Five Enchanted Roses by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Dear, dear Franz! He’s exactly the kind of unlikely hero that I love to cheer for! As a banker’s clerk wrongly committed to the asylum, he tries so very hard to be the True Hero everyone is looking for. The second reason was that he was helplessly strapped, so, even if she’d been some sort of brute, the only harmful thing he could do was glare. This was another pleasant surprise! A solid 4 stars. But in the end, it did tie together, so this isn’t completely a negative!

At times, like when I thought the inclusion of the creatures was random, it felt like the story meandered.

Neriya, the prince: oh my goodness, he’s a sweetheart too! So brave and endearing.

Political happenings that were realistic, not ideal, but still not dry at all.

It felt like there was a whole world to explore. At first, they seemed random, but I should’ve known better–they all became important later on.

All the cool creatures! They were what gave the story a mythical slant.

Palli, the Sleeping Beauty character, was so sweet and altruistic.

When her other small sisters wondered why Palli went so willingly to bed, Palli only blinked at them and said, “It is good practice.” But if all she had to was sleep–well, she could do that! She slept every night. All opinions are entirely my own.Palli did not know how she could save anyone. (I received a copy of this book from the narrator.

I really did enjoy the Five Enchanted Roses audiobook and I greatly look forward to more of such tales. I loved it! The added touch of a short musical piece to form a break between each story was a very nice addition and really helped to keep track of which story was which. The narrator was an excellent choice! Not only did she do different voices within each story but she also gave each heroine a slightly different accent. I was quite pleased with the audio production in every aspect. I listened to the audiobook version of this over 500 page collection of stories. It was quite a relief to find that none of these tales were 'Disney-fied', it was quite the opposite. One of my favorite things about this book, aside from the sheer variety of genres, is that none of these contest-winning authors named their heroine Belle. I knew I would be in a for a treat and that's exactly what I got.

Seriously, who knew there were so many ways to retell such a famous fairytale? Well, Five Enchanted Roses has got it ALL! I've wanted to read this book for some time now, since it was first announced by the publisher. Beauty and the Beast living in a Scottish castle during the Jacobite Rebellion, check. Beauty and the Beast in the jungle, check. Beauty and the Beast in a more traditional fantasy setting, check. Beauty and the Beast battling the undead, check. You've never seen Beauty and the Beast like this!īeauty and the Beast sailing the Spanish Main, check.

Five Enchanted Roses by Anne Elisabeth Stengl