Review: Delightful take on fairy tales
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 12, 2013
What if fairy tales weren't just stories? And what if your great-great-great grandmother was one of the most famous princesses in history?That's where Bianca Frost finds herself in FIRST FROST. Helping her mother run a fairy-tale museum, Bianca never dreamed there was any "reality" in the stories she's heard. Until one day...It almost sounds like a fairy tale itself, doesn't it? And really, it is. Ordinary girl goes on adventures to do extraordinary things. Along the way she has her trusty friend (Ming), a prince (Ferdinand), and falls in love with a handsome almost-prince (Terrance) - who, oh yeah, happens to have the Big Bad Wolf as his grandfather.The concept here is delightful - who didn't grow up on tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White? What little girl didn't imagine herself in the story? (Okay, maybe just me - but somehow I don't think so). With the YA market glutted with dystopian works (not taking anything away from THE HUNGER GAMES), FIRST FROST is a very pleasant read for young people (also for older people who like fairy tales, fantasy, or just a plain old enjoyable story).I had a few minor quibbles that jarred me a little (for example, Bianca doesn't tell Terrance and Ferdinand exactly where she's from, but then at one point they seem to know that she's not from Everafter - maybe I missed it), but not enough to really ruin the reading experience. And the ending, well, I won't spoil it. Suffice to say that I'll be interested to see what happens next in Bianca's life. =)If your kid likes fairy tales, chances are they will enjoy FIRST FROST.