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The Fairy Tale Trap is a debut novel by self-published author, Emily Casey. As the title suggests, it is a fairy tale adaptation- this time for Beauty and the Beast.
Personally, I only know the Disney version; the one with music, singing furniture and a nice little battle to round off the ending tragically. It’s been dramatized, but this book opened my mind to how much so. Thankfully and intelligently, and original version of the story had been included at the end to show how the story links in with the book and how Ivy inadvertently changes the story. There are other things added in addition to Ivy’s story concerning things a reader wouldn’t really abide by reading- my favourite being the ‘comfort spells’ that explain why there is food, water and clothing. What can often be inexplicable in a Fairy Tale is made explicable here- to wonderful effect.
The premise of the story is that Ivy Thorn- our protagonist- is stolen by a pixie (not a fairy) and finds herself in the well-recognised tale solely for this pixie’s amusement. It’s a sadistic idea (like how I see reality television programs) and is made worse by the kidnapping element. As a military man’s daughter, she is used to leaving people and things behind but never so absolutely or with so much force. She does have moments of weakness, but at no point does she become whiny. Like any good heroine she turns this ill-fortune into her motivation to succeed in escaping this nightmare.
Yet the story isn’t solely Beauty and the Beast. This is a series of books so there are other elements and characters involved that we learn only little about- such as the pixie or woman in white. We can make intelligent guesses about them and know enough to be content, but they are still shrouded in mystery on the whole;
The writing is fluid, and I found myself laughing on occasion. It’s never laugh-out-loud funny, but a witty comment that leaves a smile on your face. I think there were some hiccups in the tone that jolted me out of the story. About a quarter of the way through, I noticed two similar phrases ("how charming” and “how lovely” I think) being used near one another and I noticed overly much. Yet there was none of this jolting at the end, so it wasn’t ruined at all.
It’s written in first person which-despite a deep-seated aversion to it- I always find more immersive. The same happens here and it’s easy to be drawn in. It’s a fast paced story and it’s only accentuated by first person. I constantly found myself saying “Just one more chapter” until I had no choice but to stop. The fact it’s a short book means you could finish it soon, and you are aware of this. It’s also very visual, so I can see everything, but still lets me fill in details.
A great debut novel that I’d recommend to readers of any kind of fantastical taste. I tend not to read Fairy Tale re-workings, but this was an encouraging introduction to the area.
If you're still not convinced you can find sample chapters here. Also, a book trailer! (Be sure to read the bit beneath the trailer as well!!!)
If you're still not convinced you can find sample chapters here. Also, a book trailer! (Be sure to read the bit beneath the trailer as well!!!)
As part of a blog tour, Emily has been wonderfully, incomparably kind and offered one lucky winner the chance to win (!) a copy of The Fairy Tale Trap for yourself! Enter now, it's really worth getting (and consuming) for a great read!
