Untold Tales: Books 4-6: A Fantasy Fairy Tale Boxed Set

Wonderful! Much like the first collection for books 1 through 3 this grouping also is an excellent retelling of classic fairytales. This one has Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White as their feature characters in Tarnish Ashes, Braided Silver, and Fractured. These books were extremely entertaining and I enjoyed reading each and every one of them. This is a collection along with the first group that I have that I will revisit over and over again. This is a collection I highly recommend in fact I recommend both the Untold Tales collections I hope you check them out. I did receive a free copy of this book and I voluntarily did this review.

More Twists on Childhood Stories I so enjoy this author's speculative fiction books and particularly her twists on the standard fairy tales we all grew up with. The three stories in this book give Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel's stories a freshening up. I had read two of them when the original books came out, but I somehow missed one book. That's why I love collections like these, which allow you to not only catch books you might have missed but also have them all together in one convenient book so you can binge-read without a stop between tales. I highly recommended this entire series, including the collection available for books 1-3 of this series. Here are my reviews of two of the books included in this collection. Review of Tainted Ashes: Fun Story with a Strong Heroine I am a sucker for re-imaginings of fairy tales, and I usually like this author's work. I loved this retelling of Cinderella. As I read the first scene, I thought, “Why haven't I seen other new twists on Cinderella give her fire magic?” It makes total sense, even if it isn't strong in her at the beginning. I absolutely loved her little dragon friend, Dart. The heroine is strong… no damsel in distress in need of rescue, despite her unpleasant circumstances with the demanding duchess. She is quite capable of coming up with plans on her own. In fact, she wants very much to rescue the prince from a plot she has uncovered. Parts of the story felt a little rushed, and I thought there was a plot hole here and there, but other than these factors, I found this to be a fun, delightful read. Review of Braided Silver: Great New Spin on Rapunzel I absolutely adore retellings of classic fairy tales, and I usually enjoy books by this author. So, when I saw this book on one of my favorite book review sites, I knew I had to snap it up. I am so glad that I did. This is such a great little story. This particular tale is a spin on Rapunzel, called Cosette in this one. I thought her character was well-drawn, and the author created sympathy for her on several levels—because of her treatment by her mother, her treatment because of her silver blood, and her feelings for her young man and what it would take to get him! Even though a competition between women is at the core of this, the author showed the women's relationships in a variety of ways that aren't typically seen in competition stories, including real and true friendship. Very cool. The kitsune familiar was a great character, too. The silver blood was an interesting twist instead of focusing on Rapunzel's hair (which she had cut short recently to just below her knees), though I wish that more was explained about this special blood. I wish the mom had received a comeuppance. All in all, I found this to be a delightful retelling of Rapunzel. I received a free copy of this collection, but that did not affect my review.

In this collection of three fairy tale retellings, you will take a new look at CINDERELLA, RAPUNZEL, and SNOW WHITE, each with a low heat romantic m/f sub-plot, plenty of magic, leading ladies who can save themselves, and familiars who help them. Below is a review of one of the stories to give you an idea of what’s inside. The UNTOLD TALES Books 4-6 Collection includes: ** TAINTED ASHES: Encounter dragons, magic, and fire as Tanwyn uncovers a plot to kill the Prince. Can she stop it before midnight? ** BRAIDED SILVER: Escape the tower with Cosette as she joins a competition to win the hand of a Prince, and gains a kitsune familiar in the process. ** FRACTURED CORE: Lead the rebellion along with Lucia and her trusty pet hawk as she tries to put a stop to her sister-in-law's reign. *** Reviewing “TAINTED ASHES (#4)” *** “Tainted Ashes” is an inspired reimagining of the Cinderella story we all know and love. But this one goes deeper, and the dragon is an awesome addition! Tanwyn is a strong young woman and a likable character. As always, the author does an amazing job with these reimagining tales that bring up our memories of the stories we grew up on but with a twist that makes all new favorites! You don’t want to miss this action-packed tale that will hold your rapt attention to the very end!