Saturday, 13 July 2013

Unlocking the Spell by E. D. Baker (Children's, 9 years +, 9/10)

9th May 2013, Bloomsbury, 264 pages, Paperback, Review copy
 
Themes: Sleeping Beauty with a secret, Cinderella with a not so lovely fairy godmother, 3 little pigs and a wolf who aren't as they seem, a bewitched fiance, helping others out, being the unpopular one, ogres who are bullies, animals who talk, the bonds of friendship, the bond of sisters, 3 bears but no Goldilocks, travelling on a quest, magical objects that do both good and evil, lots of confusion, enjoying a moment for what it is,

Content: Mild young romance, lots of laughs, some moderate peril

Summary from Bloomsbury
Annie has helped her sister Gwendolyn (otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty) wake up from the 100-year curse by reuniting her with Prince Beldegard, so you'd think that things would be back to normal. Think again! The beloved prince is stuck in the body of a bear and the only way that Annie can be free of the two irritating lovebirds is to come to his rescue - she must find the evil dwarf who cast the spell, and quickly . . . Luckily, Annie has her own handsome prince to hand - and many tricks up her non-magical sleeve.

Nayuleska's thoughts 
This is the only book in the series that I've read, and it can be a stand alone book. I felt right at home with Annie, who suffers a lot in silence while other grumble loudly about lesser things. She gets frustrated with her sister but continues helping her out because that's what close-knit families do. The range of fairytale characters made the book a delight to read, apart from the few moments when the story dragged a little for me. Advice gleaned from Annie's story: if an offer sounds too good to be true it probably is!

You can find out more on E. D. Baker's website

Suggested read 
Check out the rest of E. D. Baker's books including Fairy Lies (Children's, 11 years +, 9/10)

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