Bargain Ebook: TODAY ONLY: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer for $1.99

TODAY ONLY: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is on sale in ebook format for $1.99. Catnip for many of you since this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling!

Book description:

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

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The Sisters Grimm Series by Michael Buckley

 

 

Do you have a middle grade reader who loves fairy tales? Don't forget to share The Sisters Grimm! My 10-year-old niece called me earlier this summer and asked where the rest of the series was on her Kindle. She has a Kindle on my account since we share reading interests and my library is vast. That has been especially helpful during Covid physical distancing this year. I have gotten several calls requesting books over the past several months. 

Needless to say, I completed the ebook series for her because I am a soft touch. It's hard to say no to a reading request although I had physical copies of the series. She has previously devoured other series by E. D. Baker and Patricia Wrede to name a few. She has loved The Sisters Grimm this summer and highly recommends it. And I just want to squeeze her for loving the books and genres that I love.

The Sisters Grimm 9 Book Set & Bonus Journal! (Paperback Box Set) by Michael Buckley is the easiest way to get the series in paper (and currently the cheapest if you are acquiring them all). Or there is always the digital editions, of course.

From Book 1: 

Fans of fractured fairy tales will be delighted to discover the fantasy, mystery, adventure, and humor in the beloved New York Times bestselling Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley, now with new cover art. As featured on NBC’s The Today Show, the nine wildly popular books are favorites around the world. They were among the first books to bring a distinctly girl-power spin to fairy tales—a spin taken up by hit movies and shows TV such as Once Upon a Time, Grimm, and Maleficent, the bestselling book series The Land of Stories, and other. New covers will appear on book one, The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives; book two, The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects; and book three, The Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child. Books four through nine will be available in revised editions soon. †¨

In this first book in the series, orphaned sisters Sabrina and Daphne are sent to live with their recently discovered grandmother, Relda Grimm. The girls learn that they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous tome of fairy tales is actually a history book. The girls are pitted against a giant, who has been rampaging through town. But who set the giant loose in the first place? Was it Mayor Charming (formerly Prince Charming), who has plans to get his kingdom back? The Three Not-So-Little Pigs, now working as police officers? Or a giant-killer named Jack, currently working at a Big & Tall store?

With an irresistible combination of adventure and imagination, the Sisters Grimm series injects classic fairy tales with modern day sensibilities and suspense, creating a fantastical combination readers of all ages will love.

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New Book: Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson

 

 

Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson was released earlier this summer. It is a science fiction novel with tropes from Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. The description includes a reference to a glass coffin! What fun and the concept of mixing those tales with cryogenic sleep has become a subset of retellings, but still not common. This one is higher in my TBR list since I have a soft spot for science fiction with fairy tale inspirations.

Book Description:

Andra wakes up from a cryogenic sleep 1,000 years later than she was supposed to, forcing her to team up with an exiled prince to navigate an unfamiliar planet in this smart, thrilling sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Renegades and Aurora Rising.

When Andra wakes up, she's drowning.

Not only that, but she's in a hot, dirty cave, it's the year 3102, and everyone keeps calling her Goddess. When Andra went into a cryonic sleep for a trip across the galaxy, she expected to wake up in a hundred years, not a thousand. Worst of all, the rest of the colonists--including her family and friends--are dead. They died centuries ago, and for some reason, their descendants think Andra's a deity. She knows she's nothing special, but she'll play along if it means she can figure out why she was left in stasis and how to get back to Earth.

Zhade, the exiled bastard prince of Eerensed, has other plans. Four years ago, the sleeping Goddess's glass coffin disappeared from the palace, and Zhade devoted himself to finding it. Now he's hoping the Goddess will be the key to taking his rightful place on the throne--if he can get her to play her part, that is. Because if his people realize she doesn't actually have the power to save their dying planet, they'll kill her.

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New Book: Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

 

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim was just released last month.  It is the second book in the The Blood of Stars duology (this appears to be the second and final book), following Spin the Dawn which was released last year. And the covers are particularly gorgeous, aren't they?

The books draw upon folklore themes. The reviews reference Mulan and the sewing of dresses of the sun, moon, and stars. I love that challenge in folktales--you most often see it in Cinderella/Donkeyskin variants, but this novel doesn't appear to draw much from that particular tale type. An excellent example of the motif can be found in the Grimms' Allerleirauh.

Book Description for Unravel the Dusk:

Maia Tamarin proved her skill as a tailor when she wove the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars, but it will take more than a beautiful gown to hide the darkness rising up within her. . . . The stakes are higher than ever in this breathtaking sequel to Spin the Dawn, perfect for fans of Six of Crows. 

Maia Tamarin's journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone--perhaps forever--and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor's bride-to-be to keep the peace. When the emperor's rivals learn of her deception, there is hell to pay, but the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red; losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It's only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, and in the meantime she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.

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Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland by Lisa Schneidau

 

  

Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland by Lisa Schneidau was released a few years ago. I've been enjoying all of the crepe myrtles and other flora and fauna in my area. This book came up in my explorations and it is an interesting assortment of folklore.

Book description:

The islands of Britain and Ireland hold a rich heritage of plant folklore and wisdom, from the magical yew tree to the bad-tempered dandelion. Here are traditional tales about the trees and plants that shape our landscapes and our lives through the seasons. They explore the complex relationship between people and plants, in lowlands and uplands, fields, bogs, moors, woodlands and towns.Suitable for all ages, this is an essential collection of stories for anyone interested in botany, the environment and our living heritage.

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New Book: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow was released in June of this year. I'm sharing this one because it draws on Sirens folklore, a subset of mermaid folklore.

Book description:

Bethany C. Morrow's A Song Below Water is the story for today’s readers ― a captivating modern fantasy about black sirens, friendship, and self-discovery set against the challenges of today's racism and sexism.

In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers.

Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school’s junior year.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment.

Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it’s only Tavia and Effie’s unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.

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Help SurLaLune: Folklore Graduate Studies, Resources, Etc.

Hello all,

I've been working on getting SurLaLune updated now that the new site is launched and under various stages of updating and reconstruction. That's a long story I'm not going to share here and now.

One of the pages I would like to attack the fastest is the page recommending Graduate Studies. This page is severely outdated. But soon it won't be! And I need your help to get it updated.

Please share your knowledge of undergraduate and graduate studies in Folklore, Fairy Tales and even Children's Literature or others studies if you like. We don't all approach the topic the same way. Depending on what the final information is gathered for this, I will perhaps change the page title, too.

Things I am looking for:

• Names of schools with related undergraduate or graduate programs
• Testimonials of people of where and how they have done their own approach to Folklore and Fairy Tale studies--I myself came at this through an Information Science degree over two decades ago. I don't have a formal degree in Folklore or Fairy Tale Studies and neither do some of the top names in the field. 
• Organizations and publications dedicated to the studies of folklore and fairy tales. 

My short list includes the list below:

Organizations:

American Folklore Society (https://www.afsnet.org/)

Publications:

Marvels & Tales (https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/marvels/)

Journal of American Folklore (https://www.afsnet.org/page/JAF)

Fairy Tale Review (https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/fairytalereview/)

Studies Programs:

Folklore & Ethnomusicology        M.A.      IU Bloomington (https://www.iu.edu/degrees-majors/degree/folklore-ethnomusicology-ma-iu-bloomington-folkma)

Folklore & Ethnomusicology        Ph.D.     IU Bloomington (https://www.iu.edu/degrees-majors/degree/folklore-ethnomusicology-phd-iu-bloomington-folkphd)

Folklore & Ethnomusicology        B.A.        IU Bloomington (https://www.iu.edu/degrees-majors/degree/folklore-ethnomusicology-ba-iu-bloomington-folkba)

So PLEASE, use the comments below or email me directly at fairytales at surlalunefairytales.com any recommended content for the updated page. If you have ideas of other content to include on this page, please share them, too. I want this to be a useful resource! And as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

Thanks!

Heidi

New Book: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron was released in July 2020. This one is about the descendants of Cinderella.

Book description:

Girls team up to overthrow the kingdom in this unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella from a stunning new voice that's perfect for fans of A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all--and in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they've been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

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New Book: Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar is a new release this week that used Hindu mythology for inspiration. That's always fun! 

Book Description:

“Shveta Thakrar's prose is as beautiful as starlight.”—New York Times bestselling author Holly Black

This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.

The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.

Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens—and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.

Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor.

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TODAY ONLY: Bargain Ebook: Gingerbread: A Novel by Helen Oyeyemi for $1.99

Gingerbread: A Novel by Helen Oyeyemi is on sale today only for $1.99 in ebook format. This one draws on gingerbread uses in children's literature. We know that means primarily Hansel and Gretel. I'd consider this one for completists (like me) who try to have most fairy tale retellings in their library. This is a cheap way to achieve that goal.

Book description:

The prize-winning, bestselling author of Boy, Snow, Bird and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours returns with a bewitching and imaginative novel. 

Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories, beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe. 

Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (or, according to many sources, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. The world's truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread, however, is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval —a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met.    

Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi's inimitable style and imagination, it is a true feast for the reader.

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Bargain Ebook: Dearest by Alethea Kontis for $1.99 TODAY ONLY

 

Dearest (The Woodcutter Sisters Book 3) by Alethea Kontis is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format TODAY ONLY. This is the third and final book in Kontis' Woodcutter Sisters series and I didn't own it yet although I had the other two from previous sales. And this one is a Six Swans/Wild Swans retelling so who wouldn't want that?

Book description:

“A fabulous fairy-tale mashup that deserves hordes of avid readers. Absolutely delectable.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review of award-winning series debut Enchanted

Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in Enchanted and Hero. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Friday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?

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Bargain Ebook: Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg for $0.99

Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg is on sale for $0.99, a fairy tale-esque novel. Holmberg uses many fairy tale, myth and folklore themes in her books. 

Book description:

Seventeen-year-old Smitha's wealth, status, and beauty make her the envy of her town—until she rejects a strange man’s marriage proposal and disastrous consequences follow. Smitha becomes cursed, and frost begins to encompass everything she touches. Banished to the hills, hunted by villagers, and chilled to the very core of her soul, she finds companionship with Death, who longs to coax her into his isolated world. But Smitha's desire for life proves stronger than despair, and a newfound purpose gives her hope. Will regrets over the past and an unexpected desire for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm Smitha’s heart, or will Death forever still it?

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