Book Review: Ever After High: Storybook of Legends

Title: The Storybook of Legends
Author: Shannon Hale
Series: Ever After High
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Middle Grade
Goodreads rating: 4.02
My rating: 4.25

At Ever After High, an enchanting boarding school, the children of fairytale legends prepare themselves to fulfill their destinies as the next generation of Snow Whites, Prince Charmings and Evil Queens...whether they want to or not. Each year on Legacy Day, students sign the Storybook of Legends to seal their scripted fates. For generations, the Village of Book End has whispered that refusing to sign means The End-both for a story and for a life.

As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.

What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both.


___________

I'm always game for some good fairy tale books.  A while back when I first saw that this book was coming out I knew I was gonna read it.  Just the idea of it was intriguing and I loved the cover so so much.  But as I thought about it I decided I wanted to read it with my oldest daughter who is 6.  I waited a while til I felt like she was mature enough to understand what I was reading to her.  I am so glad I waited to read it to her!  It was so fun reading it out loud and to try and make a voice for all the different characters.  It was great to see my daughter getting into the story and asking me to read more to her.  I loved it!  I do believe I am a touch more excited to get into the next book than she is though :)

The story is told mainly from 2 points of view, Apple White(the daughter of Snow White) and Raven Queen(the daughter of the Evil Queen).  We get occasional little interactions from Madeline Hatters point of view as she converses with the narrator, which is just great!  Maddie Hatter is seriously my favorite, she is quirky and upbeat and is always doing impossibly impossible things.

The way Hale writes this book just sets the mood right.  All the characters have personality.  The humor that stems from some of these personalities are great!  Maddie Hatter, Briar Beauty, Hunter Huntsman, Daring Charming and Dexter Charming come to mind.  I feel sure that in the second and third book there will be even more interactions and development with these and more secondary characters, ie: Lizzie Hearts, Kitty Cheshire, Duchess Swan, Ashlynn Ella, Cerise Hood, Sparrow Hood etc.

When I found out there were short little animated episodes of Every After High I couldn't wait to finish this book so I could watch them with my girls.  Then when my sister came for a visit we totally geeked out and watched all of them :)  I may or may not have frequented the website while waiting to finish reading(since reading to a 1st grader is a lot slower paced then if I just read it myself).  I just love the animation.  Love, love, love it!  And I also may or may not have a book crush on Dexter Charming.

I think you all should read this book.  And don't take it too seriously! This book is for fun and still has a lot of story to be told past the first book.

For all the books in this series so far follow the link I made to the series up top.  Though there are 3 books there are also a handful or two of novellas.  The third book will be out later this month.  :)