this was intense.. LOVED IT

So This is Love – Elizabeth Lim

Cinderella, twisted tales, young adult, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Cinderella had to flee before midnight because her dress and all the magic is what was able to allow her to be incognito for the most part and attend the ball. The prince, Charles, has a glass slipper and made it a royal decree that all eligible women should try on the glass slipper. When the grand duke is at Cinderella’s house, she is unable to get downstairs fast enough due to her stepmother locking her up because she found out the truth. After the visit from the grand duke, Lady Tremaine attempts to sell Cinderella off seas but Cinderella manages to escape. She meets with Louisa who works at the palace and her aunt is able to give Cinderella a job attending to the king’s sister who is just visiting a while. The King’s sister Genevieve closely bonds with Cinderella and the grand duke sees this and manipulates Cinderella into being a spy but Cinderella doesn’t want that. Genevieve talks her brother into holding another ball and Cinderella has another shot at her happy ending. There becomes a roadblock between her and the prince, it is the conspiracy that is going on inside the castle and Cinderella is in the middle of it.

I was interested in the synopsis and bought the novel on impulse. I don’t regret it. I love this novel and I really liked the little suspense of the novel. I prefer this version over the Disney movie because it made more sense and the plot was more intriguing. The writing was excellent, and I loved how the author kept true with some of the characters personalities such as Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters. However the grand duke being a bad guy was a twist I didn’t expect. I do recommend this novel for sure if one is a fan of Cinderella. She wasn’t my top favorite, but I liked her over some of the classic princesses. She wasn’t as annoying in other words.

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to Hell and back

Reflection – Elizabeth Lim

Disney, Mulan, underworld, war, young adult, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Ping, Mulan disguised as a man, tried to save Shang and their army from the attack from Shen-Yu, goes wrong. Shang gets slashed and Shang tells Ping to leave him behind. Ping doesn’t want to follow orders and brings him along. Slowly taking care of him. Shang’s father comes to visit her to tell her to go rescue Shang because his time on Earth isn’t done. Shang is needed to save all of China. Mulan must go to Diyu to find Shang’s soul and bring him back alive. Throughout the journey, both were tested by the obstacles they face. Mulan reveals her true form to Shang and at first when all feels bleak, she gets left behind but Shang comes back to rescue her. Shang tells Mulan that they’re in this together. They must make their way out together[KS1]  and save China.

My best friend’s aunt saw this on the shelf of a Target and recommended me to read this to see if its worth reading. After binge reading through the book, I was relieved of the ending. I love how the author kept some dialogue from the movie in and the elements of the movie within the book along with Chinese mythology. I wish that this was in the actual movie, but this version was a bit dark and wouldn’t be suitable for children. I am nearly tempted in rereading this one because the narrative flows satisfactorily. I wish the novel was longer, but this was just enough for me. After reading this I watched the movie and found myself wanting to reread the book but maybe in the future I can do a movie to book comparison. I do recommend this one but not to read to children though. There are unsettling elements that might give children nightmares but mature enough for young adults and above to read.

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