by Alethea Kontis
Hardcover, 305 pages
Published May 8th 2012 by Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN 0547645708 (ISBN13: 9780547645704)
Series Woodcutter Sisters #1
Blurb
It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.
When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.
The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?
The Good
- The Woodcutter family. My gosh these characters were charming. From Monday to Sunday, every sister was unique and endearing, and I loved Trix in particular. His childishness and playful nature are infectious in a ridiculously good way. I thought I would eventually get confused or overwhelmed with the number of siblings, but Kontis does a fantastic job making sure each one has their own voice and personality. I also really loved Thursday the pirate sister, even if she did not play a particularly significant role throughout the story.
- The mashups. I adored the way Kontis artfully weaved together a number of different faerie tales. Every time a new one showed up I couldn’t help but smirk a little. Glass slippers, beanstalks, spinning straw into gold, damsels living in towers—this one really packs it in.
- The strong women. While there is a very Disney-princess feel to this story, unlike the princesses in the theaters the Woodcutter girls are fiercely independent, but unbelievably loyal to the family and friends who mean most to them. I loved this aspect of the story, and felt it made the characters all the more likable.
Overall Rating
This is basically the YA book equivalent of ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” TV show. As someone who loved Disney princesses as a child, I delight at finding ways to continue to enjoy these stories over and over again in new and different ways. The retelling of these cherished tales, combined with a cast of wonderfully endearing characters made this book a really great read. I would recommend this to fans of faerie tales, especially those who enjoy the “Once Upon a Time” show, since it has a very similar feel.
