This was my second journey into this fairy tale landscape created by Alethea Kontis, and while the book has its flaws, I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time! Sunday is the youngest of seven daughters born to a woodcutter father and a part-fairy mother. The story begins simply, as Sunday meets (and kisses) a frog. But, there are twists, turns, and fragments of other fairy tales woven into the primary plot that keep readers interested until the book’s shocking conclusion.
This book is the first of a series about the Woodcutter family. I enjoyed the nods to other characters, which will later be fleshed out further as the series continues. I also enjoyed the hints of what had come before this story began. On a lesser note, I felt that Sunday and the frog’s initial friendship and later the prince’s “love at first sight” happened a bit too quickly.
The characters are supposed to be plays on archetypes, so at times, the character development falls a bit flat. Again, these are facets of traditional fairy tales, but the author plays with so many other elements, I wish she had played with these as well.
Some readers may not enjoy the mish-mash of other fairytales including hints of “The Princess and the Pea,” “Snow White,” and many others. However, that was precisely what
I liked about the book. Also, it’s meant for younger readers, so I could imagine examining/reading the original tales, other alternate versions, Disney versions, etc. that could produce some good discussion in a classroom or at home.
I read book two as well, and plan to pick up book three, so for me, the benefits of the series outweigh its disadvantages.
Buy it on Amazon Here