Title:
Allerleirauh
Author: Chantal Gadoury
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Fairytale Retelling / Young
Adult
My thoughts:
Once upon a time...
A king makes a promise to his dying wife to marry only someone with her golden hair. The king finds his eyes are turned by his maturing daughter. Ralizing her Father's intentions, Princess Aurelia tries to trick her Father by requesting impossible gifts: Dresses created by the Sun, Moon and Stars and a Coat made of a Thousand furs. When she discovers his success, Aurelia decides to sacrifice her privileged life and escapes the Kingdom disguised in a cloak, and under a new name, "Allerleirauh". Aurelia enters the Kingdom of Saarland der Licht where she is taken under the wing of the handsome Prince Klaus. Aurelia must face herself, her past and her fears in her journey of self discovery. Allerleirauh is a Retelling of the Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tale classic.
My thoughts:
I have never heard about the story of Allerleirauh
before, but since I’m not a huge fairy tale fan, it is not surprising at all.
’I’m not a huge fan’ means I’m not consciously looking for such tales to read,
not that I avoid or hate them.
I was intrigued by the summary of the story,
especially the creepy ’king wants to marry his daughter’ part that caught my
attention; let’s face it, it is a shocking premise (and why would we expect
less of a German fairy tale?). Because of the above mentioned element in the
plot some pages in the beginning of the book sent shivers down my spine. I sympathized
with Allerleirauh and wished her a happy ending.
The rest of the novel(ette?) was sweet and hugely satisfying
after such a gloomy beginning. The story was fast paced (it had to be as the
book is very short) and Allerleirauh’s character developed very nicely – she
turned from a naïve girl into a strong heroine by the end of the novel. The
prince was sensitive and caring, a bit too perfect, but hey… this is a fairy
tale retelling after all. The side-characters were well crafted, although not
very detailed – which problem could have been solved by making the book just a
tad bit longer. I think I don’t even have other negative things to say of
Allerleirauh but this: it was too short. Although on the whole it is a perfect
light and fast read for fantasy and fairy tale lovers.
Author Bio
Chantal Gadoury is a young author who currently lives in Dover, Delaware with her two cats, Theo and Harper and her fiance, Robert. Originally from Muncy, PA, Chantal appreciates the beautiful mountains and enjoys visits back to her family. She also loves anything Disney and has a reputation of beating anyone at a mean game of Disney trivia. When Chantal is not writing, she enjoys painting, watching British History Documentaries, drinking iced-coffee and spending time with loved ones. Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues on with that love of writing today. Graduating from Susquehanna University with a creative writing BA, writing novels has become a dream come true.
Links
Excerpts available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/59554977-allerleirauh
Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/cgadoury16
Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/chantalgadouryfans
Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/chantalgadouryfans
Tumblr: http://chantalgadouryauthor.tumblr.com/
Blog : http://chantalgadoury.blogspot.com/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8059023.Chantal_Gadoury
Blog : http://chantalgadoury.blogspot.com/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8059023.Chantal_Gadoury
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