Clarion is our quiet, determined hero of this story. She’s on the cusp of adulthood and this adventure will catapult her into life with several decisive actions. I really liked her character. She’s had a pretty stable if downward spiraling life up until recently. She and her mom are facing poverty. With her dad deceased, it’s up to her and her mom to make ends meet. I was right beside Clarion in her grief over her mom’s decision to sell the last of the pigs. However I do wonder why Clarion thought Royce and Raymond would keep their little pig farm going. I’m pretty sure Clarion understood that it takes male and female pigs to get a new generation of piglets… but her inner monologue on these two boy pigs says she doesn’t. That was the first little thing that didn’t make sense with this tale.

Note: I have since learned that it’s Royse (as in Medieval version of Rose). The author shared that little tidbit with me which is great since I didn’t pick up on the spelling with this audioversion.

Over all, I enjoyed this story. With that said, there are several small points (like the pig issue mentioned above) that show this tale could have used a little polishing. Clarion’s mom comes off as a bit of a harpy at first but then her character becomes softer, more approachable. But then we quickly move on with the rest of the story, so I can’t say which version of Clarion’s mom was the more realistic. These are just two examples of small points that sometimes contradicted each other.

Anyhoo, Clarion has a social gathering to get ready for and that involves first cleaning the Mayor’s house and then borrowing someone’s dress. Her beloved harp (a big awkward thing) may not be her’s for much longer. Both Clarion and I were sad about this. But we are given little time to cry over that because there’s a big beanstalk!

From this point forward, things get a bit predictable. The story still has a charm to it but I was not surprised by anything. Up in the clouds, there’s a domineering bully of a giant along with other giants. The characters travel up and down the various beanstalks while they attempt to resolve all the conflicts. The witch Jacosa plays a key role in these beanstalks and in shrinking and enlarging various characters; her herbs and magical beans provide the backbone for this tale.

Now I really did like that Clarion is having to muddle through her romantic feelings in the midst of all this. She and Elena have been friends for years and perhaps a little more. However, in the recent months, Clarion isn’t sure she feels that way about Elena any longer. Then a new young man comes to town, Mack, and Clarion feels her first little crush on a boy. I loved that her blossoming feelings for a potential heterosexual relationship doesn’t diminish her past homosexual feelings for Elena. Two thumb ups for this aspect of the story despite some ridiculous insta-love later on in the tale.

Now the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger so I hope there will be a sequel, otherwise Clarion will be stuck in an uncomfortable disposition forever. All told, it was Clarion that carried me through the story. I was attached to her even with the tale being a bit predictable.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Amy McNulty. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Narration: Kaitlin Descutner did a very good job with this story. She had the perfect young lady voice for Clarion. There was singing! Yes, indeed! Descutner pulled this off really well. Not all narrators can easily work in a bit of singing and Descutner did not disappoint. Her male voices were believable and all her characters were distinct. There were no technical issues with the recording. ( )

Ballad of the Beanstalk by Amy McNulty and narrated by Kaitlin Descutner is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary. This is the back story of the harp and the story of the bean stalk characters. The story was very hard to get into. It was slow, too many character introductions, the plot was going nowhere... It did get a bit better later but the characters still were shallow and the plot just okay. The saving grace was the narrator who performed wonderfully with what she had. I would have given this a lower score had it not been for the narrator. ( )

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO REVIEWER'S WEBSITE

Clarion struggles after the death of her father and her life with her mother is growing more difficult. When she learns her mother has sold the last two positions of her father, Clarion feels like there is nothing left for her in the world. Clarion's relationship with Elena, her sweetheart and best friend, becomes strained at the arrival of a new man in their town, Magnus. Though he is meant for Elena, he is drawn to Clarion and she is equally attracted to him. They find their way up the mysterious beanstalk that is planted by the town's witch. When the trio finds themselves stuck in the cloud-land, Magnus and Elena bickering, Clarion does the only thing she thinks she can do to help.

I like this modern, mashup prequel of the old "Jack and the Beanstalk" tale.

What Didn't Work
Love does not prevail in this story in any way. I didn't know which relationship to hope for in this story. A lonely and obtuse governor. A superficial mother. A second best relationship and a love triangle that ends with a twist. Spoiler Alert: There is no happily-ever-after for this painful story. Sorry. The only reason that didn't work for me is because I see this story as a fairytale in every way; there should be a lesson or moral. This story lacks that.

What Did Work
I enjoy a good prequel and I never thought to imagine one for "Jack and the Beanstalk." As the story is set up I don't realize what I have entered into. When it revealed itself I was all the way invested into the story. I found that I was happy to finish reading it at that point because then it was a connection to something so familiar, though forgotten.

I also like there is a modern twist in including the lesbian relationship. Fairy tales should change with the times updating with what is going on in society at the time the story is shared. An alternative to heterosexual pairings is a part of our culture. In the story, it is still ignored and looked down on by the other characters, but the author doesn't hide what Elena and Clarion are to each other either. Nice update!

I missed my "And They Lived Happily Ever After," at the end of this story, it was still a compelling and a fun read. It was not too long and the pacing is pretty consistent to the end.

Ballad of the Beanstalk by Amy McNulty, for originality and modern twist -
3.75/5 Open Book Rating

Happy Reading and Give Your Gift ( )

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. I usually really enjoy fairy tale retellings or extensions, however this one was a tough read for me. This book is supposed to be a prequel to Jack and the Beanstalk.

There are a lot of characters thrown at you right away and it's not clear who is who. This could have been easily remedied by telling the reader straight off that so and so was Clarion’s friend or something like that. The beginning was just poorly handled in general.

The writing just doesn't flow very well either, it’s actually kind of a mess. I had to re-read sentences a lot to make sure I understood what was happening. It was just very awkward to read.

The above could have been forgiven if that story had been interesting but it really wasn’t. There aren’t any surprises in here and the story is pretty dull (especially since it involves magic and giants...which should be exciting). In general the whole thing was pretty boring and I was counting down the pages so I could just be finished with it. Luckily it’s not all that long.

The only positive aspect to this book is that is does a good job portraying same sex relationships without making a huge deal about it. However, even this gets a bit muddied because of the poor writing. I spent a while in the beginning trying to figure out what was up between Clarion and Elena because it was just written poorly.

Overall I wasn't a fan of this book and almost stopped reading this a number of times. It’s poorly written, doesn’t flow well, and is boring. The only positive in this story me was that it addresses same sex relationships in a realistic way. I wouldn’t recommend if you like fairy tale retellings and/or extensions...look elsewhere. ( )

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way had any affect on my opinion of the book or my review.

I loved the spin that Amy McNulty put on this classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk! Her writing is so amazing that you totally forget that this is technically a child's story turned into a adult's book. The main character of the story Clarion, is struggling with her sexuality. She thinks she has it all with her sweetheart and one of her best friends Elena. But when she happens to see a random boy one evening and gets butterfly's, she starts to second guess and wonder if it's really right to stay with her. Clarion knows that her and Elena's "understanding" is not acceptable in their times. I mean the setting is when woman wear bonnets and still need to be chaperoned with a boy. Clarion seems to struggle with a lot of things, her father passed recently, and she doesn't get along with her mother very well because she seems to want to sell everything off. Especially her father's most prized possession, his harp, that she plays and sings too. The mayor wants to buy it and offered for Clarion to play it whenever, and the mayor just to happens to be Elena's dad. Clarion and her friends Elena and Krea also go to the town's witch Jacosa's to help in her garden planting. And have formed a somewhat friendship with her. These are 16 year old girls, and boys are starting to take note and the dads are wanting to marry them off and Elena's brother seems to like Clarion, but Krea is smitten with Jackin. They have a ball at Elena's house and before that Clarion learns her mother has sold the harp. And Clarion meets the mysterious boy who gave her butterfly's officially. His name is Lord Magnus "Mack" of Rosewood.He wants Clarion to call her Mack. Clarion breaks things off with Elena and she does not take it so well. Elena does not understand that even though she loves her why can't she be attracted to both sexes?Oh, and to spice things up Magnus is there to meet and hopefully wed Elena! Clarion played the harp at the ball and it's like when she played her and Mack couldn't take eyes off each other! She went outside and talked to Mack and there was an earthquake and her and Mack could see something in the distance. They go investigate to find a beanstalk! And I promise it's a wild ride from there! Because Clarion refuses to give up. She is tired of being treated like a delicate little flower. She will do anything to find the truth, and help save the ones she love, and even is starting to love. In the end she has a a heart of gold and a song that will always sooth the ones she loves. Amy McNulty did not disappoint in this story! ( )