The Bookish Girl: Sci-fi Spin on timeless fairy tales
I am a fairytale junkie no you think I'm kidding but I'm not maybe it's the fact that my favorite aunt worked at Disney in my youth and, that she would always bring VHS's home of Disney films I mean come on how could she not one of the perks of working at Disney is getting a discount on the merchandise you know you can't resist buying. Or maybe the fact that my favorite aunt was also a school teacher and so one of her closets was literally a miniature library much to my delight. She would be reading a book series the same time I was and so she introduced me to series like Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Inkheart The Series ofUnfortunate Events just to name a few which changed my life forever. In that library were dozens of books on fairytales from all over the world and those were some of my favorite books to spend hours poring over. A recent visit to the library and I stumbled upon the Lunar Chronicles series and I certainly was pleasantly surprised science fiction is not exactly my genre reading of choice I'm more of a Anne of Green Gables and Do you want to be a wizard? Kind of gal but I'm a sucker for fairytales. The series which I have only read four of the books that have been published Cinder,Scarlet,Cress and Fairest puts a refreshing spin on some of the most timeless of fairytales. Cinderella, Little Red Riding hood,Rapunzel, the evil but misunderstood queen from Snow White they are all set in fantastic settings that get the wide eyed wanderer in me in a tizzy. I know what you are thinking I like my fairytales and I like the Disney versions even more how could a sci-fi re telling be any good? The series isn't just about the fairytales instead it's a lovely homage to them but with its own riveting plot. Cinder is about get ready for it a cyborg Cinderella with a sort of Anastasia like fate. Scarlet is a modern French twist to little red where the Wolf isn't quite as sinister as the tales make him out to be. Cress is a damsel in distress locked up in a satellite (not tower mind you) whose fate follows the more traditional Rapunzel route (hint her prince could give Flynn Rider a run for his money) and her tale was my favorite mainly because I love Rapunzel's tale the most and have it memorized.The books are all set in a future where Earth has been divided into sort of sectors Europe,Africa,Asia,The United States,Australia and South America with their own political systems. They are all living in the brink of disaster as an unknown disease is slowly closing ranks on them and they have no cure or known cause even their advanced technology which hold onto your hats includes cyborgs and androids even humanoid robots can't compete with the disease. To make matters worse tensions with the Lunars a whole different species who live on the moon are making political tensions high after all no one is really comfortable with the strangers from the colony on the moon and their powers of debilitating persuasion. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot but if you are into fairytales you should think about checking these books out once you pick them up you won't be able to put them back down. I'm actually heading to the bookstore soon I have to read the next book in the series which is Winter a retelling of Snow White.
