The Rules of Ever After
گزارش تخلف
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
June 1, 2015
Gr 9 Up-Set in the fictional kingdoms of Clarameer, this book riffs on popular fairy tales to create a jumbled mess of damsels in distress, flirtatious minstrels, and confused princes. Prince Phillip is expected to soon wed a princess although he secretly fancies gentlemen over ladies. Only a princess who can feel a pea under a pile of mattresses can marry the forlorn royal. Much to his surprise, he finds a young man on the tower of mattresses one night. What follows is a series of tongue-in-cheek adventures with a cavalcade of archetypal fairy tale characters. Although this LGBTQ twist on "The Princess and the Pea" strikes a subversive cord, its true dissidence lies in the running theme, which suggests that one should save oneself rather than passively wait for a handsome prince to do so. Unfortunately, the writing falls flat. None of the characters have an original voice, the tone remains monotonous, and the pacing is unnecessarily slow. Readers looking for well-developed characters will be sadly disappointed. VERDICT Readers who love fractured fairy tales and fantastical rom-coms may enjoy this novel, although there are many others in the genre that outshine this one.-Jaclyn Anderson, Madison County Library System, MS
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
A young white man who doesn't want to play by society's rules finds his bliss in this frothy alternative fairy tale. Phillip's manipulative, scheming stepmother is using the outdated pea-hidden-under-20-mattresses test to identify a genuinely royal bride. While quite clear that he does not want to marry a woman, Philip is a bit less sure of what he does want--that is, until he meets the darkly alluring Daniel and everything goes haywire. What follows is a mashup of fairy-tale tropes, including blessings and curses from fairies, brave quests to save loved ones from spells and dungeons, and the magical power of a kiss. The humorous, satirical tone is reminiscent of Jean Ferris and Gerald Morris, but the characters remain two-dimensional and difficult to differentiate, and magical elements appear conveniently when needed to resolve most problems. It is disappointing that a work intended to challenge homophobia unnecessarily demeans age and fatness (in a large cast of beautiful people, the evil stepmother has "wrinkles and lines, like an apple left on the windowsill too long"; and the lone fat princess's appetite becomes a source of cheap humor). There is a remarkable lack of ethnic diversity, with even the few characters described as having dark complexions elsewhere appearing as "tan" or with "olive skin." While the overarching message--"Your happiness shouldn't deny another's happiness. Don't ever try to deny a person their happily ever after"--is commendable, the novel lacks heft. (Fantasy. 12-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
August 15, 2016
A young white man who doesnt want to play by societys rules finds his bliss in this frothy alternative fairy tale. Phillips manipulative, scheming stepmother is using the outdated pea-hidden-under-20-mattresses test to identify a genuinely royal bride. While quite clear that he does not want to marry a woman, Philip is a bit less sure of what he does wantthat is, until he meets the darkly alluring Daniel and everything goes haywire. What follows is a mashup of fairy-tale tropes, including blessings and curses from fairies, brave quests to save loved ones from spells and dungeons, and the magical power of a kiss. The humorous, satirical tone is reminiscent of Jean Ferris and Gerald Morris, but the characters remain two-dimensional and difficult to differentiate, and magical elements appear conveniently when needed to resolve most problems. It is disappointing that a work intended to challenge homophobia unnecessarily demeans age and fatness (in a large cast of beautiful people, the evil stepmother has wrinkles and lines, like an apple left on the windowsill too long; and the lone fat princesss appetite becomes a source of cheap humor). There is a remarkable lack of ethnic diversity, with even the few characters described as having dark complexions elsewhere appearing as tan or with olive skin. While the overarching messageYour happiness shouldnt deny anothers happiness. Dont ever try to deny a person their happily ever afteris commendable, the novel lacks heft. (Fantasy. 12-18)
COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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