Fairy Tale Giveaway Hop

I haven't done a giveaway hop in a long time now, but I decided to participate in this special fairy tale one hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer because fairytale books are so special to me.

They have always been some of my favourite books to read (I've read a large number of them) and even inspired my blog's name and theme.
As part of this hop, I'm sharing with you my top three fairy tale villains, but instead of using the typical fairy tale villains, I'm limiting this to those from retellings I've read.

1. The Keeper from Heather Dixon's Entwined:
   
   Entwined is seriously one of the most underrated books that came out in 2011. It's a gorgeous retelling, one that reads with the ease and familiarity of an older, original version. And The Keeper is just downright creepy. He constantly straddles the line between suspicious and enjoyably mysterious, but then he just starts acting even weirder... and Heather Dixon had such a great way of writing his scenes, I would get shivers up my spine.
2. Queen Levana from Marissa Meyer's Cinder:
   
   Cinder is one of the it books of the year, and for good reason. But I think one of the better reasons for this, and one that isn't often brought up, is the interesting Queen Levana as a character. I love that even though Cinder is a fresh and original retelling, there's still a character reminiscent of traditional evil queens from fairy tales (she really reminds me of the Evil Queen from Snow White actually).
3. Ella's Stepfamily from Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted:
   
   You know what I love about them? They aren't perfectly evil in the most obvious sense of the word. But they're still great villains. They're just so petty and selfish, they're the perfect fit for the story and a great take on Cinderella's evil stepmother and stepsisters. And some of the things they do to Ella are just positively cruel and callous.

And, now for my prize as part of this hop...
One winner will win their choice of the following books:

• Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
• Entwined by Heather Dixon
• The Enchanted Collection Box Set: Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

All of these are wonderful stories, and some of the best books out there. Ella Enchanted is especially a must-read! I reread it at least once a year :)
And yes, this giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Good luck and enjoy the hop!

Cat's Tale by Bettie Sharpe

Cat's Tale: A Fairy Tale Retold by Bettie Sharpe
Release Date: June 27, 2011

2.5/5 Stars

Recommended for: adults who enjoy romance and fairytales

Summary: This is a retelling of Puss and Boots. Catriona is a beautiful, young, extremely ambitious woman. She is clever and uses her cunning to climb the social ladder, to become the King's consort. The problem arises when the elderly king passes away, and Cat needs a solution to keep her position of wealth and privilege. She makes enemies of a wizard, who turns her into a cat as punishment and she sets out on a journey to save herself and enact revenge.

This book is short, just over 100 pages and it's a very quick, light read. The problem with that is that everything progresses so quickly; but to be fair, it isn't a very complicated storyline nor is that the point of this book. It's a romance novel, and the happily ever after relationship Cat finds at the end is truly endearing.
Sharp's writing is humourous, and Cat is the ideal character to showcase this as she is a very witty woman. I loved her sarcastic and clever reactions to small details, they were just so quick and well-timed!

However, there were some problems with the plot that I just couldn't buy in to. Cat is obviously intelligent, but there were times with no explanation as to how she would have knowledge of secrets. They're simply announced and the story moves on, without any indication of how she would have known what would happen. As well, secrets she discovers about herself have no lead up; it's just slipped in to the story without any prior indication or hints.

Overall, I think the largest problem was how quickly the book progressed. It jumped from one scene to the next, without really spending any time on developing the characters or the plot and that was disappointing. It was a very creative and unique spin on the traditional fairytale, that could ave been well done with more development. I've read similar books before, and there are better options out there.

I received a Kindle copy of this book from Net Galley.