Prairie Tales : Book Review

 

Discover ten re-imaginings of fairy tales, folk tales, and even a Mother Goose rhyme in this heartwarming collection. Journey across the plains of Nebraska and Kansas and explore the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado with characters from the "Once Upon a Western" series or meet them for the first time! Encounter a mattress filled with apples, a runaway basket of gingerbread, a house that looks like a shoe, a disappointing Christmas tree, and a Halloween prank gone wrong. Each short story brings a classic tale to life, offering fresh adventures and cozy charm in the Old West.

Short stories included:

"None Too Particular" (The Princess and the Pea)

"Let Down Your Hair" (Rapunzel)

"I'll Do It Myself" (The Little Red Hen)

"No Match for a Good Story" (Scheherazade)

"Run, Run" (The Gingerbread Man)

"Who Lived in a Shoe" (There Was an Old Woman)

"The Ugly Evergreen" (The Ugly Duckling)

"The Wind Makes a Poor Husband" (The Mouse's Marriage)

"The Blizzard at Three Bears Lake" (Goldilocks and the Three Bears)

"Gruff" (Three Billy Goats Gruff)

The Once Upon a Western series retells fairy tales, but in an Old West setting.  All of the books and stories are non-magical, aimed at a young adult audience, but appropriate for the whole family.  Each of the first five books are stand-alones, taking place in a shared universe and sometimes seeing characters cross from one book to another.  Nine of the short stories in Prairie Tales are sequels to those books, and one is a prequel.  Readers can enjoy them without being familiar with the books they relate to, but should be warned they naturally contain some spoilers about the first five books!

My Review

    Rachel Kovaciny excels at cozy fiction. Each of these stories is exactly the kind of thing that makes you want to get a hot drink , curl up, and lose yourself in it. Wholesome and fun takes on classic fairytales. Done in a refreshing and bright way.  Using characters that if your familiar with the ‘Once Upon A Western’ series you’ll recognize, but get to see them in a variety of different ways in these short tales. Love how she manages to spin these retellings. It’s also just nice to get little windows into each character’s world after their original stories have played out. It’s a rare treat, one that I enjoyed immensely.  Each comes with a recipe for something mentioned in the story. Nothing better than being able to make the thing you’re reading about. 

Family and comfort food really shine here. Which for me is enough of a recommendation in itself.

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The Man on the Buckskin Horse (The Illustrated Version)

     Just around December last year, I was given the opportunity to illustrate a retelling. 

    One that will always have a special place for me. This story means a lot to me, it was my favorite from 'The Five Magic Spindles' collection. And I remember thinking it was such a refreshing take on a well-worn tale.  And the choice to make it a historical retelling with no magic worked so well. 

    Something about the way it was written reminded me of curling up with one of  'The Little House on the Prarie' books. Something that just creates comfort and warmth, and has you dreaming of cabins and farm life. The writing style was also strong and engaging, and Buckskin horses have always been one of my favorites (Thanks to the movie Spirit having a huge impact on little me) so I guess it made me a little partial to it right off the bat. All in all, it's just a splendid novella.

    I had no idea that later when my own story was featured in a similar collection, it would be largely in part because of the author of this story. That she had been rooting for me on the sidelines the whole time. She has been a never-ending source of motivation and friendship ever since. So when Rachel asked me to do the art for this story in particular, I was elated. It's an honor to be attached to one of her stories in this way. 

    It feels like one of those special milestones you can flick back to. I'm especially grateful that she saw something in my art and wanted it in her story, and that she took a chance on me. I'm new to doing illustrations, and it's been a learning experience. But one that I want to continue, I've been trying to learn whatever I can and hope this is something I can continue doing in the future. 

    It's fun to bring characters and story aspects to life. I just hope everyone likes them. The process was a long but inspiring one, I got to take my time on these and I tried to make them as cohesive as possible. It was also fun to try and match the aesthetics and tone of the story. 

    This was one of my personal favorites.

    I like that it feels very Sleeping Beauty-esque. I also liked that we went a more sketch-forward route. I miss sketching more than I thought. All this to say if you guys can't tell I'm thrilled my art is in a book! Actually, two books, thanks to Rachel again she recommended me to another author, Carly Stevens who had me do a couple of illustrations in her Hamlet retelling 'Laertes'  

    It's been a really rewarding experience, and I admit that I have a hard time looking at some of it and not being incredibly critical of it, but everyone seems happy with it so far. So if anyone is looking for any kind of commission you can find the details for that here 

    But anyway, this post is about the illustrated edition of The Man on the Buckskin Horse. Which I highly recommend if you like retellings, cozy fantasy,  and westerns. It even comes with a cornbread recipe which I will be trying. Because I swear, Rachel's books always make me hungry. 

If you want to get some of these you just have to submit purchase info here

    

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    Be sure to follow Rachel, she's an absolute gem and her kindness is unmatched. I highly recommend her stories, they're a blast and make amazing comfort reads. 

    

   

Finding the Magic/ A Review

Belle is sent to the countryside to escape the London bombings during WWII. She knows she will miss her mother and worry about her father, who is away fighting in the war, but she has no idea what awaits her in the manor where she is to live. She finds friends with the staff, but the mysterious master of the house frightens her. Can she teach him to find the magic in a world where all magic seems to be long gone?



Review

This was such a sweet story! I was a bit skeptical about a historical Beauty & the Beast. I'm not a big historical fan, but since it was B&B retelling I thought I would give it a shot. The idea also gave me a bit of a Narnia vibe. This is a light and endearing read. I love that Belle is young in this and it wasn't a romance by any means, it had more of bedtime story vibe, something that leaves you on a light and happy note. Chip was probably my favorite character, he brought a whimsical and childlike wonder to the story.  It's simple and I mean that as a compliment, like the way the Hobbit is a simple story. There is no convoluted plot. It's a domestic story, one that is relatable and inspiring.

It's a lovely Christmas read! 

Jack is an Author who has disillusions of grandeur that she will someday write the perfect book.
She's not impossible, just a bit unlikely.

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Finding the Magic Reveal

I should have made this a fairy tale series or something. I just keep stumbling across these awesome sounding retellings. This one is a Beauty & the Beast retelling. I don't know if all of you are aware but I am a bit obsessed with that one. Just a bit...

So yeah, I might have flailed a bit when I found out Jack's new book was a retelling of my favorite tale. She is a brilliant writer, I especially love her characters. 

Here is the lovely cover!

Isn't it lovely!

I am ecstatic for this story!

Finding the Magic. 

Fifteen-year-old Belle is sent to the countryside to escape the London bombings of WWII. She knows she will miss her mother and worry about her father, who is away fighting in the war, but has no idea what awaits her in the manor in which she is to live. She finds friends in the staff but the mysterious and elusive master of the house frightens her. Can she teach him to find the magic in a world where magic seems to be long gone?

 Author Bio:

 Jack is an author, which is why she spends much of her time writing and little of her time editing. She likes to follow characters around and tell their stories even if they don't tell her everything they know about their stories.

She lives alone in a Hobbit hole and spends her spare time with her nose stuck in a book. When she isn't doing that she is busy baking bread and annoying her neighbors with bagpipes. 

You can follow Jack here: http://www.jacklewisbaillot.com/

I promise to have a normal post next week. Then I have some tags, and I think a few blog tours. We shall see what happens.

Dancing and Doughnuts Cover Reveal

I'm so excited to be sharing this! The lovely Rachel Kovaciny is releasing Dancing and Doughnuts in August. It's the second book in her  'Once Upon a Western' anthology series. Not to mention that it's a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling. I can't wait to read it!

I've read her Sleeping Beauty retelling, "Man on the Buckskin horse." It was so good! The setting and story were unique and immersive. I highly recommend it, you won't be disappointed. Her writing style is fantastic.

Without further ado...
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Here is the cover!

A drifting Civil War veteran tackles the task of figuring out who's been spiking the apple cider at a Kansas dance hall owned by a family with twelve daughters.


Isn't it perfect, I love the western vibe and it suits the title so well! It's calling my name, and making me hungry, I love doughnuts. I'm always complaining about the lack of Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling s there are. You can find it on Good Reads here. 

Be sure to follow Rachel on her social media platforms.

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