Join me in giving a warm welcome to Yamile Mendez, today's guest reviewer. Welcome, Yamile!
Summary: When sickness swept through Bronwen’s
family, it took the life of her father, brother, and sister, and left her
permanently crippled. On the stormy eve of her sixteenth birthday, a
faerie-witch gifts her a pair of enchanted shoes. Bronwen slips them on and is
healed--but only when the shoes are on her feet. Her grace and beauty catches
the eye of the king’s son--Urien, a handsome young man who prides himself on
having everything perfect.
When Rhys, an old acquaintance and
Captain of the Guard, recognizes Bronwen, he threatens to tell Urien her
secret. Desperate to keep her deformity hidden and not to lose the love of
handsome Urien, Bronwen quickly finds herself tangled in a web of lies and
deceit. After all, she can't wear the shoes forever.” (photo and summary from goodreads.com)
My Review: I love everything fairy tales, myths, and curses with a
little bit of romance on the side. From the very first page when I met Bronwen
and was immersed in the setting, I knew I was going to love this story. Not
very many books make me wish I lived in the time period, place, or was friends
with the characters of a book, but Unraveled did!
I’ve always loved the rich mythology of the British Isles,
especially in the time period the story is set, right when Christianity starts
replacing the old traditions. The time period is similar to Disney’s Brave or King Arthur and his
knights. But Bronwen isn’t a
Disney princess. She’s a
well fleshed character with virtues and flaws that make her relatable even in
this day and age. Although sometimes I was furious with her decisions, which
have way broader repercussions than Bronwen ever foresaw, I always understood
where she was coming from.
I always love a story in which the
curse placed on the main character has different consequences than I could have
predicted at the beginning. The Gwyllion, a villain at first, becomes a catalyst
for Bronwen’s
change, and not only in the physical aspect. Bronwen’s desire to be perfect makes her
forget who she really is. Her quest in the story isn’t so much finding true love from
others as it is finding it in herself.
It’s
refreshing that while the media bombards us with its idea of beauty, Julie
Daines reminds us that beauty and love go beyond the physical aspect, health,
and yes, even a nice pair of shoes.
I won’t give away the romance aspect, which was one of my
favorite elements of the book. I’ll just say that I found myself smiling and re-reading
different sections that reminded me what it feels like to be sixteen and
falling in love. Daines did a perfect job portraying the fears and dreams of
her characters. Their voices and the dialog are always spot on.
I love that in the book Bronwen not
only finds true love, but also friendship in Gwenna. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of books in
which the heroine can’t
relate to other girls. I love that in Unraveled, Bronwen’s friendship with Gwenna isn’t just a tool to help advance the
plot. It develops organically and shows us that when girls support girls, both
of them end up stronger.
One last thing I love about the book
are the chapter headings. They’re all celtic sayings that summarize the chapters
perfectly. Some of them I had heard before, but most of them were new to me.
My rating: 5 stars
For the sensitive reader: Perfectly clean story that readers of all ages will
enjoy.
To Sum it up: Lovers of Juliette Marillier (Daughter of the Forest) and
Marion Zimmer Bradley (Mists of Avalon) will love this one. It has all the
elements of mythology, romance and quest, but it’s clean and wholesome.
2 comments:
sounds like the red shoe ballet, but with a twist?
Thanks for this wonderful and heartwarming review. And thanks for featuring my book!
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