Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Wishing for Wednesday: What Should Be Wild & All the Ever Afters



Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. (Based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.)


What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine
Release Date: May 8, 2018 by Harper
In this darkly funny, striking debut, a highly unusual young woman must venture into the woods at the edge of her home to remove a curse that has plagued the women in her family for millennia—an utterly original novel with all the mesmerizing power of The Tiger’s Wife, The Snow Child, and Swamplandia!

Cursed. Maisie Cothay has never known the feel of human flesh: born with the power to kill or resurrect at her slightest touch, she has spent her childhood sequestered in her family’s manor at the edge of a mysterious forest. Maisie’s father, an anthropologist who sees her as more experiment than daughter, has warned Maisie not to venture into the wood. Locals talk of men disappearing within, emerging with addled minds and strange stories. What he does not tell Maisie is that for over a millennium her female ancestors have also vanished into the wood, never to emerge—for she is descended from a long line of cursed women.

But one day Maisie’s father disappears, and Maisie must venture beyond the walls of her carefully constructed life to find him. Away from her home and the wood for the very first time, she encounters a strange world filled with wonder and deception. Yet the farther she strays, the more the wood calls her home. For only there can Maisie finally reckon with her power and come to understand the wildest parts of herself. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this one: A curse and mysterious woods is enough to win my attention. I am looking forward reading What Should Be Wild.

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All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother by Danielle Teller
Release Date: May 22, 2018 by William Morrow

In the vein of Wicked, The Woodcutter, and Boy, Snow, Bird, a luminous reimagining of a classic tale, told from the perspective of Agnes, Cinderella’s “evil” stepmother.

We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we?

As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. . . .

A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated from her family and forced into servitude as a laundress’s apprentice when she is only ten years old. Using her wits and ingenuity, she escapes her tyrannical matron and makes her way toward a hopeful future. When teenaged Agnes is seduced by an older man and becomes pregnant, she is transformed by love for her child. Once again left penniless, Agnes has no choice but to return to servitude at the manor she thought she had left behind. Her new position is nursemaid to Ella, an otherworldly infant. She struggles to love the child who in time becomes her stepdaughter and, eventually, the celebrated princess who embodies everyone’s unattainable fantasies. The story of their relationship reveals that nothing is what it seems, that beauty is not always desirable, and that love can take on many guises.
Lyrically told, emotionally evocative, and brilliantly perceptive,
All the Ever Afters explores the hidden complexities that lie beneath classic tales of good and evil, all the while showing us that how we confront adversity reveals a more profound, and ultimately more important, truth than the ideal of “happily ever after.” [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this one: I have enjoyed some of the fairy-tale re-tellings out there written from the villain's perspective. There is more than one side to every story, after all. This sounds like it will be good.


Do either of these appeal to you?
What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?


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17 comments:

  1. Interesting premise and characterisations. I'll be curious of your thoughts if you do read them, Wendy.

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  2. I love the sound of both of these - but particularly the first one - what an unusual premise! Thank you for sharing these, Wendy:)

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  3. All the Ever Afters definitely appeals to me. I love a good retelling and especially one that comes from an unexpected point of view.

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  4. Nice choices that will bring a good change of pace--and both out very soon!

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  5. These both sound brilliant -- especially all the Ever Afters!

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  6. They both sound so interesting. The latter...wow a pov from the wicked stepmother would be interesting. Will we find she's not so wicked after all? Or she's even worse than we realised.


    Angelica @ Paperback Princess

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  7. Both of those books have fabulous covers. I would give What Should Be Wild a try.

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  8. All the Ever Afters is definitely high on my list. I love the unique POV in this retelling!

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  9. Wow! I just added both of these to my wishlist. I love books with curses and retellings. Nice choices!

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  10. Oh, another point of view makes for an interesting take on a fairy tale!

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  11. This type of thing does appeal to me and this one specifically. I can see there being another side to the stepmother's actions here. It's not like she tries to kill Cinderella like the one in Snow White.

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  12. What should Be Wild sounds like it would work for me too. I'm always interested in mysterious woods :)

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  13. Oh both of these sound intriguing and with lovely cover art!

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  14. I love fairy tales from another perspective. Adding this to my wish list!

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  15. Thank you for your great comments! Don't these both sound delicious? I can't wait to read them.

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