Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest

by Vanessa Kings

Melanie is living an ordinary, boring life when one night she is transported in her dreams to the Kingdom of Astebeth. Night after night, the fairy of her dreams will tell her the stories of the inhabitants of the Kingdom, its town, and the magical Nocturnal Forest nearby. A forest full of magical creatures where the impossible can happen. Soon, she comes to
suspect that her dreams may not only be dreams after all. Follow her on her incredible journeys that will take her to magical places and beyond Earth itself to discover the magical secret of the Nocturnal Forest in the first part of The Fairy of my Dreams trilogy.

Genres: Fantasy

ebook

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

I was born in Rosario, Argentina. At the age of 10 I wrote my first fairy tale as a way to deal with a very painful earache. I found writing comforting and distracting. After that day, I continued writing every time I felt the need of leaving realty behind.

By the age of 18 I had around 120 pieces written, between fairy tales, poems, life’s reflections and other stories. I always wanted to publish my stories but never had the confidence to do it. After my son was born, my husband and my best friend gave me the confidence that I needed to start writing my first book.

I decided to start translating and eventually publish one of my favorite stories, hoping to bring the fantasy and imagination back to all those kids and young readers that would adventure themselves into its pages. That’s how Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest was born.

Blog: https://vanessakingsbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tfomd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KingsVanessa

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Vanessa-Kings/e...

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kingstfomd/

G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+VanessaK...

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melanie is trying her best to traverse adolescences but she is struggling with growing and social pains. She is a victim of bullying at school and having difficulties with her parental relationships... Her only reprieve is the strange dreams she is having..dreams that are whisking her away to Astebeth, a fairy tale land.

Picturesque dreamscape storytelling with Mel discovering love and betrayal, help develop this vivid tale. For me, I did wished she somehow got pulled into this world of Astebeth completely and it wasn't a telling as dreams but in the end it complete pulled me and and worked for me.

Chronicles of Nocturnal Forest is an example of beautiful storytelling. I feel anyone who experienced becoming a young woman will find this story appealing as well as young readers.

I received a copy of Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest from Vanessa Kings in exchange for a honest review.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

[Vanessa Kings · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fellow author said, it is not fair to rate my own book. He is right at some point, we want our hard work to be distinguished and recognized, we want people to know we put everything into it and we want to see it at the best selling lists for weeks. That is because we are proud of our work and happy to claim ourselves as "published authors" no matter if it is self published or with a publisher. Now that we agree that this review is not even close to fair, I can place myself as an outside reader and say what I truly think about this book.
Lately, we see a big amount of books with the same type of cover (you know what I mean), these books are the easiest to write and sell, and maybe are used to "get started" into the business, but, lets be honest, they only take the author's identity away. I always loved to read fantasy, I am almost 30 years old and my favorite book is still Alice in Wonderland. I feel like children are being pushed into the "lets win this war" kind of fantasy, where the main purpose is to kill the enemy and emerge proud out of battle with a sword covered with blood. That is not the kind of book I read when I was a child, not even close. I read about magic and mysterious places that had absolutely no logic but still made you feel like you were a part of the story. These books made me dream about traveling to the most unthinkable places and drink tea with talking animals as if it was the most normal thing in the world. That is what I am trying to save with this book, the innocence of a classical fairy tale. Sure, Melanie has a laptop and at some point the characters use technology to travel, but, the main quest is always to help humanity recover their dreams and hopes. And that can only be accomplished through magic and love.
I like when I read the reviews say that the book remind them of the classical fairy tales they read when they were kids, because that was exactly my point.

[Tofts Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a girl named Mel who is always daydreaming. When she dreams in school, the teachers visit her parents. Both parents and teacher tell her to stop daydreaming. Her Mom wants her to go outside more and get some friends.

I really like how the characters go on an adventure to find the moon. This is so cool that it is missing because that never happens. The characters go to the forest to find it.

I like Gabriel too. There are fairies in this story too. I like fairies.

The ending was awesome. I liked how they got the moon back. But I didn’t like when a character falls back to Earth and gets lost.

I can’t wait to read more books from this author.

I would recommend this book to kids ages 10-17.

--Hannah (age 10)

[Mary ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

The idea of this book is really clever, original and magical. It lost one star because the characters felt distant and for this reason, I felt 'out of the story', something that annoyed me much because I didn't want it to happen. The other half of it though fixed it and I am glad I read it.

I am excited to continue the series and see how Melanie's story will continue developing and of course, unlock the secrets of the mysterious Nocturnal Forest. I am really excited to see other creatures being portrayed too, like the sprites and banshees and everything else that was mentioned but not much shown.

The world building was really cool but as I said, what made me love the book the most was probably the imagination of the writer. It is just beautiful:)

Recommended
~Mary

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book.

This book wasn't like any of the other fairy books I've read. Which is a good thing. Basically this book was stories within a story. It all starts out with a girl named Melanie who is unhappy in her life. She doesn't have any friends and her parents just don't understand her. She then starts dreaming and and each dream is basically a different story until the end when they all start to tie into one. I would definitely recommend this book to others who really enjoy fairy books.

[M.J. Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short dreams or fairy tales marked a real departure for me from the genres I usually read, and so I tried to allow for the target audience, whom I believe to be adolescent teens, especially girls, though many ladies would most certainly enjoy it also.
The first thing you notice is that the book is beautifully presented and well edited, with charming drawings which capture the story perfectly and neat surrounds. The writing flows naturally and is neither forced or wordy. The main character, Melanie, is intriguing and I would perhaps have liked more from her regarding her trials and tribulations in dealing with the incredible gift she has had bestowed upon her. A gift which has marked her out as different from others, with all the problems that can bring.
As for the stories, they are both interesting, uplifting, and thought-provoking. I particularly enjoyed the one regarding Earth and how we are destroying it/how Julia discovers what needs to be done to save it, to save us. I think the fact they are set in the future adds an extra dimension and I have to admit that I read this book in double quick time for me, because it was enjoyable and because I could not wait to see what would happen next. The reader takes away the messages that love can conquer all and hope springs eternal... Isn't that what we're supposed to glean from a good fairy tale after all?
Five stars because I feel it is a well thought out collection which will enthral and entertain anyone with a free spirit and open mind.

[dearrivarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars
Thank you so much Vanessa for allowing me to read/review your book!!

Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest follows a girl named Melanie who lives her life through fairytales. Her normal is incredibly boring but when she closes eyes, she is transported to the Kingdom of Astebeth where a fairy shows her around the Nocturnal Forest. Each dream that Melanie has is a brand new fairy tale that paints the image of Astebeth in your brain. I read this a lot in between classes so the short story like format was great because I could easily slip in and out of the book without have to worry about not being able to get back into the story. I don't want to say too much about the dreams because the whole fun of it is experiencing the dreams for the first time. I will say that this would be a really cool story time book and completely transports me back to my childhood when I would read fairy tales from a huge Disney book. In addition to delivering an enchanting story, Vanessa King also addresses some pretty relevant topics, particularly the one about humanity destroying the Earth. With Astebeth currently in a natural crisis that leaves the kingdom dark at night, the only way to bring light and magic back is for humanity to learn to love and be happy without the light. Overall, the book is a really lovely read and carries a beautiful message interwoven with fairytales!

Read my reviews at:
http://extreemeobsessed.blogspot.com/

[Rana G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is more like a history reference for the next books in the series, because from it you will know how everything happens ,and who is who ,and so on..
It is about a girl who dreams of a fairy that tells stories. The setting is an island that have a magical forest , and the time of it is in the future but also the past and the present ,maybe( It was confusing)

It also contains endless cycles of this- married-that-had-those stories. And I am not a fan of that, because it became so expected what will happen next and who is the "true love" of who.Maybe that is one of the goals of the story, that true love is there, but it didn't workout for me.

The thing that bothered me the most is that we don't get to know the main character well, I wished that there were more of her and her family and school. Honestly, I didn't feel a thing for her , because she made appearance through the whole book , yet it was as if she wasn't there at all. Mostly because that there were just so much characters .

Other things I didn't like: ( but you might like)
Everyone is related.
Space and aliens.
Bed time stories.
Love at first sight.

However I liked the ending because everything became clearer , and it tells that what is coming is perhaps better.

[Susan Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero is Mel and she is at the delicate time in life where her friends are interested in boys and make up and she’s not. Sadly, she’s a victim of bullying and school life is pretty unpleasant to say the least. Add to this, Mel’s parents don’t seem to know what to do with her and we’ve got a common but extremely difficult stage in life.

In a dream, Mel learns of a magical place on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Transported in her dream, Mel finds herself in walking the streets of the Kingdom of Astebeth. There is guided by a fairy and in introduced to Sarah, Thomas and Arthur. Claiming to be from another time, Sarah’s story is one of forbidden love, betrayal and injustice.

This book is told in a series of dreams. These dreams take Mel on fantastic adventures. She gets inot the habit of writing them down and creating drawings about what the adventures she has. But are they dreams? Does Astebeth really exist?

This is a book that most girls will identify with. Traversing from childhood to adolescences, Mel is living in one world and dreaming of another, her adventures and personal growth will certainly appeal to the book’s young readers.

[A.E. Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melanie feels like there is no one in the world who truly understands her. She has her head in the clouds and her nose stuck in a book. Everyone is always telling her to grow up. One day, she dreams of a fairy who tells her the long history of a family from a place called Astebeth. All Melanie wants is to understand her place in the world. Perhaps she's about to find out.

Modern day fairy tales seem to be a trend in today's publishing. What separates the Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest from these other tales is it's traditional pace and makeup. As in the style of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, there is little detail. The plot stretches over a long time period, so the reader doesn't spend a lot of time with one character, aside from the protagonist and the fairy. The focus is directed on the action and development of the plot.

The twist in this fairytale is how each story is related to the other, coming full circle in the end. It takes some classic fairy tale elements and combines them with modern and sometimes futuristic components. The author created a magical adventure with a dash of space odessey.

[Pennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A native of Argentina, 'Vanessa Kings' is pretty new to the publishing world. 'Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest' is the first installment from 'Stories of the Fairies of my Dreams' and is a nice strong introduction to this YA series.

The main character 'Melanie' is a young girl with a seemingly ordinary life, that is, until she falls asleep. Night after night, she dreams of 'The Kingdom of Astebeth' a fairy-tale kingdom and the magical forest nearby. As darkness falls within this forest, mystical creatures come into view.
Soon, Melanie realizes that her dreams may in fact be reality as incredible magical events follow her through the pages of the Nocturnal Forest.

A fairy tale at its best comes to sit in the readers midst as wondrous imagination fly's into our hearts. The story captures a fragrance of uplifting dimensions with vivid creativity and adventure. The illustrations scattered throughout was a nice touch to add to the inventive realism and appealing modern day mythological folk-tale. Looking forward to reading the second book to the trilogy.

[E.L. Ervin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest is in every way an amazing tale of magic, fairies, adventure and love. I adored this book from the cover to the words and the intricate illustrations throughout the book. I loved all of the characters except maybe one(which it was because of the "pompous" attitude), but everything else made me feel like I was in this book, making these adventures with the characters. The main character Melanie, is strong, adventurous and brave. However, the Queen of the Nocturnal Forest happens to be my favorite because of her undying love and willingness to sacrifice herself to make her loved one's happy. This novel took me back to when I used to read the classic fairy-tales as a little girl and I feel that this novel could have been read and loved right along with them.
Vanessa Kings did an amazing job with this novel and I can't wait to read more about this magical family and their loved ones! Amazing job Vanessa Kings!

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for a Read for Review.
Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest is an entertaining book with very well done illustrations that really help bring the story to live, I liked how the chapters are divided into dreams and which dream was basically a short story, the plot is different and refreshing and in my opinion this is truly a book for all ages.

The main character was a little bit childish in some moments but while it can make you roll your eyes to the moon and back ( at least it did for me), it also makes her character more believable and it helps –IMO- the younger readers empathize with this character that likes the fantasy world better than the real one ( and then again who doesn’t?).

In conclusion, it’s a pretty easy book to read, perfect was a bedtime story or to be read during breaks or when you are bored and while it doesn’t get you hooked or hold your breath it’s still a good way to pass your time.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a simple, easy read that I felt like it was over too soon. It's a modern fairy tale about a girl who is obsessed with fairy tales...go figure. She has a rocky relationship with her parents and her classmates, so she retreats the world of make believe to escape the pain of bullying and her parents' indifference to her. In her retreat, she has a series of what she believes to be dreams where the storyteller is a fairy. The dreams describe loves lost and won, fairies, traveling to other planets and all center around the Nocturnal Forest.

The book is built on a solid foundation that has been done before, but it takes such a refreshing twist that I couldn't help but enjoy it. My only critique is that I wish there had been more of the "real world" between each dream. I would have liked to learn more about Melanie and why she is bullied at school. We got a brief taste of her life at the beginning and then it just became a sequence of dreams.

[Ana Sandoval · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think overall it was a great story, at first I thought it was confusing because of all of the stories happening one after another after another and so on, when I stopped reading and wanted to continue I wouldn't know what story I had been reading, so I had to go back a few pages. Also, some things didn't quite coincide, like the years that passed while traveling to the sun or to Mercury and back, especially to the sun, how come time passes but they never aged, and it's also rather unclear in what year Melanie is living. Or the fact that they could eat and drink in Mercury as if it was the Earth. Other than that I enjoyed the story, and it got me thinking about it all day, as every good book should do. I like the open end, and the whole mixing of races and adventures of literally all kinds. Still, I would've liked to know about the necklace that Melanie's mother had.

[Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest (Stories of the Fairy of my Dreams, #1) by Vanessa Kings gets 4 stars for a children’s book.

Readers follow young Melanie in her dreams to a faraway land called Astebeth. Guided by a fairy, Melanie witnesses several adventures through time and space, all narrated by members of different generations of the same royal family. Each dream, and each adventure, seems to teach certain valuable lessons, about accepting those who are different, finding happiness within ourselves, and so on. These valuable lessons are presented in fairytale-like adventure settings and make for a fun read. This is an excellent book for a young reader.

Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a Goodreads Read and Review program.

[Imani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melanie is bullied and ridiculed at school. She keeps to herself and her books. Her teachers and her parents don't understand her passion for stories and demand that she get her nose out of her books and drawings and grow up. Her books are her only escape until one night she dreams of a fairy who takes her on the adventure of a lifetime. Her nights are spent in dreams on a magical island in the town of Astebeth. There, the fairy shows her the stories of the lives of Thomas, Arthur, and Sarah over the course of many nights.

The dreams feel so real to Melanie that she begins to question whether they are actually dreams. Filled with adventure and forbidden love, the stories capture your imagination and your heart. Readers will not be able to put this book down. Kids will especially love the stories and the beautiful artwork.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoyed this book. I could see myself reading my daughter this story before bed and also enjoying it just for myself. The story starts with Melanie, who would rather be in a world of fairies and magic, then in the actual world. Which I could relate, I mean who wouldn’t want to? I went through what felt like this Journey to find out why Melanie was having these dreams. Which became even more real for her. I enjoyed the illustrations, it brought a lot more to the story. The world that this author envisioned and created, were magical. The fairy-tale genre is fairly new to me. But it’s something that I may look into more.....Lissa

http://www.boundlessbookreviews.com

https://www.facebook.com/BBReviews

[Alex Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an honour to work on the editing and design of this book. It has been a long time since I read classic fairy-tale storytelling like this. It took me back to the time when, as I child, I would read Hans Christian Andersen, Carlo Collodi and J.M. Barrie. Even some traces of Jules Verne can be found scattered around a few of the chapters. To top it all off, a classic legend is retold and woven into the story seamlessly. And, like the proverbial cherry on the top, the book is illustrated throughout with images that enhance the story even more.

Definitely looking forward to the next two installments in the trilogy.

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melanie finds escape in fairy tales to ease the loneliness and other problems in her life. Melanie's nocturnal journey in dreams discovers much about herself and people around her. Melanie's strong desire to be apart of something special is what fairy tales gives her. Can Melanie find her purpose through fairy tales? Your answers await you in Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest.

This new to me author has created such a rich landscape for her book. I was impressed by the characters and storyline. The book was easy to read and very enjoyable. I look forward to more of this author's work in the future.

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had the potential to be a five star read, but I don't feel it quite managed to achieve its potential.

The main character felt like just a bystander, and even by the end of the book I didn't really feel I knew her. In fact, there were so many characters introduced to us throughout all the different dreams, that I didn't really feel I got to know all that much about any of them, except who was related to who. Also, the parts of the book related to space travel were inconsistent, and the book could do with another round of general editing.

Still, the book was a pretty good read, and the idea behind it is very creative.

[Joannes Rhino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of reading you want to have before you sleep at night. It's mostly about fairy-tale but not for kids though. I found myself entertained reading this. Not just the fact that the writing skill and plot is excellent, but also because it contains illustrations which can help readers to trigger their imagination to the maximum level. As for me, reading Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest was like taking a journey inside my mind. I felt like I was watching cartoon movies at times. Kudos to the author for the hard work!

[Kayla Bashe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books about dreamy girls who get in trouble in school and don't fit in have always been my favorite, especially since I spent a long time being one of those girls myself. The dreams in each chapter were charming in how they incorporated the use of stories within stories (within stories!) in a way that reminded me of the Fairy Chronicles series- showcasing positive values in an upbeat and non-preachy way.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting on how it was set up. I loved reading through all the dreams and I wish my dreams were that detailed and vivid. I would love to have some fairy tale dreams. I loved the adventure that also came with this book. I would read the next one. * This book was given to me from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Beth Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story it was really brought to life. It was a bit confusing though because Melanie kept on dreaming about different people although it all tied together at the end - mostly. I was quite surprised at the ending it wasn't what I expected. I marked it as a 3 star although it is almost a 4 star. Well done Vanessa Kings, great book.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! The stories of a girl's dreams of fairies and the Nocturnal Forest. Melanie can travel thtough her dreams and aids the Kingdom of Astebeth. A great pick for anyone that loves fairy tales. Wonderfully writyen and well organized.

*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[R.A. Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. You can also find a copy of this review on my blog: https://wordsofrablack.wordpress.com/...

Score – 2

Breakdown:

Plot – 2

Characters – 2

Writing – 3

I’m going to start by saying this book didn’t work for me. Your mileage may very much vary. This is book has a very strong fairytale feel, is sweet, innocent , and light. I can see that would appeal to other readers. Unfortunately I couldn’t bond with this book.

Melanie, the narrator, is a girl struggling to fit in. She wants to spend more time away from the real world, prefers her books to dealing with people. I could definitely relate to this. Initially, there’s a conflict with her parents, who naturally want her to come out of her shell as she’s at the age where she should be considering university and careers, rather than fairytales. Unfortunately, this conflict doesn’t really go anywhere. There are no real consequences for Melanie as she gets sucked into the dream world and the lives of the people there. She doesn’t fail exams, and the relationship the parents don’t really sour or come to a head in a big argument. I would have liked to see more development of her, for her to be more than just the narrator of the story, which is all she is. There’s a reason for her recording her dreams, revealed at the end, but she doesn’t really grow or learn from her experiences.

Melanie’s dreams focus around a particular family. The first story is of Sarah and Thomas, star-crossed lovers who were denied by nature of their birth hundreds of years ago. Now reborn, they fall in love again, but unfortunately so is their enemy, who kept them apart in the part. I’m all for a forbidden and the redeemed love. I adore that sort of thing. My problem with Sarah and Thomas’s story was that it was too easily resolved. They were kept apart by nature of their birth, but now they are reincarnated in right social classes to live happily ever after, and that’s all their really is to it.

There’s an awful lot of happily ever after in this book. As the family moves through the years, children are born, grow up, fall in love, live happily and have more children that do the same. If this hadn’t been the format of the majority of the book, it wouldn’t have bothered me too much, but it ended up dragging for me. I found myself skipping through things because I wasn’t worried that anything was going to really happen.

What I did like was the whimsy of some of the events, which verged on the surreal in places. The moon goes missing in one dream, and in another there’s a spaceship ride to Mercury, where the characters meet the Mercurians and enrol them in solving problems back on Earth. This sort of throwing all rules to the wind and running the story on pure imagination really appealed to me. It felt fresh and different and I wished there was more of it.

The ending was unsurprising, and there were a few editing issues I noticed that I didn’t see elsewhere.

The book is also illustrated and both the chapter breaks and the illustrations of the characters are a lovely touch that add to the feel of the book. Overall, while I found the characters lacked depth and the plot could have done with more stakes, I can see this working well for younger readers, perhaps as a book for parents to read with their children.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I thought this book was a really intriguing one when I read the blurb originally. While I did think that the stories did skip around a bit too much and created some elements of confusion, I really did like the concept of it.

I did think the book might have been better if there was equal time spent between the dreams and Melanie being awake. I also thought it was a bit disappointing how much of the stories were glossed over. While it was good to be able to see the events unfolding as Melanie did, I was very disappointed in the fact that there was very little in the way of character development.

I thought it was interesting to see that there was a clear mix of fantasy and science fiction. It was good to see the short story format used to detail the family tree from the start. I would have liked to know if Melanie was connected to the family, though, since it's not very clear why she's chosen out of all of them.

There was a lot of potential in this book that I felt wasn't lived up to. The romances weren't given a chance to develop and I didn't have a chance to see many of the family relationships either.

I liked the opportunity to see the fairies in this book, though Shaylee was glossed over so that I didn't get a chance to get to know her. I did like the fact that all of the characters had some connections to each other, but the story within a story idea did get a bit confusing after a while.

I did very much like the illustrations in this book. I felt that most of them fit in really well with the feel of the story and it was a good way to picture many of the characters inside my mind. I did enjoy being able to see the kingdom of Astebeth, though it was somewhat confusing about how they had all of this technology.

I think that Melanie's world and relationship with her parents could have been expanded upon. I personally felt that the dreams felt more real than the outside world did.

Although this book was quick and easy to read, I'm not sure I'd read a sequel to it right now.

[LoveBooksAndCats · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received free copy of this book from Read it and Reap in exchange of an honest review.


So this is the lowest stars I have ever given to any book. I was seriously dying to finish this book. Too many characters in a book of 118 pages (epub). The so called main character Melanie is unhappy in her school and she spends her time either in drawing or reading fairytales. One such night when she had a bad day in school n home, she saw a dream about a fairy who starts telling her stories and takes her to the happenibgs of each story. Seems interesting so what went really bad. It was the attempt of writer to put everything in the book. Which genres or things this book have
Fairytales:- check
Fantasy :- check
Science Fiction:- check
Alliens:- Check
Mythical creatures :- Check
Legendary tale:- Check

And a mission or basic theme:- Uncheck


I am sorry if I didn't get what writer was trying to show or which lessons she wanted us to learn from this one. There wasn't no aim in the book. I couldnt able to connect with a single character. Though the writer did connect the missing ends still its unclear what was this book about. God even recalling the events of book is making me wonder what this book was really about. Everything is so rushed.

[Michelle Murray]

Fairy tale blahs

I wanted to like this story, I really did. However, once I got introduced to one character and story another story and new character would get introduced. I like the magical feel and setting, but wish the author would have concentrated on one main character and fleshed out that story more. I feel like parts got missed or hurried along. I also feel the main character Melanie was more of a watcher until the end. It would have been nice to have her mire involved or integrated into the story more.
It is a fun little collection of stories, with much potential.