{Review/Giveaway} NISSA: A Contemporary Fairy Tale by Bethany Lopez

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Check out today's guest post with author Bethany Lopez
as she discusses writing NISSA!

O P E N I N G   L I N E:

I'M ONLY 900 YEARS OLD, which is relatively young for a fairy godmother, equivalent to an eighteen year old human.

(pg. 7, US e-book edition)

As a self-proclaimed fairy tale nerd, I admit that I love the offbeat tales, the ones that focus on secondary covers.  Within the last few years, I've read some interesting books from the fairy godmother's POV.  THE FAIRY GODMOTHER by Mercedes Lackey is my favorite example, though DON'T EXPECT MAGIC by Kathy McCullough, GODMOTHER by Carolyn Turgeon, and MY FAIRY FAIR GODMOTHER also come to mind.  When I heard that NISSA revolved around a fairy godmother in training, I knew I wanted to read another story revolving around the topic.

Nissa is excited for her first "real" assignment.  She's 900 years old (which is "18" in human years) and has been training for the past 3 years.  Fairy Godparents are able to help humans through difficult times and allow them to step into their potential.  Nissa's a little bummed that her first real assignment is to boost the self-esteem of a teenage girl rather than something more complex, but she makes the best of the situation.  She finds a way to become close to Vicky, who is tormented by a couple of popular guys at school and wary of people.  But nothing surprises Nissa more about her new assignment than being introduced to Vicky's brother Levi.  Fairies experience a unique way of discovering their soulmates, and Nissa is set into a whirlwind when she experiences symptoms around Levi.  There's no way a fairy and a human can be soulmates, and her life becomes even more complex as she's forced to deal with warring emotions while still attempting to complete her assignment.  Will Nissa sacrifice the world she's come from to explore the impossible, or is it all just a giant misunderstanding on her part?

The world of Fairy Godparents is vast and unique.  I loved Bethany Lopez's world-building, such as the way the Headquarters Branch is, quite literally, a branch.  Several branches on a beautiful oak serve as the floors of Headquarters.  Very imaginative!  I also liked little elements, like the way Nissa makes her teacher a dew drop sweet cake or the way coffee is substituted for hot nectar.  It's all very innovative, and made the atmosphere more realistic.  I also like the way Lopez sets up liaisons and guardians in the human world to make a Godparent's assignment easier.  These were my favorite elements of NISSA.  There was a case of insta-love, but due to the way fairies mate and know, it made sense in context, so I was able to accept the romance more readily than I might have otherwise.  There were some grammatical issues, mostly in contractions, and particularly with the lack of one resulting in sometimes overly formal dialogue or the awkward use of "I've" at times when used in speech.  It wasn't a huge detractor, however, because the world of the Fairy Godparents intrigued me so much.  While NISSA wasn't the deepest book I've read, it was a fun, fast read, and perfect for anyone who loves reading about "secondary" fairy tale characters.

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

So pretty!  I love that whimsical green dress and the equally flowy "N" in NISSA.  The darker green of the title pulls from the shadowed elements of the dress and adds dimension.  I love all the sparkle and glitter in that dress, not to mention the girl's pose and the way that fabric dances.

This is a cover that caught my eye before anyone else did.  Once I saw the word "fairy tale" on the cover, of course I was a goner!  The cover ensnared me first, though.

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  NISSA: A Contemporary Fairy Tale
Author: Random Jordan

Release Date: April 23, 2013

Publisher: Bethany Lopez
Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

At 900 years old, Nissa is finally ready to follow her mother's path and become the best Fairy Godmother she can. She’s not thrilled when her first assignment turns out to be a teenage human girl with self-esteem issues, but she knows she has to start somewhere. Her assignment has dealt with bullies since her freshman year and they haven’t let up. If Nissa can’t help her regain her self-confidence, her future is bleak. 

To complicate matters, Nissa experiences all the signs that she's met the being fated for her. This impossibility distracts her from her purpose. After all, fairies and humans aren't meant for each other. How can her heart believe otherwise? Can Nissa successfully complete her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother? Will the fates allow Nissa and Levi to be together? And even if they do, will Levi believe Nissa once she reveals the truth?

~*~

Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult series. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her novels through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Follow Bethany on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.

  
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