Before Midnight
 |
| this is the cover of the book I had, but I thought this cover was really pretty! |
Before
Midnight
Cameron
Dokey
Simon
and Shuster
I’ve
heard of this series for a long time now, but I hadn’t gotten a chance to read
any of the books until just recently. I really did enjoy this retelling of
Cinderella, although there were things about it I didn’t care for. However, it
was one of those books whose flaws you don’t notice until you’re done reading
and sit back and reflect on the story. One thing I did like about this book was
the way it was written, and that it really drew me right in.
The
twists on the story of Cinderella were interesting, and a few were unexpected. Another
thing I liked was that the main character was called Cendrillon, the original French version of the name Cinderella, and that her nickname was
Rilla.
However,
the romance wasn’t really as great; it felt like almost an afterthought. The
Prince was barely in it, and their relationship wasn’t given much “screen time”
for lack of a better word. Though I don’t always like it when romance is the
main focus and I’ve read plenty of books where something like this would be
just fine, here it just made the ending of the book feel rushed.
The
magical element of the book was strange; there wasn’t really anyone performing
magic as magic just happened (like signs
with the weather or crops) and there was superstition and making wishes. Most
of that was at the beginning of the book.
Though
this book wasn’t astounding- it's a quick, light read and doesn't pretend to be anything else- I still liked it enough where I’m looking forward
to read other books in the Once Upon a
Time is Timeless series!
Rating:
7
I've read a few in this series and I had similar reactions, and I definitely agree with your assessment of this particular book :). This series is a bit strange though, since most are done by different authors, the results are kind of a mixed bag. Some are actually decent stories and some... are not. Even still, they are fun, quick reads :)
ReplyDeleteI admit I'm not sure which ones in the series to pick next because I've heard it is such a mixed bag. I've heard most of Cameron Dokey's books are pretty good, but I haven't heard much about any of the other authors. What were some of the better books in the series?
ReplyDeleteI love this series! I particularly recommend Snow, by Tracy Lynn, and Wild Orchid, by Cameron Dokey.
ReplyDeleteI did like Snow. It's really weird, but it works somehow (although the end was a bit fuzzy for me, I haven't read it, but I've heard that a good one is Violet Eyes (a Princess and the Pea retelling)and the Story Teller's Daughter (1001 Nights)/
ReplyDeleteI really liked Violet Eyes, except that it was a bit _too_ romantic(in other words, about three kisses with excessive description).
DeleteSounds like a pleasant fairytale. :)
ReplyDelete