#fairytaleretelling

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About the Book

Title: The Sultan and the Storyteller
Series: A Villain’s Ever After #2
Author: Lichelle Slater
Release Date: August 20, 2021

For thirty-nine nights, the sultan of Zunbar has chosen a new wife.
For thirty-nine dawns, they are pronounced dead.

When Sultan Zayne summons my best friend to be taken as his newest victim, I can no longer pretend to be blind and volunteer in her stead. My only plan–weave a story each night and hopefully learn why he would kill in the first place.

As I unravel the tapestry of lies, I learn there’s more going on inside the gilded walls of the palace than anyone in the land could ever realize. I’ve woven myself into the story, and if I don’t pull on the right thread, it’s not only my life at stake but my heart.

The Sultan and the Storyteller is one of twelve short novels in A Villain’s Ever After, a collection of standalone stories featuring villainous twists on some of your favourite classic fairytales. Read the series in any order for magical adventures . . . and fall in love with villains as you’ve never seen them before. Who said villains can’t have happily-ever-afters?

Click HERE to grab your copy or read on Kindle Unlimited!

About the Author

Personal dragon trainer, lover of glitter, writer of fantasy.

Lichelle Slater is a USA Today Bestselling author and was nominated as Best Debut Author at UtopiaCon in 2017 for “Step Right Up.” She was also nominated in 2020 for Mind-Blowing Fantasy of the year with “The Siren Princess” and Unforgettable Book of the Year with “The Beast Princess” at Penned Con.

She currently lives in Salt Lake City, UT with her adorable King Charles Spaniel, Perseus, and works full-time as a special education preschool teacher.

My Review

The Sultan and the Storyteller
By Lichelle Slater
Rating: 4/5

As someone who enjoys fairytale retellings, I was super excited to read A Villain’s Ever After story based off of 1001 Nights – I’ve never read a retelling of that story before and it did NOT disappoint.

Shahira is the eldest daughter of the vizier who has to hide and contain her magic. She is a storyteller who can infuse her magic into her stories and make them come true. When her best friend’s life is threatened by becoming the next bride of the Sultan, Shahira decides to volunteer in her stead. 39 brides lost is enough and Shahira won’t allow the murderous sultan to continue when she has the power to stop him. When she realizes that there’s more to the story, she and the sultan must learn to trust each other and discover where the evil shadows come from before it’s too late.

Beautifully written characters against a lavish backdrop create such a thrilling story with magic and romance and mystery. Since this book is only the prequel to a new series by Lichelle Slater, I look forward to reading more.

Highly recommend if you enjoy fairytale retellings with magic, romance and mystery.

My thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

The Peasant’s Dream
by Melanie Dickerson
Book 11 in the Hagenheim series
Rating: 4.5/5
Release date: July 7, 2020

Reverse Cinderella story? Yes, please. I always love a good fairytale retelling but when you reverse the roles and fill out the characters and backstory so much, I did not want to put the book down. I am a huge fan of Melanie Dickerson because she takes the time to really develop her characters and fill in the fairytale background. She brings you back into her world of Hagenheim and it was such a fun adventure. Though this is part of a series, you can read this book by itself but I still highly recommend reading the rest of the series because it’s that good.

Frederick is a talented woodcarver who dreams of being able to escape his abusive father’s farm and make a living for his mother and younger twin sisters. When he gets a chance to sell some of his carvings at the market, a priest sees his talent and convinces the bishop to hire Frederick to carve the new doors for the cathedral. While at market, Frederick meets Adela and a friendship begins.

Adela is the youngest daughter of the Duke of Hagenheim who wishes she could travel and pursue her painting and creative side. Her father is very protective of her and Adela just wishes she could explore the world without being recognized as the Duke’s daughter. She disguises herself as a servant and goes off to explore the marketplace where she meets Frederick. She is surprised to find someone who understands her as an artist – someone who is kind and makes her smile. Although her parents are trying to help her find a kind nobleman to marry, Adela doesn’t feel anything for him – at least not what she starts feeling for Frederick, who doesn’t know who she really is.

What happens when Frederick finds out the truth about Adela’s status? What happens when someone wants Frederick out of the way? Can Adela and Frederick find a way to be together?

I am never disappointed with a Melanie Dickerson novel. Her characters have depth and a charm that makes the reader want to cheer them on. She has been building this world of Hagenheim for many years and it’s always such a pleasure to dive back into this fantasy world. I feel like the transformation that the main characters go through could have been developed more but it doesn’t take away from the amazing adventure and the awesome reveals in this story.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy fairytale retelling with a twist.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.