Satisfying fare for fantasy fans.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A welcome feminist revision of the classic fairy tale.” — School Library Journal
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “A gripping additon to the retelling genre.” — Marissa Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “With poison, fire, and deadly deeds, this tale is hard to put down and even harder to forget. I’ll never look at apples the same way again!” — Maria V. Snyder, New York Times bestselling author of the Study series
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Magic, dragons, and royalty in hiding: The Shadow Queen hits all the right notes of an incredible epic fantasy.” — Jodi Meadows, author of the Orphan Queen duology
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Filled with complex characters, imaginative and horrible consequences, and sharp twists — Booklist
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “An action-packed retelling of “Snow White”...Great fun” — School Library Journal
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “A fully imagined fairy tale landscape.” — Publishers Weekly
Praise for DELIVERANCE: “A sharp new epic” — Booklist
Praise for DECEPTION: “An engaging fantasy” — Booklist
Praise for DEFIANCE: “A well-paced, heart-wrenching tale of loyalty, courage, and love.” — Romantic Times
Praise for DEFIANCE: “C.J. Redwine’s DEFIANCE is a gritty, thrilling adventure sprinkled with moments of breathtaking tenderness. I read it in one sitting.” — Rae Carson, Morris Award finalist for and New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Filled with complex characters, imaginative and horrible consequences, and sharp twists
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “A gripping additon to the retelling genre.
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Magic, dragons, and royalty in hiding: The Shadow Queen hits all the right notes of an incredible epic fantasy.
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “With poison, fire, and deadly deeds, this tale is hard to put down and even harder to forget. I’ll never look at apples the same way again!
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Filled with complex characters, imaginative and horrible consequences, and sharp twists
Praise for DEFIANCE: “C.J. Redwine’s DEFIANCE is a gritty, thrilling adventure sprinkled with moments of breathtaking tenderness. I read it in one sitting.
Praise for DEFIANCE: “A well-paced, heart-wrenching tale of loyalty, courage, and love.
01/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Redwine's second installment of the series, which began with The Shadow Queen, will delight fairy-tale fans with its page-turning suspense and rich character development. In this retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin," Thad has inherited the Sundraille throne after the members of the royal family die under suspicious circumstances. His twin sister, Ari, learns that Thad's real route to the throne came after selling his soul to a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague to ensure Ari's safety. In addition to stealing souls in exchange for wishes, Teague also collects debts from the kingdom's citizens to keep them under his control. Shrewd Ari plots to stop Teague's violent reign of terror by enlisting her friend Cleo and the palace's new weapons master, Sebastian, to help her find a weakness in Teague's fae magic. Along the way, Ari and Sebastian's friendship blooms into romance. Ari defies the mold of a "proper princess," favoring the company of servants over nobles, and she uses her wits to discover solutions to her problems. Sebastian grapples with his father's severe abuse and his mother's drug addiction. Raised on the rough side of town, he's always prepared for danger. Both Ari and Sebastian have lost beloved family members because of Teague's evildoing, and they are determined to stop him. Although the action overshadows the world-building, readers will enjoy the plot twists and Ari and Sebastian's progressive relationship. They save the kingdom together as equals, in a welcome feminist revision of the classic fairy tale. VERDICT Recommended for all libraries where fairy-tale retellings are popular.—Amy Duffy, Chicago Public Library
2016-11-02
In a companion book to The Shadow Queen (2016), Ari becomes a reluctant princess when her brother makes a disastrous deal with the notorious Wish Granter.The ruthless fae Wish Granter, who goes by Teague in his human guise, doesn't make deals that he does not win. He always takes someone's soul, which he uses as an ingredient for the addictive apodrasi. Brown-scanned Ari, illegitimate daughter of the king and a former pastry cook, realizes that her twin brother, Thad, made a deal to become king and determines to defeat Teague somehow. Teague has included in Thad's contract the right to operate his criminal enterprises without interference from the crown, and he terrorizes the capital city daily. Ari meets Sebastian when he signs on as the castle's new weapons master, and the two join forces against Teague and (of course) fall in love. Can Ari's shrewd intelligence and Sebastian's superior fighting skills prevail over the monstrous criminal? Ari is a bit of a navel-gazer, but the story proceeds briskly enough. As the romance develops, Redwine brings attention to class rather than race, with the racially indeterminate Sebastian ever conscious of the social gulf between them while Ari accepts him as an equal. In a highly welcome development, Ari is a plus-sized princess who loves not only to cook, but to eat. Satisfying fare for fantasy fans. (Fantasy. 12-18)