Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 2 by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must DieStories Vol. 2 (Dorothy Must Die #0.4-0.6)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: HarperCollins 2016

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Fairytale Retellings

Follow Dorothy’s iconic companions from the beloved classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as each of their gifts becomes key to the downfall of Oz. After Dorothy Gale wished her way home and long before Amy Gumm found herself in Oz, Dorothy’s friends left the Road of Yellow Brick to go their separate ways. But in a place like Oz, where magic and temptation lurk, the gifts from the Wizard begin to take on a life of their own. The Tin Woodman becomes twisted with longing. The Scarecrow develops a taste for plotting. And doubt consumes the Cowardly Lion.

Another three prequels from the Dorothy Must Die series. This time, we focus on Dorothy's companions: the Tinman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion.

"Heart of Tin" -- My least favorite of the three stories. I'm really not a fan of Tin at all. His "love" for Dorothy is weird and creepy. Of the three companions, I see him as the weakest. This story filled in some of the gaps, but it wasn't great mostly because of the main character.

"The Straw King" -- Very interesting story. I loved the political maneuvering between Glinda and Scare. Their relationship is one of the more interesting ones in the series. I hope we get even more back and forth between them in the next book.

"Ruler of Beasts" -- I didn't think I would enjoy this series based off of the Lion in Dorothy Must Die, but I loved it. We get to see the Lion's eventual fall, but more importantly, we get to see what happened to Ozma before Dorothy came back. And we get to meet the Nome King which was oh so much fun! Finally, the question of how Dorothy was brought back is answered.

Can't wait to see where this series goes! But first, I need to finish the last three prequel stories.

Dorothy Must Die

#0.1 No Place Like Oz
#0.2 The Witch Must Burn
#0.3 The Wizard Returns
#0.4 Heart of Tin
#0.5 The Straw King
#0.6 Ruler of Beasts
#0.7 Order of the Wicked
#0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
#0.9 The Queen of Oz
#1 Dorothy Must Die
#2 The Wicked Will Rise
#3 Yellow Brick War
#4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 1 by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must DieStories Vol. 1 (Dorothy Must Die #0.1-0.3)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: Full Fathom Five 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 377

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; New to Me

These three prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series follow the iconic characters from the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz as their lives intertwine to bring about the downfall of Oz. Dorothy begins a journey down a darker path. Glinda the Good Witch may not be so Good. And the Wizard realizes that Oz is his destiny. Kiss the land where troubles melt like lemon drops goodbye. Here there's danger around every corner and magical shoes won't be able to save you.

"No Place Like Oz" -- Oh so good! I loved this story detailing how Dorothy came back to Oz and became the Dorothy we know in Dorothy Must Die. I loved the reappearance of so many characters. And the explanation of the switch from silver slippers to ruby slippers is perfect.

"The Witch Must Burn" -- My least favorite of the three stories. Glinda is such an odd character. Even evil I'm not a fan of her at all. The story felt a bit convoluted and I just couldn't get behind it.

"The Wizard Returns" -- Much better than Glinda's story. I loved seeing the Wizard change from the Wizard we knew to a man without his memory to something different and a bit unknown. Can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.

Dorothy Must Die

#0.1 No Place Like Oz
#0.2 The Witch Must Burn
#0.3 The Wizard Returns
#0.4 Heart of Tin
#0.5 The Straw King
#0.6 Ruler of Beasts
#0.7 Order of the Wicked
#0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
#0.9 The Queen of Oz
#1 Dorothy Must Die
#2 The Wicked Will Rise
#3 Yellow Brick War
#4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: Full Fathom Five 2014

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 452

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (YA Retellings); Popsguar - Character's Name in Title; Fairytale Retellings (I'm counting Wizard of Oz as a more modern fairytale)

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman's heart. Steal the Scarecrow's brain. Take the Lion's courage. And—Dorothy must die.

Such a fun retelling of one of my favorite childhood stories. I loved the twists on each character while keeping true to Baum's original story. The Lion is truly terrifying. And we get elements of the rest of the original Oz stories with Ozma, the witches, etc. I sped through this book in only two days. I had to see where it ended, or should I say, where it left me hanging. Of course this is just the first book in the series. Thank goodness I have the rest of the series out from the library just waiting for me to die in.

Dorothy Must Die

#0.1 No Place Like Oz
#0.2 The Witch Must Burn
#0.3 The Wizard Returns
#0.4 Heart of Tin
#0.5 The Straw King
#0.6 Ruler of Beasts
#0.7 Order of the Wicked
#0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
#0.9 The Queen of Oz
#1 Dorothy Must Die
#2 The Wicked Will Rise
#3 Yellow Brick War
#4 The End of Oz

dc049a522d84b84f_PS16_JP_Living_2017ReadingChallenge_List_R2-259x1024.jpg

Next up on the TBR pile:

Atlantia by Ally Condie

Title: Atlantia

Author: Ally Condie

Publisher: Dutton Books 2014

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 298

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Mythical Creature; Fairytale Retelling; I Love Libraries

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamed of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all Rio’s hopes for the future are shattered when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected choice, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long silenced—she has nothing left to lose.

I love it when random library picks actually turn out to be good books. I read Condie's first book series, Matched, but ended up loosing interest by the end of book two. I think it would have been better has a duo instead of trilogy. I'm even more thankful that this one is just a single book. I could see where some authors would want to stretch this story out into a series dragging characters and plots along at a snail's pace. Thankfully this story is told in less than 300 pages. We get a clear arch of characters and plot. I love the world building with Atlantia and the Above. I loved the little details about the temple and the trees. I loved that we got to spend some time with characters before things sped up too much. My issues really come with the last 30 pages. As often happens, the conclusion of the book felt a bit rushed. I would have liked another 30 or so pages to slowly come to the end instead of hurtling at a dizzying speed. But overall, I really enjoyed this book.

The Lunar Chronicles Stores - Part 2

Title: Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky(The Lunar Chronicles #2.5); After Sunshine Passes By; The Princess and the Guard; Something Old Something New

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Felwel andFriends 2016

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 39; 21; 61; 56

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retelling

The enchantment continues. . . . The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies? With six stories - two of which have never before been published - and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer's novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

"Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky" -- A cute little story featuring Thorne's childhood. I loved reading about the expansion of a story Cress learned in her research.

"After Sunshine Passes By" -- More insight into the history of the various characters. This time we get to learn more about Cress and her childhood. Sibyl Mira is as scary as ever in this story...

"The Princess and the Guard" -- My favorite story of the entire book. I loved learning more about the relationship between Winter and Jacin. The story shows us the depth of their relationship and sheds some light onto where their character's are at when we meet Jacin aboard Sibyl Mira's ships. A great short story!

"Something Old Something New" -- A nice epilogue story for the series. It was great seeing all the main characters again. Plus we get some development in their stories. My only disappointment was not enough Winter and Jacin in this story. They were my favorites!

The Lunar Chronicles

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Title: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel andFriends 2015

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 827

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retelling; I Love Libraries

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

A fitting conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles. While I really enjoyed the previous books, this one really caught my attention. I was drawn into the story on page one. Winter is hands down my favorite character of the entire series. I loved the chapters that were from her point of view. The other chapters were good, but Winter stole the show. I was on pins and needles waiting to see if Winter survived and if she and Jacin finally got together. I was riveted by the build up to the confrontation between CInder and Levana. Oh my it was so stressful! But it was such a great ending. While the last chapter was a bit rushed, I still really really enjoyed it.

The Lunar Chronicles

#0.5 Glitches
#0.6 The Little Android
#1 Cinder
#1.5 The Queen's Army
#2 Scarlet
#2.5 Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky
#3 Cress
#3.5 Fairest
#3.6 Stars Above
#4 Winter

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Title: Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel andFriends 2015

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 220

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retelling; I Love Libraries

Pure evil has a name, hides behind a mask of deceit, and uses her "glamour" to gain power. But who is Queen Levana? Long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress in The Lunar Chronicles, Levana lived a very different story—a story that has never been told . . . until now. New York Times –bestselling author Marissa Meyer reveals the story behind her fascinating villain in Fairest, an unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes a special full-color image of Levana's castle and an excerpt from Winter, the exciting conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles.

In a sense, I didn't like this book. Levana is such a horrible person that of course I didn't want to have any sympathy for her. And I don't have any sympathy for her even after reading her story. She has always been a cruel person manipulating people to cover her own insecurities. On the other hand, I did enjoy getting more story featuring the characters we know now including Jacin, Winter, and Selene. Overall, a very interesting story...

The Lunar Chronicles

#0.5 Glitches
#0.6 The Little Android
#1 Cinder
#1.5 The Queen's Army
#2 Scarlet
#2.5 Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky
#3 Cress
#3.5 Fairest
#3.6 Stars Above
#4 Winter

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Felwel andFriends 2014

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 552

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (365 Days of YA); Fairytale Retelling; I Love Libraries

Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker; unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

This may be my favorite book of the series. I loved the continuation of Cinder and Thorne and Wolf and Scarlet and Kai. But even more I loved Cress's story and growth. And we get to see more from Sybil and Levana, an appearance from Dr. Erland, and an introduction to Jacin and Princess Winter. So many characters in this one! If felt like the story was finally coming together. Plus we get some real movement in the plot to overthrow Queen Levana. I sped through this volume in a matter of three days. Can't wait to get to the library and pick up the next volume!

The Lunar Chronicles

#0.5 Glitches
#0.6 The Little Android
#1 Cinder
#1.5 The Queen's Army
#2 Scarlet
#2.5 Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky
#3 Cress
#3.5 Fairest
#3.6 Stars Above
#4 Winter

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Felwel andFriends 2013

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 454

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (365 Days of YA #49); Fairytale Retellings; I Love Libraries

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison―even though she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive if she does. 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.

Sped through this volume in just a few days. I love how on-the-go this story is. there's hardly a quiet moment. Sometimes the breakneck pace can get old, but I really enjoyed racing throughout the world with Cinder and Scarlet. Plus we get to finally see Queen Levana's plan to take over Earth. Loving the new developments and characters. Thorne is a great foil to Cinder and it's nice to see Wolf after reading The Queen's Army. Definitely need to pick up the third book soon and re-checkout the short story collection to read Thorne's story.

The Lunar Chronicles

#0.5 Glitches
#0.6 The Little Android
#1 Cinder
#1.5 The Queen's Army
#2 Scarlet
#2.5 Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky
#3 Cress
#3.5 Fairest
#3.6 Stars Above
#4 Winter

The Lunar Chronicles Stories - Part 1

Title: Glitches (The Lunar Chronicles #0.5); The Little Android (The Lunar Chornicles #0.6); The Queen's Army (The Lunar Chronicles #1.5)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Felwel andFriends 2012

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 31; 35; 47

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Romance set in the future; Fairytale Retelling; 52 Books - W49

The enchantment continues. . . . The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies? With six stories - two of which have never before been published - and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer's novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

After reading Cinder, I decided to pick up Stars Above so I could read the short stories that take place before the first book or right after. "Glitches" was a fun little introduction to Cinder and her life before the events of the first book. We get to find out how she arrived in New Beijing and met her new family. It also drops some great hints are to who she really is. "The Queen's Army" gave us a glimpse into the creation of Levana's Lunar army. Very interested to see more of the Lunar side. And finally, "The Little Android" was a great retelling of The Little Mermaid. Now I can move on to reading Scarlet.

The Lunar Chronicles

#0.5 Glitches
#0.6 The Little Android
#1 Cinder
#1.5 The Queen's Army
#2 Scarlet
#2.5 Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky
#3 Cress
#3.5 Fairest
#3.6 Stars Above
#4 Winter

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Felwel andFriends 2012

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 448

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Based on a Fairytale; Fairytale Retelling; Perpetual (365 YA #49, YA Retelling #25)

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Another middle of the night read. Somehow I forget that I had added this book to my Kindle at some point. Glad I rediscovered it a few nights back. I loved this retelling of Cinderella set in a distant future. I immediately fell in love with Cinder. Such a great character! And the side characters, including the androids, were a treat. But my favorite character was definitely Queen Levana. Very intriguing villain. I can't wait to read more from this world and follow Cinder's journey. Such a great start to a series.

The Lunar Chronicles

#0.5 Glitches
#0.6 The Little Android
#1 Cinder
#1.5 The Queen's Army
#2 Scarlet
#2.5 Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky
#3 Cress
#3.5 Fairest
#3.6 Stars Above
#4 Winter

Saga Volume 5

Title: Saga Volume 5

Author: Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Publisher: Image 2015

Genre: Comics

Pages: 152

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retelling; Graphic Novel

Multiple storylines collide in this cosmos-spanning new volume. While Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko makes an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV to find their missing children, who are trapped on a strange world with terrifying new enemies. Collects Saga #25-30.

Another great volume of the Saga series. This volume had a ton of twists and turns (and many many deaths). I love that the story is narrated by Hazel from the future. Most definitely going to be on the lookout for Volume 6...

The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Warrior (Iron Fey #7; Call of the Forgotten #3)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 2015

Genre: YA Paranormal (Fey)

Pages: 330

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retelling; Finishing the Series; 52 Books - W18

Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind's glimpse of the world of Faery lasted just a brief moment, the human world was cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the tremendous power of the Forgotten Queen. Now she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Faery—a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.
Leading the Lady's Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan's nephew, and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase.To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten. In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan's enemies must become his allies, and the fey and human worlds will be changed forevermore.

A fitting end to the Iron Fey series. I can't say it was my favorite book from the series, but it was good. The last book left the read with one hell of a cliffhanger. I'm glad this one picks up basically where that one left off. We get to see the final confrontations play out. We see growth in relationships. And Ethan and Keirran finally find their places. I'm glad I stuck with the series to see the end. But I must say that Grimalkin and Puck are still my favorite characters. Too much fun!

The Iron Fey

2016 Fairytale Retellings Reading Challenge

From The Daily Prophecy:

This year I will be hosting the Fairytale challenge for the second time. Let’s go through the details:

The challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st 2016.
You can sign up on your blog, Goodreads, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter: whatever suits you. Make sure you link to a specific post/tweet/photo/etc, instead of a regular link to your account. (Or have some proof by posting the banner in your sidebar!)
The goal is to read fairytale retellings, but if you want you can also pick other retellings. Think about mythology, myths, legends and folk tales. It's all up to you!
You can read Middle Grade, Young Adult and Adult books for this challenge.
Obviously, the book doesn't have to be published in 2016 and re-reads count.
Physical, e-books, Audio books and novella's all count.
Cross-linking your books from/with other challenges count.
There are 6 different levels you can aim for:-Enchanted Moura: 1 – 4 books. -Goose Girl: 5 - 9 books. -Evil Queen: 10 – 15 books. -Wise princess: 16 – 20 books. -Kuma Lisa: 21 – 25 books. -Cheshire cat: 26+ books
Every beginning of the month I will make a link-up post where you put all your reviews and update posts. These link-up posts will have informative/fun introductions, just like last year. I will also focus more on other retellings and there will be a giveaway in December. You can win extra entries throughout the entire challenge.
Format for the link-up: UPDATE @ your name/blog name. REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.
Use the hash tag #fairytaleRC on Twitter and Instagram.

I'm hoping to read some great retellings this coming year. I shooting for the Evil Queen Level of 10-15 books: Wish me luck!

Fairest: The Clamour for Glamour

Title: Fairest 5: The Clamour for Glamour

Author: Bill Willingham

Publisher: Vertigo 2015

Genre: Fantasy Comics

Pages: 168

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel Challenge; Fairytale Retellings; 52 Books in 52 Weeks -- W1

A nice ending to the Fairest series. We get conclusions for a few characters. We get more of what was going on at the farm during the events of Fables Vol. 21. We meet a few new characters that contribute to the story. I'm sad that the Fables world is ending, but have really enjoyed the main series and all of it's spinoffs.

Fairest: