Review: Great Continuation of the Prequels...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2013
Mr. Jace has thought up a great set of stories with these Diaries. Extremely entertaining and original, however there are some areas where his novice shines through. I really appreciated the Forward in this set of books, where he explains that he's still learning, and, while he believes he has a great story to tell (and trust me Mr. Jace...you certainly do), he has the humility and honesty to admit that he's not some amazing writer.For me, the only part of Mr. Jace's books that irk me are the dialogue. Not all of it, but in certain stories the conversations feel forced, like he's trying too hard to be witty and funny. Some characters ring much truer though, like the voice of the Queen, Rumple and the Moon. They come off as realistic and sincere, while people such as Peter Pan, Loki and Alice are just caricatures of the people I believe Mr. Jace meant them to be.Of the four diaries featured in this set, my favorites were Moon & Madly, and Once Beauty, Twice Beast. I loved the innocence of Moon, and this story gives some background and humanity to Jack (of the Beanstalk) that was missing in the times we met him before.As for Once Beauty, Twice Beast, Mr. Jace has thought up such and original and creative angle to that story. I don't want to give anything away, but it's certainly not a version of Beauty and the Beast that you'll come across anywhere else.Overall, I'm so glad I stumbled upon these diaries. I will say though, I understand there are a couple more Prequels that are set to be released...that's wonderful, but I would REALLY like to get a full novel soon. I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering when were going to see the first full length book in this series. I hope he doesn't make us wait too long between novels, because he's really got something great here. I'd hate to have to wait forever in between novels, forgetting the finer points of the stories in the interim.