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Fairy Tale #2
To Catch a Queen
9 hrs and 26 mins
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown–especially the crown of the fairy realm…
Sophie Drake has made a promise, and she never breaks her word. She will free Michael Murray’s long-lost wife from the fairy realm even if her intensifying feelings for him make it the most painful thing she’s ever done.
But Sophie is running out of time. Dark fae forces are stirring, threatening the human world. To make matters worse, humans are being cast out of the Realm, whether or not they want to leave, and the shock from these sudden evictions can even prove fatal. It’s only a matter of time before it happens to Michael’s wife.
All this in the name of the fairy queen.
Stunned, Sophie knows this is impossible because she’s the queen. She won the throne fair and square, through trials and blood.
Now she must find and fight an impostor for a crown she never wanted in order to save both the Realm and the human world.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown–especially the crown of the fairy realm…
Sophie Drake has made a promise, and she never breaks her word. She will free Michael Murray’s long-lost wife from the fairy realm even if her intensifying feelings for him make it the most painful thing she’s ever done.
But Sophie is running out of time. Dark fae forces are stirring, threatening the human world. To make matters worse, humans are being cast out of the Realm, whether or not they want to leave, and the shock from these sudden evictions can even prove fatal. It’s only a matter of time before it happens to Michael’s wife.
All this in the name of the fairy queen.
Stunned, Sophie knows this is impossible because she’s the queen. She won the throne fair and square, through trials and blood.
Now she must find and fight an impostor for a crown she never wanted in order to save both the Realm and the human world.
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2015
19 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Shanna Swendson
40 books1,135 followersOnce upon a time ...
A little girl learned to amuse herself by making up stories in her head. She turned everyday activities into exciting adventures, and she made up new adventures for characters from her favorite movies, TV shows and books. Then one day she realized that if she wrote down those stories, she'd have a book! But that was crazy, she thought. Real people don't become novelists. That was like deciding you were going to be a movie star. You couldn't just go and do it.
But, it turns out, you can, and she did. She realized her dream of becoming a novelist and seeing her stories in bookstores.
And then she started to wig herself out by writing about herself in the third-person.
This is her story.
The Novelist's Journey
As I said above in that bit of silliness, I've always been a writer at heart. My favorite way to play was to create stories and act them out with my Fisher-Price people, my Barbie dolls or myself and a box of play clothes. If none of those things were available, I could just sit and make up stories in my head. I occasionally got into trouble for being a little too creative, such as the time when I embellished a bit on my kindergarten experiences (where's the dramatic hook in coloring, cutting out and pasting?).
When I was in seventh grade and a bit old for Fisher-Price people, Barbie dolls or the dress-up box, I started writing these stories down in spiral notebooks. Later, I found an old manual typewriter, taught myself to type, then wrote a lot of first chapters of novels on it. I still hadn't figured out how to actually be a working novelist who gets paid for writing (finishing a book instead of writing a lot of first chapters might have been a good start), so when it came time to go to college, I went to journalism school at the University of Texas. While getting my degree in broadcast news, I managed to structure a curriculum that might also help me in my real career plans. I took fencing (which I thought would be useful for writing fantasy novels), an astronomy course on the search for extraterrestrial life (in case I wanted to write science fiction), psychology, interpersonal communication, and parageography (the geography of imaginary lands).
I got serious about pursuing my novel-writing ambitions soon after I got my first job in public relations (TV reporting, it turns out, would have taken away from my writing time) when I started joining local writing organizations and reading books on how to write a novel. Then I took the big step of registering for a writing conference. With the registration fee, you could enter two manuscripts in a contest that went with the conference. I figured if I was paying that much money, I'd get the most out of it, so I wrote two entries. At the conference, I met a real, live editor, who encouraged me to submit, and one of my entries won the science fiction/fantasy category of the contest. I hurried to finish the novel the editor had asked for, then mailed a proposal.
She ended up rejecting the book, but encouraged me to keep trying. I ended up selling that novel elsewhere, then sold two more books to that publisher before I had another idea for that original editor. That book ended up selling, and then one more.
And then I hit the wall. Due to a number of circumstances, some of which weren't my fault and some of which were, I didn't sell anything else for eight years. But then I had the idea that became Enchanted, Inc., I wrote it, sold it, and here I am.
Other Life Stuff
I think I need to get a few more hobbies or something else going on in my life that isn't related to reading or writing because currently my bio in my books is shorter than the "about the typeface" section. Yes, a typeface has a more interesting life than I do.
When I'm not writing, I'm most often reading. Otherwise, I enjoy watching science fiction TV shows and then discussing them on the Internet, working crossw
A little girl learned to amuse herself by making up stories in her head. She turned everyday activities into exciting adventures, and she made up new adventures for characters from her favorite movies, TV shows and books. Then one day she realized that if she wrote down those stories, she'd have a book! But that was crazy, she thought. Real people don't become novelists. That was like deciding you were going to be a movie star. You couldn't just go and do it.
But, it turns out, you can, and she did. She realized her dream of becoming a novelist and seeing her stories in bookstores.
And then she started to wig herself out by writing about herself in the third-person.
This is her story.
The Novelist's Journey
As I said above in that bit of silliness, I've always been a writer at heart. My favorite way to play was to create stories and act them out with my Fisher-Price people, my Barbie dolls or myself and a box of play clothes. If none of those things were available, I could just sit and make up stories in my head. I occasionally got into trouble for being a little too creative, such as the time when I embellished a bit on my kindergarten experiences (where's the dramatic hook in coloring, cutting out and pasting?).
When I was in seventh grade and a bit old for Fisher-Price people, Barbie dolls or the dress-up box, I started writing these stories down in spiral notebooks. Later, I found an old manual typewriter, taught myself to type, then wrote a lot of first chapters of novels on it. I still hadn't figured out how to actually be a working novelist who gets paid for writing (finishing a book instead of writing a lot of first chapters might have been a good start), so when it came time to go to college, I went to journalism school at the University of Texas. While getting my degree in broadcast news, I managed to structure a curriculum that might also help me in my real career plans. I took fencing (which I thought would be useful for writing fantasy novels), an astronomy course on the search for extraterrestrial life (in case I wanted to write science fiction), psychology, interpersonal communication, and parageography (the geography of imaginary lands).
I got serious about pursuing my novel-writing ambitions soon after I got my first job in public relations (TV reporting, it turns out, would have taken away from my writing time) when I started joining local writing organizations and reading books on how to write a novel. Then I took the big step of registering for a writing conference. With the registration fee, you could enter two manuscripts in a contest that went with the conference. I figured if I was paying that much money, I'd get the most out of it, so I wrote two entries. At the conference, I met a real, live editor, who encouraged me to submit, and one of my entries won the science fiction/fantasy category of the contest. I hurried to finish the novel the editor had asked for, then mailed a proposal.
She ended up rejecting the book, but encouraged me to keep trying. I ended up selling that novel elsewhere, then sold two more books to that publisher before I had another idea for that original editor. That book ended up selling, and then one more.
And then I hit the wall. Due to a number of circumstances, some of which weren't my fault and some of which were, I didn't sell anything else for eight years. But then I had the idea that became Enchanted, Inc., I wrote it, sold it, and here I am.
Other Life Stuff
I think I need to get a few more hobbies or something else going on in my life that isn't related to reading or writing because currently my bio in my books is shorter than the "about the typeface" section. Yes, a typeface has a more interesting life than I do.
When I'm not writing, I'm most often reading. Otherwise, I enjoy watching science fiction TV shows and then discussing them on the Internet, working crossw
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 12, 2015
This one is better than the first, and I really enjoyed the ending!
March 31, 2018
I ended up changing my review from I Liked It to I Really Liked It because lately I find
myself thinking about the characters and wondering what they're up to. Is Fairy Tale, #4 in the works?
myself thinking about the characters and wondering what they're up to. Is Fairy Tale, #4 in the works?
June 11, 2019
And we're back with the fairies. As ever, I enjoy Swendson's writing, and reading this makes me want to go reread the Enchanted, Inc. series yet again. I'm not nearly as in love with this series (somehow it doesn't have the same whimsy?), and in a way To Catch a Queen feels like a bit of a retread of A Fairy Tale: Sophie's defending the same throne she claimed in the first book, and she's up against many of the same opponents. The story does move forward (among other things, we have some resolution with Michael's wife), but I'm hoping that the third book makes quite a bit more plot progress.
A side note: in places this veers almost towards Christian fiction, which is interesting. It's a subtle (and not at all didactic—I couldn't tell you whether Swendson herself is Christian or just thinks some low-key Christianity makes sense for these characters) but recurring theme. It's not out of line with Swendson's other books, which have tended to be squeaky clean, but I don't think standard human religion has gotten more than a passing mention in other series. A curiosity!
A side note: in places this veers almost towards Christian fiction, which is interesting. It's a subtle (and not at all didactic—I couldn't tell you whether Swendson herself is Christian or just thinks some low-key Christianity makes sense for these characters) but recurring theme. It's not out of line with Swendson's other books, which have tended to be squeaky clean, but I don't think standard human religion has gotten more than a passing mention in other series. A curiosity!
October 7, 2021
I stopped reading with two chapters left because the (predictable) conclusion of the romance storyline had me so frustrated. I am beyond tired of the worldview that sees marriage as a semi-permanent relationship. It would have been easier, morally, if Jen and Michael had been engaged seven years ago, and not actually married. That's certainly how the relationship was treated.
(The book also kinda lost me in the middle, and Emily's sudden uncertainty about her and Eamon didn't make sense given their confident attraction in the first book, and I think more should have been done to develop the Grandma's character. I'm not low-rating over a disagreement with the morality of one of its conclusions. That was just the last straw.)
(The book also kinda lost me in the middle, and Emily's sudden uncertainty about her and Eamon didn't make sense given their confident attraction in the first book, and I think more should have been done to develop the Grandma's character. I'm not low-rating over a disagreement with the morality of one of its conclusions. That was just the last straw.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2019
I loved Shanna Swendson's "Enchanted inc." series so much.
And that's the only reason why I gave this series a try.
BUT
Just like the first book in the series, it was not as exciting as I hoped it would be.
I couldn't care less about the characters.
My major problem with the series is the cover design.
Why choose some art work that looks like it's for the cover of books for middle school kids?
(I don't really like the cover designs of other book series either. "Enchanted inc."'s cover looks too chick-lit-y and cheesy, and the "Rebel Mechanics" series have boring YA cover)
And that's the only reason why I gave this series a try.
BUT
Just like the first book in the series, it was not as exciting as I hoped it would be.
I couldn't care less about the characters.
My major problem with the series is the cover design.
Why choose some art work that looks like it's for the cover of books for middle school kids?
(I don't really like the cover designs of other book series either. "Enchanted inc."'s cover looks too chick-lit-y and cheesy, and the "Rebel Mechanics" series have boring YA cover)
December 27, 2019
Queen Sophie barely put the crown on her head and attempted to get her life in order when it seems there is an imposter. Fae and humans are being kicked out of the Realm by "the Queen" for corrupting the Realm. Sophie is trying to manage her life in Louisiana, take classes in New York and rule the Realm; she really doesn't have time for an imposter. Sophie, Emily and Michael join forces with their friends and family to fix this latest problem in the Realm. This book is full of action and the ways of the Fae; very interesting reading.
August 26, 2024
Upper PG/lower PG-13 (implication of characters sleeping together/pretending to do so. Really mild, honestly. And then some magical mayhem/violence, but mostly mayhem.)
I gotta say, Shanna Swendson’s books are just the kind of fun fairy tale romp that is fun to devour once in awhile. Kind of like donuts, actually. The writing, characters, fae, plot, and settings are all so beautifully crafted, with a good splash of thoroughly despicable villainy that doesn’t ever cross into the truly dark and nightmare-inducing horror that other faerie fiction often does.
I gotta say, Shanna Swendson’s books are just the kind of fun fairy tale romp that is fun to devour once in awhile. Kind of like donuts, actually. The writing, characters, fae, plot, and settings are all so beautifully crafted, with a good splash of thoroughly despicable villainy that doesn’t ever cross into the truly dark and nightmare-inducing horror that other faerie fiction often does.
May 7, 2020
I always love reading this author's books, and her take on faeries is definitely worth reading! The faerie adventures continue as Sophie and Emily try to balance their normal life with their magical one but as they both struggle to adjust, they're going to have to decide what is worth fighting for.
July 9, 2022
I thought the plot line was not very good and I can’t tell if the story is about Emily or Sophie? And I didn’t understand it and I like the 1# book Very much so I don’t understand how I don’t like this book… but I just didn’t like the book
November 3, 2018
Cute. Very typical of all her books. Sweet, clean, nothing special...just kind of fun. And I appreciate that she writes for adults.
February 5, 2020
Very enjoyable series.
February 11, 2022
A worthy sequel
The twists and turns of this story nicely built upon the story in the first book and I'm eager to see what the next one will tackle.
The twists and turns of this story nicely built upon the story in the first book and I'm eager to see what the next one will tackle.
June 7, 2023
Nothing spectacular. It's your typical story, typical setting, typical characters. It is well written and flows well, so it's entertaining to read. The end kind of drags on though.
May 4, 2024
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I didn't love the quasi-love triangle in it, but it looks like it is now resolved. (I actually wish it had never been a thing, because to me, there was no good solution to it.) There were a couple of times I thought it could have ended, but it continued, but I wouldn't say it dragged.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
March 1, 2017
Good sequel
March 17, 2015
Really enjoyed this one! A great follow up to the first book. I loved finally getting to meet Sophia and Emily's grandmother! She's pretty awesome! I felt bad for Michael, he finally wins Jen's freedom but she chose's to stay in the Realm anyway. I personally think she was very much in love with the male fairy she spent so much time with in the last book (although she never said she was) and that she gave him reasons for staying that she thought would hurt him less (again she never said as much but that's the conclusion I came to from little things leading up to her staying behind).
I hope there will be another book and that perhaps Michael will start to see Sophia in a new light. My heart was breaking for her in this book, she always puts other people ahead of her own happiness. She's in love with Michael but she did everything she could to get his wife back and to convince her to return with Michael even as her own heart was breaking in two.
Great book and really hope for more in the series!
I hope there will be another book and that perhaps Michael will start to see Sophia in a new light. My heart was breaking for her in this book, she always puts other people ahead of her own happiness. She's in love with Michael but she did everything she could to get his wife back and to convince her to return with Michael even as her own heart was breaking in two.
Great book and really hope for more in the series!
April 29, 2016
Not going to write a very long or in depth review.
I simply want to say that if you enjoyed the first book, then you'll enjoy this one too. It has everything from the first but a different plot.
And that includes both the goods and the bads. For instance, Sophie is still proclaimed or known to be very "bad ass" but she is not. The author writes a lot of hype and boast about her but she really isn't all that tough. She's all talk with nothing to support her.
The general plot/story is alright. But it's still one of those novels that aren't...flowing smoothly. Like the author decided what happens and then tried to fill in the gaps. So sometimes, you can read/feel that certain parts are forced. Like, you would ask yourself, why the **** would anyone do that?
Or situations where there are clearly more than one way and a better way of handling a situation but the author writes it so that the characters say that there is only one way and that's the way the characters took.
And yes, Sophie is the most pathetic Queen in all of the Fairy's history.
I simply want to say that if you enjoyed the first book, then you'll enjoy this one too. It has everything from the first but a different plot.
And that includes both the goods and the bads. For instance, Sophie is still proclaimed or known to be very "bad ass" but she is not. The author writes a lot of hype and boast about her but she really isn't all that tough. She's all talk with nothing to support her.
The general plot/story is alright. But it's still one of those novels that aren't...flowing smoothly. Like the author decided what happens and then tried to fill in the gaps. So sometimes, you can read/feel that certain parts are forced. Like, you would ask yourself, why the **** would anyone do that?
Or situations where there are clearly more than one way and a better way of handling a situation but the author writes it so that the characters say that there is only one way and that's the way the characters took.
And yes, Sophie is the most pathetic Queen in all of the Fairy's history.
April 24, 2017
What an amazing book! Sophie is an amazing leading lady, and I loved every second. I truly hope there is more to this series.
March 11, 2015
Enjoyable
This was a solid second book in the series. I like the interesting and well developed characters. I didn't know how she could make the ending work, but she did.
This was a solid second book in the series. I like the interesting and well developed characters. I didn't know how she could make the ending work, but she did.
June 17, 2015
I liked this; it's a good second book in the series. It was comfortably predictable, and both of the heroines worked for me. A nice, light summer read.
December 24, 2015
I enjoyed it but the pacing was a little off- too much "run here! now run there! now run here again!"
July 31, 2015
What an amazing book! Wish I knew a little more about Sophie and Michaels story before it ended. When does the next book come out?!?
July 25, 2016
Very much enjoying this series. Though this book had about four different places where it should have ended.
February 19, 2022
I quite enjoyed this next account of fae, fae-human and humans being involved in the parallel Realm, next to Earth. It was even better than the first!
March 29, 2015
Review to come
April 29, 2017
I love this series! Great characters and a story compelling enough to keep me awake through the middle of the night feedings. And not just awake, but looking forward to returning to the story--as though I had eaten the fairy food or drink....
Book 2 finds Sophie battling her attraction to Michael while coaxing his wife into returning to the human world, then tracking down the imposter queen trying to steal her throne. She and Emily enlist an unlikely assortment of allies, from the Enchantresses to the riders of The Hunt, to prevent a coup.
For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, character and setting secondary. No sex, bad language, or violence. Set mostly in NYC and the fairy Realm in 2006-7.
Book 2 finds Sophie battling her attraction to Michael while coaxing his wife into returning to the human world, then tracking down the imposter queen trying to steal her throne. She and Emily enlist an unlikely assortment of allies, from the Enchantresses to the riders of The Hunt, to prevent a coup.
For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, character and setting secondary. No sex, bad language, or violence. Set mostly in NYC and the fairy Realm in 2006-7.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews