Title: Storybound
Author: Marissa Burt
Author: Marissa Burt
Release date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Children
Publisher: Harper Collins Children
Pages: 416
Source: DAC ARC Tours
Goodreads: {via}
Summary:
In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.
In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.
But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself....
With the timeless appeal of books like A Wrinkle in Time and the breathtaking action of Inkheart, Storybound has all the makings of a new classic. Brimming with fantastical creatures, magical adventure, and heart-stopping twists, Storybound will leave readers wishing they too could jump through the pages into this enchanting fairy-tale world.
In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.
But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself....
With the timeless appeal of books like A Wrinkle in Time and the breathtaking action of Inkheart, Storybound has all the makings of a new classic. Brimming with fantastical creatures, magical adventure, and heart-stopping twists, Storybound will leave readers wishing they too could jump through the pages into this enchanting fairy-tale world.
Review:
I always love stories that take you back to your childhood. Fairy tale spin-offs and retellings certainly do that. Storybound is not your every day, run of the mill retelling, either. Have you ever finished reading a book and wished that you could keep going? Ever wish you could meet your favorite characters from your favorite books? Storybound takes that idea and runs with it.
There are two worlds out there – the land of Readers (that's us) and the land of Story. Children in Story learn your basic how-tos for everyday character training, as well as specialize in things such as how to become a Hero, a Lady, or a dastardly Villain. In the land of Readers, there's a very special girl, Una, who's magically transported to Story by being Written In.
Marissa Burt did a fantastic job with the worldbuilding within this story. I thought I might get confused a bit, but she laid out everything very clearly, so there wasn't much confusion. Not only did you get a true sense of what Story was like, you got some great backstory to help you frame everything.
The characters were also great. There wasn't a sterotypical character among them; everyone was very layered and nuanced. Usually, weird names kind of irk me, but the names of the characters all seemed to go with their personalities exactly, and truly made them who they were.
We're introduced to Una Fairchild, a child from our world, Peter, her Hero, and a colorful cast of supporting characters. There's mean girl-in-Lady-training Snow, the talking cat Sam, and a whole host of funny, quirky professors. Peter's parents also appear, which made me happy. I feel like fairy tales are something that families can read together, and I was glad to see a happy, close knit family in the land of Story as well.
The plot of the book was something that I did not expect. I figured it would be all about how Una and Peter tried to get Una home again. True, there is that, but there's so much more. The twists and turns throughout the book kept me guessing, and there's one huge twist that I didn't see coming at all. I literally sat with my mouth agape after reading the last words of that chapter. Mind blown.
All in all, a very cute read. For any of you who like fairy tale retellings, movies like The Neverending Story or shows like Once Upon a Time, I highly suggest you check this book out. So cute.
I received an ARC courtesy of DAC ARC Tours and the author. This in no way impacted my review of the book.
There are two worlds out there – the land of Readers (that's us) and the land of Story. Children in Story learn your basic how-tos for everyday character training, as well as specialize in things such as how to become a Hero, a Lady, or a dastardly Villain. In the land of Readers, there's a very special girl, Una, who's magically transported to Story by being Written In.
Marissa Burt did a fantastic job with the worldbuilding within this story. I thought I might get confused a bit, but she laid out everything very clearly, so there wasn't much confusion. Not only did you get a true sense of what Story was like, you got some great backstory to help you frame everything.
The characters were also great. There wasn't a sterotypical character among them; everyone was very layered and nuanced. Usually, weird names kind of irk me, but the names of the characters all seemed to go with their personalities exactly, and truly made them who they were.
We're introduced to Una Fairchild, a child from our world, Peter, her Hero, and a colorful cast of supporting characters. There's mean girl-in-Lady-training Snow, the talking cat Sam, and a whole host of funny, quirky professors. Peter's parents also appear, which made me happy. I feel like fairy tales are something that families can read together, and I was glad to see a happy, close knit family in the land of Story as well.
The plot of the book was something that I did not expect. I figured it would be all about how Una and Peter tried to get Una home again. True, there is that, but there's so much more. The twists and turns throughout the book kept me guessing, and there's one huge twist that I didn't see coming at all. I literally sat with my mouth agape after reading the last words of that chapter. Mind blown.
All in all, a very cute read. For any of you who like fairy tale retellings, movies like The Neverending Story or shows like Once Upon a Time, I highly suggest you check this book out. So cute.
I received an ARC courtesy of DAC ARC Tours and the author. This in no way impacted my review of the book.
I'm a hugh fan of fairytales and retellings, so this is definitely something for me!
ReplyDeleteYou'll definitely like it then. I was pulled into the story, and really enjoyed it!
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