that are unsettling, and this is due, I think, to the fact that the novel is set in our world.
If you like fairy tale retellings pertaining to Rumpelstiltskin, there are two that I really enjoy: Spinners, by Donna Jo Napoli, and Straw into Gold, by Gary D. Schmidt. The first one is for more mature readers and the second is for any age. God bless.
I gave A Curse as Dark as Gold pretty much the same review. The writing was fantastic, the characters were compelling, and the story was fascinating- but the magic just felt too close to actual demonic activity for comfort. I did finish the book, but that was because most of the uncomfortable stuff didn't start happening until the very end. Maybe that's because I was looking for the best the whole time... but the end was so undeniably strange that it just gave me a bad feeling. It's a pity, since in every other aspect, the story was brilliant. :(
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