Genre: New Adult (Fractured Fairy Tale/ Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: August 22, 2017
Publisher: The Parliament House
Once Upon a Time…
In the kingdom of Tranen, a king makes a promise to his dying wife that he'll only remarry a woman who possesses her golden hair. In time, the king's eyes are turned by his daughter. Realizing her father’s intentions, Princess Aurelia tries to trick him by requesting impossible gifts: dresses created by the sun, moon and stars, and a coat made of a thousand furs. But when he is successful, Aurelia sacrifices her privileged life and flees her kingdom, disguised by the cloak and a new name, Allerleirauh.
She enters the safe haven of Saarland der Licht, where the handsome and gentle Prince Klaus takes her under his care. Hoping not to be discovered by her father’s courtiers, Allerleirauh tries to remain hidden under her new identity when she finds unexpected love with Prince Klaus, even though his arranged marriage to the princess of a neighboring kingdom approaches. Risking everything, Allerleirauh must face her troubled past and her fears of the future along her journey to self-acceptance in this triumphant retelling of the classic Grimm Fairy Tale.
Allerleirauh by Chantal Gadoury is a fairy tale retelling of a story I'd never heard of before. So, I quickly googled to get the gist, and there are several variations, but the main theme remains pretty much the same: The King wants to marry his daughter because of a spell or promise he made to his dying wife. In this case, he wasn't allowed to re-marry unless he found someone who had the same hair she did. Guess who the only person is that has that same hair? The King's daughter. Not cool dying wife. Not cool.
The story is told entirely from Aurelia's point of view. My biggest issue was the rape scene. From reading the blurb, I was hoping she'd make her escape before her father had a chance to rape her. No such luck. It was one of the most painful things to read. I really wish we didn't get all the slimy details. And since, it's in Aurelia's point of view, I relived it with her through memories/flashbacks throughout the book. I can handle most things. Rape scenes, especially in a situation like this, aren't one of them. I know it happens, and that makes it so much worse to read about it in my fictional worlds.
Otherwise, the story was pretty great. Aurelia was a wonderful character. I loved getting to see her progression from victim to coping and taking control. Actually, all the characters were well built. Their world was thought out and convincing. The story was well written and easy to visualize. I'd like to read more by this author in the future!
“I won’t ever let them near you again, Aurelia. I swear it,” he promised as his grief-filled eyes met mine. “You must know I love you. It never mattered to me whether you were a princess or not. It matters not to me if you think you are soiled, because to me . . . you are more . . . You are more than what has happened to you, and you always shall be,” he said softly as his hand slid to my cheek. Carefully, his thumb wiped a tear away. “You are this wonderful, head-strong, and brave woman,” Klaus continued. “No one has any right to ever try to take such a thing away from you. It should only ever be admired and cherished.”
More tears began to spill over my cheeks as relief flooded me. Klaus would not turn me away; instead, he accepted me. I rested my forehead against his shoulder, as I felt his arms slowly wrap around me.
“Tell me what you wish for me to do, my sweet Aurelia, and I will do it.”
More tears began to spill over my cheeks as relief flooded me. Klaus would not turn me away; instead, he accepted me. I rested my forehead against his shoulder, as I felt his arms slowly wrap around me.
“Tell me what you wish for me to do, my sweet Aurelia, and I will do it.”
Check out my review of another book by this author!
To learn more about Chantal Gadoury and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Thank you so much for reviewing my novel, Gabby! And thank you so much for featuring me on your blog today! You've been through the entire process with me, and I'm so grateful for all of your help!
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