Poison's Dance Review

 

What are the Tattered Slippers?

The Tattered Slippers are six retellings of The Twelve Dancing Princesses by six different authors, each one fantastic and magical. You don’t want to miss any of them!

View the rest of the blog tour here: https://kendrasgiraffecrafts.blogspot.com/p/tattered-slippers-blog-tour.html

If he falls to the lure of the curse, the dance might trap him forever.

Alex has survived his first year as high king. The new counsel has improved cooperation between the kingdoms, and peace seems achievable. When the Tuckawassee queen sends him an invitation he can’t refuse, Alex must once again face his greatest threat for the sake of peace.

Princess Tamya of Tuckawassee, along with her eleven sisters, has danced from sunset until sunrise every night of her life. It is her gift and her curse. When Queen Valinda wishes to use the power their cursed dance gives them to rule all of Tallahatchia, Tamya must decide if she will do what is right even if it betrays her own sister.

Daemyn Rand has survived a hundred years' worth of battles. All he wants to do now is safely marry his princess. Will he be forced to choose between the love of his life and the high king he has loyally served for years?

They have faced certain death before. This time, they might not make it out alive.

Don’t miss this re-envisioning of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale.

My Review:

All right. This book clinched it. Alex is basically King Arthur (a la BBC). Not saying why until the end under a spoiler tag, but...yup. He's Arthur.

Alex has friends! Actual friends! I'm so proud of him! He's not lonely anymore! This book is definitely my favorite so far. So much Alex!

Gah! I'm not sure how much I can talk about this book without spoilers. My favorite part was at the end!

Alex is growing so much. He's earning his people's respect and working hard and pulling the nation together...

Daemyn's actually starting to grow pretty close to Alex, which makes me happy. Friendships are give and take, after all.

Was there more to this book than Alex? Yes. Do I care? No.

I really loved the portrayal of love in this book. Not saying much because spoilers, but single lady representation, people. It's super rare in books. I really appreciate that it's here in this book.

SPOILERS

Gah, so the part where Alex drank the hemlock? EPIC. Such an Arthur thing to do. Remember that episode with the unicorn where there's a glass of "poison" and Merlin tries to tell Arthur to let him drink it, but Arthur says, "You know me, Merlin. I never listen to you," and drinks it anyway? Yeah. Basically this. Daemyn's like, "I knew the other shoe would drop, I've died multiple times, it's better that I die anyway, I'm not the High King, just give me the poison," and Alex goes, "Nope," and downs it all. I'm so proud of him and that is definitely my favorite part, but AAA! He came so close to dying, y'all! I once read a Dear America book where a bunch of little kids got poisoned by water hemlock, so I knew the potency of the poison and that there's NO FREAKING ANTIDOTE. NONE. And yet this guy drank the poison. Wow.

END SPOILER

Just read this book. You won't regret it.

Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Poisons-Dance-Dancing-Princesses-Retelling-ebook/dp/B0873YZKZS/

Add Book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53251983-poison-s-dance?

Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.
Find her online at: Website ||  Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Amazon 

 

 

Tolkien vs. Lewis

   I've been a bit busy with college lately, but I wrote this poem between classes the other day, so here you go.

There once were two bookworms
Who stood in the snow
Chatting and smiling
With nowhere to go.

“I think this is Narnia,”
One bookworm said.
“It looks just like the pictures
I have in my head.”

“Oh, no, my dear hobbit,”
The other replied.
“We are stuck in the mountains
Of Caradhras white.

“Can’t you hear the foul voice,
The cruel air on the wind?
If we don't turn back now
We'll by goblins be pinned.”

“I must disagree,”
The first bookworm grew firm.
“The White Witch resides here,
Not great Smaug, the foul worm.

“The bare trees all around,
The spring touch in the air,
I can almost hear bells,
Or spy Tumnus’s lair.”

“Your blindness is only
Eclipsed by your dumbness.
Smaug, that old foul dragon,
Lives nowhere near Tumnus.

“A Balrog lives under
Old Caradhras fair.
Dale is the home
Of the foul dragon’s lair.”

“Well, excuse me for not
Knowing much about Tolkien.
That topic is fit for
No one but old men.

“Give me Aslan and Lucy
And all that good stuff!
No more elves or old folklore.
Who has time for that stuff?”

A confused, lonely bookworm
Looked on from the side.
“Don’t you realize,” he said,
“You don’t have to decide?

“You don’t understand it;
You don’t have to fight.
This can be both those places.
You both can be right.”

The two angry bookworms
Lashed out at the man.
How could they love both
Belov’d fantasy lands?

“There can be no agreement
Betwixt us this day!”
“All right,” said the third man.
“Then have it your way.”

The third man moved on,
Leaving them to their fight;
Two bookworms convinced
That they can’t both be right.

   What do you think? Do you take Tolkien's side or Lewis's side, or do you like them both? Is it possible to be a fan of both Middle-Earth AND Narnia? (jk, of course it is!)

Epitaph of a Bookworm

I wrote this poem the other day while writing my name in all the books I got from a library book sale.

To whoever gets my books

When I am passed away:

Treat them kindly, love them well;

Give them a place to stay.

Be nice to Frodo; put him somewhere

He can feel the sun.

Keep Long John Silver close nearby,

And do not mind his fun.

Captain Nemo was good to me;

Make sure to give him love.

Peter Pan needs your tender care,

And please mend Hamlet's glove.

The Psammead will gladly grant

A daily wish for you.

And if you serve some tea and toast,

Tumnus will come at two.

Don't forget to feed the dogs.

Let Lassie out at three.

Pongo and Missus take walks in the park,

And Lad has guard duty.

Winnie-the-Pooh and Toto, too,

Will help you as you go.

They'll teach you how to care for all 

My friends I've come to know.

The books that I bequeath to you

Have taken me far from home.

I have passed them on to you.

It is now your turn to roam.