Monday, January 28, 2013

Assorted Snack Size Reviews (Feat. Snow White)

I was so excited to receive one last Christmas present at the end of last week - The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson, which my mom had pre-ordered for me! As you probably already know, I love themes, so I decided to make this past weekend a "Snow White" weekend, which entailed reading The Fairest Beauty and watching Mirror, Mirror. Thus, I bring you some snack size reviews, "Snow White" style!

"Season"-ed Snack Size Review

The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

Rating: Spring/Summer

An enchanting and creative re-telling of the Snow White fairytale! I love the strength of the heroine, the excitement of the romance, the sweetness of "the Seven," and the focus on the blessing of family. The first half flies by; the build-up to the climatic scene is slower but engaging; the resolution is more drawn-out than I would prefer. My favorite of Dickerson's fairytale-twist novels so far, though!  

Un-"season"-ed Snack Size Review

 Mirror, Mirror (2012)

There are some crude scenes, some silly scenes, and some just plain bizarre scenes - but this is a visually creative and engaging film! And even though the theme of justice outweighs any hints of mercy, the story offers humor, a fun look at community and camaraderie, and a rather handsome prince with a great voice. ;) Not a movie for all moods or all people, but it does have a certain charm for an occasional viewing.

Note: "Seasoned" or "unseasoned" is in reference to my book rating system. Thanks to Juju of Tales of Whimsy for the inspiration regarding mini reviews!

10 comments:

Charity U said...

Loved the former, got a kick out of the latter. :) Fun reviews!

Tales of Whimsy said...

The book looks good.

I saw this movie. I liked it except for one scene when he taps her on the butt with his sword. It didn't bother me because of the flirting it bothered me because he seemed so condescending and mocking. At that moment I was thinking, "Aw chica perhaps you can do better." But otherwise I liked it too. And I LOVE the Bollywood ending.

Amanda Stanley said...

Really like you snack size reviews, Amber!! Snow White has always been one of, if not my very, favorite Disney Princesses! I think it might be how dark her hair is, I don't know, lol ;)

I totally agree with your Mirror, Mirror review, lol! I'd watch it again if it comes on TV but it's not on my "watch again and again" shelf, like say... North and South! ;) But it was cute.

I haven't read The Fairest Beauty but the cover is nice, if not a bit twilighty-dark. Your review makes it sound really good though, so I'll have to keep it in mind on my next trip to Amazon :)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, my friend!
Blessings,
Amanda

p.s.- I hope the comment moderation works out well for you and will stop all that spam stuff! I haven't gotten anything since we last talked, just so you know :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Charity,

Sounds like we're agreed, then! ;) Glad you enjoyed the reviews - thanks for stopping by!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Juju,

Yes, the book is good! :)

And that's a great point you make about the movie. I confess that I found the heroine a tad bit annoying in some ways, but yes, that sort of attitude would not be a good foundation for a relationship!

That ending IS quite fun, though! ;) (Although the last song can easily get stuck in your head and drive you crazy!)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Amanda,

Aw, I'm so glad you like them! :) I'm having a lot of fun putting them together... And now that I've done one themed one, I'm contemplating books and movies I can read/watch together for these posts, LOL!

I've gone back and forth on my favorite Disney princess. When I was younger, I went through periods of loving The Little Mermaid and Princess Jasmine. But, like most books-lovers I suppose, Belle might just be my favorite, overall. ;) That's cool that Snow White is one of your favorites!

Yep, Mirror, Mirror is fun but wacky, for sure! Not quite like North & South... ;)

If you enjoyed Melanie's other books (I think we shared a similar opinion about The Healer's Apprentice...?), and if you love Snow White, then I think you'll really enjoy this one! It's my favorite of the series so far! I'm quite excited to read The Captive Maiden (a Cinderella re-telling), which is hopefully coming out next fall. :)

So glad you stopped by, and YAY for no more spam e-mails so far!! :)

~Amber

Rissi said...

LOVED the movie - as well as SWATH which is much darker. Barely started the book. Hopefully when I'm caught up n review commitments that will come next. :)

Lovely post. :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Rissi,

Awesome! I haven't seen SWATH... I'm thinking the visuals might be a bit too much for me. But I'm glad to hear you liked it, despite it being darker! (I sadly confess that it took me a bit to realize SWATH was an acronym for Snow White & The Huntsman - I thought I might need to look up this unheard of movie called "Swath," LOL!)

Hope you get to enjoy The Fairest Beauty soon - it's a great read! :) It's hard to find the right balance, though, isn't it? I love getting new review books, but I also want to enjoy some non-review books more often!

Glad you enjoyed the post! :)

~Amber

Shaina said...

I agree about Mirror Mirror. It definitely had its moments.

I haven't read one of Dickerson's books before but I love the fairy tale genre. I'll have to give it a read. :)

~Shaina
Twitter: @Crazy4Fiction

Amber Holcomb said...

Shaina,

Glad you agree about Mirror, Mirror. :)

And if you love fairy tales mixed with faith, Dickerson's books are great fun! She's written twists (with historical settings) of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty & the Beast, and Snow White - with a Cinderella one to hopefully come later this year. :)

Thank you for visiting!

~Amber