And they lived happily ever after.

That’s how all fairy tales end, but is it really the end of the story? Not according to Jim Hines in The Stepsister Scheme. This novel recounts the adventures a bunch of strong-willed, smart-mouthed princesses have, while rescuing Prince Charming (aka Armand).

Meet Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella as you’ve never seen them before. These are not Disney heroines who burst into song at a moment’s notice; these are real life girls with histories and minds of their own. Snow knows mirror magic and uses it to keep her friends safe. She also is an unapologetic flirt. Talia (who detests her fairy tale name of Sleeping Beauty) is a martial arts expert and has some well-earned anger management issues. She hates fairies and everything to do with them. Think about that one!

Then there’s Danielle Whiteshore…our heroine…who was a maid, but recently married the crown prince of Lorindar. Upon returning from their honeymoon, Danielle is visited — and attacked — by one of her wicked (and strangely magical) stepsisters. Apparently, the steps still think they can have the prince for themselves and have abducted him. Danielle and her friends go after him, encountering trolls, drunken pixies, flying horses, evil queens, and their own worst fears. As they move from one hair-raising escapade to the next, you’re never quite sure how the princesses are going to survive…let alone win.

But, after all, it is a fairy tale and the adventure (and the series) must continue. A second installment furthers these strong women’s friendships and tales of derring-do in The Mermaid’s Madness.  Apparently, Hans Christian Andersen didn’t write the entire story of what happened to the young mermaid who fell in love with a human prince.

By the way: These books actually live up to their fun cover art! If you notice a similarity to a certain set of three girls who worked for someone named Charlie, you might be on to something.

Kristen Blount – Administration Office

The beautifully illustrated book jacket of The Forgotten Garden with its stone cottage set in an old, English walled garden transports you into its serenity. Had the book jacket not been so exquisite, I may never have picked this book to read and what a shame that would have been!!

The Forgotten Garden is a story of old houses and family secrets. Abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913, a little girl arrives with nothing in her suitcase but a few clothes and a beautiful bound book of fairy tales. Unclaimed and unidentified, she is taken in and raised by the kindly dockmaster and his wife. Just like in a fairy tale, on her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth and “Nell” travels to the Cornish coast to unravel the mystery of her true identity. Following Nell’s death, her granddaughter Cassandra picks up the search upon inheriting Cliff Cottage on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor. Here she discovers the forgotten garden and unlocks the secrets of the beautiful book of fairy tales.

According to the author, she was inspired by the Lost Gardens of Heligan, "a 400 year old Cornwall estate that had been completely consumed by the wilderness until it was rediscovered and restored in the late 20th century." Kate Morton captivated me with her storytelling as I was carried, past and present, from London to colonial Australia and back to Cornwall.

Eve Olsen – Central Library

New to Howard County Library, Tales from the Brothers Grimm features fifteen classic Grimms’ fairy tales. However, the real treasure within is the art. Edens brings together illustrations from many sources across the centuries. The endpapers are works of art by Gustave Doré. The book showcases illustrations by Walter Crane, Wanda Gág, and Maxfield Parrish, among myriads of other illustrators who have all created artwork for Grimm. Pouring over the numerous interpretations of "Cinderella" with my friends, we recall which was "our Cinderella," from the battered fairy tale books of our childhood.

Is this a children’s book?  Yes: children still love to hear the classic stories of "Cinderella," "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," and "The Brave Little Tailor."  Is this a book for adults? Absolutely: both for appreciating the beauty of the art, and the remembrance of things past.

Shirley O’Neill – Administration Office

If you like new twists on standard fairy tales, then Mercedes Lackey’s Five Hundred Kingdoms series is just right for you. It begins with The Fairy Godmother, a slightly different take on the Cinderella story. Our heroine Elena has all the hallmarks of a classic Cinderella…wicked stepmother, nasty stepsisters, and a life of drudgery. Unfortunately, her designated prince is still a child. Instead of a "happily ever after,"Elena finds herself ignored and unemployed at the end of the local service fair. Just when all seems lost, Godmother Bella appears and anoints Elena as her apprentice. Although Elena loves her new position, she never quite gives up on her dream of a prince charming. From here, the story takes off into a lark of an adventure, offering lovely romance and silly myths at every turn.

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, magic mostly takes the form of The Tradition — being all those fairy tales we think we know so well. The Tradition likes to chivvy people and situations into standard paths, whether the folks involved really want to be characters in those stories or not. So, the godmothers use the Tradition to manufacture happy endings, but also thwart the same Tradition when necessary. After all, not all the old fairy tales represent good defeating evil.

The rest of the series takes different stories apart and reassembles them in new ways. In One Good Knight, Princess Andromeda (Andie to her friends) is sacrificed to a marauding dragon, who really doesn’t want to pillage and plunder. Here, The Tradition is used and abused with sacrificial maidens, ragged bands of rebels, evil counselors, bookworm dragons, and other delightful bits in a setting reminiscent of ancient Athens.

If you are looking for some light, fantastical readings, check out these novels today.

Kristen Blount – Administration Office