Scan barcode
charms1976's review
3.0
New stories based on childhood fairy tales can be a huge thing to take on for an author. Sometimes they work and other times they fall. They can be as wonderful and mesmerizing as Cinderella and Snow White. Other times they can be like Humpty Dumpty on that wall on the edge of great that unfortunately loses it's balance and becomes a mess for the reader. Authors have to know how to balance perfectly between long time readers and new readers. We all have our favorite fairy tale and trying to change them can cause many opinions across the grid for readers and fans. Kristine Grayson seems to be able to handle this task without disappointing the reader.
I will say that Kristine Grayson and her works have been hit and miss with me. I have enjoyed some of her books, but others have not been as enjoyable. Charming Blue seems to fall in the middle of this spectrum. While I loved the plot and the characters -- including the secondary ones -- I had a really hard time getting into it. Every time I set the book down for a bit I seemed to forget what had happened before. It just wasn't memorable enough to keep me infatuated with the story. It was one to pass the time, but not one that left me with the "must read now" pull that other books have given me. For lack of better words, it didn't have the 'magic' I was expecting.
Again, while the plot and characters were fun and entertaining, it wasn't enough to keep the story flowing at a great pace. It was slow and ho-hum. While it may be another miss in this readers eyes, I still will continue reading the works this author creates because I am a sucker for fairy tale stories!
I will say that Kristine Grayson and her works have been hit and miss with me. I have enjoyed some of her books, but others have not been as enjoyable. Charming Blue seems to fall in the middle of this spectrum. While I loved the plot and the characters -- including the secondary ones -- I had a really hard time getting into it. Every time I set the book down for a bit I seemed to forget what had happened before. It just wasn't memorable enough to keep me infatuated with the story. It was one to pass the time, but not one that left me with the "must read now" pull that other books have given me. For lack of better words, it didn't have the 'magic' I was expecting.
Again, while the plot and characters were fun and entertaining, it wasn't enough to keep the story flowing at a great pace. It was slow and ho-hum. While it may be another miss in this readers eyes, I still will continue reading the works this author creates because I am a sucker for fairy tale stories!
engrossedreader's review
3.0
Interesting interpretation of fairy tales/persons in this world. Character driven romance.
jscarpa14's review
3.0
If Grayson had taken this and the previous novel in the Fate series and created them as an original series then this book would have been seriously impressive however where as in the last novel she had nothing to connect it to the Fates series in this one she tried to force connections to the original Fates novels by contradicting truths she created in them which for me as a reader is an extreme turn off and seriously detracts from the novel in a major way. Alex Blackstone, mentioned as one of the Charming Princes in this novels was in his own novel not a prince at all but a Mage who in creating a spell to try to save his beloved's life ended up imprisoning her in a coma for a thousand years, but in this novel he's a prince from one of the kingdoms and Emma Lost AKA Sleeping Beauty who appears in the first trilogy of the Fate series is a princess when in her own stories she was an unwanted apprentice to a wicked female Mage. This book serves to do nothing but mutilate the histories of characters the author herself created and histories the author herself established. As someone who has read every novel in the Fates Series in order grouped together over a matter of days I can't help but feel betrayed as a reader when a writer changes her own story and the rules of the world she created. Wickedly Charming and Charming Blue, the 7th and 8th novels in this series are entirely different concepts and worlds to the first six novels. Had they been presented as a separate series they'd have been an enjoyable concept reminiscent of Once without the curses, but altering a pre-established fictional world to continue as a series that already had a satisfactory ending just to use the established series to increase sales does nothing for me but disappointment as a reader. It's NOT the name of the series that keeps people buying a writer's books it's the writer's originality and talent Grayson should have trusted her readers to pick up a different and original series by her rather than trying to lump them into an already established series where they don't belong. The book was also less a romance and more an Urban Fairy tale/Fantasy with Thriller like elements. The attraction between the two characters was there but not much in the way of a love story. If Grayson is going to keep mutilating her own work just to keep all her books part of the same series to increase sales, I for one won't be one of the ones purchasing them.
csquared85's review
2.0
2.5 stars.
I think it got off to a pretty good start, but the romance was almost nonexistent. Aside from the main characters making googly eyes and thinking how attractive each other is, basically nothing happens. They don't even kiss until the final couple chapters.
Instead, you get more of a magical mystery thriller and the reveal of the villain was anticlimactic because there's no way the reader would ever have figured it out. Plus, a majority of the book is dialogue. The chapters are short and choppy and end in needlessly dramatic proclamations / cliffhangers. If your chapters are essentially scene changes, then no need for the theatrics. The third person perspective shifts around between Blue and Jodi and occasionally it's difficult to figure out who is doing the thinking. Plus, many events become redundant because you view them from each perspective.
This book should've been a novella.
I think it got off to a pretty good start, but the romance was almost nonexistent. Aside from the main characters making googly eyes and thinking how attractive each other is, basically nothing happens. They don't even kiss until the final couple chapters.
Instead, you get more of a magical mystery thriller and the reveal of the villain was anticlimactic because there's no way the reader would ever have figured it out. Plus, a majority of the book is dialogue. The chapters are short and choppy and end in needlessly dramatic proclamations / cliffhangers. If your chapters are essentially scene changes, then no need for the theatrics. The third person perspective shifts around between Blue and Jodi and occasionally it's difficult to figure out who is doing the thinking. Plus, many events become redundant because you view them from each perspective.
This book should've been a novella.
krenblle's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
classicista's review
3.0
This book is burdened with a rather unfortunate cover. Despite the half-naked man, this books fails all my litmus tests for a trashy romance novel. It's a mystery novel with nothing stronger than deep eye contact, hugs, and a few kisses.
There is some interesting world building though, and the whole story takes place in a fairytale infested Hollywood that reminds me of the Meredith Gentry novels, without all of the baby making. To my slight disappointment. The ending of this was abrupt and a little to pat for my taste, but I would probably read more in the series if they become available from the library.
There is some interesting world building though, and the whole story takes place in a fairytale infested Hollywood that reminds me of the Meredith Gentry novels, without all of the baby making. To my slight disappointment. The ending of this was abrupt and a little to pat for my taste, but I would probably read more in the series if they become available from the library.
eloiseinparis's review
3.0
A cute story but very PG, so if you’re looking for a full on romance novel this isn’t it. There was barely any kissing and no sex. Although the character’s are grown up, it really feels more YA. I love the twist on Blue Beard and that our heroine is a light skinned black woman. I wish the author just out right said that instead of dancing around the subject, by describing her as cafe au lait and having struggled “because of the color of her skin” in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. The character’s are fun and lovable, and the stakes set by the bad guy are high. I would read past novel’s in this series, and look forward to future stories.
More...