Debbie Viguié

Without a doubt this is one of my favorite 'Once Upon a Time' books in a long time. This isn't to say I haven't enjoyed the more recent books (The Diamond Secret or The Rose Bride), but they didn't grab me quite as much as some of the earlier books (The Storyteller's Daughter or The Midnight Dance). Often I think the problem rested on the fact that the novel didn't stay as true to the original tale as I perhaps wanted it to.

Violet Eyes more than makes up for those that strayed. Viguie managed to weave the original tale--of the bedraggled, thoroughly un-Princess like Princess arriving at the castle and being forced through numerous tests to prove herself--into a well-rounded and enchanting read. My problem with the original tale had always been that it seemed so ridiculous and cock-eyed that the King and Queen would act in such a way, but also that the so-called Princess would put up with it.

I think they had the right idea, but just want about things the wrong way. I won't argue that the King and Queen, Richard's parents, weren't screwy to put some of the Princesses gathered through their paces, and that their methods weren't a little too...extreme at times, but there was something very endearing about them. Or maybe amusing is a better term? Poor Richard would try to get them to answer his questions and instead be given these half-answers that were obviously cryptic and frustrating.

Richard, for his part, was a truly decent fellow and I believed in his feelings for Violet, as well as hers for him. Considering she lived for portents and he was sick of being fawned over and treated like a prized stallion, its really no wonder they both had an instant attraction. I think however the fact it deepened, and they both saw each other in their respective environments, it what sold it for me.

The other Princesses were by and large glossed over with simplistic and superficial identifiers. The few who stood out in any great significance--Goldie, Arianna, Genevieve, and Celeste--were important to the story to prove this or that point. I appreciated that instead of making fast friends with the Princesses and forcing a fake almost martyrdom on each to withdraw, Viguie had each continue (or not) as befit who they were and their personalities. No one quit the competition because of their friendship with Violet. In fact Violet makes as much a statement late in the book to another Princess stating "We were competitors first, friends second" (pg 147).

Some of the book took a little bit of a stretch to pass muster, but its a fairy tale first, novel second so these things are forgivable.… (mere)

What can I say? When I was a preeteen I was a simple girl with simple tastes. I loved this book dearly and even now, a whole decade later, I still find myself rereading it every once in a while. It was never a perfectly well-written book with stunning prose, but it was fun, and it was sweet, and I love it just the same. It's also the reason I'll be taking blacksmithing classes this summer!

I have such a soft spot for this book in my heart. If you're like me and adore retellings of fairy tales, you have to give it a try.… (mere)

I read the edition with Books 3 and 4, and did a review of Legacy on it's page. I will also include it here.

I gave Legacy 3.5 stars. It had much more story and action than the first two, and I actually wanted to pick it up during some parts. I still have no emotional connection to any of the characters and I don't understand why its taking so long for the end battle to happen. There are so many characters! It is sometimes hard to remember who people are and all the point of view switching gets difficult to read. However, the story has more substance than the previous two.

Book 4, Spellbound, I did actually somewhat enjoy and give it 4 stars. The action and story moved more quickly this time around. I still don't care at all about any of the characters or whether any of them live or die. There isn't really any character growth or development, maybe a little bit here and there but not enough to need to mention. I still think this all could have been shortened to two, maybe three books instead of the five that there are. This one has a pretty good cliffhanger though.

All in all, now I'm at least a little invested in finishing the series. If I hadn't owned the books, I would have given up at the beginning. So if you can make it this far, you might as well read one more 400 page book to finish it out. Good luck.… (mere)