Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle - Book Review

Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle is a book made up of three novellas about magic and fairies and life. The three heroines find love, lose love, and learn a great deal. Cinders is a sequel to Cinderella continuing her life with the prince and how she really managed to snag a prince. Thirds is a retelling of Grimm's One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes which embodies the original story and takes it far beyond what I imagined. Scales is a prequel to Sleeping Beauty, and wow does it dig deep to find reasons for the pretty princess to touch a spindle and fall asleep.

Michelle takes Cinderella, and really all of the heroines, down a very unexpected path. The depth and imagination involved in the stories astounded me. They all three grow and change and become something fierce in their own worlds. Yet all three worlds are connected with smaller characters and the concepts of fairies, elves, sprites, humans, and bonding.

I love the not so happy endings of Cinders and Scales; I love the happy ending of Thirds. These stories go beyond the moral of a fairy tale, and yet they encompass and enforce that moral. Michelle breaths new ideas into the originals and brings so much life into them.

I really can not say enough about how beautiful these novellas are. They have stuck in my mind long after I finished them. I'm pretty stingy with my five-star reviews, but this wasn't even a question. Even if you are not a fantasy addict (clears throat), these stories have so much to show you.

I received this book from the author for review.

Drabble Dienstag - Hidden Among Us

Ever wondered what really lives among us? Getting coffee in line in front of you is a wizard disguised as a homeless man. The woman behind you on the sidewalk is a fairy masquerading as a stay-at-home mom.

A grown woman, I flit among the leaves, relishing the feel of sunshine dappling my skin. My heels stick in the mud, and I swing my briefcase as I twirl.
A twig snaps.
I stop, crouching to stay hidden. Once I’m sure there is no one there I begin dancing again. I take off my suit coat to move easier and lay it across a bush. I spin, and it’s gone. A child is holding it, eyes wide. I make sure to tuck my hair around my pointed ears and yank the garment away, striding out of the woods, dignified.