I’ve just finished the second book in the Ravenspire Series! In this second stand alone novel titled The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine, we follow the tales of Rumpelstiltskin (who goes by Alistair Teague). We also meet twins Thaddeus and Ariana who become King and Princess overnight, and Sebastian, a mysterious tough guy turned weapons master who falls in love with Princess Ariana. Don’t be afraid to keep reading, I’m not going to give away any spoilers.

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I absolutely loved the character development in this novel. The character profile of Sebastian alone was SO in-depth. You were able to get a real sense at how troubled his childhood was as a result of the physical abuse at the hands of his father. He’s a very closed off individual, initially, programmed to defend himself and not let anyone get too close to him. Teague was exceptionally ruthless and vile. I don’t know if any of you ever watched the show Once Upon A Time, but if you did, I pictured him to look just like Rumple. Short and thin with a vicious grin, skin that wasn’t quite human-like and just as conniving as can be to further his own interests at the expense of anyone who crossed his path. Ari is a vivacious food loving princess with fierce love and loyalty to her brother and unwavering determination once she sets her mind to something. Ari was my favorite character, I can appreciate anyone who loves pies and bacon as much as I do 🙂

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You don’t have to read The Shadow Queen to follow this novel. There’s brief mention of the Queen of Ravenspire and her new HUSBAND (yay!!) in the beginning, but that’s it, they aren’t even mentioned by name. Other than that, this is truly a stand alone novel that let’s you get well acquainted with a new kingdom, Sùndraille, and brand new set of characters.  You don’t really get the full classic Rumpelstiltskin story until the final chapters of the book. The majority of the novel is spent detailing Teague’s devastation across the kingdom, Ari’s relentless mission to stop him and save her brother, kingdom and herself,  and the blossoming love story between her and Sebastian. For a minute there I was getting a little worried that the actual “retelling” wasn’t going to be tied in well enough for my taste but everything was excellently delivered in the end. If I had to choose a favorite between The Shadow Queen and The Wish Granter, I would probably choose The Shadow Queen–but it’s a close race. I think my preference is really just chalked up to the fairy tale, as both novels are written equally well.

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This novel had it’s fair share of twists from the original story too. The fact that Teague can spin straw into gold was only briefly mentioned, instead, his main specialty is taking souls when they come due from those who dare to make a wish and turning them into a street drug that is ravaging the kingdom. There’s also the fact that Teague is Fae and a whole bunch of magic surrounding him and his homeland, Llorenyae.

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Since I have a compulsive need to finish and entire series all at once, I’ll be starting The Traitor Prince tonight. It’s based on the fairy tale The Prince and the Pauper. I’m not totally familiar with the ins and outs of that story but based on the titles of each, I can infer the basic premise. I can’t decide if I should read the fairy tale before I start the novel or not–I think I want to leave myself relatively in the dark about what is going to happen next. If you’re keeping up with this series or have yet to start, I still highly recommend it as far as retellings go.