New Release: Palace of Lies (The Palace Chronicles) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

(US/UK Links)

Palace of Lies (The Palace Chronicles) by Margaret Peterson Haddix is released this week in the US and UK. See Palace of Lies (Palace Chronicles) (UK Link). This is the third book set in this world, not technically a series but companion novels. The book appears to draw some inspiration from The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Book description:

Desmia discovers the reality of royalty is far from a fairy tale in this third adventure set in the Cinderella-esque world of Just Ella and Palace of Mirrors, from New York Times bestselling author Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Desmia and her twelve sister-princesses are ruling Suala together at last, a united front. The kingdom seems to have finally gotten its happily ever after, but Desmia, trained by a lifetime of palace intrigue, is not so sure. She desperately wants to believe all is well, but she can’t help seeing danger around every corner.

And then the unthinkable happens, and Desmia’s worst fears are confirmed. Now, without the support of the sister-princesses she’s grown to rely on or the trappings of royalty that have always convinced people to listen to her, Desmia must find the courage to seek out the truth on her own terms—and to determine the course of two kingdoms.

Folklore and Fairy Tale Fiction Ebook Bargains

The Hum and the Shiver: A Novel of the Tufa (Tufa Novels Book 1) by Alex Bledsoe is $2.99 in ebook format.

Book description:

Named one of the Best Fiction Books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe is an enchanting tale of music and magic older than the hills. . . .

No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Enigmatic and suspicious of outsiders, the Tufa live quiet lives in the hills and valleys of Cloud County. While their origins may be a mystery, there are hints of their true nature buried in the songs they have passed down for generations.

Bronwyn Hyatt, a pure-blood Tufa, has always insisting on doing things her own way, regardless of the consequences. Even though Tufa rarely leave Cloud County, she enlisted in the Army to escape the pressures of Tufa life--her family, her obligations as a First Daughter, and her dangerous ex-boyfriend. But after barely surviving a devastating ambush that killed most of her fellow soldiers, Private Hyatt returns to Cloud County wounded in body and in spirit. But danger lurks in the mountains and hollows of her childhood home. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, and a restless "haint" lurks nearby, waiting to reveal Bronwyn's darkest secrets. Worst of all, Bronwyn has lost touch with the music that was once a vital part of her identity.

Now Bronwyn finds the greatest battle to be right here at home, where her obligations struggle with her need for freedom, and if she makes the wrong choice, the consequences could be deadly for all the Tufa. . . .


"A sheer delight."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format.

Book description:

Newbery Honor author of Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine weaves a spellbinding tale about a clever heroine, a dragon detective, and a shape-shifting ogre.

Newly arrived in the town of Two Castles, Elodie unexpectedly becomes the assistant to a brilliant dragon named Meenore, and together they solve mysteries. Their most important case concerns the town’s shape-shifting ogre, Count Jonty Um: Someone is plotting against him. Elodie must disguise herself to discover the source of the threat amid a cast of characters that includes a greedy king, a giddy princess, and a handsome cat trainer.

Readers who loved Ella Enchanted and Fairest will delight in this tale of a spirited heroine who finds friendship where she least expects it and discovers that goodness and evil come in all shapes and sizes.

The Woodcutter by Kate Danley is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format.

Book description:

Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity.

The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown.

But quickly he finds that one murdered maiden is not the only nefarious mystery afoot: one of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, a sinister mansion appears where it shouldn’t, a pixie dust drug trade runs rampant, and more young girls go missing. Looming in the shadows is the malevolent, power-hungry queen, and she will stop at nothing to destroy the Twelve Kingdoms and annihilate the Royal Fae…unless the Woodcutter can outmaneuver her and save the gentle souls of the Wood.

Blending magic, heart-pounding suspense, and a dash of folklore, The Woodcutter is an extraordinary retelling of the realm of fairy tales.

Fairy Tales in Advertising: Tchica: Princess Charming

Tchica: Prince Charming

I took the liberty for this post of renaming this campaign Princess Charming. Because it fits. And all for women's clothing. And as I looked at these images it hit me that I am amazed we don't see more images like these of gender role reversals in fairy tales. Huh.

Campaign info from Ads of the World:

You know that girl who used to wait for the Prince Charming? Once upon a time.
Tchica has always been known for being a store focused on the teenage fashion. As the years went by, the Tchica consumers have grown. For this year Valentine's Day, our agency took the opportunity to strengthen the new concept of the brand and its fashion. Now the store has shifted the focus of its products to a grown woman, filled with attitude and confidence.

Advertising Agency: Blackninja, Recife, Brazil
Creative Director: Lenilson Lima
Art Directors: Adri Moura, Lenilson Lima
Copywriter: Luciano Mattos
Illustrator: David Alfonso
Photographer: Eduardo Rocha
Account: Cynthia Beltrão
Published: May 2012

Art Thursday: Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book

Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book was released in February and was recently featured on NPR's All Things Considered. This is the second coloring book for adults by Johanna Basford, following Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book.

On how people have responded to her books

My inbox was getting absolutely jammed with people sending photographs of all the different pages of the coloring book. And it's just amazing to see how so many people can take the same collection of images and make them so different and unique. And so I ended up setting up a coloring gallery on my website where people can upload their images and share them with the world and tell us what kind of colored pencils or pens they used. It's a real online community, I think.

Of course, adult here means more complicated, artful designs that remind me of textiles and fine art but are still colorable.

I'll admit I still enjoy coloring although I rarely give myself the opportunity. Previously, the best solutions have been some of the coloring books provided by Dover with their intricate designs. It's fun to have new, uniquely marketed options. I have a friend who likes to color, she finds it therapeutic, creative without much pressure, soothing to a stressed soul. I think one of these will be a birthday gift for her.

Some more images you can click on them to see them larger--there are also castles and other fairy and faerie type of imagery:

Females Leads Comics Omnibuses Sale Including Fables Universe

There is currently a Females Leads Comics Omnibuses Sale at Amazon with several first titles that are usually in the $12 and up range on sale for $2.99 in ebook format. Two of the titles are from the Fables Universe and I am sharing below:

Fairest Vol. 1: Wide Awake is $2.99.

Description:

New York Times bestselling, award-winning creator Bill Willingham presents a new series starring the female Fables. Balancing horror, humor and adventure in the Fables tradition, Fairest explores the secret histories of Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Snow Queen, Thumbelina, Snow White, Rose Red and others.

The first 6-issue tale follows the misadventures of Briar Rose immediately after the events of Fables #107(collected in Fables Volume 16: Super Team), in which she was stolen away by the goblin army. Following this first collection, Willingham will serve as a consultant on all story arcs and introduce new writers from other mediums to the Fables mythos.

Fan-favorite artist Phil Jimenez (Wonder Woman, The Invisibles) returns to Vertigo to pencil the opening storyline. Award-winning cover artist Adam Hughes (Wonder Woman, Batgirl) provides covers, starting with a wraparound cover on issue #1 that spotlights the lovely ladies who will star in the series.

Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile (Fables (Graphic Novels)) is also $2.99.

Description:

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.
AWARDS:
YALSA: 2004 annual recommended list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
·Willingham, Bill. Animal Farm (Fables series). DC Comics: Vertigo.
·Willingham, Bill. Legends in Exile (Fables series). DC Comics: Vertigo.
YALSA: 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens
·Willingham, Bill, Todd Klein, and others. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. 2006. DC Comics/ Vertigo
As of 2008, Fables has won twelve Eisner Awards.
·Best New Series in 2003
·Best Serialized Story in 2003, 2005 and 2006 (Legends In Exile, March of the Wooden Soldiers and Homelands)
·Best Anthology in 2007 (Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall)
·Best Short Story in 2007 (A Frog’s Eye View, by Bill Willingham and James Jean, in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall)
Hugo Award Nomination 2009:
·Fables: War and Pieces was nominated for the first Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story

While we're here, Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal (Ms. Marvel Series) is also $2.99 which I bought out of curiosity. This title particularly interests me as the rebooting of Ms. Marvel as a sixteen year old Muslim girl living in New Jersey. This is one of Marvel's attempts--considered successful--to provide comics marketed towards a younger female audience without the sexed up, impossible costumes. This was a hot topic a few months ago when What Taking My Daughter to a Comic Book Store Taught Me was published. For me, it's always been a hot topic since I have been visiting comic books stores most of my life, either with my brother or for myself and now for my nephew. Many of those years were with my brother or for some other reason, not for myself, for the reasons addressed in that very article. Not getting further into it here, but I bought this. Out of gratitude. And sent it to my niece's Kindle. Because she isn't interested in comic books, only anime. But it also explains my adoration for Felicity on Arrow, and Arrow in general, since overall they are getting women right on that show and that is the only way The Flash is failing me. And let's not even talk about the movies, but Josh Whedon does it for me. And, yes, Agents of Shield is doing fine, with Agent Carter, too, if only those shows were better overall. I've stuck with them because the hubby is devoted to Marvel Universe and I am devoted to watching tv with him. But two seasons to get to a superhero?

Tuhka-Triinu: A Cinderella Tale from Estonia

The following tale is one of the hundreds that appear in Cinderella Tales From Around the World. The story of Tuhka-Triinu (Ash-Katie), as given by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald—a reknowned Estonian folklorist—in his Eestirahwa eunemuistefed jutud: Rahwa suust korjanud ja uleskirpitanud (1866). And, no, I don't know how to pronounce her name!

Tuhka-Triinu

Estonia

ONCE upon a time there lived a rich man with his wife and an only daughter. When the mother dies, she directs her daughter to plant a tree on her grave, where the birds can find food and shelter. The father marries a widow with two daughters, who ill-treat the motherless girl, declaring that she shall be their slave-girl. A magpie cries from the summit of the tree, “Poor child, poor child! why do you not go and complain to the rowan-tree? Ask for counsel, when your hard life will be lightened.”

She goes to the grave at night, and a voice asks her to whom she should appeal, and in whom she should trust, and she answers, “God.” Then the voice tells her to call the cock and hen to help her, when she has work to do which she cannot perform by herself.

When the king’s ball is announced, Cinderella has to dress her sisters, after which the eldest throws lentils into the ashes, telling her to pick them up; but this is done by the cock and hen. She is left at home weeping, and a voice tells her to go and shake the rowan-tree. When she had done so, a light appeared in the darkness, and she saw a woman sitting on the summit of the tree. She was an ell high, and clothed in golden raiment, and she held a small basket and a gold wand in her hands. She took a hen’s egg from her basket, which she turned into a coach; six mice formed the horses, a black beetle formed the coachman, and two speckled butterflies the footmen.

The little witch-maiden then dressed Tuhka-Triinu as magnificently as a Saxon lady. She then sent her to the ball, warning her to leave before the cock crows for the third time, as everything will then resume its original shape. On the second night Tuhka-Triinu took to flight, and lost one of her little gold shoes, which the prince found next morning. When it came to be tried on, Tuhka-Triinu’s sisters, who thought they had small feet, tugged and squeezed without success. But the shoe fitted Tuhka-Triinu. Her guardian again robed her magnificently, and she married the prince.

Source: Kirby, William Forsell, editor. The Hero of Esthonia and Other Studies in the Romantic Literature of that Country, Volume 2. London: John C. Nimmo, 1895.

Picture Book from France: Cendrillon illustrated by Annette Marnat

Cendrillon illustrated by Annette Marnat was released last year in France. As always, I love the European editions of fairy tales that provide illustration styles we don't see very often in the U.S. Marnat--whose blog you can visit here--has a style very reminiscent of the mid-20th century, The cover image made me think of Gustaf Tenggren and some other artists that I cannot remember the names of this morning, such as some of the Little Golden Book illustrators.