Genre:
Fantasy / Fairytale Retelling / YA
Fantasy / Fairytale Retelling / YA
Stalks Of Gold
Bewitching Fairy Tales book 1
by Celeste Baxendell
| -From Goodreads- Magic isn’t a solution; it’s a trap. If Aurelia comes across magic, she’s supposed to run in the other direction. Life is no longer so simple. If the tower door opens, and she doesn’t have any gold, her life will be forfeit. No one is going to help her, not even her closest friend. No one, except for the mysterious stranger who appeared on her doorstep and in her tower room. If she takes the deal, she might live, but what will she sacrifice in order to do it? Sandor’s worlds collided when Aurelia was brought before King Eadric. Is he truly so desperate to get out of debt, he’s willing to believe such nonsense as a girl who can spin straw into gold? She’s Sandor’s closest friend. If Aurelia were a witch, he would know it. It’s impossible, or so he thought. Nothing makes sense anymore, but Sandor’s determined to figure it out and save Aurelia from the king. The more he learns, the more he wonders, is the king the real threat, or is there something more dangerous lurking in the shadows? ASIN: B08T8S56Y6 And you thought you knew the story inside and out... |  This Book received a 4.5 Bark rating.
 Celeste Baxendell |
Well, Celeste Baxendell has a real knack for taking all of the elements of a truly well known fairytale and then completely turning it on its head. That is Stalks Of Gold in a nutshell and I loved it!
Part way through I realized that this first Bewitching Fairy Tales novel was actually much more than it first appeared because it was a mash-up of TWO fairytales... After that it almost became a game for me to discover the subtle and fiendishly clever ways that Celeste Braxendell picked and chose each fairytale element and then wove them together with a healthy dash of her own storytelling voice.
There were so many twists and turns in Stalks Of Gold, and, despite the fact that I've read the original fairytales and have read quite a few retellings I was still completely surprised quite a few times. I could almost hear a gleeful voice shouting 'plot twist!'
While the Bewitching Fairy Tales are aimed a YA audience there is so much depth in them, particularly this first one, that they can be fully appreciated by adults as well. One slight note is that there was some language, though the word was used in the correct context. Two things that really stood out to me
were the need for personal growth and change before a person can become who and what they are supposed to be, and, second, the factual representation of healing after trauma being a process that sometimes includes some steps backward along with the ones forward.
I really enjoyed Stalks Of Gold and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won't be my last Bewitching Fairy Tale from the very imaginative and talented Celeste Baxendell...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Stalks Of Gold by Celeste Baxendell a 4.5 Bark rating.
Part way through I realized that this first Bewitching Fairy Tales novel was actually much more than it first appeared because it was a mash-up of TWO fairytales... After that it almost became a game for me to discover the subtle and fiendishly clever ways that Celeste Braxendell picked and chose each fairytale element and then wove them together with a healthy dash of her own storytelling voice.
There were so many twists and turns in Stalks Of Gold, and, despite the fact that I've read the original fairytales and have read quite a few retellings I was still completely surprised quite a few times. I could almost hear a gleeful voice shouting 'plot twist!'
While the Bewitching Fairy Tales are aimed a YA audience there is so much depth in them, particularly this first one, that they can be fully appreciated by adults as well. One slight note is that there was some language, though the word was used in the correct context. Two things that really stood out to me
were the need for personal growth and change before a person can become who and what they are supposed to be, and, second, the factual representation of healing after trauma being a process that sometimes includes some steps backward along with the ones forward.
I really enjoyed Stalks Of Gold and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won't be my last Bewitching Fairy Tale from the very imaginative and talented Celeste Baxendell...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Stalks Of Gold by Celeste Baxendell a 4.5 Bark rating.
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