“Snapdragon”

Description:

“A spunky florist. A dying kingdom. A bond that could change the fate of a realm…

Persephina’s idea of a perfect future has always involved exactly two things: her mother and their little flower shop. Sure, marriage would be nice, but it’s hard to find love when the only men Percy meets are there to buy flowers for their sweethearts…until a mysterious, handsome stranger shows up in her shop.

But all is not as it seems, and when an innocent walk goes disastrously wrong, Percy finds herself in a whole new realm of trouble.

Literally.

Trapped in the dying Fairy Realm, Percy is left with no choice but to seek help from the so-called Lord of Death. Just when it looks like a future is going to blossom, however, secrets come to light that could change everything.

Because fairy princes are not all that they seem.

And in the end, death comes for all.

Spring has sprung with these eight swoony sweet retellings. Each novella finds its happily ever after amidst themes of rebirth, hope, and new life. Each book is fully independent and they can be read in any order. “Snapdragon” is a combined retelling, featuring tropes such as Found Family, Grumpy/Sunshine, and Hidden Identity.”

Personal Thoughts:

This is a fun, light read. The pacing was really fast, which I liked. I don’t know if I will reread it often, but I enjoyed it a lot. Its a Thumbelina retelling—I grew up on Disney’s Thumbelina, and it holds a special place in my heart. So, when I heard that Sarah Beran had written this book and that it is a retelling of Thumbelina I was instantly sold, and it did not disappoint. There were several well written plot twists that I didn’t see coming, which was fun, because normally I am able to see them coming. This isn’t my favorite book by her, and I think I mostly like it, because it’s a Thumbelina retelling, but it is still well written, clean, and has positive messages.

It is in a series of standalones, written by different authors, and it is on kindle unlimited. I have not read any of the other books, so I don’t have any information on the content.

Percy was a sweet character, a bit naive, and she got on my nerves a tiny bit, but I still liked her. There were several complex characters and lots of twists in this book.

Christianity(magic/spoilers)- this is a fantasy book and there is some magic. There is mention of “the Maker”. There is healing magic.

Spoiler/Disclaimer below, highlight to read:

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(She eats a magical pomegranate, which makes a connection with the land, so that she can’t leave for long periods of time. Also, Percy uses healing magic to save a character’s life. )

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Profanity- Percy says, “what in Helyos” (example: ‘what in Helyos is wrong with the ground here?” I am pretty sure that Helyos is the city she lives in.) and a “Maker forsaken place”. It is also mentioned that a character cursed, written not said.

A character calls Percy “sweetheart”, because he doesn’t know her name. Not meant romantically. Two almost kisses. Two kisses.

Violence- A character is kidnapped and trapped in the kingdom. There is a fight in the end, which involves a very annoying character getting punched. Two characters almost fight, but they are best friends, and no one gets hurt. Explanation/spoiler below, highlight to read.

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Hayes and Herman argue about Hayes losing his eyesight, and Herman is trying to prove that Hayes isn’t helpless. He throws two punches knowing Hayes will catch them, which he does. No one is hurt. And Percy is the character that is kidnapped. I kept this a spoiler; in case you don’t know the Thumbelina storyline.

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I recommend this for 15+

My personal rating is 4 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐