The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

The Princess and the Bear

By: Mette Ivie Harrison

Synopsis (From Goodreads):

He was once a king, turned into a bear as punishment for his cruel and selfish deeds. She was a once a princess, now living in the form of a hound.


Wary companions, they are sent—in human form—back to a time when magic went terribly astray. Together they must right the wrongs caused by this devastating power—if only they can find a way to trust each other.
 
But even as each becomes aware of an ever-growing attraction, the stakes are rising and they must find a way to eliminate this evil force—or risk losing each other forever.

My Review:
My first impression of the book was that it was a little slower than The Princess and the Hound.  Also, this book is really more of a companion novel rather than a sequel. It could definitely hold it's own. (I'd recommend reading Princess and the Hound first though, just because it's easier that way and you wouldn't run the risk of spoiling the first book).

The writing in this book is so beautiful, it's obvious that Harrison knows her stuff. It's so eloquent and smart. The character development is wonderful, and the relationship between King Richon and Chala is so well done. It grows in a way that is not only possible but beautiful.

Like I said, the book was a little slower than Princess and the Hound. Also, the writing is different than you'd find in other fairy tales. I was reading a bio of Mette Ivie Harrison and saw that she has a Ph.D. in German Literature, so her writing style heavily reflects that type of book. I find it absolutely wonderful and really cool to read, but not all readers will feel the same way as me. Have you ever read some of the original fairy tales? They are nothing like the Disney versions that we have today. Many of them are much darker and more gruesome.

I didn't feel like The Princess and the Bear was gruesome, but it certainly isn't light-hearted. The themes in the book were deep and let's face it, the cat man was just creepy.  And, the book doesn't quite end happily-ever after.  But, if you like the older-style fairy tale, this book is definitely for you!


Book-A-Likes: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

My Rating:

 4 Stars!

Profanity: None
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild, mentioned once
Sexuality: None
Violence: Moderate

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 4/26

Hosted by Book Journey

This week marks my last week of maternity leave. So, I'm going to try to get in a lot of good reading this week.

Completed:
The Princess and the Bear Mette Ivie Harrison (review this week)
Moon Called Patricia Briggs (okay I've got like 10 pages left...)

Currently Reading (or will read this week)
The Demon King Cinda Williams Chima audiobook (Still working on this one from last week because I listen to it as I fall asleep)
Palace Beautiful Sarah Deford Williams
The Dead and Gone Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Outsiders S.E. Hinton

What are you reading this week?

Teaser Tuesday 4/20

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison; pg. 204

He had said he believed she was human in many ways, but he still did not know what name to give his feelings for her, and it seemed wrong to offer less than his whole self.

*Yes, I know that's only one sentence. But none of the other sentences were very good, and the sentence before and after weren't related. Don't judge me!

In My Mailbox

This is my first time participating in this meme. But, I got a lot of stuff in the mail and from the library this week, so I wanted to share.

I got a surprise package from Penguin Books on Tuesday with three ARC's in them. I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to read them all, so I might pass a couple on to The Literati, a teen reading and writing group that I'm an advisor for. (Check out their blog too!)

The Evil Within
By: Nancy Holder
Release Date: June 2010

It looks like this book is the second in a series. I haven't read the first one, so maybe I should get on that. I'm not really into murder mystery/horror, so I might pass this one along.

Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells
By: Cameron Tuttle
Release Date: July 2010

A book about high school drama. This could be interesting...

The Eternal Ones
By: Kirsten Miller
Release Date: August 2010

If I can get past the cover, I might just read this one. But, frankly, the cover is a huge turn-off for me. (I know, don't judge a book by it's cover. Eh, but I do)

 

From the Library

Magic Study
By: Maria V. Snyder


I liked Poison Study enough to pick up the sequel from the library. I'm hoping I have enough time to finish it before it comes due in 3 weeks. Reading when you have a clingy infant is really hard.

The Hourglass Door
By: Lisa Mangum

I've heard good things about this book. I know the author is local to me, and I've seen her at events, but I've never actually spoken to her.  This book finally became available at my library and I'm excited to read it.

The Princess and the Bear
By: Mette Ivie Harrison


I loved The Princess and the Hound, so I HAD to pick up the sequel. This is another one that had a long waiting list at the library. I'll definitely read it before it comes due.


That's it for my books this week. What do you have that's new?

This post is linked at The Story Siren