Across the Library

This new take on fairy tales focuses on Violet, a prickly court seer that doesn't particularly care if she is likeable. She certainly doesn't care if Cyrus, the prince she saved years ago, earning her place in court, likes or hates her, as she rather hates him. But it is her place as seer to prophesize whether he will find love in time to break his curse and save the kingdom from war and destruction as the previous seer's prophecy foretold. This book does so many things well! The "villainous" main character - this is my favorite type of character, so the bar was high, but this book does it well. The author made Violet properly prickly and supposedly unrelatable, but that just made me love her so much. Enemies to lovers - the chemistry is believable and enjoyable, moving the story forward as well as the rest of the plot. The beasts - The beasts were described so uniquely and beautifully, a strange combination of plant, fur. and horns. Camilla - Rivaling Violet and ...

  I read in an interview with Maggie Stiefvater that this book would appeal to both fans of the Disney movie Brave, as this is a sequel to the movie, and to her longtime fans. I happen to be an adult fan of both. I decided to rewatch the movie before reading the book because even though Merida is my favorite Disney princess, I haven't seen the movie since it was released, and I wanted to make sure it was fresh in my mind in case I needed to remember any plot points. This is not necessary though, as readers new to Merida's story can still find enjoyment in the book. It picks up a few years after the movie, and though it does occasionally mention the events of the movie, it is an entirely new story, where Merida, the princess of DunBroch, must spend a year trying to bring change to her family in order to save them after making a bargain with two gods. In a way, I think rewatching the movie first hindered my enjoyment of the book, because for the first half, I kept hearing movie M...

  Update 8/24/22: Liz Talley has written a sequel!  If the Dress Fits comes out October 25, 2022! There are so many things I love about this book. First and foremost, Liz Talley's writing style is fun, easygoing, and feels like a chat with your best friend. Cricket and Ruby are both fierce women, and their friendship is strong, with them truly being there for each other when it mattered. I particularly loved Ruby -- her background, her personality, her style and fashion designs. I wish I could see those designs in person or a drawing of them! No spoilers here, but her love interests and how they turn out are perfect. Yellow carnations -- nice touch. As for Cricket, her journey to catch her husband cheating is a wild, and enjoyable, ride (for the reader, not her!). Along the way, who can blame her if she wants to get to know Griffin better. My only complaint with the book is the little jumps forward between chapters (a week, a month near the end). I wanted more time to know ev...