Review: Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett

Rapunzel Untangled
by Cindy C. Bennett
Published: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:
Rapunzel is not your average teenager.

For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.

Review:
I have to admit that I love fairy tales and while I was never a Rapunzel kind of girl growing up, I absolutely love the Disney movie Tangled. It made me suddenly wish I had twenty feet of hair to brush and brush and brush and brush some more while wondering when will my life begin. And yes, I did just sing that out loud while ignoring the baffled look my husband gave me. Anyways, I suppose that was my way of explaining just why I immediately jumped at the chance to read Rapunzel Untangled, not to mention the cover is gorgeous!

I figured out pretty quickly that this was going to be a fairly faithful, though modernized, retelling of the age old story. The initial contact between Rapunzel and Fane is fairly contrived and I struggled to believe it. I mean why would a hot, super popular guy suddenly want to hook up with a girl he's not even sure is a girl? Once the two finally meet face to face, I loved their interactions. I thought Fane came across as very sweet and funny, while Rapunzel lost a bit of her over the top naivety.

For me, this was a 5 star read all the way up until the end. This is where I felt like the story just fell apart within a few short pages. Suddenly there was magic and it was very vague and then the story as wrapped up. I felt cheated out of a realistic ending that I had been led by the rest of the story to believe I was going to get. However, I do still think this is a retelling that any fairy tale fan would fall in love with.

Review: Henry Franks by Peter Adam Salomon

Henry Franks
by Peter Adam Salomon
Published: September 2012
Publisher: Flux
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

A dark, psychological thriller about a boy's search for himself

Four thousand, three hundred and seventeen stitches, his father had told him once. All the King's horses and all the King's men had put Henry Franks back together again.

One year ago, a terrible accident robbed Henry Franks of his mother and his memories. The past sixteen years have vanished. All he has now are scars and a distant father—the only one who can tell Henry who he is.

If he could trust his father.

Can his nightmares—a sweet little girl calling him Daddy, murderous urges, dead bodies—help him remember?

While a serial killer stalks their small Georgia town, Henry unearths the bitter truth behind his mother’s death—and the terrifying secrets of his own dark past.

Sometimes, the only thing worse than forgetting is remembering.

Review:
Henry Franks is unlike any book I've read this year, but I'm still not sure how I feel about it. There was a definite sense of originality that I liked. It didn't follow any formula and when it threatened to go down the easy route with character development or plot details it stayed true to the story. There are obvious connections to Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and yet there is still a uniqueness to the story.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book. There were a lot of questions that Henry is attempting to answer and when they are finally uncovered it actually quiet sad to consider the lengths that were gone to in order to protect Henry. What accident caused Henry's injuries? His mother? What is his father hiding? Who is the killer? What is happening to Henry's body now?

So why am I so unsure of how I feel? Well, I think it's because I didn't really connect with Henry and at times his relationship with his neighbor Justine didn't feel authentic. It was all too easy. There is also the issue I had with the very end. I don't want to reveal what happens, but to me it didn't feel right. I just couldn't see the characters accepting the final decision they make. Then again, maybe if I had connected with them more, it would have worked for me.

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder 

by Marissa Meyer

Published: January 3, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

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.

Review:
I'm usually a little cautious about books that become really popular, but with Cinder I had to read it if only for the cover. That said, I was so glad I decided to. Cinder is unlike any fairy tale retelling I've read. The world Meyer created is so detailed and done in such a casual way that it felt entirely believable.

Cinder, though, is not the typical Cinderella. Not once does she wait around to be rescued from her horrible life by a marriage proposal from Prince Kai. She knows and uses her abilities, first in an attempt to help her sister, and later in an attempt to help the Prince retain control of his kingdom. I really enjoyed how she wasn't falling all over the Prince even though he is kind, charming, and good looking. It was interesting to see the discrimination she faced and how she dealt with it in a very matter-of-fact way. She wanted a better life, she wanted to be judged for her actions and abilities, yet she never sits around having a pity party.

I did find the different ways of referring to people a bit confusing at first. Cinder is also called Miss. Linh, and Linh-mei (with an accent on the e). But after the first few times, I caught on and it added depth to the world building.


There were a few twists thrown in and I think they'll make the sequel even more interesting. Marissa Meyer is definitely an author I will be reading more from.

Book Trailer ~ Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

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.

Review: Gil Marsh by A.C.E. Bauer

Gil Marsh 

by A.C.E. Bauer

Published: February 28, 2012

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Available: Amazon

Blurb:

Good looking, athletic, and smart, Gill Marsh is the most popular kid at Uruk High School, even though he is only a junior. When Enko, a new kid from Montreal, shows up, Gil is wary. Yet Enko is easy going and matches Gil's athletic prowess without being a threat. Soon, the two become inseparable friends, practicing, studying, and double-dating.

Then suddenly, to everyone's shock, Enko succumbs to an aggressive cancer.

When Enko's parents take his body and return to Canada, Gil is unable to even say good bye. He is inconsolable. Determined to find Enko's grave, Gil sneaks away and heads north.

Closely based on the ancient story of Gilgamesh, the Sumerian King from 3000 BC, A. C. E. Bauer has carefully woven the classic elements of myth to follow Gil's quest and explore the grief and growth of a young man.

Review:

I feel horrible about writing a review on a book I couldn't read all the way through (although I did get halfway and then skimmed the rest in hopes that it would get better). Gil Marsh sounds interesting. The cover looks interesting. The concept of basing it on the story of Gilgamesh is interesting. Gil Marsh is anything but. From page one I was bored. The writing was dry, events told to us as opposed to shown, and I felt like the author was striving for a high literary style and fell far short. 


In addition to the extremely unnatural and forced writing, there was a complete lack of character building. Gil is good looking, athletic and smart. At least this is what the reader is told. I didn't see any evidence of this, apart from him being athletic. He doesn't get the hot girl, he's judgmental, conceited, rude, and once he makes his plans to go to Canada  he is a complete idiot as evidenced by his utter lack of knowledge about there being homeless people living in one of the largest cities in Canada and his plans to camp in the city park. Gullible would be a better description, especially when he practically gives his money away to a con artist.
  
When Enko's character was first introduced I thought I was suddenly reading a paranormal gay romance. Gil is obsessed by Enko's body and his body hair right from the beginning and I wondered if Enko was going to turn into a werewolf. There's one scene when at Enko's house where Gil admires Enko's hairy half naked body. Gil repeatedly says that he loves Enko, and despite that fact that I'm pretty sure the story is supposed to be about this strong brotherly love I couldn't help but think that Bauer has never even spoken to a high school boy. If the story had been set two hundred years ago, I would have accepted it as a brotherly love, but in the modern world guys (straight or gay) just don't talk like that.

I can understand that she was trying to remain true to the story of Gilgamesh, but cultures and people change. Look at Beastly or even Red Riding Hood, both are modern retellings and manage to be successful because of the changes that were made. Gil Marsh had the potential to be a great adventure into self discovery and the true value of friendship. Instead it came out stale, stilted and lack luster.