Hanna Sandvig

I never knew that Snow White needed chickens. And unseelie fae. And definitely not tattoos and rune magic. And unicorns? Apple pie? Well, okay, definite yes to the apple pie. But at this point, I'm convinced that Hanna Sandvig herself is a magical creature.

But Snow White needed all those things. And of course, the huntsman, haunted by his past misdeeds, when he had been forced to choose between evils. The dwarves who were so kind to Neve--to everyone, really--but found vegetables so distasteful. A girl who just wanted to bake pies, not rule a kingdom. All of the characters were just so lovely and unique. And there were many, many cameo appearances by old friends from previous books.

The story was the same old stories in all the ways that matter, but beautifully unique in fun ways that made me want to keep reading this book forever. Like all of Hanna's books before this, it will be worth a reread in the not-so-distant future.

I received an ARC from the author and reviewed it willingly because I loved it.… (altro)

This lovely retelling of Cinderella spans human and fae worlds. In the human realm, Ella is forced to slave away in her home and stepmother's dress shop. Prince Tiernan, heir to the Seelie kingdom, must find a bride by his 200th birthday or marry a woman of his father's choosing. When Ella overhears the prince's dilemma, she volunteers to step in as his pretend fiancée. Of course, he makes her promise not to fall in love with him. But that won't be easy, because the more she gets to know him, the more of a Prince Charming he turns out to be.

There are so many things to love about this story. The characters are wonderful. The scheming fairy godmother is a librarian in Ella's hometown who is unlikely to return to Faerie until she watches the final episodes of her favorite TV series. Ella adopts a baby dragon that constantly steals her favorite snacks (and shiny things) and causes mischief around the palace. And there were other fun twists. Ella is frequently caught with ashes on her fingers from drawing, so the prince jokes that he might need to start calling her Cinder Ella. The dialogue (witty banter) from the opening scene was outstanding!

But the story also tackled some hard issues. Anxiety and insomnia were addressed as normative. While medicines varied between the human and fae realms, those who struggled with anxiety had access to treatment and were shown compassion and understanding instead of judgment from those closest to them. I will be interested to see how these issues continue to play out in future books.

Hanna's stories have always immediately captured me, making me laugh and want to know more about the delightful characters on each page. This book was no exception. As always, I eagerly await whatever she writes next.

I requested an ARC from the author and have reviewed it willingly.… (altro)

This book stole my heart from the first scene, in which Isobel is telling, er retelling, a fairy tale to a group of children at the library. I may or may not have reread that scene half a dozen times before continuing on with the book.

Isobel is tired of her sisters fighting, but she loves that they recently relocated to the country where she could walk in the woods and find some peace and quiet while she reads her fantasy novels. One night as she is out walking, she is set upon by wolves and rescued by a bear who pulls her through a portal, and well, the rest is one of the most beautiful retellings of Beauty and the Beast I've had the pleasure of reading. A cursed fae prince, the shared love of books, magic, countermagic, and a girl who refuses to give up or admit defeat. It's a tale as old as time and worth the read each time I encounter it in a new guise. But this will stand as one of my favorite retellings. I only wish Hanna Sandvig would write faster, but I'm fully confident that her next book will be worth the wait.… (altro)