Monday, March 18, 2024

New Book: A Feather So Black (Fair Folk Book 1) by Lyra Selene



A Feather So Black (Fair Folk Book 1) by Lyra Selene is new this month. That cover is beautiful, isn't it? This is a Swan Maidens inspired retelling.

Book description from the publisher:

Set in a world of perilous magic and moonlit forests, this seductive romantic fantasy tells the story of a defiant changeling, her cursed sister, and the dangerous fae lord she must defeat to save her family.

In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen's daughter and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg.

Most despise Fia's fae blood. But the queen raises her as a daughter and trains her to be a spy. Meanwhile, the real princess Eala is bound to Tír na nÓg, cursed to become a swan by day and only returning to her true form at night.

When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. But she doesn’t go alone: with her is prince Rogan, Fia's dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed.

As they journey through the forests of the Folk, where magic winds through the roots of the trees and beauty can be a deadly illusion, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for the prince…and her unexpected attraction to the dark-hearted fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be more monster than man, but he seems to understand Fia in a way no one ever has.

Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her mission. But time is running out to break her sister's curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything she has come to love.


SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Bargain Ebook: Kill the Farm Boy: The Tales of Pell

Kill the Farm Boy: The Tales of Pell (The Tales of Pell Series Book 1) by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson is on sale for $1.99, but I don't know for how long.

Book description from the publisher:

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told.

This is not that fairy tale.

There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.

And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.

There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he’s bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there’s the Dark Lord, who wishes for the boy’s untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there’s a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar “happily ever after” that ever once-upon-a-timed. 

SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Bargain Ebook: Tales of India: Folktales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu

Tales of India: Folktales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu by Svabhu Kohli (Illustrator), Viplov Singh (Illustrator)  is a Kindle Daily Deal for $2.99 today. 

Book description from the publisher:

Traditional Indian lore through the eyes of two artists. “Their collaboration is nothing short of phenomenal. The illustrations take you into another world.” —Medium

A shape-shifting tiger and a pretentious rat.

A generous goddess and a powerful demon.

A clever princess and a prince who returns from the dead.

This collection of sixteen traditional tales transports readers to the beguiling world of Indian folklore. Transcribed by Indian and English folklorists in the nineteenth century, these stories brim with wit and magic. Fans of fairy tales will encounter familiar favorites—epic quests and talking animals—alongside delightful surprises—an irreverent sense of humor and an array of bold, inspiring heroines. Each tale in this ebook comes alive alongside exquisite artwork by a pair of contemporary Indian artists.

SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Bargain Ebook: Tales of Japan: Traditional Stories of Monsters and Magic

Tales of Japan: Traditional Stories of Monsters and Magic by Kotaro Chiba (Illustrator) is a Kindle Daily Deal for $2.99 today. 

Book description from the publisher:

A goblin with no body and a monster with no face. A resourceful samurai and a faithful daughter. A spirit of the moon and a dragon king.

This collection of 15 traditional Japanese folktales transports readers to a time of adventure and enchantment. Drawn from the works of folklorists Lafcadio Hearn and Yei Theodora Ozaki, these tales are by turns terrifying, exhilarating, and poetic.

• Striking illustrations by contemporary Japanese artist Kotaro Chiba

• Special gift edition features an embossed, textured case with metallic gold ink, and a satin ribbon page marker

• Part of the popular Tales series, featuring Nordic Tales, Celtic Tales, Tales of India, and Tales of East Africa

Fans of Ghostly Tales, and Japanese Notebooks will love this book.

This book is ideal for:

• Fans of fairytales, folklore, ghost stories, Greek mythology, roman mythology, Chinese mythology, and Celtic mythology

• Anyone interested in Japan's history books and culture studies

• People of Japanese heritage

• Collectors of illustrated classics

SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Monday, April 17, 2023

Bargain Ebook: The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne is $2.99 KDD

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne is $2.99 as a Kindle Daily Deal. 

Book description from the publisher:

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in her tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there? Mary McMyne's spellbinding debut reveals the truth behind the fairy tale—the truth they never wanted you to know, as only a witch might tell it.

"Smart, swift, sure-footed and fleet-winged, The Book of Gothel launches its magic from a most reliable source: the troubled heart. Mary McMyne is a magician."—Gregory Maguire, NYT bestselling author of Wicked

Germany, 1156. With her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, young Haelewise has never quite fit in. Shunned by her village, her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, and of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

When her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother spoke of—a place called Gothel, where she meets a wise woman willing to take Haelewise under her wing. There, she discovers that magic is found not only in the realm of fairy tales.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It's also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the church strives to keep hidden. A secret that reveals a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles, behind the world Haelewise has always known.

 SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Bargain Ebook: For the Wolf (The Wilderwood Book 1) by Hannah Whitten for $1.99

For the Wolf (The Wilderwood Book 1) by Hannah Whitten is a Kindle Daily Deal today, available in ebook for $1.99. I haven't read this one. It appears to borrow more from Beauty and the Beast with some Red Riding Hood allusions, of course. Hard to miss those with the title and cover.

Book description from the publisher:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND TIKTOK SENSATION!

The first daughter is for the Throne.

The second daughter is for the Wolf.

An instant NYT bestseller and word-of-mouth sensation, this dark, romantic debut fantasy weaves the unforgettable tale of a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn't the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood.

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose—to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods.

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again.

But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood—and her world—whole.

"If you ever wished Beauty and the Beast had more eldritch forest monsters and political machinations, this is the romance for you."―Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

"A brilliant dark fantasy debut!" —Jodi Picoult, NYT bestselling author


SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Bargain Ebook: Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga

Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga by Christina Henry (Author), Lindy Ryan (Editor) is on sale as a Kindle Daily Deal for $1.99 today.

Book description from the publisher:

A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by the Baba Yaga. Featuring Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph, with an introduction by Christina Henry.

Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds' legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the Baba Yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the Baba Yaga may find help, or hindrance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch— and these are her tales.

Edited by Lindy Ryan, this collection brings together some of today' s leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the Baba Yaga, and go Into the Forest.

"Perfect for horror fans who can't get enough of folklore and fairy-tale retellings that veer in unexpected directions." — Booklist Starred Review

"Fans of folklore retellings will find plenty to enjoy." — Publishers Weekly

"The stories in Into the Forest collect the guts and bones of some of the world' s oldest witch tales and refashion them into something new, beautiful, and gruesome." — Foreword Reviews

"A powerful literary reflection... Outstanding in its diversity and interpretations, Into the Forest is very highly recommended not just for horror collections, but for libraries strong in women's literature, as well as for reader's book groups who would study the legend and realities of the Baba Yaga folktale as it journeys into the heart and soul of women's experiences and psychology." — Midwest Book Review


SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Bargain Ebook: Black Thorn, White Rose edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling for $1.99

Black Thorn, White Rose (Fairy Tale Anthologies) edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling is on sale as a Kindle Daily Deal for $1.99.

Book Description: 

World Fantasy Award–winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling return with another superb collection of wonders and terrors. In Black Thorn, White Rose, the magical tales we were told at bedtime have been upended, turned inside out, reshaped, and given a keen, distinctly adult edge by eighteen of the most acclaimed storytellers ever to reinvent a fairy tale. Our favorite characters, from Sleeping Beauty to Rumpelstiltskin to the Gingerbread Man, are here but in different guises, brought to new life by such masters as Nancy Kress, Jane Yolen, Storm Constantine, and the late, great Roger Zelazny.
These breathtaking tales of dark enchantments range from the tragic and poignant to the humorous to the horrifying to the simply astonishing. The story of an aging woodcutter persuaded to help a desperate prince make his way through the brambles to save a sleeping beauty twists ingeniously around like the thorny wall that impedes them. The fable of an all-controlling queen mother who faces her most fearsome adversary in a sensitive princess who appears mysteriously during a storm is a dark, disturbing masterpiece. And readers will long remember the exquisite tale of Death, his godson, football, and MTV.
Anyone who has ever loved or even feared the old tales of witches and trolls and remarkable transformations will find much to admire in this extraordinary collection—happily ever after or not.


SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

 

Monday, February 27, 2023

Bargain Ebook: Icelandic Folk Tales by Stefánsson and Fahlström

Icelandic Folk Tales by Hjörleifur Helgi Stefánsson and Tord Sandström Fahlström is on sale as a Kindle Daily Deal for $2.99.

Book Description: 

Iceland is a country where stories are as important as history. When Vikings settled the island, they brought their tales with them. Every rock, hot spring and waterfall seems to have its own story. Cruel man-eating trolls rub shoulders with beautiful elves, whose homes are hidden from mortal view. Vengeful ghosts envy the living, seeking to drag lost loves into their graves – or they may simply demand a pinch of your snuff. Some of the stories in this collection are classic Icelandic tales, while others are completely new to English translation. Hjörleifur has always been deeply interested in the rich lore of his island. His grandparents provided a second home in his upbringing and taught him much about the past through their own way of life. Hjörleifur is dedicated to breathing fresh life into the stories he loves. He lives on his family farm in Borgarfjörður, and also spends a lot of time in Scotland, where he is becoming renowned on the Scottish storytelling circuit.


SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

 

Thursday, June 9, 2022

25 Years of Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Time flies, folks. I recently saw the reminder that Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is 25 years old in 2022. I remember reading this book when it was first released and crossing my fingers that it would win the Newbery Medal that year. I was very disappointed when it only got the Newbery Honor. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse won that year. It's a fine book but so is Ella Enchanted which also happens to be a book that kids enjoy reading, too. Both are "issues" books, but one hides it much better from the casual reader. But the politics of children's literature is really beyond my thought capacity today, so let's move on to some squeeing about a favorite book that impacted me personally.

To put it all in better context, I was headed to grad school for Library and Information Science in 1997 with an emphasis on children's and YA librarianship. I also started dating my husband, John, that year and married him in 1998. He was a graphic designer working with online sites. Both of those experiences, along with reading books like Ella Enchanted, converged into my creation of SurLaLune Fairy Tales in 1998. I wanted to build a site and understand what John did a little better by sharing my love and knowledge of fairy tales and folklore.

There were very few versions of Cinderella that I enjoyed prior to Ella Enchanted's publication. I am a fan of The Slipper and the Rose, primarily because I like the music (best work of the Sherman Brothers after Mary Poppins) and the continuation of the story after the ball and slipper fitting. It always made sense to me. And who doesn't love Annette Crosbie's take on the Fairy Godmother? Pretty much all other Cinderella stories left me cold up until the time I read Ella Enchanted. I always preferred Beauty and the Beast and other fairy tales. But Ella Enchanted made me see Cinderella with new eyes. I loved the curse of obedience and Ella's methods of transgression. It resonated with me and still does 25 years later.

Although Bluebeard was the first tale to appear on SurLaLune, Cinderella came soon after thanks in part to Ella Enchanted. Levine had managed to make it fun for me to explore other iterations of Cinderella. After all, I didn't know then nearly what I know now about the tale. Cinderella has so many fascinating variations of the traditional tale, never mind the modern interpretations, that I find it endlessly interesting now. It was one of my favorite tales to edit into a collection of variations, too: Cinderella Tales from Around the World.

A few years after it was published, I would recommend Ella Enchanted to reader after reader while I worked as a librarian in Burbank, CA. They nearly always returned, begging for "More like this one, please!" That enthusiasm for reading always thrilled me. It still does. So congrats to Levine and her publishing team for a great book that still resonates 25 years later.

I was inspired to write this after reading the article below, to give full credit to my inspiration today:

Five Life Lessons From Ella Enchanted on the Novel’s 25th Anniversary by Diane Callahan over at Tor.com:

Here's an excerpt:

Many people struggle to say no—that’s especially the case for many women, because society trains them to be agreeable and self-sacrificing. For Ella, saying no is a literal impossibility thanks to her curse. She attends finishing school under her father’s orders. Hattie and Olive—two nasty bullies in her social circle—take her money and her mother’s pearl necklace. Hattie even deprives Ella of food for days by commanding her not to eat. Even worse, Hattie demands that Ella put an end to her only real friendship. Later on, her stepmother orders her to become a scullery maid and wash the floors. And Ella does, scrubbing until her knuckles bleed.

One reason this novel speaks so deeply to young readers is because it captures a hallmark of being a teenager: the tug-of-war between obedience and rebellion. Really, that desire to be transgressive exists throughout our lives, to some degree. We want the freedom to break the rules, yet we feel compelled to follow them because the consequences for doing otherwise are too great. We could be left unloved, penniless, and disowned if we fail to follow certain scripts we’ve been given. I think of kids with musical or artistic ambitions who become lawyers instead because their parents demand it, or because conventional wisdom says they’re destined for failure.

I’m cursed with obedience as well. When a stranger asks me for a favor—to edit something, maybe, or give advice—I have a hard time ignoring that request. But this realization has helped me recognize how others are cursed with obedience, too, and how easy it is to accidentally take advantage of their willingness to give.

SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Free Ebook: UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1) by Chanda Hahn


UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1) by Chanda Hahn is currently free in ebook format. It's the first in a series and I'll let the book description to the heavy lifting of explaining it all below:

Book description:

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated; until she saves her crush's life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her new found fame brings misfortune in the form of an old family curse come to light. For Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her it's next fairytale victim. To break the fairy tale curse on her family and make these deadly occurrences stop, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.

SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here

Ebook Sale: Uprooted by Naomi Novik for $1.99 TODAY ONLY


Uprooted by Naomi Novik is on sale TODAY ONLY in ebook format for $1.99 at many retailers (but the links here are Amazon).

NEBULA AWARD WINNER • HUGO AWARD FINALIST • “If you want a fantasy with strong characters and brilliantly original variations on ancient stories, try Uprooted!”—Rick Riordan

“Breathtaking . . . a tale that is both elegantly grand and earthily humble, familiar as a Grimm fairy tale yet fresh, original, and totally irresistible.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • BuzzFeed • Tordotcom • BookPage • Library Journal • Publishers Weekly

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

 

SurLaLune Small Print

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here