Adapted to film · Fairytale Retelling · fantasy · Young adult

The School For Good and Evil – Soman Chainani ★★★★★

Blurb; The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

My Review; I broke my rule. GASP. I actually watched this on Netflix first so ofcourse I had to get the book to compare, so I soon realised it was a six book series. Yay. Woo hoo. More reading for me. I absolutely loved both the Netflix version and the first book. I cannot wait to see what happens in book two already which I cant do through Netflix can I? The book does have more parts that were not in the Netflix adaption and differed slighting but that is the case when every book gets adapted in my eyes. I loved the two characters Good (Agatha) and Evil (Sophie) and how they believed they were both on the wrong side. This book can actually teach us alot like looks are not everything. I loved the whole world. Fairytale. Narrator. I am hooked. A huge fan now. Would highly recommend. A well deserved five stars from me and this will probably end up in my top reads of the year. Amazing. Will never forget this book.

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Bestsellers · Fairytale Retelling · fantasy

Stephen King – Fairy Tale ★★★★★

Blurb; Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes deep into the well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for their world or ours.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.

Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.” And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.

A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.

My Review; My first Stephen King book! GASP. I know. Shocking right? This is what I like to call a hand cramper (Huge hardback) but it was worth it, every page. I went in assuming King > Horror. I was wrong. This is full on fantasy and I bloody loved it. I will never be able to forget this book it will remain with me forever. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. I just loved everything about it especially the other world. THE DOG! The gold. The old man. Perfection. A must read. I don’t want to say much more than that without any spoilers. So treat yourself! I bet you’ll love it just as much as me. A Well deserved five stars and this is going into my top reads of the year. I wish I could read it all again… Brain wipe please?

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Adventure · Children's · Fairytale Retelling · Short Stories

Joe and the Magic Snowman – Enid Blyton ★★★★

Blurb; When Joe is whisked up to the Land of Ice and Snow, he meets a rather bossy snowman, who is determined to make Joe his servant! Can Moon-Face, Frannie and Beth rescue Joe, with the help of their new friends, Goldilocks and the Three Bears?


The perfect wintery Christmas book for kids from 5 years olds, 6 year olds, 7 year olds, 8 year olds and every age you can think of for any Enid Blyton fan!


The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton has been entertaining readers for more than 75 years. Now these colour short stories offer a great way for a whole host of new younger readers to discover the adventures of Silky, Moon-Face, the Saucepan Man and all of their friends in the Enchanted Wood.

My Review; Another short read at just under 100 pages. Beautifully illustrated throughout. Joe finds himself lost in a cold, wintery and snowy world with a very unpleasant, controlling snowman. Will his friends and moon face be able to find him and bring him back home? Also includeds the story of goldilocks and the three bears. A fun, easy read. A well deserved four stars. Highly recommend this series for all young readers.

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