"Twisted Tales: Cindella: Ninja Warrior" and "Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer" by Maureen McGowan

Do you remember immersing yourself in Choose Your Own Adventure books as a child and spending hours poring over each possible route? I’m such a perfectionist that I’d read these books again and again until I’d gone through every option and chosen the “perfect” way for the adventure to pan out. I haven’t read a CYOA in years, but Maureen McGowan’s new YA series, Twisted Tales, brought back a rush of nostalgia. Plus, factor in well-known fairytales (because I am an absolute sucker for this genre), some romance, and princesses who know how to kick butt, and you have something one-of-a-kind to read in today’s market. The titles alone made me curious: Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer. Say what? Ninjas and vampires in my fairytales? But, oh, pretty covers! Give me a princess story and eye-catching cover and you suddenly know to reel this girl in.

The Twisted Tales series is a relatively painless way to pass a lazy afternoon. Yes, that’s right—I read both in one sitting. Then again, I didn’t fully explore each path option, either. My TBR pile is just too big these days. At first, I moved from Cinderella’s Option A to the second option, B, to see how the story would differ, but quickly preferred the way she formed a bond with the prince in the first option. I love it when the traditional Cinderella story adds the element of knowing the prince before the ball. It’s more realistic and believable, less chauvinistic and lust-fueled. This is probably why Ever After was my favorite movie for years (until Moulin Rouge kicked it down to its current #2 position) and why Ella Enchanted remains my favorite children’s book.

Ultimately, Cinderella: Ninja Warrior was my favorite of the two adventures. My favorite part was when McGowan described the Magic Tournament that takes place before the ball. I was picturing high-wire acrobatics in my mind’s eye the entire time and really liked the way the scene played out. Very original. Magic plays more of an integral part in Cinderella’s adventure than being a “ninja warrior” does, though. I was expecting a butt-kicking princess in a ballgown based on the book’s cover, but that never happened (not on my path, at least). Instead, the “ninja warrior” is more of a zen-like state of meditation that puts you at one with nature and more in tune with your magic.

In Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, on the other hand, our princess does kick some major butt. She trains as a Vampire Slayer in secret against her father’s wishes. At her Christening Ceremony, the uninvited vampire queen curses the princess: The day she first pricks her finger, she will be the only one awake at night while the kingdom sleeps and the reverse throughout the day. The fairies manage to delay the curse until the age of sixteen, but Sleeping Beauty still grows up wearing special gloves, shielded from all types of blunt objects. Definitely a unique spin on the well-known curse. She winds up meeting a vampire her age, and together, they spend the evening hours preventing wayward vampires from entering the palace for a midnight snack while everyone sleeps. Unlike with Cinderella, there is a love triangle built into this novel, which I was surprised about. I wish there were alternate endings to match the many possible paths, especially in Sleeping Beauty. It would have been nice to choose who our feisty princess wound up with. I understand the reason for the reason McGowan went with the love interest she did, but I was really rooting for the other guy.

Overall, the Twisted Tales series is interesting to read. It’s something unique among today’s offerings. There are a few cheesy points or moments that make you scratch your head, but you can usually choose a different scenario if that’s the case. There were some new ideas merged together with the traditional tales, ones that actually worked. Plus, like I mentioned earlier, I really like the fact that both princesses took the time to meet their future “saviors” and had a choice in the matter. They didn’t merely fall in love based on looks. Always a plus in my book.

One thing I would caution against: At the moment, the e-book has a few issues. I read an ARC so this might change, but whenever I came to the end of a path, there was a lot of freezing and I had to go out of my nook’s menu and back into the book a few times. When I got to the second book, my nook stopped playing nice and the screen died, unable to display e-ink. I, of course, freaked out and turned on my computer to back everything up. This somehow caused a hard reset and everything was fine again, but I’m not one to take chances. I read the bulk of the book on my computer via Adobe Digital Editions. The book still froze every time I reached the end of a path, so I got into the habit of jumping the page count ahead too far, then backing up to the chapter’s start in order to skip the “freeze point.” For the moment, this is definitely a series to read in print form. Plus, reading a physical book makes it much easier to flip back and forth between paths, yes?

While not my favorite fairytale interpretation, Twisted Tales offered something innovative to its genre. Creative and unique always count for something in my mind. Besides, I’m just too darn picky for my own good. I’ve been spoiled by too many high-end interpretations. Twisted Tales wasn’t trying to go that route, though. It succeeded in what it set out to accomplish and was better for taking that path. Lesson learned, bookworms? It always pays to be true to yourself in the long run!