Cannonball Read 14

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My first review *GULP*

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

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I’ve been a long time fan of Jennifer Donnelly, reaching back to when she was writing sprawling historical fiction novels (I reread Tea Rose at least once every couple of years). I was delighted when she ventured into fantasy, especially fairy tale rewrites. Her first attempt- Stepsister (what happens to the so-called wicked stepsisters of Cinderella after she marries her prince)- was awesome. I had high hopes for Poisoned, a take on Sleeping Beauty. Overall? A fun read. Great characters. As always for Donnelly, well-written. […]

Two books I had not intended on reviewing together

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

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The Belles By Dhonielle Clayton   In this world, most people are born unattractive – they have grey skin, red eyes, and straw-like hair. There are a few who are not so, and who look like what we think of as regular people.  These people are called Belles, and they have the power, somehow, of making other people “beautiful.”  They can change someone’s skin color, eye color, hair color and texture and length, and even change bone structure and muscle.  But these changes are like […]

Once Upon a Time, a Girl Lost Herself

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

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I picked this up due to crystalclear’s review, and since I have a weakness for fairy tale retellings.  Stepsister takes place after the prince has chosen Ella, and taken her away from home to marry her.  Her stepmother and stepsisters are left behind in a village where they are now hated for their abuse of the country’s future queen. Donnelly decided to use the Grimm’s version of the fairy tale as her starting base so Tavi (Octavia), the older sister, and Izzy (Isabelle), the main […]

There Was Once A Girl Named Isabelle

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

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Wow this book was perfection. I laughed, held my breath, cried a bit, and cheered. Donnelly did such a wonderful job with this book I can’t wait to read more from her. “Stepsister” follows what happens after Cinderella (Ella) is locked away and her two stepsisters remove parts of their feet (Tavi cutting away her heel and Isabelle her toes) and are found out by a bird singing in a tree. What follows is the two girls and their mother are shunned by their village […]

One of my top recommendations right now!

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

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This is a Cinderella retelling focusing on one of the ugly stepsisters.  There is magic in this story, but also a lot of realism. We start with Isabelle, the younger of the stepsisters, getting ready to reluctantly cut off her toes to fit into the glass slipper.  Her older sister, Octavia, has already cut off her heel and was caught out, so now it’s Isabelle’s turn to try to secure their future. As expected, it doesn’t turn out well. The tale of Cinderella has a […]

A fine finish to Jennifer Donnelly’s YA Mermaid series.

Sea Spell by Jennifer Donnelly

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I really enjoyed Jennifer Donnelly’s Waterfire saga, and I’m sad that the last book has been published. I don’t want to say too much about this last book, because I don’t want to spoil you all on the series. So what I’ve decided to do instead of a traditional review is give you a list of Reasons to Read This Series, as affirmed by the final book, Sea Spell. Here we are: *Its emphasis is on female friendship as a means of solving problems. Six […]



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