Review: The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl's inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother's future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what.

When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.

My source for book: Personal Library

My Thoughts:
Weaving Christian themes into retellings of fairy tales might not seem like the most natural thing ever, but I actually think it's a really cool idea, and a great way to expose unbelievers to tidbits of the gospel. Upon reading, I do admit that initially the Christian angle seemed a bit out of place to me in the fairy tale style world, but as the story unfolded it began to feel fairly natural when the characters prayed or leaned on their faith.

The book is categorized as Young Adult fiction, but that shouldn't stop older people from giving it a shot. Admittedly, it did seem a bit younger on the scale than some YA novels that I've read...the plot was somewhat simpler than I expected it to be, without many intricacies or extreme twists. The Christian slant results in there being no "magic" in the story world, and while this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I felt that the omission of magic left some parts of the familiar story feeling rather flat, particularly the evil queen.

As for the romance between Sophie and Gabe...while there were parts that were good, overall it was a bit too saccharine for my taste. They barely knew each other before admitting to feelings, which gave me the impression that their "love" was just infatuation as a result of the trauma--fleeing for their lives--that they'd been through together. (That was without a doubt one of the best parts of the story, and it would certainly build a bond of sorts between them, but still...) I hate to sound so logical about it all, but I was just never completely sold on their feelings for each other.

This is the first of Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale retellings that I've read, and I have to admit that after all the positive things I've heard, I was anticipating finding a bit more...something. Honestly, I didn't "dislike" the book, but I was just expecting a bit more. Maybe it's because Snow White isn't really my favorite fairy tale.... Regardless, I do still want to check out some of Melanie's other works. I think the Christian spin on these classic stories is a very promising idea and has the makings of something that could be really awesome.

My Rating: 3 stars

Review: Sketchy Behavior by Erynn Mangum

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Drawing conclusions or drafting disaster? 

Other than harboring a somewhat obsessive fondness for Crispix and completely swearing-off boys after a bad date (don't ask), sixteen-year-old Kate Carter is about as ordinary as they come, except for her two notable talents: art and sarcasm. 

After an introduction to forensic sketching in her elective art class, Kate discovers a third and most unexpected gift---criminal profiling. Her photo-quality sketch helps the police catch a wanted murderer and earns her celebrity status in South Woodhaven Falls. But when that murderer appears to be using his friends to exact revenge, Kate goes from local hero to possible target. Will she manage to survive? Will life ever be normal again? And will local news anchor Ted Deffle ever stop sending her flowers?

My Thoughts:
Sketchy Behavior covers more sober topics than Erynn Mangum's past novels have, but despite the serious situations the story is still infused with the traditional Erynn Mangum charm that I've come to love. Yes, the plot does revolve around various aspects of crime and the fear of criminals at large, but it's done in a rather lighthearted way so there's really no chance of being dragged down by the seriousness.... But there is a definite chance of being entertained!

Kate has a unique and humorous way of looking at things, and the first person writing puts you right inside her head, where you can see all of the amusing thoughts that run amuck in her mind. Unfortunately due to her circumstances she doesn't have many opportunities to actually say any of these thoughts out loud.... Still, some of her views are quite amusing, and several times I was helpless to keep the grin off my face!

There's one thing that struck me as rather odd, but I'm going to have to be fairly vague so as not to give spoilers. ;) Towards the end of the book there is a large twist involving one of the main characters, and the facts that are revealed struck me as quite out of character for this person. Yes, from a writing standpoint it was a great out-of-the-blue twist, but I was disappointed that there wasn't an explanation as to why this person did what they did, or what their motivation was. I wish one more chapter had been included to give a little more closure with this character's storyline, instead of leaving me hanging with a "what on earth!?" feeling.

While it's not my favorite of Erynn Mangum's works, I did enjoy the story overall. (Some of the scenes were so vivid that I began thinking this could make a really fun and amusing movie! Hint, hint, producers!!) Anyway, at this point I don't think there are plans for a sequel novel, but if there were, I would certainly pick it up so I could continue following Kate's adventures. She's got some extreme artistic talent that has the potential to put her in interesting situations, and I'd be quite curious to see what becomes of her as she graduates high school and starts off on her own.

My Rating: 4 stars

Review: Trouble at Lake Lorraine by Sherry Chamblee

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Her best friend calls her reckless, her mom says she’s nosy - KerryAnne thinks of herself as blessed with hyper-observationalism. She hopes that someday it will all add up to a career as a journalist. For now, she just needs to get through Bible college, maybe even go on a date once in awhile.

Class projects, school newspapers, all-night cram sessions, terrifying noises in the middle of the night - the perfect start to a freshman year.

Trouble follows KerryAnne Dawson, she can’t help it. Mystery is around every corner, and she likes it that way. So when the mystery begins on campus, she’s ready for it.

There couldn’t be a better start to her first year in college than by uncovering the mystery at Lake Lorraine. 

My Thoughts:
I've felt for a while that the Christian fiction market needs more books with college-age characters, so I was happy to stumble across this title. Granted, mysteries aren't my preferred genre, but I was still curious to check it out.

The book is written in first person from Kerry's point of view, but in my opinion Tim is the highlight of the entire book. Initially I felt the story was just "okay", but my overall feeling greatly improved once his character became more integral to the story (about half way through). Tim is very happy-go-lucky, always looking for the humor in things, but he is occasionally serious as well. Kerry has a fairly serious personality, and she finds Tim's funny-man act completely aggravating...but nevertheless, when Tim is around Kerry tends to loosen up as she tries to come up with retorts to his smart remarks. The banter between them can't be calling anything less than flirting, though Kerry doesn't yet realize it.

The book is marketed as Young Adult, I'd say probably for mid-teens. There were a few things that struck me as slightly unrealistic, and occasionally the characters and their actions felt a bit more "high school" than "college". There is a noticeable lack of adults at the college; I honestly can't imagine college faculty just sitting back while events of this nature were occurring....but I think all of this stems from the Young Adult target audience. Despite all this, and my not being in the Young Adult age range (I'm mid-twenties), I still found the story to be worth reading. If you're a bit older, don't just instantly dismiss it! :)

Trouble at Lake Lorraine appears to be the start of a series about KerryAnne. The story ends somewhat abruptly; though the mystery is solved, everything else is left fairly open, so it's obvious the author has plans for additional stories about Kerry. I'm undecided if I will follow the series or not...Kerry is a bit too obsessed with mysteries for my taste, but I really did like Tim and the banter he has with Kerry. I'd be interested in seeing their relationship grow, so you never know, I may just decide to check out the next installment.

My Rating: 4 stars