Review: A fun and fantastical retelling of a classic tale
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 22, 2013
4.5/5 Stars.Before Midnight was such an incredibly fun read! I absolutely loved this paranormal retelling of the classic Cinderella story. So much more fun than the original! (Oh, and steamier too - this book definitely leans toward erotic, but I didn't feel like the sex overshadowed the story.)The negatives:The length.The book felt a little short, which made for a nice quick read, but it meant that there wasn't a lot of time for development of the secondary characters. I didn't feel like we really got to know Loupe's stepmother or (especially) her stepsisters, so this lessened their impact in the book, in my opinion. Still, the book read a lot like the original fairy tale in this regard, so I guess that's okay.What I loved:The twists on the classic.I really thought that Blackstream did a great job of taking elements of the original Cinderella story and twisting them to fit in with the world that she created. The ball, the midnight deadline, the glass slipper, the fairy godmother - all of these elements were there, but none of them happened quite the way they did in the original story. I really enjoyed this unique take on the classic!Loupe and Etienne.I fell in love with Etienne. I felt for him because of his struggle with becoming human, and his primal wolf side was just plain sexy. Loupe was a great heroine as well - starting out as a meek and timid Cinderella, but gradually embracing the wolf within!Etienne's parents.Loupe fell in love with the king and queen and so did I.Wolf pups.How did Jennifer Blackstream know that adding cute little wolf pups to this story would just make me fall in love with it all the more? The pups were key to a few different parts of the plot, so they weren't just there to be cute - but, awwww, wolf pups. Who could resist them?The prologue and epilogue.While this book could have easily worked as a standalone novel, the prologue and epilogue show you that the story is woven into a larger overall story. I can't wait to see what Blackstream will do in the next installment of this series!Before Midnight is a really fun and fantastical retelling of an old tale. I highly recommend it!