E-Arc Review: The Storyteller’s Daughter by Victoria McCombs

Title: The Storyteller’s Daughter
Author: Victoria McCombs
Genre: YA Fantasy / Retelling
Publication Date: July 14th, 2020
Publisher: Parliament House Press

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

“His shadowed face lit by flames,
Rumpelstiltskin is my name…

For as long as anyone can remember, every child in Westfallen has been born with a Gift, and these Gifts defined them.

Then Cosette is born, Giftless.

An attempt to hide her misfortune brings her before the King, who entraps her to use her Gift as a pawn in his war.

Caught in a lie, Cosette desperately searches for a power strong enough to free her. Intrigued by whispers of an old king and a dark curse, she calls upon Rumpelstiltskin and finds him trapped in a magic deeper than she bargained for. Now, Cosette must fight to reclaim her freedom from the King and break Rumpel’s curse. When time runs out, she’ll lose more than her heart. She’ll lose her life.

THE STORYTELLER’S DAUGHTER is the perfect introduction to YA that will satisfy fans of Gail Carson Levine’s ELLA ENCHANTED, as well as Jessica Day George’s DRAGON SLIPPERS and PRINCESS OF GLASS, and Cameron Dokey’s THE WORLD ABOVE.” (Goodreads)

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I write YA Fantasy. I love being transported to worlds that take my breath away. Worlds so complex and vivid, and yet I get to hold them in my hands. My writing inspirations are John Flanagan, P.W. Catanese and C.S. Lewis.In June 2018 I signed a publishing contract with Parliament House Press for my debut novel, The Storyteller’s Daughter. In October 2018 I signed my second contract. I now have a contract for the first four books in that series, which will be my only fairytale retellings. Beyond that, I have a Pirate Adventure in the making, and series with a vivid world with rich kingdoms and other races, already one book done.

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I had never read a Rumpelstiltskin retelling before this one. It’s one fairy tale that just doesn’t get enough love. In that way, this was very unique because it stands out from all the other retellings that are usually based on the same fairy tale. I liked the author’s take on it and thought it was done well!

Cosette is different from everyone else because she was born with no gift. Each person is defined by their gift and at times she wonders what it would be like to have one. I think we all would feel that way. It’s quite hard to be different.

In ways, she reminded me of Belle which I’m not mad about because she’s my favorite princess! Cosette is a bookworm and wants more out of life than what she has in her town.

Rumpelstiltskin is definitely not how you would picture him. He is caring, helpful, and obviously good looking. He is also quite humorous and I loved that about him. He definitely wasn’t what I was expecting but in a good way.

The plot was fun and it kept my attention. I was very curious how some of the characters would turn out because sometimes you just don’t know who to believe! It always keeps me hooked to a book when authors do that. There isn’t too much action but the book didn’t need it and I enjoyed the plot twists that were included.

There is definitely a relationship brewing and there is also some unrequited love. The relationship takes time to develop and Cosette does a lot of thinking about the past and present when it comes her feelings. I really like that she doesn’t just jump into things. It’s also nice that she doesn’t ever settle and is true to her heart. It can be hard to do but it is always worth it in the end.

There are only a few things that I was bit meh about. There were times, mostly in the beginning, the time jumps were a bit bumpy and I had to reread a couple times to make sure I understood it. I also wanted more from the gifts since only a couple were actually used and that’s all we knew when it came to the magic system. The ending was a bit rushed but I did like that it wrapped up so I won’t complain too much about that. Your girl always needs closure!

Overall, I liked this retelling and would definitely check out other books by this author!

 

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