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Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother #1
Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother
A Fairy Godmother is not some pixie in a pink tutu. She’s a guardian and a warrior. Lilliana Skye is sent undercover to a Texas high school to save one of Cinderella’s troubled descendants, but everything goes wrong.
Jessica Harrison hates Lilliana. She doesn’t believe in fairytale magic or happily-ever-afters. Jess is tough, angry, and so intelligent it’s scary. If she ever did see a mythical fairy she would probably stomp it into oblivion with her army boots. Matters go from bad to worse when Jess’s older brother meets Lilliana and falls hard for the new girl. And Lilliana can’t keep her wayward heart in check. Jake is, well, just plain dangerous.
Falling in love with a human is forbidden, not to mention… deadly.
Jessica Harrison hates Lilliana. She doesn’t believe in fairytale magic or happily-ever-afters. Jess is tough, angry, and so intelligent it’s scary. If she ever did see a mythical fairy she would probably stomp it into oblivion with her army boots. Matters go from bad to worse when Jess’s older brother meets Lilliana and falls hard for the new girl. And Lilliana can’t keep her wayward heart in check. Jake is, well, just plain dangerous.
Falling in love with a human is forbidden, not to mention… deadly.
295 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
25 people are currently reading
1084 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Baldwin
18 books894 followersGet ready to fall in love with the heartwarming humorous novels of Kathleen Baldwin, a Wall Street Journal, #1 Barnes & Noble, and Amazon bestselling author. Delighting readers around the globe, her stories have been translated into several languages, and more than 650,000 books sold worldwide. Baldwin's unique plots even captured the attention of a Japanese publisher who adapted her Regency Romance, LADY FIASCO, into a manga.
#1 USA Today bestselling author Meg Cabot raves that Kathleen’s A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS is “completely original and totally engrossing.”
The New York Times Book Review called it “enticing from the first sentence.”
Kathleen’s love of adventure isn’t limited to her writing. She taught rock climbing in the Rockies, survival camped in the desert and in the snow, slept beside a mountain lion, and lost an argument with a rattlesnake. Later, she married her very own hero and raised four feisty children.
Kathleen is also an avid reader and adores the wit and humor of Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse, and Jane Austen. Her eclectic reading interests range from Frank Herbert to Meg Cabot, and on to the incredibly imaginative tales of Diana Wynne Jones.
News and other fun stuff at: Website, Newsletter,Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
A School for Unusual Girls , was her first historical romance for Young Adults. It is a Junior Library Guild selection, and Texas Librarians gave it the 2016 Spirit of Texas reading program award. Publisher’s Lunch listed it in their 2015 Young Adult BookBuzz. Kansas State NEA Reading Circle gave it a starred review in their 2016 “Best of the Best” for High Schools. Scholastic licensed it for book fairs. The Stranje House series is currently under a renewed film option.
#1 USA Today bestselling author Meg Cabot raves that Kathleen’s A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS is “completely original and totally engrossing.”
The New York Times Book Review called it “enticing from the first sentence.”
Kathleen’s love of adventure isn’t limited to her writing. She taught rock climbing in the Rockies, survival camped in the desert and in the snow, slept beside a mountain lion, and lost an argument with a rattlesnake. Later, she married her very own hero and raised four feisty children.
Kathleen is also an avid reader and adores the wit and humor of Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse, and Jane Austen. Her eclectic reading interests range from Frank Herbert to Meg Cabot, and on to the incredibly imaginative tales of Diana Wynne Jones.
News and other fun stuff at: Website, Newsletter,Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
A School for Unusual Girls , was her first historical romance for Young Adults. It is a Junior Library Guild selection, and Texas Librarians gave it the 2016 Spirit of Texas reading program award. Publisher’s Lunch listed it in their 2015 Young Adult BookBuzz. Kansas State NEA Reading Circle gave it a starred review in their 2016 “Best of the Best” for High Schools. Scholastic licensed it for book fairs. The Stranje House series is currently under a renewed film option.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 3, 2016
*(I won this book through the First Reads giveaway section on Goodreads in May 2013)*
This is a wickedly cute book! The only other book(s) I have read about fairies were the Modern Faerie Tales series by Holly Black. And I can't remember them entirely so it was like being introduced to a whole new world. Not just the fairy genre, but Lilliana's world. This has been by far one of the cutest books I've read.
The title suggests that it's a love story, and I must admit there is some romance involved but it's not too overwhelming (ex: Edward & Bella) so it wasn't nauseating to read. There was definitely plenty of action which surprised me. I think that's the main thing that kept me reading!
Aside from still not knowing what a C.O. is exactly - the acronym, I mean - I actually loved being left in suspense on a few things. Why the star sparks didn't work on Maggie, why Jess could use the wand, etc. I'm really hoping there will be a sequel in the future, since there are a lot of things still left in the hanging waiting to be answered.
Throughout the entire book, I could not stop thinking how much Lilliana's guardian is a bitch, and I'm glad that played a major role in the story line. I must admit that I still don't understand completely why Jess needed to be watched... although I did enjoy how her character evolved over the course of the time Lilliana was there watching over her. I think Lilliana needed more watching and protection, too, and it was beautiful watching her become the independent fairy she knew she could be.
Jess's obsession with her brother Jake is borderline incestuous. I understand she's just trying to look out for him and be protective, but it's just downright too much.
My one complaint? The use of fancy font chapter headings and images throughout the chapters. Images were cute for the F.G. Training Manual directives before a chapter began but the few images added in the chapters toward the end were unnecessary. The fancy font chapter headings were neat at the beginning but then they just became a distraction. At first, I thought one was from Lilliana's perspective and one from Jess's but the more I read, the more it became confusing.
This is a wickedly cute book! The only other book(s) I have read about fairies were the Modern Faerie Tales series by Holly Black. And I can't remember them entirely so it was like being introduced to a whole new world. Not just the fairy genre, but Lilliana's world. This has been by far one of the cutest books I've read.
The title suggests that it's a love story, and I must admit there is some romance involved but it's not too overwhelming (ex: Edward & Bella) so it wasn't nauseating to read. There was definitely plenty of action which surprised me. I think that's the main thing that kept me reading!
Aside from still not knowing what a C.O. is exactly - the acronym, I mean - I actually loved being left in suspense on a few things. Why the star sparks didn't work on Maggie, why Jess could use the wand, etc. I'm really hoping there will be a sequel in the future, since there are a lot of things still left in the hanging waiting to be answered.
Throughout the entire book, I could not stop thinking how much Lilliana's guardian is a bitch, and I'm glad that played a major role in the story line. I must admit that I still don't understand completely why Jess needed to be watched... although I did enjoy how her character evolved over the course of the time Lilliana was there watching over her. I think Lilliana needed more watching and protection, too, and it was beautiful watching her become the independent fairy she knew she could be.
Jess's obsession with her brother Jake is borderline incestuous. I understand she's just trying to look out for him and be protective, but it's just downright too much.
My one complaint? The use of fancy font chapter headings and images throughout the chapters. Images were cute for the F.G. Training Manual directives before a chapter began but the few images added in the chapters toward the end were unnecessary. The fancy font chapter headings were neat at the beginning but then they just became a distraction. At first, I thought one was from Lilliana's perspective and one from Jess's but the more I read, the more it became confusing.
November 7, 2016
If it weren’t for the fact that I love Kathleen Baldwin’s books and am starting to run out of them, I probably wouldn’t have gone for this book next. I was definitely intrigued by the cover, but I don’t tend to read either young adult or fantasy novels. However, I am happy to say that I was delighted with this book and thoroughly enjoyed it, with no regrets for straying from my preferred genre of Christian (or clean) romance.
Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother (2013), independently published by Kathleen Baldwin and Andrea Sisco, is a present day Cinderella sequel. I was very happy to be able to read this book via Kindle Unlimited.
4 1/2 stars
Lilliana has just finished fairy godmother school at the top of her class, and is looking forward to her first mission. She is to become a student at Lake Elm High and help her C.O. (Cinderella’s offspring) to be at peace about her brother’s death. Jessica Harrison, Lilliana’s C.O., and her schoolmates “were just teenagers, like her. Well, except, none of them had a pair of five-foot-seven-inch wings sprouting out of their backs.”
Jessica has been at the principal’s office three times this week already. When Lilliana first sees her, she can hear Jessica’s “soul thundered as violent and black as a winter storm. Yet, beneath Jess’s throbbing drums of rage, Lilliana heard the unmistakable strains of anguish - taut strings of grief. Grief that resonated so sharply it hurt to listen.” Jess lashes out at other people rather than giving into depression. And she wants to “protect the family she had left from the rotten people in this rotten world.”
So this is a pretty tough case. To make Lilliana’s mission even more difficult, Jess hates Lilliana on sight because she is a dead ringer for her dead brother’s girlfriend AND she has been assigned his locker! Not a very promising start to Lilliana’s first assignment!
What I liked:
* The cover is fabulous and perfectly fits the story! Kudos to whoever is responsible for it.
*Each chapter begins with an excerpt from the Fairy Godmother training Manual. It was enjoyable and the directives seemed plausible. “A Fairy Godmother is a guardian and a warrior, not a giggling pixie in a pink tutu.” I also enjoyed the song titles as chapter names.
*I would expect this of a YA novel, but I’ll say it anyway: this novel is definitely CLEAN, like everything else I’ve read by Ms. Baldwin. The only thing stopping me from putting it on my 10-year-old daughter’s Christmas list is that I think she’s too young for it. The main character is too angry about the death of her brother and there’s too much focus on romance (for my daughter.) I think the book would probably be fine for a tween, but it’s my preference to wait a bit. I’d definitely be fine with my 13-year-old son reading it. There are some good male characters in it, and the romance is at a very appropriate level for a teen.
*I loved how Lilliana can hear the music of the humans’ souls, which gives her a clue about their emotions.
*I liked the secondary characters very much.
What I didn’t like:
*A minor detail, but unless I overlooked it, the story doesn’t explain why Jess’s older brother Jake is in her biology class.
*Another minor complaint: “She … copied one of the symbols, planning to oogle it later.” Oogle? Google? Do an Internet search?
***********************************************
I definitely recommend this book to fans of Kathleen Baldwin, YA fantasy, fairies, and Cinderella! I’ve enjoyed many of Kathleen Baldwin’s books, and have put the first book in her Stranje House trilogy on my Christmas wish list.
Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother (2013), independently published by Kathleen Baldwin and Andrea Sisco, is a present day Cinderella sequel. I was very happy to be able to read this book via Kindle Unlimited.
4 1/2 stars
Lilliana has just finished fairy godmother school at the top of her class, and is looking forward to her first mission. She is to become a student at Lake Elm High and help her C.O. (Cinderella’s offspring) to be at peace about her brother’s death. Jessica Harrison, Lilliana’s C.O., and her schoolmates “were just teenagers, like her. Well, except, none of them had a pair of five-foot-seven-inch wings sprouting out of their backs.”
Jessica has been at the principal’s office three times this week already. When Lilliana first sees her, she can hear Jessica’s “soul thundered as violent and black as a winter storm. Yet, beneath Jess’s throbbing drums of rage, Lilliana heard the unmistakable strains of anguish - taut strings of grief. Grief that resonated so sharply it hurt to listen.” Jess lashes out at other people rather than giving into depression. And she wants to “protect the family she had left from the rotten people in this rotten world.”
So this is a pretty tough case. To make Lilliana’s mission even more difficult, Jess hates Lilliana on sight because she is a dead ringer for her dead brother’s girlfriend AND she has been assigned his locker! Not a very promising start to Lilliana’s first assignment!
What I liked:
* The cover is fabulous and perfectly fits the story! Kudos to whoever is responsible for it.
*Each chapter begins with an excerpt from the Fairy Godmother training Manual. It was enjoyable and the directives seemed plausible. “A Fairy Godmother is a guardian and a warrior, not a giggling pixie in a pink tutu.” I also enjoyed the song titles as chapter names.
*I would expect this of a YA novel, but I’ll say it anyway: this novel is definitely CLEAN, like everything else I’ve read by Ms. Baldwin. The only thing stopping me from putting it on my 10-year-old daughter’s Christmas list is that I think she’s too young for it. The main character is too angry about the death of her brother and there’s too much focus on romance (for my daughter.) I think the book would probably be fine for a tween, but it’s my preference to wait a bit. I’d definitely be fine with my 13-year-old son reading it. There are some good male characters in it, and the romance is at a very appropriate level for a teen.
*I loved how Lilliana can hear the music of the humans’ souls, which gives her a clue about their emotions.
*I liked the secondary characters very much.
What I didn’t like:
*A minor detail, but unless I overlooked it, the story doesn’t explain why Jess’s older brother Jake is in her biology class.
*Another minor complaint: “She … copied one of the symbols, planning to oogle it later.” Oogle? Google? Do an Internet search?
***********************************************
I definitely recommend this book to fans of Kathleen Baldwin, YA fantasy, fairies, and Cinderella! I’ve enjoyed many of Kathleen Baldwin’s books, and have put the first book in her Stranje House trilogy on my Christmas wish list.
June 18, 2015
This novel was one very quick read. Don't mistake this for me disliking it. Sometimes quick reads to me = bad, and in some cases it is a good thing, and for Kathleen Baldwin, this was a good thing! It was fast paced, good humor, wonderful writing and pretty much all the elements that I look for in a novel.
Lilliana was a great fairy godmother. Poor thing was on her first assignment, and was not given an adequate description (and I'm not talking physical) of her charge. Jess had all the niceties of a T-Rex who was starving and on a hunger rampage, or maybe a better comparison would be the Hulk when he is in one of his giant green rage monster modes. Because of this, her assignment was not as easy-peasy as she thought it was going to be.
Jess was pretty hardcore. I understood where she was coming from and understood why she was the way she was, however, I found her a bit hard to like through most of the book. She never really apologized for the way she treated Lilliana, or anyone else, and it slightly annoyed me that they just forgave her with no mention of her behaviour. Had I been any of them, I would have forgave her, yes that is true, but I at least would have demanded an apology out of her as well. But, given her experiences, I couldn't fault her too much, and at least her character had growth throughout it, unlike some other characters in other novels that don't grow at all.
Jake was pretty cool, and I really enjoyed his character, however, I found the love between Lilliana and him to be a bit fast. Although, like I said, this book was a very fast read, so, all in all, I'm glad that there was romance in it, and it wasn't super hard to believe.
Mike was Jake's best friend, and the love interest to Jess, and I could see his side, but had a hard time accepting her side, as it took most of the novel for her to stop being antagonistic to him, and then suddenly she's calling him her boyfriend...so perhaps this is why I didn't mind Jake and Lilliana's relationship that much, as at least they started off liking each other, and moving forward from there, it was just a little fast. Mike and Jess had nothing and then suddenly boom, their dating. Although to be fair, apparently Jess had a crush on him for years and was a bit blind to the fact that he was attempting to get her to date him, hence why it took her until the end to call him her boyfriend...she kept saying he thought of her like his best friend's baby sister. So, all in all the relationships happened suddenly, but there were justifications for them, and in Jess and Mike's case, they did technically know each other for a long time before the dating.
My only big concern/upset with this was that the characters were a little on the young side for me...a few years ago, 15 year old's weren't that young, but I'm getting up in age, so to have the story revolve around 15 year old's was a little weird for me. I typically like my characters in YA to be at least 16 or older, however, I always have exceptions. And this one turned out to be like that. Harry Potter is another, although that series spans a gap of ages between 11-17, and JK Rowling did an amazing job there. Kathleen did a great job with her 15 year old characters, and most of the time I forgot that they were only 15, and felt like they were older, so she did a good job there. So I suppose that this wasn't actually that big of a concern for me, as it didn't bother me as badly as this normally does. The only reason that this didn't get the full 5 star rating like her "School of Unusual Girls" novel did, is because it did have a slight younger feel to it (main characters were 15).
This book was full of humor, sass, action and romance, and I would totally recommend it for all ages, as it is a fun, quick read.
Lilliana was a great fairy godmother. Poor thing was on her first assignment, and was not given an adequate description (and I'm not talking physical) of her charge. Jess had all the niceties of a T-Rex who was starving and on a hunger rampage, or maybe a better comparison would be the Hulk when he is in one of his giant green rage monster modes. Because of this, her assignment was not as easy-peasy as she thought it was going to be.
Jess was pretty hardcore. I understood where she was coming from and understood why she was the way she was, however, I found her a bit hard to like through most of the book. She never really apologized for the way she treated Lilliana, or anyone else, and it slightly annoyed me that they just forgave her with no mention of her behaviour. Had I been any of them, I would have forgave her, yes that is true, but I at least would have demanded an apology out of her as well. But, given her experiences, I couldn't fault her too much, and at least her character had growth throughout it, unlike some other characters in other novels that don't grow at all.
Jake was pretty cool, and I really enjoyed his character, however, I found the love between Lilliana and him to be a bit fast. Although, like I said, this book was a very fast read, so, all in all, I'm glad that there was romance in it, and it wasn't super hard to believe.
Mike was Jake's best friend, and the love interest to Jess, and I could see his side, but had a hard time accepting her side, as it took most of the novel for her to stop being antagonistic to him, and then suddenly she's calling him her boyfriend...so perhaps this is why I didn't mind Jake and Lilliana's relationship that much, as at least they started off liking each other, and moving forward from there, it was just a little fast. Mike and Jess had nothing and then suddenly boom, their dating. Although to be fair, apparently Jess had a crush on him for years and was a bit blind to the fact that he was attempting to get her to date him, hence why it took her until the end to call him her boyfriend...she kept saying he thought of her like his best friend's baby sister. So, all in all the relationships happened suddenly, but there were justifications for them, and in Jess and Mike's case, they did technically know each other for a long time before the dating.
My only big concern/upset with this was that the characters were a little on the young side for me...a few years ago, 15 year old's weren't that young, but I'm getting up in age, so to have the story revolve around 15 year old's was a little weird for me. I typically like my characters in YA to be at least 16 or older, however, I always have exceptions. And this one turned out to be like that. Harry Potter is another, although that series spans a gap of ages between 11-17, and JK Rowling did an amazing job there. Kathleen did a great job with her 15 year old characters, and most of the time I forgot that they were only 15, and felt like they were older, so she did a good job there. So I suppose that this wasn't actually that big of a concern for me, as it didn't bother me as badly as this normally does. The only reason that this didn't get the full 5 star rating like her "School of Unusual Girls" novel did, is because it did have a slight younger feel to it (main characters were 15).
This book was full of humor, sass, action and romance, and I would totally recommend it for all ages, as it is a fun, quick read.
April 10, 2015
also posted on; http://aoibhreads.blogspot.ie/2014/08...
Rating: 3 Stars!
Summary:
Lilliana Skye is not your average teenager. Lilliana is an undercover Fairy Godmother to Jess Harrison, a descendant of Cinderella, and helping Jess is her first mission after graduating from her training. The only problem is that Jess hates Lilliana immediately and wants her gone. Jess is still grieving over the death of her eldest brother, and fears Lilliana has ill intentions with getting involved with her other brother, Jake. There is undeniable chemistry between Lilliana and Jake from the moment they meet, increasing Jess' hatred for Lilliana.
Regardless of Jess not wanting her brother and Lilliana to be together, there are strict laws forbidding the union of a human and a fairy. Despite Lilliana's best efforts, Jake, Jess and her friends are all thrown into the midst of the magic world and face a magical battle and things they never thought possible.
My Thoughts:
I honestly was on the fence about giving this 3 or 4 stars but in the end had to settle on 3.
Pros:
1. Lilliana is such a complex character and reading about her adapting to fit in was entertaining and endearing.
2. The modern twist to fairy-tales was executed well with tying this in to the Cinderella tale beautifully and realistically too.
3. I loved Jess, even though she was so full of anger at the start, her determination was admirable and her heart was definitely in the right place. She also redeems herself massively in the latter half as she shows her true nature.
4. The format of this book was quite cute; I loved the little Directives from The Fairy Godmother Training Manual that split up every few chapters.
Cons:
1. The second half may as well have been a different novel as it was so different to the beginning; even though Jess etc didn't really believe in magic, there seemed to be such a sudden shift to the magical world and the end just picked up too much pace as we were thrown abruptly into an action-packed magical battle!
2. I didn't find the humans' responses and reactions to finding out the truth about Lilliana all too believable. Jess was the only one who showed any skepticism and they all just took it in their stride as they went off with Lilliana and were with Naneth.
Overall:
I really wanted to give this book 4 stars; it really had a great story-line and wonderful characters. The modern fairy-tale genre was written in a lovely style and the general story-line held a lot of potential and was enjoyable.
However I can't ignore the confusion I felt at the end, it just felt like the book completely changed focus and what I thought was the main story-line, was in fact just a build up to the "real" one.
This is why I'm only giving it 3 stars but in regards to characters, the writing, format etc, it was all done beautifully.
I would still recommend this book to any one who loves fairy-tales or modern fantasy books. I think the blurb on this novel should be edited to give a little more notice on what the book is mainly about however.
Rating: 3 Stars!
Summary:
Lilliana Skye is not your average teenager. Lilliana is an undercover Fairy Godmother to Jess Harrison, a descendant of Cinderella, and helping Jess is her first mission after graduating from her training. The only problem is that Jess hates Lilliana immediately and wants her gone. Jess is still grieving over the death of her eldest brother, and fears Lilliana has ill intentions with getting involved with her other brother, Jake. There is undeniable chemistry between Lilliana and Jake from the moment they meet, increasing Jess' hatred for Lilliana.
Regardless of Jess not wanting her brother and Lilliana to be together, there are strict laws forbidding the union of a human and a fairy. Despite Lilliana's best efforts, Jake, Jess and her friends are all thrown into the midst of the magic world and face a magical battle and things they never thought possible.
My Thoughts:
I honestly was on the fence about giving this 3 or 4 stars but in the end had to settle on 3.
Pros:
1. Lilliana is such a complex character and reading about her adapting to fit in was entertaining and endearing.
2. The modern twist to fairy-tales was executed well with tying this in to the Cinderella tale beautifully and realistically too.
3. I loved Jess, even though she was so full of anger at the start, her determination was admirable and her heart was definitely in the right place. She also redeems herself massively in the latter half as she shows her true nature.
4. The format of this book was quite cute; I loved the little Directives from The Fairy Godmother Training Manual that split up every few chapters.
Cons:
1. The second half may as well have been a different novel as it was so different to the beginning; even though Jess etc didn't really believe in magic, there seemed to be such a sudden shift to the magical world and the end just picked up too much pace as we were thrown abruptly into an action-packed magical battle!
2. I didn't find the humans' responses and reactions to finding out the truth about Lilliana all too believable. Jess was the only one who showed any skepticism and they all just took it in their stride as they went off with Lilliana and were with Naneth.
Overall:
I really wanted to give this book 4 stars; it really had a great story-line and wonderful characters. The modern fairy-tale genre was written in a lovely style and the general story-line held a lot of potential and was enjoyable.
However I can't ignore the confusion I felt at the end, it just felt like the book completely changed focus and what I thought was the main story-line, was in fact just a build up to the "real" one.
This is why I'm only giving it 3 stars but in regards to characters, the writing, format etc, it was all done beautifully.
I would still recommend this book to any one who loves fairy-tales or modern fantasy books. I think the blurb on this novel should be edited to give a little more notice on what the book is mainly about however.
November 14, 2016
So in truth I started reading this book because I was on nights and I couldn’t sleep after shift. I was hoping this walking cliché would lull me to sleep, but instead I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. In saying that, I didn’t get much sleep before my next shift.
I was impressed with the way this story turned out. Lilliana was something, she was strong, dedicated but annoying. Jess wasn’t too much better. I liked her hard hitting attitude at first but it got old fast. Sure I understood where she was coming from, but it was a bit too much and a little unreal. I did love her growing affection for Mark, they were sweet and it felt natural for them. Lilliana and Jake, that was a mad case of insta-love, she didn’t even know his name before she wanted to jump him. If felt forced, because you didn’t get to know Jake at all. He was just tossed in for the whole sake of Lilliana, just someone for her to swoon over. H3ll you could take him out and story wouldn't have change. The outcome would've still be the same. In saying that, if you’re going to add a important love interest you got to at least give him substance. I've had dolls with more personality.
The plot itself was original, though a little choppy in spots, I felt the story was pretty solid. This isn’t a standalone so I know not all the answer are going to be coughed up in the first book, but a little more clarity would have been nice. Like who killed her father, because I got a pretty good guess. It wasn’t hard after those fire snakes showed up.
In all, I did very much enjoy this book. As I said I couldn’t stop, even to sleep. My favourite character was Mark. I don’t know, he didn’t have much screen time, but he had more oomph then Jake. He made a solid impression right out of the gate. It was like, I can see mark in my head, and Jake is a fuzzy mess. In saying that, I was highly disappointed when there wasn’t an epic Kiss from him.
In all I highly recommend this book, it's a fun fast past read that will have you hook from start to finish. Sure it has some structural problems, but they don’t take away from the overall story or plot. Even the insta-love. That’s way I’m not that hung up over it. Give this book a change, you’ll get swept away in it’s magic.
Happy Reading
-E.A. Walsh
I was impressed with the way this story turned out. Lilliana was something, she was strong, dedicated but annoying. Jess wasn’t too much better. I liked her hard hitting attitude at first but it got old fast. Sure I understood where she was coming from, but it was a bit too much and a little unreal. I did love her growing affection for Mark, they were sweet and it felt natural for them. Lilliana and Jake, that was a mad case of insta-love, she didn’t even know his name before she wanted to jump him. If felt forced, because you didn’t get to know Jake at all. He was just tossed in for the whole sake of Lilliana, just someone for her to swoon over. H3ll you could take him out and story wouldn't have change. The outcome would've still be the same. In saying that, if you’re going to add a important love interest you got to at least give him substance. I've had dolls with more personality.
The plot itself was original, though a little choppy in spots, I felt the story was pretty solid. This isn’t a standalone so I know not all the answer are going to be coughed up in the first book, but a little more clarity would have been nice. Like who killed her father, because I got a pretty good guess. It wasn’t hard after those fire snakes showed up.
In all, I did very much enjoy this book. As I said I couldn’t stop, even to sleep. My favourite character was Mark. I don’t know, he didn’t have much screen time, but he had more oomph then Jake. He made a solid impression right out of the gate. It was like, I can see mark in my head, and Jake is a fuzzy mess. In saying that, I was highly disappointed when there wasn’t an epic Kiss from him.
In all I highly recommend this book, it's a fun fast past read that will have you hook from start to finish. Sure it has some structural problems, but they don’t take away from the overall story or plot. Even the insta-love. That’s way I’m not that hung up over it. Give this book a change, you’ll get swept away in it’s magic.
Happy Reading
-E.A. Walsh
May 1, 2013
Ms. Baldwin and Ms. Sisco have taken the beloved Cinderella tale and not only given it a unique twist, but great attitude. What starts out as a simple mission for this Fairy Godmother, (freshly graduated from her training), to "watch over" her charge, (a Cinderella descendant with anger issues), turns into a discovery of truths for both the Fairy Godmother, Lilliana, her charge Jess, and all the friends that make up their team. Baldwin & Sisco take us from the everyday world of high school into the fantastical world of the Fairies. Things, people and Fairies aren't always what they seem, and ulterior motives force all the members of the teen team to find their strengths to fight an evil meant to destroy them all.
This was no simple, wave-your-wand-and-make-the-girl-glamorous-to-solve-her-problems story, but a dig deep inside and bring out the best in yourself kind of story that girls and women of all ages can love. Baldwin and Sisco have woven a story full of characters that make you want to hug them and cheer for them in a magical world you want to explore even after this story has ended.
This was no simple, wave-your-wand-and-make-the-girl-glamorous-to-solve-her-problems story, but a dig deep inside and bring out the best in yourself kind of story that girls and women of all ages can love. Baldwin and Sisco have woven a story full of characters that make you want to hug them and cheer for them in a magical world you want to explore even after this story has ended.
August 3, 2013
My daughters know I have a weakness for fairy tales, especially Cinderella tales so they handed this one to me after they finished. Part of the fun for me is to see what the author does to the story to make it unique. In this book, instead of Cinderella needing help from her fairy godmother it is her descendants many generations later that need help from a fairy godmother. Definitely an interesting premise. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys young adult fairy tales.
Lilliana is a fairy godmother-in-training. In order to graduate she must complete her first mission successfully. She is assigned to help one of Cinderella’s descendants, Jessica. Jessica is sophomore in high school. She is still grieving from the death of her oldest brother the year before. She is angry and defiant. She is also brilliant and capable of inventions to help or harm people. To add to Lilliana’s challenges, Jessica has another brother who falls for her. It is against the rules for Lilliana to even get emotionally involved with humans, let alone fall in love with one.
Lilliana is a fairy godmother-in-training. In order to graduate she must complete her first mission successfully. She is assigned to help one of Cinderella’s descendants, Jessica. Jessica is sophomore in high school. She is still grieving from the death of her oldest brother the year before. She is angry and defiant. She is also brilliant and capable of inventions to help or harm people. To add to Lilliana’s challenges, Jessica has another brother who falls for her. It is against the rules for Lilliana to even get emotionally involved with humans, let alone fall in love with one.
April 4, 2015
This is such a fun story! Lilianna is a fairy godmother on her first assignment to help one of Cinderella's descendants. But Jess doesn't want help. She wears combat boots and fills them, all tough and ANGRY after her oldest brother's death. No simple makeover will help get Jess back on course. Lilianna keeps checking her manual wondering what she's doing wrong - her operative won't cooperate, her operative's handsome, sweet brother is distracting, and her attempts to blend in aren't working. To me the magic is seeing Lilianna in the human world. I like how she listens to other's "soul music," makes the first friends in her life, feels a forbidden love, confronts the evil... somebody, and attempts to help Jess make peace with death (though in her life she hasn't been able to yet). The writing is fabulous - beautiful, creative descriptions and storytelling, a quick pace and unexpected twists. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the scene with with frogs - so funny!
April 1, 2015
I thought at the start that all the characters were a little shallow and it fit, as this is a high school story, but the depth comes as you keep reading. Through the godmother POV you get to see and feel undercurrents to everyone's actions, which made things a little more interesting for me. Lillianna is the fairy godmother and she is sent to save Jessica, who is Cinderella's descendant. But right from the start Jessica hates Lillianna. Jessica is horrified when her brother, Jake, likes Lillianna right away. Lillianna is also horrified when she realizes she may be returning Jake's feelings. It's a little 'insta-love', but it's also high school and a bit of a fairy tale, so why not, right? It's interesting to follow the story from the high school stage to the epic battle stage. It was a fun read and I recommend it.
September 14, 2016
I have a thing for fairy tales. Always did. So, when I saw the Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother, I had to read it. How could I not?
And I was not disappointed. The book is a magical tale of a young fairy godmother on her first assignment to help a hurt, angry young woman named Jess. She soon discovers that there's more to the story - HER own story. And Jess (and her friends) end up helping HER as she delves into secrets of the past - and faces a powerful enemy she never knew she had.
It's a story of love, friendship, forgiveness, and freedom with well-developed characters and a fast-moving plot. (I read it in just two days - and I'm a busy person!) I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book!
And I was not disappointed. The book is a magical tale of a young fairy godmother on her first assignment to help a hurt, angry young woman named Jess. She soon discovers that there's more to the story - HER own story. And Jess (and her friends) end up helping HER as she delves into secrets of the past - and faces a powerful enemy she never knew she had.
It's a story of love, friendship, forgiveness, and freedom with well-developed characters and a fast-moving plot. (I read it in just two days - and I'm a busy person!) I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book!
May 1, 2013
Such a fun book!
This is so much fun. I loved the story and the characters. Lilliana is a fairy godmother who has been assigned Jess, a teen who has lost her brother in a horrible car accident. Jess thinks Lilliana wants to sink her claws in her older brother, Jake, and tries to explain to Jess she’s here to help him. Both Lilliana and Jake try to ignore their feelings for each other but find it difficult. And when an evil fairy godmother threatens to destroy Lilliana and her friends, they all band together to fight her.
Loved the book! It’s a very sweet, romantic story teen girls will really enjoy. If you have a 13-14 year old, I highly recommend.
This is so much fun. I loved the story and the characters. Lilliana is a fairy godmother who has been assigned Jess, a teen who has lost her brother in a horrible car accident. Jess thinks Lilliana wants to sink her claws in her older brother, Jake, and tries to explain to Jess she’s here to help him. Both Lilliana and Jake try to ignore their feelings for each other but find it difficult. And when an evil fairy godmother threatens to destroy Lilliana and her friends, they all band together to fight her.
Loved the book! It’s a very sweet, romantic story teen girls will really enjoy. If you have a 13-14 year old, I highly recommend.
August 15, 2013
I won this in a giveaway--not through goodreads--and though I'd only planned to take a quick peak at it, I ended up staying up until almost midnight reading.
This book has a charming plot--fairies are going to be the new vampires, I'm sure--with plenty of interesting characters, action, romance, and, of course, magic. The characters themselves have some great backstories, and I love the way they interact. The main character, Lilliana, is also very well written. The plot did move a little too quickly from the whole mysterious new girl thing to everyone knowing what she was, but overall, this was really enjoyable.
This book has a charming plot--fairies are going to be the new vampires, I'm sure--with plenty of interesting characters, action, romance, and, of course, magic. The characters themselves have some great backstories, and I love the way they interact. The main character, Lilliana, is also very well written. The plot did move a little too quickly from the whole mysterious new girl thing to everyone knowing what she was, but overall, this was really enjoyable.
September 16, 2016
Loved! I love a good fairy tale, and this is a good fairy tale. The story follows a group of friends, Jess-the descendant of Cinderella, Jake- Jess's brother, Cai and Maggie- Jess's friends, Mark- friend of Jake and Lilliana-Jess's fairy godmother. The tale is wonderful as it delves into how we deal with tragedy, friendship and challenges that can either make us stronger or turn into deep anger. I am excited that there will be another book because I would love to continue reading about these characters and their new adventures.
August 1, 2013
I loved this book! Yes it is a light read about fairy godmothers and meant for YA but I loved it! The characters were vivid and believable, the writing was fast paced with not so much as a lag, and the concept was a delightful original twist on a classic fairy tale theme. I was immediately sucked into Lilliana's world. I never wanted to leave, so I didn't get to bed until 2:30 that morning when I finished it.
I can not find anything to improve on this book except... give me more.
I can not find anything to improve on this book except... give me more.
October 3, 2013
This was a very fun book. Though the premise of a fairy godmother being not only not a mother but not even adult, was a bit startling, the writers made it work. It was clever to have the mentor turn out to be the villain, but I found her motivation puzzling. The episode in the car was absolutely terrific, and the following battle in the magical world was even better. Giant killer bunnies? A friendly dinosaur? Wonderful twists on tradition and fairy tales, and the surprises just kept coming.
March 29, 2014
"A Fairy Godmother is a guardian and a warrior, not a giggling pixie in a pink tutu."
So begins "Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother" and right there, I was hooked. This is a fast, fun read with more than enough world-building for fantasy fans and grand action scenes that will keep you reading. I especially loved the excerpts from the"Fairy Godmother Training Manual" that were sprinkled throughout. Can't wait for Book 2!!!
So begins "Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother" and right there, I was hooked. This is a fast, fun read with more than enough world-building for fantasy fans and grand action scenes that will keep you reading. I especially loved the excerpts from the"Fairy Godmother Training Manual" that were sprinkled throughout. Can't wait for Book 2!!!
May 24, 2013
Such a good book! This ranks right up there with Cinderella with a little Rambo thrown in! The characters were excellent and the story flowed wonderfully. A fairy godmother in training is sent to a descendant of Cinderella in order to save her. Things aren't what they seem when she begins to work and soon they are in a battle for their lives.
May 1, 2013
Officially the last time I buy a book on a whim. Insta-love, shallow reasoning, and one character with more angst than I knew what to do with make up my major complaints. Why did I read this? Because I'm a teenage girl who gets distracted by flowery descriptions. I might have to go read a dictionary just to feel intelligent again.
April 30, 2013
I read this book because it was a daily kindle deal. It was definitely a fun read. I loved the idea of a teenage fairy godmother. I thought the characters were complex and interesting. Some things were predictable, but overall, a light fun read!
December 5, 2013
Cute enough to want to read the next one. Needed a bit of editing work, but all in all, a very neat story with a great premise. I look forward to seeing how Jess turns out. I want to like her, but...not yet.
October 21, 2015
PG -
Language: no swearing,
Sex: no sex,
Violence: fantasy violence (wiping out monsters).
Fun and cute book, light on romance. It reminded me of the kid-lit Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. It's satisfying as a stand-alone, but a sequel would easily follow.
Language: no swearing,
Sex: no sex,
Violence: fantasy violence (wiping out monsters).
Fun and cute book, light on romance. It reminded me of the kid-lit Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. It's satisfying as a stand-alone, but a sequel would easily follow.
June 4, 2013
It's a cute, light read. Definitely written for a younger audience but I still enjoyed it.
April 11, 2015
This was a really good book With different out looks
January 16, 2014
loved it can't wait for the follow up
November 18, 2014
302 pages
August 3, 2015
Interesting premise, but the romance was extremely rushed.
July 6, 2016
Fun young adult read. interesting take on fairy godmothers.
April 7, 2013
Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother by Kathleen Baldwin and Andrea Sisco.
June 21, 2013
3.5 Stars
Review to come
Content: Clean (a couple mild words)
Review to come
Content: Clean (a couple mild words)
October 31, 2017
Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother started out with promise: an interesting world concept, a challenge for the protagonist, supporting characters with potential, and a chemical romantic attraction.
It first started turning me off when the male love interest went from "I'm attracted to you" to "I would die for you" (and seemed to lose all interest or concern in his sister, best friend, and everything else) in the span of less than a week. For some reason, I can accept that Jess' demanding attitude and barbs wouldn't drive away her two underdeveloped best friends, and that she'd somehow be a world-class hacker with spy equipment. But when teenagers profess a sudden undying instalove, it's not love, it's sexual attraction. So when the rest of the plot is predicated on that love, it feels cheap and I no longer trust that the characters are being smart humans (or even trying to be smart humans).
But the true dividing point was when, halfway through, Baldwin resorted to stealing from other authors. I think the first instance that threw me right out of the story was Lilliana trying to get into the elf kingdom and first determining the language was Sindarin not Quenya (naming the languages was completely irrelevant to the plot, and if you can't even come up with your own terms I'm gonna start giving you the hairy eyeball). Then Lilliana has a total "speak friend and enter" moment. Now, if this story had AT ALL previously references Tolkien in any way that ground it partially in that universe, I could maybe see it as an homage. But after creating her own world, the author directly rips from a well-known story for a scene that serves no purpose to the plot? That's lazy writing. She does this for a few more scenes (trying to be cute?) before finally getting back to the plot.
So at this point, the stakes are high-ish as the villain is a flat, predictable, power-hungry fairy. There's an ally who truly embodies the whole 'fairy godmother' concept, which I thought was nicely played (you know- she's grandmotherly, she seems to have unlimited magical potential but she never harms anyone, she's sweet and empowering). But then it's a way-too-drawn-out physical fit against the villain and her minions, which seemed more chaotic than actually dangerous. Of course, that leads to the over-the-top (and kind of gross) romantic savior moment where undying love is professed and all that. Apparently, Lilliana's main mission means absolutely nothing because now it's all about the swoons. And shelving the interesting, angry, smart female character in favor of a shallow romance was the last straw.
It first started turning me off when the male love interest went from "I'm attracted to you" to "I would die for you" (and seemed to lose all interest or concern in his sister, best friend, and everything else) in the span of less than a week. For some reason, I can accept that Jess' demanding attitude and barbs wouldn't drive away her two underdeveloped best friends, and that she'd somehow be a world-class hacker with spy equipment. But when teenagers profess a sudden undying instalove, it's not love, it's sexual attraction. So when the rest of the plot is predicated on that love, it feels cheap and I no longer trust that the characters are being smart humans (or even trying to be smart humans).
But the true dividing point was when, halfway through, Baldwin resorted to stealing from other authors. I think the first instance that threw me right out of the story was Lilliana trying to get into the elf kingdom and first determining the language was Sindarin not Quenya (naming the languages was completely irrelevant to the plot, and if you can't even come up with your own terms I'm gonna start giving you the hairy eyeball). Then Lilliana has a total "speak friend and enter" moment. Now, if this story had AT ALL previously references Tolkien in any way that ground it partially in that universe, I could maybe see it as an homage. But after creating her own world, the author directly rips from a well-known story for a scene that serves no purpose to the plot? That's lazy writing. She does this for a few more scenes (trying to be cute?) before finally getting back to the plot.
So at this point, the stakes are high-ish as the villain is a flat, predictable, power-hungry fairy. There's an ally who truly embodies the whole 'fairy godmother' concept, which I thought was nicely played (you know- she's grandmotherly, she seems to have unlimited magical potential but she never harms anyone, she's sweet and empowering). But then it's a way-too-drawn-out physical fit against the villain and her minions, which seemed more chaotic than actually dangerous. Of course, that leads to the over-the-top (and kind of gross) romantic savior moment where undying love is professed and all that. Apparently, Lilliana's main mission means absolutely nothing because now it's all about the swoons. And shelving the interesting, angry, smart female character in favor of a shallow romance was the last straw.
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