When Rose Wakes by Christopher Golden

Ever since sixteen-year-old Rose DuBois woke up from months in a coma with absolutely no memories, she’s had to start from scratch. She knows she loves her two aunts who take care of her, and that they all used to live in France, but everything else from her life before is a blank.Rose tries to push through the memory gaps and start her new life, attending high school and living in Boston with her aunts, who have seriously old world ideas. Especially when it comes to boys. But despite their seemingly irrational fears and odd superstitions, they insist Rose not worry about the eerie dreams she’s having, vivid nightmares that she comes to realize are strangely like the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The evil witch, the friendly fairies, a curse that puts an entire town to sleep—Rose relives the frightening story every night. And when a mysterious raven-haired woman starts following her, Rose begins to wonder if she is the dormant princess. And now that she’s awake, she’s in terrible, terrible danger. . . .

(Amazon.com)

Genre: fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5

Notes: #5 of Modern Retellings of Classics Challenge (Sleeping Beauty)

Trying to take the story of Sleeping Beauty and make it more "real", this book succeeds on some levels, but on others really annoys me by falling into some over used cliches. One of those is the cliche where the adults decide not to tell the teenager the truth in the interest of "protecting" them, which inevitably leads to the teenager putting themself in more danger when it could have been avoided had everyone been honest. Rose easily could have dealt with what her aunts kept from her, but their decision to lie simply put Rose in more danger and made her think she was insane. While it wasn't exactly a cliche, we're still supposed to like Jared even though he gets irritated when Rose backs out of having sex with him. While it might be understandable, it's still out of character for a boy who is supposed to be a model of heroism in this novel. Then there's the very, very loose end of Rose's brother, which makes the book seem like it should have some sort of sequel when it doesn't.

While there are glaring issues with the book, it's still appealing. The concept of amnesia and waking from a coma are handled believably and have a different take on things. Rose is a tough girl who dishes it back out to bullies even without knowing who she really is. Her romance with Jared is one dimensional, but her trying to find a place in her school is well done. It was worth a read even if the flaws were pretty obvious.

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Ever since the car accident nine years ago, life for 16-year-old Megan has never been the same. Her father lies in a coma at the nursing home; her twin sister, Remy, who died in the accident, continues to haunt her; and her mom only seems to care about winning dog competitions with their purebred Fergus. Events become even more complicated when Megan decides to take a job working at the Land of Enchantment in order to keep an eye on her boyfriend, Ryan, and his "best friend," Samantha. There she meets Luke, who is psychic and, to Megan's relief, can also see and communicate with Remy. Megan is concerned because Remy's behavior is becoming violent. The natural attraction between Megan and Luke quickly becomes a problem for Ari Roy, whose family owns the Land of Enchantment. Ari feels that Luke is hers, and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

(Amazon.com)

Genre: fantasy; supernatural; contemporary

Rating: 4/5

Note: #4 of Modern Retellings of Classics Challenge (Snow White)

Not a traditional retelling, but one that takes some of the elements of the original story and puts them into modern context. There is no one to one correlation of dwarfs to humans or evil stepmothers to villains, but there is a magic mirror and a healthy dose of jealousy, which is what the original story is based on. There is someone not awake but not dead (Megan's father), but there isn't any waking up for him. Megan is trapped in a life with a mother who won't face the tragedy around her and seeing the ghost of her twin sister. Luke, who can also see ghosts, seems like a knight in shining armor, but even he gets wrong what is the basis for Remy's reasons for not leaving Megan alone. Megan is a believable character struggling with several tragedies in her life and whether to dump her boyfriend or not. Luke is a very one dimensional character who is the "right guy for Megan" mainly because he can also see ghosts.

The book was a good mystery and there was real peril as several characters didn't make it out alive. There were a couple issues though. First, the description of the amusement park goes out of its way to get across how run down and cheesy the place is, yet there seems to be plenty of money rolling in to employ the various park workers. Then there's Megan's mother, who goes from trying to ship Megan off to the loony bin every time she brings up Remy to suddenly believing her. There's also the fact that Megan just seems to spontaneously hop in bed with Luke, something that seems out of character and also unnecessary for the story line. Also, the cover misleadingly makes it seem like there is a serious love triangle. There isn't. Megan has a boyfriend who is clearly only interested in her for sex. There is no real competition for Luke no matter what the cover implies.

Something Rotten by Alan Gratz

Denmark, Tennessee, stinks. The smell hits Horatio Wilkes the moment he pulls into town to visit his best friend, Hamilton Prince. And it's not just the paper plant and the polluted river that's stinking up Denmark: Hamilton's father has been poisoned and the killer is still at large. Why? Because nobody believes that Rex Prince was murdered. Nobody except Horatio and Hamilton. Now they need to find the killer, but it won't be easy. It seems like everyone in Denmark is a suspect. Motive, means, opportunity - they all have them. But who among them has committed murder most foul?

(Amazon.com)

Genre: mystery

Rating: 4.5/5

Note: #3 of Modern Retellings of Classics Challenge (Hamlet)

This was one of the best retellings or spin offs of Shakespeare I've ever read. Sure, there were parts where the author was trying a bit too hard, but on the whole this was Hamlet twisted into a very believable mystery with a noir flare. This would be a great companion for teenagers actually reading Hamlet. Horatio does some stupid stuff as detective, but then again he's just a teenager and a reluctant investigator. Hamilton is a jerk through most of the book, but his moments of likableness makes it understandable why Horatio is best friends with him before things got all weird. And the issue with Olivia is understandable too. Horatio might like her, but she and Hamilton have far too much baggage for that to go anywhere.

Horatio is a great protagonist. He's sarcastic to the point of being mean and has no thrill of the chase when it comes to solving this mystery. There's such a noir feel to the whole thing, with Horatio doling out zingers, falling for the wrong girl, and reluctantly solving a mystery. And of course, like the film noir hero, once the action is done he leaves the girl with the better man for her and rides off into the sunset. While it was nowhere near as serious, I was reminded of the movie Brick, a film noir set in a high school. Let me quickly comment on the cover too. While I'm not a big fan of the faces, I do like the fact that the cover is done in the colors of the Danish flag. On the whole, this was just a sharp retelling.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Elaine's parents are on sabbatical and she has to spend her junior year in Annapolis, MD, far from her Minnesota home. While running in the park, she meets Will, and she finds her life intertwined with a familiar story. Too many coincidences, like being named after the Lady of Shalott, and Will's complicated family life make her feel as though she is living in modern-day Camelot. Even her teacher believes that King Arthur will be reincarnated.

(Amazon.com)

Genre: romance; contemporary; fantasy

Rating: 4/5

Note: #2 of the Modern Retellings of Classics Challenge (Le Morte d'Arthur)

Cabot is more known for her humor, something that this book is actually fairly devoid of surprisingly. That's not to say this isn't a good read. Cabot makes a good attempt at trying to blend Arthurian legend with modern high school life and Elaine isn't unlikable as a heroine. She's feisty and basically the hero, in spite of Will being the Arthur figure. The main feeling you take away is that this book is a nice, fluffy, fast read that isn't anything earth shattering, but at least tries to be creative. My main issue was with Mr. Morton and the Order of the Bear going to all the trouble to hunt down possible Arthur reincarnations, only to have him try to give up and run the minute he thinks Will is in danger. It seems like an ancient order who had apparently been trying to defeat the "forces of darkness" for centuries would have come up with some sort of game plan at some point.

So, the book succeeds in being a pleasant enough summer read, but nothing that will go down in the annals of great YA literature.

The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes

In this compelling retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, high school senior Esti Legard moves to the island of Cariba, in the West Indies, to begin theater studies at Manchicay School. Once there, she struggles to break free of the shadow of her late father, a legendary actor, in order to be recognized as a legitimate actress in her own right. During tryouts for Romeo and Juliet, Esti hears the seductive voice of a mysterious man–known as Alan–helping her through the audition. Unknown to anyone, she begins meeting privately with him at the theater although he refuses to reveal himself, and she performs in the play under his tutelage. When Esti shares with a classmate that she has been hearing Alan's voice, the news spreads, and the superstitious islanders suspect he is a type of ghost–a jumbee. However, Alan's passion for Shakespeare wins Esti over, and she begins falling for him, unsure of whether she has feelings for a man or a ghost. Further complicating matters is Esti's growing attraction to a family friend turned bad boy, Rafe Solomon. When mysterious accidents befall the set of the play, everyone, including Esti, begins to suspect Alan is behind them. In her quest for the truth, she uncovers shocking secrets about her father and the island.

(Amazon.com)

Genre: romance, gothic

Rating: 4/5

Note: #1 for Modern Retellings of Classics Challenge (The Phantom of the Opera)

This book. I don't know how to rate it actually. Let me preface by saying that The Phantom of the Opera has been one of my three favorite books since high school. It's one book I've read over and over. I love Erik in all his insane glory. The issues I have with the book are really not the fault of Keyes at all. She does a beautiful job of staying true to the original, and that in and of itself creates its own set of problems.

First off, this book is set in the Caribbean and is exotic and mysterious in its beautiful descriptions of island life. The setting is perfect for evoking the supernatural and mystery without over stretching to become unbelievable. Esti, the updated Christine, is actually intelligent rather than the bubble headed Christine of the original. Keyes makes Alan, the Erik substitute, completely innocent of murdering anyone even though he is occasionally threatening. Unfortunately, while that makes him a nicer and redeemable person, it also defangs him and takes away the reasoning that the original gave for Erik not being acceptable. Erik, for all his brilliance, is a murderer and it is understandable that he would have that issue even if people did get over his looks. In taking murder away from Alan, there's no good reason that Esti eventually goes with Rafe other than that Alan is physically ugly. It makes Esti look worse in her intelligence for choosing the pretty boy over the artist.

And then there's Rafe, who as the Raoul stand in is already set up to be hated. Raoul was never any competition for the brilliance that was Erik. He was a fop and a pretty boy and rather vapid. Rafe is a womanizer who makes no bones about the fact that he finds women good for one thing. He's also just as bad at trying to control Esti as Alan is, only in a more aggressive way. He has anger issues. He was severely unlikable, which while reflecting the original, doesn't make as much sense since Esti is more intelligent than Christine and seems less shallow so her "love" for Rafe just seems like bad judgment. And then there's Esti's mother who inexplicably has no problem with her daughter being with the island manslut as long as that means she's away from Alan. She even becomes enraged when Esti toys with Rafe's emotions, even though it's made very clear he's slept with most of the girls on the island. Rafe also digs his hole deeper by condemning in Alan the very same behavior that Rafe shows in different ways.

So here's the thing, the character foibles of the original are either glossed over or modified, but in being true to the original, Keyes can't avoid the issues of the original, only change them. Her very success is what sometimes makes you want to strangle Esti and punch Rafe. Rafe doesn't deserve Esti in the end as he's not the better man. Esti is selfish and allows physical love override emotional. Alan is again left alone even though in this book his crimes are even less deserving of desertion. Yet that is all true to the spirit of the original.

Modern Retelling of Classics Challenge

This one is much harder, considering it's 30 books and I'm not sure if she counts fairy tale retellings yet. Fingers crossed that they do.

0/30 books