Review: Summerfall by Claire Legrand

Title: Summerfall
Author: Claire Legrand
Series: Winterspell #0.5
Publication: August 26th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: 5/5

In this captivating novella, prequel to the upcoming Winterspell, Claire Legrand weaves a story of magic, political intrigue, and forbidden love.

Rinka is a faery, passionate and powerful, determined to maintain the tenuous peace between faeries and humans.

Alban Somerhart is a human, a reluctant king trapped in an arranged marriage, desperate to prevent war.

Their love could save the kingdom of Cane—or shatter it forever.

This entrancing tale sets the stage for the rise of a wicked queen, and the journey of a lifetime for a human girl named Clara...

Faeries, the stories said, must always keep moving, must always keep changing, just like the southern seas and their high, hot winds.

Okay... wow! Summerfall blew me away! I think I even liked it a bit more than Winterspell, which is saying a lot because that book is one of my top favorites. Not only did I adore Claire Legrand's amazingly gorgeous writing, she totally sucked me once again into the kingdom of Cane's world of intrigue at court, enthralling magic and power, the forbidden but passionate whirlwind romance of Rinka and Alban and it was all just so very intriguing and captivating and very tragic to read. 

This novella sets the perfect setting for Winterspell. If you haven't read the book yet then I would absolutely recommend you to read Summerfall first to get a feel of the world and read about how Anise came into the world. In my case, I don't think it would've mattered if I had read this novella first because I've always felt somewhat... let's say... considerate to Anise and all the things she did. I even understand her more now. And maybe it was just me but I could kind of sense some small comparisons between today's world and this fantasy one because the humans and faeries were pretty distrustful of each other which only resulted in a lot of treachery, political as well as personal. Ah, the intrigue!

It was sad for Rinka but she came to court after leading a pretty sheltered life with so many hopes and dreams about humans and faeries being one front and not to be so weary about one another, thinking they would be so amazing. She was a bit naive in that, but I did love her enthusiasm in her beliefs. And of course there was no denying her attraction to Alban. Even though he's married and I knew only bad things would come of it, I was still shipping the hell out of them. Their chemistry was so intense! Yes, I was a fan of their love and rooted for them through the end. I'm a sucker for forbidden love.

Like I mentioned before Summerfall is tragic, and it truly is. I knew it wasn't going to end well but I still wasn't really prepared for the sadness I felt. However, this doesn't take away any of the brilliance that I thought this story had. I truly love stories about faeries, though there aren't that many good ones, in my opnion. So this is one is obviously ahead of that list. Really, the world of Cane is just so alluring and fabulous to me... I want, no I need, more!

About the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Claire Legrand is the author of books for children and teens, including The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, The Year of Shadows, the upcoming Winterspell, and its prequel, Summerfall. She is also one of the four authors of The Cabinet of Curiosities.

When not writing books, she can be found obsessing over DVD commentaries, going on long walks (or trying to go on long runs), and speaking with a poor English accent to random passersby. She thinks musicians and librarians are the loveliest of folks (having been each of those herself) and, while she loves living in central New Jersey, she dearly misses her big, brash, beautiful home state of Texas.

Her work is represented by Diana Fox of Fox Literary, LLC.

Arc Review: Winterspell by Claire Legrand

Title: Winterspell
Author: Claire Legrand
Publication: September 30th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy ~ Retelling
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overall Rating: 4/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Darkly romantic and entirely enchanting, this reimagining of The Nutcracker from Claire Legrand brims with magic, love, and intrigue. New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer (Cinder) says “this is not your grandmother’s Nutcracker tale.”

After her mother is brutally murdered, seventeen-year-old Clara Stole is determined to find out what happened to her. Her father, a powerful man with little integrity, is a notorious New York City gang lord in the syndicate-turned-empire called Concordia. And he isn’t much help.

But there is something even darker than Concordia’s corruption brewing under the surface of the city, something full of vengeance and magic, like the stories Clara’s godfather used to tell her when she was a little girl. Then her father is abducted and her little sister’s life is threatened, and Clara accidentally frees Nicholas from a statue that has been his prison for years. Nicholas is the rightful prince of Cane, a wintry kingdom that exists beyond the city Clara has known her whole life.

When Nicholas and Clara journey together to Cane to retrieve her father, Clara encounters Anise, the queen of the faeries, who has ousted the royal family in favor of her own totalitarian, anti-human regime. Clara finds that this new world is not as foreign as she feared, but time is running out for her family, and there is only so much magic can do...

Winterspell was fantastic! I can't even begin to explain this amazing story. I knew this was going to be a great read but I hadn't imagined it being as good as it was. I loved the story, the characters, the writing and the echoes of The Nutcracker story. Oh and let's not forget the unbelievably excellent world building. Just perfection!

Let's talk about Clara. I really liked her. At first I thought her a bit weak when she let herself be pushed around by Concordia, especially Patricia Plum and Dr. Victor but she sure made a huge change, gradually, through the book. It was character building in its finest. And I love her she gave Plum and Dr. Victor a taste of their own medicine in the end. 

There's quite a few side characters that play a pretty big role in this book like Prince Nicholas. I liked him, but I wasn't too fond of him when he made some decisions that didn't sit well with me. But still, he and Clara had some really great chemistry going and I love that in characters that are or will get romantically involved. 
Then there's Godfather Drosselmeyer. He was a great character. He kept a lot of things from Clara but I still liked him anyway. He was like a second father to her and he was just so interesting to read about!
And finally, there's Anise, the faery queen. I had expected to really hate her but I ended up being a little sympathetic to her in some way. I do believe she was really lonely, afraid and just wanted a friend. But she was kinda crazy though. Crazy and evil.

Like I said it has amazing world building. It really does. I was so impressed by it because it's been a while since I read a book with at least some decent world building. 
The ending was perfect. I was getting kind of worried about what would happen with Clara and if she would ever return to Cane. To know if she does you'll just have to read the book and find out on your own. 
The only slightly negative thing I felt when reading was that the book was so long. For the last 40% of it I was ready for it to be over but that's just me.

Overall, Winterspell was a dark, greatly imagined with elements of steampunk, retelling of The Nutcracker that left be speechless. It was unlike anything I've read before and I loved it. Claire Legrand did an fantastic job with this tale that almost everyone knows. I simply loved it!

About the Author:

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Claire Legrand used to be a musician until she realized she couldn't stop thinking about the stories in her head. Now a writer, Ms. Legrand can often be found typing with purpose at her keyboard, losing herself in the stacks at her local library, or embarking upon spontaneous adventures to lands unknown. Her first novel is THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, a New York Public Library Best Book for Children in 2012. Her second novel, THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, a ghost story for middle grade readers, is available now. Her third novel, WINTERSPELL, will follow on September 30, 2014, with its prequel e-novella, SUMMERFALL, releasing August 26, 2014. She is one of the four authors behind THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, an anthology of dark middle grade fiction due out May 27, 2014 from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins. Claire lives in New Jersey with a dragon and two cats. Visit her at claire-legrand.com and at enterthecabinet.com.