Sometimes, the best books are already on our shelves, waiting to be read. TBR Tuesday is a chance to spotlight books that you own that have been languishing on the endless to-be-read pile. It's a chance to showcase a book and bring it to the attention of those who haven't read it, and at the same time, finding out from those who have whether it's worth the read.
Feel free to post your own TBR Tuesday and link back so everyone can see what's hiding in your TBR mountain!
This week is a special edition of TBR Tuesday, featuring a couple of fairy tale titles I own but didn't get to work into Fairy Tale Fortnight:
by Gail Carson Levine
I was born singing. Most babies cry. I sang an aria. Or so I believe. I have no one to tell me the truth of it. I was abandoned when I was a month old, left at the Featherbed Inn in the Ayorthaian villiage of Amonta. It was January 12th of the year of Thunder Songs.
The Fairy Lucinda has once again given a dreadful gift. THis time it's a mysterious magical mirror. The gift is disastrous when it falls into the hands of Aza, who never looks in a mirror if she can help it. In the Kingdom of Ayortha, Aza is most definitely not the fairest of them all. Many spurn her. Many scoff at her. She keeps out of sight.
But in the land of singers, Aza has her own gift, one she's come by without fairy intervention: a voice that can do almost anything, a voice that captivates all who hear it. In Ontio Castle, merry Prince Ijori is drawn to it, and vain Queen Ivi wants to use it for her own ends. Queen Ivi would do anything to remain the fairest in the land.
Gail Carson Levine
Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcerer Rhys. But when Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death, Addie must gather her courage and set off alone on a quest to find the cure and save her beloved sister. Addie takes the seven-league boots and magic spyglass left to her by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak given to her by Rhys—along with a shy declaration of his love. She prevails in encounters with tricky specters (spiders too) and outwits a wickedly personable dragon in adventures touched with romance and a bittersweet ending.
I picked both of these Gail Carson Levine tales up a few years ago when I was jonesing for some fairy tale-esque, fun stories. But I think I overloaded on fairy tales and -esque tales, because these two got set aside, and I never did end up reading them. I always seem to push them aside because for whatever reason, I have yet to click with GCL, even though she's really popular. I almost worked them into FTF, but it was so jam-packed, they just didn't make the cut. Maybe next year...
What do you guys think? Anyone read these, or love Gail Carson Levine?
Link up your TBR post here!
I've read both of these, and really enjoyed them, although not the same way one enjoyed Jessica Day George, or Shannon Hale. They are light reading, but both are the read, if you get the chance.
ReplyDeleteI liked Fairest, but the Two Princesses of Bamarre was just okay. Hope you enjoy them when you get around to reading them! :)
ReplyDeleteBoth great choices!
ReplyDeleteFairest is in my TBR pile is well. Have you read Ella Enchanted? I really enjoyed that one.
ReplyDelete@Liz: Nope. I loved the movie, and I've heard they changed a lot, and since I've never connected with her writing, I didn't want the book to spoil the movie for me...
ReplyDelete*looks sheepish*
These are both good books by GCL. I enjoyed them both quite a bit, though Ella is still my fave!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Fairest but not another of hers...Ever? I think that was it. Haven't read Ella Enchanted since I loved the movie so much and I've heard that it's nothing like the book.
ReplyDeleteI have read Fairest (and own it too!). I thought it was so cute. Like reading a book made by Disney or something...enchanting :)
ReplyDeleteI have Fairest, but I haven't read my copy yet either. lol I absolutely loved Ella Enchanted, and I recently read Ever by GCL too, but I didn't like it as much as Ella Enchanted. :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree though, she writes very light books, that's why I like Ella Enchanted so much though, it's one of those books I pull out and finish in a couple of hours when I need a pick me up. :)