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| Love fairy tales and mythology? Fans of mermaids, dragons, unicorns, and other mythical creatures? Enjoy when a beloved classic tale is retold? A Twist in the Tail Thursdays features all this and more! |
“...The gods show kindness to those who show kindness first...”
~THE NIGHT QUEEN
Does anyone else get as excited as I do when they come across a book that is retelling one of the mosre obscure fairy tales? I always do! When I initially heard about THE NIGHT QUEEN, all the gold swirls and thorns made me think it might be a retelling of Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty. Imagine my surprise and joy to read the summary and find out it was a retelling of King Thrushbeard! Of course, I forgot this fact by the time the book arrived for review and I began to read it. I couldn't remember what it was a retelling of and once again thought it was something traditional. Then the plot started revealing itself to me and I started squealing with excitement.
For those of you not familiar with the tale (and feel free to skip this paragraph if you don't want the spoilers of the original tale!), King Thrushbeard revolves around a very spoiled princess who scorns all her suitors, even King Thrushbeard, despite being a bit enthralled by him. Exasperated, the king vows to marry her off to the first man to arrive at the palace the next day. The princess is married off to a poor man who takes her on a journey to his hovel, where she must learn to work for a living. Eventually, she finds out that he is King Thrushbeard in disguise. He'd fallen in love with her, but wanted to curb her selfish pride and humble her. And of course, they marry and live happily ever after.
THE NIGHT QUEEN shares some, though not all elements revolving around the original tale. Princess Mina von Rhine was the kindest, sweetest princess as a child until her mother dies from an allergic reaction on her birthday. Now, she's cruel and heartless, nicknamed The Night Queen for her wretched ways. When her father tells her that the Northern King wants to bring his war to them and destroy their kingdom, and that the only way to prevent the occupation is to marry a Northerner, she brushes him off. She instead ridicules all the nobles who've come for her hand, showcasing her selfishness and shaming her father. He concocts a plan with Alrick von Wilbrandt, lord of the mighty mountains of Kulgat, to bring the princess to her cousin in the North and hopefully knock some sense into her by spending a little time with those she's spurned. But the deadly Northern King gets wind of their plans and vows to assassinate the princess and win the war once and for all...
I flew through THE NIGHT QUEEN in one sitting, anxious to know what would happen next. I loved the mix of familiarity and original idea, and thought they complemented one another well. The original tale of King Thrushbeard certainly has issues when read through today's lens, but it's nice to see a more modern take that smooths it out a bit, though the love interest's deceit is, of course, still there. I also hadn't realized this wasn't a stand-alone, and now I'm anxious to get my hands on QUEEN OF ASHES (which comes out this September, so at least it isn't a long wait!).
This is definitely one of those books where the characters grow on you as the story progresses. Mina is definitely not the most likable character in the beginning. She's not genuinely spoiled or cruel, but has put huge barriers around her heart to protect herself from loving anyone else since her mother died and her father began ignoring her. She slowly begins to open up and trust again as the story progresses. Readers are also treated to a few POVs from Alrick to see inside his head, which really helps add to his likability. He hates lying to Mina and feels guilty about it. He isn't in it to teach her a lesson or humble her or bring her back to earth the way the original King Thrushbeard was, and that really makes him so much more endearing!
If you want a good fantasy adventure with a fairy tale feel, you won't regret picking up THE NIGHT QUEEN by Denise Daye, out later this month! (Hey, on my birthday -- July 26th!! It's a treat to YOU!!! ^.~)
EXCERPT
“It’s nothing, barbarian,” I said in the arrogant and detached tone I often used with my servants.
His eyes widened. “What did you just call me?”
I lifted my chin. “You heard me just fine, barbarian.”
Alrick took a few large steps toward me. I stumbled backward; my back pressed against the cold stone wall.
“I have never come across a more arrogant, big-mouthed woman!” he growled, his face pinched in anger and frustration.
“Is that so?” I countered, crossing my arms. “Well, you wouldn’t know how to treat a woman if the instructions were tattooed on your forehead.” With another quick step, Alrick was towering in front of me.
“Stop pushing me!” he warned.
“No! Not when it comes to a barbaric man like you.”
Alrick grabbed both of my wrists and pinned me against the wall. His eyes flashed with firelight. I was breathing heavily now, his breath matching mine.
“What now, barbarian?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you going to hit me? Is this how you handle your women in the North?”
His mouth widened in shock. “Hit you?”
His face was only inches away from mine. He was so close, I could feel his heart beating wildly against my chest.
“I bet violence is the only thing you barbarians know when it comes to women.”
The anger in his eyes shifted to something else. Something I couldn’t quite make out. I didn’t think he would hit me. He was not that sort of man. I expected him to yell, insult me, fight back. But to my surprise, he did none of that. Instead, he grinned.
“I know plenty else about women,” he said in a seductive tone. His grip around my wrists loosened as he pressed himself even harder against me. “I know your bad temper does not cause your racing heart,” he said. “Or your red cheeks.”
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Publisher: Timeless Papers / Denise Daye
FIND IT: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org
They call me the Night Queen, with a heart as dark as the night itself. And as such, I will rule my future kingdom. No light shall ever touch my broken heart again.
Furious at her appalling behavior, her father vows he will give Mina's hand in marriage to the first unmarried man who walks through the palace gates—be it nobleman or beggar. And when an impoverished Northern soldier arrives at the castle the following day, the king stands by his word and offers Mina to him.
This ill-suggested match, however, might prove of use to Mina after all. The Northern soldier doesn’t seem too fond of the marriage himself, so Mina offers the handsome but insufferable warrior enormous riches if he helps her escape into the North.
But the journey through war-torn lands forces the princess to realize that if she can’t melt her frozen heart, marriage might be the least of her concerns.
From the author:
This is the FIRST book in a series. The second book, QUEEN OF ASHES, will be released in September! The book ends on a mild cliffhanger, but Book II is just around the corner.
Enter now!
TOUR SCHEDULE
Tour Schedule: Week One:
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