OVERVIEW:

“Remember to be wild,” Orabella’s mother would say.

But her mother is dead and Orabella’s days are taken up with chores for the small estate that barely keeps her stepmother and stepsisters fed.

Then an invitation arrives. The King is throwing a three day party for the Prince, a last attempt to find a cure for the curse that will claim him on his twentieth birthday. The witch who saves Gauthier will get his hand in marriage and will eventually become queen.

Orabella is forbidden from going to the party even though everyone is invited. She wants to see the castle and the Cursed Prince. This time she refuses to obey her stepmother.

As Orabella discovers the secrets of her past and the truth about her mother and the prince’s curse, she learns that no one is to be trusted and not everyone wants the prince to survive.

MY THOUGHTS:

e-book format

Yes… a five star… for a re-telling, from me…

Well, well, I am pleasantly surprised! The author has managed to give a new dimension to the saying “wicked stepmother/sisters, and in a retelling none the less. Very well done.

I avoid retellings like the plague. It used to bother me that authors were taking classics written by amazing individuals and changing them to suit their own desires/needs, for a best seller… Now, after picking and chosing my way through some, since I’m asked to read and review so many, I have to say that I’ve stumbled across probably the best one I’ve read to date in “Servant of the Forest…”

What can I say, it’s incredibly well-written, the pace moves along smoothly, transitioning from one plot element to another with an ease known to belong to a more seasoned author. The character arcs are spun expertly, with growth developing at a steady pace, the MC achieving her goals through the help of the secondary characters. The villains, wow! Love to hate them.

Fantastic writing! Fantastic premise! Love this fantasy tale! Will read more from this author!

I gave this book: