Once Upon a Marigold

Whew!! I didn't think I would be able to get this review posted in time since the library just got my copy of Marigolds in the day before yesterday!! BUT this book was a very easy read and kept me interested enough that I finished it really fast.

I really enjoyed this book. It really was "part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" and I thought that Ferris had a great imagination. Although the ending was kind of predictable (who didn't know from the very beginning that Christian was probably a prince?), it was how Ferris got us to the 'happily ever after' part that was so much fun.

I also enjoyed the characters and their development. Even though this was a fairy tale, and even though the characters were portrayed in a silly way, they still had me hating or loving each one of them in the end. The only characters that surprised me were Meg, who after not too long proved to be a little skanky (I wanted to kick her when she kissed Christian and then Rollo came in), and the triplets. In my mind, the triplets were like the evil step-sisters until we met them just before the wedding and I loved them.

Another thing that for some reason surprised me was that Olympia was drugging Swithbert, but after we learned that she was drugging him, it made sense all along. We're you surprised to learn that all of the girls were adopted? I was! You can probably guess that my favorite part of the book was when Swithbert explained to the girls that because he loved them from the first moment he laid eyes on them, and because he walked the floor with them when they were sick and taught them things like riding and cheating on cards, he was their real father. Yes, it brought a little tear to my eye, and no, I'm not afraid to admit it!!

Overall, I loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone...especially because it's clean and fun. Ferris did make a sequel...I think I am going to have to check out Twice Upon a Marigold!!

I've enjoyed the reviews with questions for us to answer, so I am going to add a few in on this review...

1. Did you like the book? Why or why not?

2. What if Christian had been found by one of the other magical inhabitants of the forest as a little boy? It could have been Tooth Fairy Mag, Hayes Centaur, etc. How would that have changed the story?

3. If you could have a birth gift like some of the characters in the book, what would it be?

Marigolds and Midnighters

It's that time again! Time to select our next books that we will be reading!!

This time, we will be posting the next 2 books that we will discuss so that everyone will have enough time to get the books!

First, we will be reading Once Upon A Marigold by Jean Ferris. This story is part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. It is "Happily-ever-after turned upside down, inside out, and completely over the top!" Jennifer will lead the discussion for Once Upon a Marigold on April 24th.

Then, we will be reading Midnighters by Scott Westerfield (you'll probably remember him from Uglies). Here is an excerpt from the book:

"Jessica paused at the front door. This had to be a dream: Millions of diamonds filled the air, floating over the wet, shiny asphalt. Only a few inches apart, they stretched as far as Jessica could see, down the street and up into the sky. Little blue gems no bigger than tears. Jessica raised a hand to touch one of the blue gems. The little diamond wobbled, than ran into her finger, cold and wet, and disappeared. Then Jessica realized what the diamond had been. The floating diamonds were the rain, somehow hanging motionless in the air. Nothing moved on the street or sky. Time was frozen around her."

Natalie will hold the discussion for Midnighters on May 15th.