Once Upon a Time... discussion

Hi everyone! We'll be reading book 1 from Woodcutter Sisters series by Alethea Kontis, Enchanted.

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

It looks like this is The Princess and the Frog retelling. Happy reading!

I put it on hold at the library and am picking it up today. Looking forward to this one!

Awesome! I have picked this up from the library, and will probably start it at the beginning of next week.

You have awesome libraries! I always envy your public library which seems have most books you want to read, while here our public library barely have anything. Reading isn't a big deal here, so maybe that's why I cannot count on to our library.

I was wondering whether The Frog Prince and The Princess and the Frog is the same story? We read The Frog Prince retelling on last February and now is The Princess and the Frog retelling.

Rachmi, I believe The Frog Prince and The Princess and the Frog are probably the same original fairy tale, but there are so many retellings and different versions that it is very interesting to read. Honestly, though, it is one of my favorite fairy tales anyway. I do have a great county library system, but this one I had to get from our inter-state borrowing system, which I really appreciate having the ability to access and use.

Lisa wrote: "Rachmi, I believe The Frog Prince and The Princess and the Frog are probably the same original fairy tale, but there are so many retellings and different versions that it is very interesting to rea..."

You're right, there are so many retelling with different versions from the original one. I don't know much about The Frog Prince/The Princess and the Frog, though. I only have read one retelling, Water Song. So I'm kind of curious with this book, how it will play out and which one is more interesting.

What is inter-state borrowing system? There is one public library closes to my home but I never went to the library anymore. I think my last visit to the library was years ago when I was in university. But even at that time, I only visited it because of my study, not for borrow a fiction book, because they don't have books that don't relate to our study.

Rachmi wrote: "You have awesome libraries! I always envy your public library which seems have most books you want to read, while here our public library barely have anything. Reading isn't a big deal here, so may..."

Rach, I've been fortunate to live in cities/states that have awesome libraries: Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, and now Spokane, WA. I was surprised that Spokane's libraries are so good because it is the smallest city I've lived it, but it's just awesome! I can't find every book I want to read there, but I can find many of them. So it definitely helps with the reading budget.

I think an inter-state borrowing system is where libraries have an agreement with libraries to cross-loan books. Lisa, correct me if I'm wrong. I also suspect in those cases it takes a little longer to receive the book, once it's been requested.

Yes, as far as I know The Frog Prince/The Princess and the Frog are the same story. One of the reasons I love retellings is to read the different versions. When we read Water Song, I loved the mystical references to the Louisiana Bayou. So, it will be fun to see how this one goes:)

Yes, the inter-state library loan system in Maryland is called Marina. With this system, we can request a book from any of the other counties in the state when we can't find the book in our own county. It usually takes about a week for the book to arrive at my home library. I had checked to see if Enchanted was available here as soon as it looked like that was the one we would be reading, so I was able to get it the beginning of the month. I too have been fortunate to have wonderful libraries in the places I have lived. Surprisingly enough, I have found that the smaller areas that I have lived seem to have the better library systems. When I lived in Dayton, Ohio (a big city) it was the small library in my local neighborhood that had the best selection of what I wanted at the time (children's books for my daughters). I lived in Kingwood, WV which was very rural, but had a wonderful fiction selection and catered to the community readers. All we had to do was make a request and the book was usually gotten for us! The area that I live in now isn't really metropolitan, but does have a wonderful library system. There are six libraries in the county (all within a 30 minute drive from me since I'm centralized) but all I need to do is look up a book on the library system from my computer at home, request the book and it will be sent to the branch closest to me, which takes me about 10 minutes to get to. The libraries also have reading clubs for adults and teenagers, as well as tons of children's activities. We are truly blessed.

Lisa wrote: "Yes, the inter-state library loan system in Maryland is called Marina. With this system, we can request a book from any of the other counties in the state when we can't find the book in our own cou..."

hehe... inter-state not intra-state;)

Oops! Hate when I do that. Honestly, though, I think that is what the library system calls itself, which makes it even funnier.

Lisa wrote: "Oops! Hate when I do that. Honestly, though, I think that is what the library system calls itself, which makes it even funnier."

No, Lisa, it was me! When I read inter-state, I thought across state lines, but that is intra-state!

No, Heidi, you were right to begin with according to the dictionary. lol Intra means within borders and inter means crossing borders. Sometimes the English language is so very confusing.

Lisa wrote: "No, Heidi, you were right to begin with according to the dictionary. lol Intra means within borders and inter means crossing borders. Sometimes the English language is so very confusing."

Hehe. Okay. Well for me inter- and intra- are like right and left! I always have to double-check. But I guess using "the interstate" as in highways could be a tip on differentiating the two:)

In Oregon we have a statewide eLibrary, I wish they did interstate book loans!

Here in Maryland, it actually seems easier to get actual books via interstate loan than ebooks. Those seem to only be available within each individual county. BTW I started reading Enchanted and although I didn't have much time to actually read yet, I am totally enjoying it. Any book that has me smiling after the first page is a winner.

Rachmi wrote: "It looks like this is The Princess and the Frog retelling."

ehem.

Do not assume it will be that simple. 0:)

Lisa wrote: "Rachmi, I believe The Frog Prince and The Princess and the Frog are probably the same original fairy tale, but there are so many retellings and different versions that it is very interesting to rea..."

Pretty much. You can check 'em out here, with "similar tales":
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/fr...

What is difference, of course, is the tale of the Frog Princess:
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0402.html

Mary wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Rachmi, I believe The Frog Prince and The Princess and the Frog are probably the same original fairy tale, but there are so many retellings and different versions that it is very inter..."

Mary, thank you for providing these delineations. I don't think I've heard of the Frog Princess before:)

I'm a bit behind, what with a family member getting surgery this week, so planning to begin Enchanted NEXT Monday!

I plan on reading this, but probably not until later this month. I've heard that this book intertwines LOTS of different fairy tales!

I finished Enchanted Thursday night and loved it! Ally, it does intertwine tons of other fairy tales, which is one thing that makes it interesting. It isn't a book that requires a lot of deep thinking, such as Tiger Lily, or the Snow Child, but it was completely enjoyable with well developed characters and an interesting plot. I definitely want to read more of the tales in this series.

Ally, my reading schedule has been delayed, so I might not get to this until next week either. But I will read it this month with time to comment:)

Lisa, I am so glad to hear that you loved it. I'm due for a book that doesn't require a lot of deep thinking, so now I'm even more excited to read it, lol.

Anyone else had a chance to read it, or start reading it yet? (As I sit here and stare at it on my coffee table as I type!)

Heidi, hoping all goes well with your family surgery and recovery.

Lisa, thank you. It was last week, and there were some complication so the whole week turned out to be frantic and stressful, but now things are settling down, and it looks like everything is going to be okay. Gosh, I just hate dealing with doctors and hospitals and am so grateful we don't have to go through this very often! Anyway, just threw me behind on everything so now: trying to catch up!

Heidi, I'm glad things are calming down. Complications are always worrisome, and hospitals in general are just stressful. Hoping you all can just kick back and relax for a while.

Lisa, yes, by Monday we should be back to normal, and my plan is to slow down from then through August! Fingers crossed:D But your thoughtful support is nice, thank you <3. I was supposed to Skype with Rachmi this morning and overslept, grr. (Sorry, Rach!)

I just renewed Enchanted so I'm really looking forward to starting that and getting this discussion going, lol.

I finished the book a couple of days ago and thought it was adorable. It was a really quick read and easy to speed through(and not just because I read it on an eight hour road trip). And I loved the intertwining of different fairy tales, however brief some of the appearances were. I appreciated that the author included aspects of the original tales. "There's blood in the shoe!"(Cinderella) made me smile--and then shake my head--(view spoiler)[because dropping an axe on one's own foot just to get out of going to a ball does seem a bit extreme. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, it was just really cute and fun.

I finally got this book today! Hopefully I'll be able to contribute to the discussion this month! I feel like even w I am able to read, I am not able to participate.

Glad you got a copy to read, Karla! It's a quick, fun read and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I finally started it last night! I got about half-way through the 2nd chapter. It's really sweet and had me smiling while I was reading.

Exactly, Heidi! I was smiling from the first page.

I forgot to put it on hold at the library! Now I'm the 3rd in line. That means I'm going to miss the discussion. Bummer!

We'll be willing to listen when you get to it, whenever that is.

Thanks Mary :)

Yes, Puppitypup, whenever you get to it. I'm a few chapters in, but I'm going slow right now! I'll probably not finish it until this weekend.

I just started this yesterday. And I read [what I thought was] quite a bit and was pretty "meh" about it. I liked the writing, and the story was definitely moving along quick and painlessly, but I definitely had a feel of "okay, yeah, see where this is going, ho hum".

And then I glanced down and saw I was only at 31% finished!

So, um, no I probably DON'T see where all this is going since I am only a third of the way through the book and I thought it would all be wrapping up now!

Now that I'm over my apparently incorrect assumptions, I'm enjoying it. It's certainly a painless read and there are no major flaw with either the writing style or the writing quality. I can see this might end up being a "comfort book" sort of read, the same way I felt about The Woodcutter.

It also helps that I really like the prince so far.

I read a review of the book where the reviewer said "...someone else ran off with a pirate and makes a living raiding ships, someone else got turned into a dog or something... the unbelievability factor was off the charts." in commenting about how of course fairy tales are supposed to exist in extraordinary circumstances but that this was sloppily written and TOO extraordinary, etc.

And when I read that I thought Ow, that person obviously missed that they were all allusions to already existing fairytale characters and/or elements. So, as far as I was concerned I didn't NEED any further information about her family and all that because I already knew their stories. but, it really highlighted to me how this book might read to someone not familiar to all the myriad backstories that exist here.

Diane, I totally understand and agree with you thinking that "see where this is going" concept. Even though I was completely enjoying the reading, I too thought I knew what was going to happen and the story would end. Actually, I felt this way several times with this book - it kept taking some interesting turns. I love your description of it being a "comfort book"! That is exactly what it was for me, and I know without a doubt that I will be reading the other two books in this series. The review you quote is extremely harsh and in my opinion written by a person that probably doesn't really enjoy fairy tales nearly as much as I do. The references to all the other fairy tales was my favorite thing about the tale. I was constantly smiling because of them - it was as if I was surprisingly coming across a friend that I hadn't seen in a while.

It was a comfort read for me too. Not that it was all fluff...but it kept me smiling. Same as Lisa, I thought the inclusion of all the different fairy tales was one of the best parts, however "unbelievable" it might have been. (Then again, it's fairy tales. I have no trouble suspending my disbelief!)

Finally, I can read the book and finished it last night. It was so engaging I finished it only in a couple hours!

So as you all said it isn't just about The Princess and the Frog fairy tales like I thought when I read the blurb. It has also other fairy tales that intertwine well, in my opinion. I honestly enjoyed it much.

I agree with what Lisa said, since those are well-known fairy tales, I knew what was going to happen but on the other hand, it was also so much fun trying to figure out which fairy tale the author will deliver next in the story, (view spoiler)[ for example: I knew the three-days ball will be a Cinderella story, but since "the losing her shoes" scene didn't come instantly in first days, I was wondering what will happen between the first to day three when it finally happens. (hide spoiler)]

I also love the Woodcutters, especially Sunday relationship with her sisters and her parents. I don't expect that her mother has so much more to the story than what she tells at the beginning of the book.

I do have things I didn't quite like. It's Rumbold and Sunday's insta-love. Well I don't think it's an insta-love for Rumbold but it is for Sunday, in my opinion. And it's rather unbelievable when she falls in love with Grumble, but then suddenly it seems that she forgets about him instantly when she attends the balls. But I don't think too much about it, as I really enjoyed and had fun reading it. So I think I can say, I don't mind with that insta-love :D

Mary wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Rachmi, I believe The Frog Prince and The Princess and the Frog are probably the same original fairy tale, but there are so many retellings and different versions that it is very inter..."

Thanks for the link! I'll definitely read it.

I'm normally not a fan of insta-love either, but in such a lighthearted and quirky tale, that didn't bother me so much in this story. I guess because I already have to suspend my disbelief of all the fairy tale happenings, everything else seemed natural to me as well! What's a princess falling in love with a frog? Or having feelings for a prince she doesn't know she's acquainted with? It was kind of rushed, yes. But, like I said, didn't bother me with this story.

Totally agree with the opinions about instant love. Love definitely takes time to grow, in my opinion, but in many fairy tales it is "love at first sight", so I allow it. This whole book was just so enjoyable, that fact didn't bother me at all. At least with Rumbold, she felt guilty, and also couldn't figure out why she felt like she already knew him.

Ally wrote: "I'm normally not a fan of insta-love either, but in such a lighthearted and quirky tale, that didn't bother me so much in this story. I guess because I already have to suspend my disbelief of all t..."

Yes, agree. Everything can happen in fairy tales, I guess? :) I think it's the characters what I love most from this book. Sunday and Rumbold are such lovable main characters. Not to mention the supporting one.

I wish the author described more about Joy and especially Sorrow, though. But since I'll definitely read the other books in the series (I really cannot wait to read Saturday's story!) I think they will make appearance there, especially Sorrow (and hopefully we can get the closure of Jack Junior too).

Lisa wrote: "Totally agree with the opinions about instant love. Love definitely takes time to grow, in my opinion, but in many fairy tales it is "love at first sight", so I allow it. This whole book was just s..."

I think in most fairy tales it's love at first sight, right? So yeah that's why I don't mind about it here, while it usually bother me in contemporary romance, for instance.

I finally finished this last night! So ... I think it took me so long to read because the writing was so lyrically dense. I just couldn't rush through it. I also had to pause over all the fairy tale riffing, to savor, it was extremely clever and fun to read. I did get a little lost when Rumbold first appeared. I was kind of like Wha....t?

I loved the infusion of fairies in the fairy tale. Aunt Joy and Aunt Sorrow.

Initially, I really liked Sunday, but by the end of the book, my absolutely favorite character was Saturday. There was so much dry humor throughout, which is something I absolutely love.

Ally: I have to confess I ended up loving the whole Saturday ploy with her axe...

Diane, I agree that some knowledge of fairy tale totally heightens the appreciation for what Kontis achieved.

Rachmi, the relationship between Sunday and Rumbold wasn't the best part of the story for me, maybe that's why by the end I was more enamored with Saturday;)

I thought it was a great read for our group! And seems like everyone has enjoyed it. Sweet.

I also adored Saturday! She's just so spunky. I actually liked all of the sisters, so choosing my favorite would be very difficult. I am really looking forward to Saturday's tale, though. I have to admit that I loved how relaxed Sunday was after her marriage. She is probably the only barefoot queen I have ever came across.

I love Saturday too! Her scene when (view spoiler)[her father and Peter have to drag her to the carriage to attend the third ball and how she's kind of stand up in front of Erik just to show that she's "tough"? that's hilarious and I just love it :D (hide spoiler)]Maybe we should schedule buddy read of her story sometime soon? :D

I would gladly suggest either or both of the other Woodcutter Sister books for September.

Lisa wrote: "I would gladly suggest either or both of the other Woodcutter Sister books for September."

You do that, Lisa and I'll vote it instantly :D

haha, I couldn't wait until September and am already on the 3rd one!

The second one (Saturday) was free via kindle unlimited so I got it and started it immediately (and i do mean immediately!) after finishing the first. I thought it was great. I liked it better than the first, I think.

The third one was full price on Kindle bit since we are on a road trip and I had finished the second mid-day on a "down day" (no driving, no visiting, an overnight at a hotel on the road just as a break), I couldn't NOT get it since I had a big chunk of yesterday to read. plus. I'm pretty sure the first book was free via kindle unlimited also, so it's about time I paid for one of these, considering how much I liked them. :)

The third one is about Friday and is basically a twist on/retelling of The Six Swans, which is one of my favorite stories. This book is not my favorite of the the though (at least not yet at ~68% through) but I'm definitely enjoying it.

and in relation to the earlier comments on insta love, I also didn't mind it in this story because that DOES happen in fairy tales as a mainstay. I thought the book even did a nice job of poking fun at the idea when the frog asked Sunday to kiss him before leaving the very first time they meet in a "just in case....." kind of way and Sunday was kind of bummed that nothing magic happened even though at that time she knew she wasn't in love with a frog she just met.

Diane, you made a very good point! It wasn't instant love with Rumbold in frog form, and they did kind of make fun of that. I had totally overlooked that idea. I still think that it wasn't really "inta love" in the case of Sunday and Rumbold as a prince. She loved him immediately because of the familiarity she felt as she was already in love with him.