If you’re here for The Cephalopod Coffeehouse, you’re in the right place. I have a treat for you today. I’m a huge fan of Stacey Rourke and jumped on a chance to read an ARC of the second book in her Unfortunate Souls Chronicles. Before you dive into all the Rourke goodness, if you want to see the result of my Graphic Novel Read-A-Thon, just click the bold text to watch the wrap-up video.
Without further ado, I give you…
Title: Entombed in Glass
Series: Unfortunate Soul Chronicles #2
Author: Stacey Rourke
Genre: YA Fantasy, Fairy tale retelling
Release Date: March 29, 2018
Mirror, mirror on the wall.
What’s behind that fated call?
He’s the seer of present, future, and past,
Yet remains a nameless face entombed in glass.
Raised as a servant in the underwater kingdom of Atlantica, Alastor worked his way up to a regal member of the Royal Guard. Only as a decorated soldier did he stand a chance of winning the hand of the woman he’s loved since childhood … Poseidon’s only daughter, Princess Vanessa. But, when the war against humans rages, dark magics are evoked to give the mermen a fighting chance. Temporarily granted legs, they charge from the sea into a doomed battle.
Doing the bidding of his masters as a trusted pawn,
The claims of his loyalty couldn’t be more wrong.
Waking on land, with bodies all around, Alastor’s lone goal becomes returning to the ocean and the only life he’s ever known. A plan that is quickly diverted when Hades, Lord of the Underworld, appears with a twisted agenda all his own. Cast to a land far from the lapping comforts of home, Alastor’s sole companion is a troubled misfit named Sterling that soon comes to depend on him. Trained to be a hero, how far is Alastor willing to go to return to the woman he loves? And can he live with the sacrifices he’s forced to make?
Each day he schemes to break free from their thrall,
and honor a self-made vow … to kill them all.
BUY
My Review
I’m really enjoying the Unfortunate Souls Chronicles series. I thought Rise of the Sea Witch was wonderful. This second installment of the series, Entombed in Glass, is also pretty good. Where the first book in the series focused on one central story, the second book in the series veers off a bit. I think because there’s so much going on in this second book, it was hard for me to fall in love with it, as much as I did the first book. I would say that this book is a 3.5 to 4-star rating overall, where is the first one was a 4.5.
–
BUY
So, I was very excited and surprised to see that there was a definite connection between the first and second book in the series. At first, I was afraid that the Unfortunate Souls Chronicles would all be standalone stories, but I like that they are connected. As Vanessa’s tale ends in book one before Ursula rises, her true love Alastor’s tale begins in book 2. If only the book focused just on his story, it might have gone over better for me. But, don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad story. I really did enjoy it.
–
BUY
In book 2, we get to follow Alastor on a journey to return home, but he’s not alone. First, he’s forced into the service of Hades, god of the underworld. Next, he gets a traveling companion in Sterling, who has a story all of his own. This is where things get a bit complicated. We have an Atlantean living on land, trying to make his hero’s journey, while also being accompanied by a character who clearly seems to be from Wonderland. As if that wasn’t confusing enough, at some point we make it all the way to Neverland. I won’t say too much more than that for fear of giving away spoilers.
BUY
– Clearly, there’s a lot going on in this story. How it is that Alastor goes from the sea to ending up stuck within the mirror is a very interesting and involved story. In true Rourke fashion, there is a lot of humor, but there’s also a lot of terror and fright. It’s a complicated story and just barely gets by without being convoluted- a true mark of Rourke’s mastery.
–
This whole installment seems to boil down to the idea that Alastor is a good man of his word who is constantly stuck trying to do the right thing, and unfortunately, ends up sacrificing himself to help others. It’s clear that his story doesn’t end here. There has to be another book for all his journeys and hard work to pay off and make sense.
–
I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review, which in no way influenced my review or rating.
–
Recommended to true fans of YA fairy tale retellings and mash-ups.
RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel
Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013
Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Crane 2015
Stacey Rourke is the author of the award winning YA Gryphon Series, the chillingly Legends Saga, and the romantic comedy Reel Romance Series. She currently hard at work on the Unfortunate Soul Chronicles, and additional literary projects. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head.
HOSTED BY:
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
This review will consist of me asking myself 10 questions and answering them to the best of my ability…sort of. I’m still on vacation people.
1. What is this film about?
It’s an updated adaption of the Disney film Sleeping Beauty. Yes, the original story goes back centuries and crosses many cultures, but this is a Disney story.
2. What did I think of the title, poster, and or trailer?
I have this thing about not watching trailers of movies I expect to be really good, not wanting to see all good bits first. When I heard they were making this movie I wasn’t excited until the rumors started rolling out. Then when I learn Elle Fanning would play Aurora, I knew this would a special take on the story. Plus, I’d thought a while back that if anyone could play the evil fairy, it would be Angelina.
3. What did I think of the main character(s) and how the actors performed them?
I thought the movie was very well acted. Granted the role of Sleeping Beauty probably didn’t stretch Elle very much, but she did do a good job looking the part. Angelina was awesome and I not even a huge fan. The one she faltered was when she delivered the line, “I don’t like children.” I don’t think anyone could take her seriously with that one.
4. What did I think of the direction and cinematography?
Visually, this movie quite good. Yes, there was a lot of CGI, but it was all used tastefully. When I think back on it now, for the majority of this film, I imagine the sets weren’t very packed. I have a feeling most of the sets were superimposed.
5. What did I think of the soundtrack and score?
I honestly forget to think about the music in this film until the ending credits rolled, there were no beginning credits. That was the most somber rendition of “Once Upon a Dream” I’ve ever heard, but still I liked it. I just wouldn’t be playing it at any parties.
6. What did I like about the story as a whole?
There were so many cliché moments in the film, but like the twists they made to familiar fairy tale and the sense of empowerment left to the female characters.
7. What did I not like about the story?
The scenes leading up to the spinning wheel were just creepy.
8. Would I recommend this movie to others?
Yes.
9. If yes, who? What would I rate this movie?
This movie is good for most women, big or small, but even my husband appreciated it for the fantasy and action sequences. Anyone who doesn’t like happy endings or needs more brutality and vulgarity in their action will want to pass on this.
On a scale of 1 to 5 movie reels, I give this film 4 reels.
10. Was there anything in this movie that could be related to me or anything I have written?
Yes. I’m a lover of fairy tales and often slip elements of them into my writing. If I’m lucky, perhaps I’ll write something one day that ends up being adapted into a film.
MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to introduce Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society. Each month, on the second Friday, we shall host a bloghop devoted to movie reviews. We invite others to participate and post their reviews…Don’t be shy; come join the fun! 😀
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe) by Rosamund Hodge
I give this book a solid 5.
I listened to the audio version of this book so that may have had an effect on the comments I make below.
I don’t usually make comments on the narrator because I try to focus on the story at hand, but I really enjoyed the reading of this story. The narrator gave a wonderful and engaging performance.
–
A dark twist on the Beauty and the Beast tale, Cruel Beauty tells the story of Nyx, a daughter raised as a sacrifice and tribute to the demon ruler of a world in captivity. Filled with hatred and contempt, but bound by duty and a sincere desire to do at least one noble thing in her life, Nyx sets out to destroy her would be husband and then die, with no hope for anything greater.
I know there will be no way for me to fully describe how much I truly enjoyed this story so I’ll just babble on a bit and then stop. The first thing that I noticed about this story is that it was promoted to me as a YA/New Adult book. I haven’t had the best of luck with these kinds of titles. They are either too teen or too adult for my liking, but this book is what New Adult should be, though I’m sure some will argue for a little more steam and I’d let them.
I describe this book as a dark twist to a fairy tale for two basic reasons. Traditional fairy tales aren’t that lighthearted, but recently people have forgotten what fairy tales once were, mostly due to the success of the Disney Corporation. Now, I’m not hating on Disney, but some of the things they’ve done to fairy tales is ridiculous.
I want readers to understand that this is a dark story and not because of explicit violence and heavy gore. This story is dark because it touches on the truth of people’s nature and the sense of self-loathing, hatred, and disgust that could arise in any of us at any time given the right circumstances.
This story is also dark because it challenges you to face the reality of choices you make every day and to see whether or not you are always as virtuous as you may think you are.
This book did something to me that not many books have. It made me look forward to reading and experiencing the romance that was taking place between the characters. I think I was pulled into this romance because it’s not at all what you’d expect it to be; especially after you learn that there are others involved you hadn’t expected to even be factors in the equation.
I loved the fact that I really hated Nyx’s family. I don’t use the word hate a lot and I am talking about a work of fiction, but even with all the twists that take place, I’m still not fond of her family, and I love it. This is one of those stories where none of the characters are truly worth rooting for when you get deep down to their souls and see the things they’ve done because they are all human and so beautifully flawed. Even with their lack of virtue, there is still a clear sense that all these lives are still worth saving, simply for the sake of living.
This author may become one of my faves. I’ll definitely have to see what else I can get my hands on from this author. At this point I’ve stopped trying to describe this book and want to say, just read it if you dare. It’s not for kids, and men may not cling to it, but if you are open to really trying something new and different, and have an appreciation for mythology, fairy tales, complicated romance, and or fantasy, then give this book a try.
This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We assume you agree with this.
If you do not agree, we ask that you read no further or consider deleting your cookies after your visit. Thank you. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
