Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Little, Brown and Company (First Edition)
Pages
306
Description
At Ever After High, a boarding school for the sons and daughters of famous fairy-tale characters, students Apple White and Raven Queen face the moment when they must choose whether to follow their destinies, or change them.
Description
At Ever After High, an enchanting boarding school, the children of fairytale legends prepare themselves to fulfill their destinies as the next generation of Snow Whites, Prince Charmings and Evil Queens...whether they want to or not. Each year on Legacy Day, students sign the Storybook of Legends to seal their scripted fates. For generations, the Village of Book End has whispered that refusing to sign means The End-both for a story and for a life.
As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.
What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both.
As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.
What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both.
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
306 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
0316401226 / 9780316401227
Similar in this library
Lexile
720L
User reviews
LibraryThing member nmhale
Yes, I admit it. I bought a book that is based on a web cartoon series that is based on a toy line. I am entranced with the premise behind Ever After High, and while I realize the story was originated to sell dolls, it doesn't stop me from finding the characters cute and the plot attractive. Much
The Ever After High series focuses on children of fairy tale characters. According to the book, fairy tales are fated to be endlessly repeated, and the method of accomplishing this goal is by having the descendants of the fairy tale denizens sign a book that ensures they will follow in their parents' footsteps. Once they sign their name in the Storybook of Legends, their destiny is sealed. For some teenagers this is their greatest ambition; others, however, are not eager to take up the legacy their parents left behind.
The story follows two of the more famous fairy tale younglings: Apple White (daughter of Snow White) and Raven Queen (daughter of the Evil Queen). Apple is delighted to be entering her sophomore year, the year she finally achieves confirmation of her happy ending. To Apple, all of the horrible things she is meant to experience are worth it for the sweet ending. Raven, on the other hand, can barely think about her fate. Not only because her mother met a terrible end, but even more because she wants to be a kind and good person. She hates being wicked.
The two girls are roommates, arranged by Apple who is desperate to be frenemies with her future enemy. Apple naively assumes that all Ever Afters want to accept their story as much as she does, and she has very innocent ideas about having a nemesis. She constantly appeals to Raven to accept her role as a villain, not ever thinking that a real villain would never do anything to make her happy. A nice thing about this book, though, is that it gives Apple a lot more depth than in the cartoons. We learn about an early childhood trauma fueling her drive to find a happily ever after, and we see that Apple believes the stability of the entire world rests on the Ever Afters accepting to repeat their chosen patterns. The narrative also develops Raven's character, as it splits the book evenly between the two girls. Raven had her own share of childhood misfortunes to turn her away from the darkness her mother embraced.
As Apple realizes that Raven is actually serious about not signing her name on Legacy Day, she decides to go along with Raven's plan of tracking down the truth about what will happen if she doesn't sign her name. Raven believes she can find an alternate answer, and Apple believes she will be convinced once and for all that she only has one choice. The book assumes the form of a mystery as the girls pursue the history of Bella and her sister, two previous Ever Afters who refused to sign many years ago. Together, Raven and Apple sneak out of school and seek a mysterious cave that holds ominous signs. Apple is confirmed in her opinion, but Raven suspects a trap, and asks her friend Maddie (daughter of the Mad Hatter) for help. Together, they visit an odd man who claims to be Headmaster Grimm's brother, and Raven receives enigmatic words suggesting Legacy Day is a misguided ceremony. Finally, though, Raven must decide for herself whether she will put pen to paper or not.
While the premise is not really original - it borrows from its precursor, Monster High, where the fashionable children of famous monsters attend school together - it is fun. I have loved fairy tales since I was child, and am always fond of retellings. Reading about the adventures of the descendants of famous fairy tale characters is very appealing to me. This novel adds depth and characterization to what were basically pretty pictures and interesting concepts in the animated series. Also, while Ever After High clearly borrows from Monster High, the series has a much more cohesive narrative, with foreshadowing and rising tension and a sense of coming climax. Is this an example of a superb children's literature? No. Is it well written and an enjoyable adventure? Yes. I had a good time with it.
Don't think too deeply about the inherent contradictions here. For instance, isn't Raven destined to be Apple's stepmother if history is to repeat itself, meaning that she will marry Apple's father? And, who are her parents then, if her own mother married Snow White's father? Actually, the author addresses some of these problems by having Apple and Raven wonder about them, but each character writes them off as issues of the future. I rather doubt the animation series has thought through any convoluted explanation. It will probably just ignore such perplexing problems. I wonder if the author will address them in future volumes of the book series.
For future volumes there will be. The second book was just recently published, and promises to explore the results of Raven's startling decision. I look forward to reading it. While this first volume covered material already present in the animation series, albeit at greater depth and detail, the second book appears to bring in material not covered in the cartoons. I expect it will be an easy read that provides a few hours of light entertainment and fun characters, much like this first book in the series.
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like the cartoon that inspired this book, the story is a fun blend of fairy tale and teen hipster. The Ever After High series focuses on children of fairy tale characters. According to the book, fairy tales are fated to be endlessly repeated, and the method of accomplishing this goal is by having the descendants of the fairy tale denizens sign a book that ensures they will follow in their parents' footsteps. Once they sign their name in the Storybook of Legends, their destiny is sealed. For some teenagers this is their greatest ambition; others, however, are not eager to take up the legacy their parents left behind.
The story follows two of the more famous fairy tale younglings: Apple White (daughter of Snow White) and Raven Queen (daughter of the Evil Queen). Apple is delighted to be entering her sophomore year, the year she finally achieves confirmation of her happy ending. To Apple, all of the horrible things she is meant to experience are worth it for the sweet ending. Raven, on the other hand, can barely think about her fate. Not only because her mother met a terrible end, but even more because she wants to be a kind and good person. She hates being wicked.
The two girls are roommates, arranged by Apple who is desperate to be frenemies with her future enemy. Apple naively assumes that all Ever Afters want to accept their story as much as she does, and she has very innocent ideas about having a nemesis. She constantly appeals to Raven to accept her role as a villain, not ever thinking that a real villain would never do anything to make her happy. A nice thing about this book, though, is that it gives Apple a lot more depth than in the cartoons. We learn about an early childhood trauma fueling her drive to find a happily ever after, and we see that Apple believes the stability of the entire world rests on the Ever Afters accepting to repeat their chosen patterns. The narrative also develops Raven's character, as it splits the book evenly between the two girls. Raven had her own share of childhood misfortunes to turn her away from the darkness her mother embraced.
As Apple realizes that Raven is actually serious about not signing her name on Legacy Day, she decides to go along with Raven's plan of tracking down the truth about what will happen if she doesn't sign her name. Raven believes she can find an alternate answer, and Apple believes she will be convinced once and for all that she only has one choice. The book assumes the form of a mystery as the girls pursue the history of Bella and her sister, two previous Ever Afters who refused to sign many years ago. Together, Raven and Apple sneak out of school and seek a mysterious cave that holds ominous signs. Apple is confirmed in her opinion, but Raven suspects a trap, and asks her friend Maddie (daughter of the Mad Hatter) for help. Together, they visit an odd man who claims to be Headmaster Grimm's brother, and Raven receives enigmatic words suggesting Legacy Day is a misguided ceremony. Finally, though, Raven must decide for herself whether she will put pen to paper or not.
While the premise is not really original - it borrows from its precursor, Monster High, where the fashionable children of famous monsters attend school together - it is fun. I have loved fairy tales since I was child, and am always fond of retellings. Reading about the adventures of the descendants of famous fairy tale characters is very appealing to me. This novel adds depth and characterization to what were basically pretty pictures and interesting concepts in the animated series. Also, while Ever After High clearly borrows from Monster High, the series has a much more cohesive narrative, with foreshadowing and rising tension and a sense of coming climax. Is this an example of a superb children's literature? No. Is it well written and an enjoyable adventure? Yes. I had a good time with it.
Don't think too deeply about the inherent contradictions here. For instance, isn't Raven destined to be Apple's stepmother if history is to repeat itself, meaning that she will marry Apple's father? And, who are her parents then, if her own mother married Snow White's father? Actually, the author addresses some of these problems by having Apple and Raven wonder about them, but each character writes them off as issues of the future. I rather doubt the animation series has thought through any convoluted explanation. It will probably just ignore such perplexing problems. I wonder if the author will address them in future volumes of the book series.
For future volumes there will be. The second book was just recently published, and promises to explore the results of Raven's startling decision. I look forward to reading it. While this first volume covered material already present in the animation series, albeit at greater depth and detail, the second book appears to bring in material not covered in the cartoons. I expect it will be an easy read that provides a few hours of light entertainment and fun characters, much like this first book in the series.
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Hmmm. Cute, but just a trifle too childish for me. OK, teen-ish. I kind-of-sort-of like the setting - the school for the heirs of the fairy tales - but the characters are mostly very simplistic (or at least, presented that way - there are hints of something deeper), the primary quest is very
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teen-simplistic (shall I follow the rules or make my own choices?), and the language really grated at times. Very is fairy, anything that starts with ex- (excellent, excess, excited...) is hex-, stupid stuff like that. "Hexcellent! Fairy, fairy good..." yuck. One thing I liked (though it might bother some) is that the culmination of the quest didn't end the story - Raven made her choice, and then had to live with it. So did the rest of the school. And the last chapter is a (rather heavy-handed) hint to the overall arc of the series - I had figured out the real villain before that, thank you. I do want to read the rest of the series, but unless it gets a lot better I doubt I'll reread. Fun once. Show Less
LibraryThing member VavaViolet
This is the type of book that I wish came out when my daughter was younger, back when she was into Disney princesses. It's a book you can give your daughter and not worry about her mind being polluted. The story is about the children of well-loved fairy tale characters who are attending Ever After
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High. Book one primarily revolves around Raven Queen, the daughter of Snow White's evil stepmother, and Apple White, the daughter of Snow White. This is a series so I need to read the succeeding books to fully appreciate the story. That will have to wait though as I'm so behind my reading schedule. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
This was a fun bit of fairytale mash up for younger readers. I liked the dilemma Raven faced - be true to herself, or follow in the footsteps of someone she should be like but doesn't want to be.
LibraryThing member Mirandalg14
Annoying at first, but then I changed my approach to the intent. After that it was fun and kind of silly. Not sure I liked the ending though.
LibraryThing member EdenSteffey
Cute story.
LibraryThing member amandabock
This book is both not as bad and just as bad as you might expect, given how very pink it is. The puns really save it, as does the classic theme of destiny versus free will. The added classism at the end adds promise for future books.
I read it so I could see if I needed to hide it from the
I read it so I could see if I needed to hide it from the
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kindergarteners. Fear not: utterly G-rated, although I would recommend it for the grade 2-4 crowd. Show Less
LibraryThing member ms_rowse
I'm a fan of Shannon Hale and a fan of derivative literature, so this was a no-brainer for me to read. Good message at the end about choice, and good solid female protagonists. What I loved most was that in a book about fairy tales, this was about the female protagonists being active instead of
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passive, and while there are glimpses of romantic connections, they are just glimpses. The story is about the girls' character development, which we don't get a lot of in fairy tales. Good cliffhanger, so I'll be reading the next one! Show Less
Awards
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2016)
Call number
J4A.Hal