Untold Tales: The Complete Series: A Fantasy Fairy Tale Series

Laura Greenwood's retellings of have such a refreshing twist to them. Thank goodness they are not just the same old retelling. First, is the Little Mermaid, but instead of losing her voice she loses her soul. Not only must she recover her lost soul, but also all the other ones that have been stolen. Next, is the telling of Thumbelina. Although she is the size of a fairy, Lina does not have wings. Her real adventure begins after she is taken. Then, we have the story of the evil queen from Snow White, but is the queen really evil. Find out what is behind the actions of this queen why things have to be the way that they are. Our next tale is a new take on Cinderella. I loved this story so much that once I started it I couldn't stop until I reached the end. I enjoyed the little dragon sidekick. Next, read to see what happens when Rapunzel learns how to escape the tower, falls in love and is kidnapped. Finally, we get the story of Snow White from her point of view. See just what it takes to turn a pampered princess into a woman worthy of being queen. I received individual copies of these books from Booksprout and I am freely leaving my review of them.

The complete UNTOLD TALES series is in this collection of six fairy tale retellings filled with adventure, romance, fantasy, and familiars. Whether it's leaving the ocean for the first time with The Little Mermaid, escaping the tower with Rapunzel, or saving the Prince before midnight with Cinderella, there's something for everyone. Below is a quick review of one of my favorites to give you a sample of what you will find in this wonderful set! The Untold Tales: The Complete Set includes: 1. Balanced Scales (The Little Mermaid): Join Mari as she ventures up from the sea in order to save her soul, accompanied by her seal familiar. 2. Golden Wings (Thumbelina) : Adventure through the city with orphan, Lina, as she discovers what it truly means to gain her wings, helped by her trusty butterfly. 3. Poisoned Fate (the Evil Queen): Discover why the Evil Queen became who she was as Katya makes choices she'd rather not, comforted only by her pet wolf. 4. Tainted Ashes (Cinderella): Encounter dragons, magic, and fire as Tanwyn uncovers a plot to kill the Prince. Can she stop it before midnight? 5. Braided Silver (Rapunzel): Escape the tower with Cosette as she joins a competition to win the hand of a Prince, and gains a kitsune familiar in the process. 6. Fractured Core (Snow White): Lead the rebellion along with Lucia and her trusty pet hawk as she tries to put a stop to her sister-in-law's reign. *** Reviewing “BALANCED SCALES (THE LITTLE MERMAID)” *** This was a fun retelling of The Little Mermaid, which is a favorite story for me. Mari, with her kind heart, breaks the rule about not going to the surface before her 18th birthday. She saved a man's life which ended up with her losing her own soul in the process. She goes to the sea witch to get more information so that she can go onto the land and search. Aaron, a ghost Mari meets, helps her navigate on land. But he disappears. When she meets up with the man she had rescued, he wants to help her on her journey to retrieve her soul. Will she be successful in her quest? Can she trust Erickson despite her discomfort? Will she find out why the souls of her people are being stolen? This was a wonderful story, well-paced and with intriguing characters. But who can the innocent Mari trust? She may lose more than her soul if she makes the wrong choices!

Laura Greenwood has taken a collection of six stories from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, added her flair of twists and turns, and given a new twist to these paranormal romances, urban fantasies, and mysteries. They include: 1. BALANCED SCALES To be honest, I don't think I've ever read the 'Little Mermaid' story or seen the movie so reading Laura Greenwood's retelling was a bit of a new adventure for me. Mari had saved Aaron from a shipwreck on her eighteenth birthday and lost her soul. She was determined to get not only her own but every other soul that other mermaids have had stolen from them. Her characters were flawed and filled with personality which made them easy for me to relate to. Mari's side-kick, Shelbie, was just wild; dog on land and seal in the water! Of course, as with any fairy tale, there are twists and turns, drama and angst, and a villain. This one did not disappoint. 2. GOLDEN WINGS What a delightful breath of fresh air this book turned out to be. I'm reluctant to admit this, but I've never read "Thumbelina", so this is a perfect rendition to me. The world-building was done so well, I felt like I could make the trip with Lina. And then the personalities of all the characters were so well developed it was easy to love or love to hate them. I wish there'd been a little more about Trent but I don't suppose it was his story. I thoroughly enjoyed this! 3. POISONED FATE What a great twist to Snow White told from the Evil Queen's point of view! The evil queen in this instance is Lucia. Snow White in the scenario is Katya. These two grew up and were as close as sisters until Katya made a promise to the dying king that she would do everything possible to become the hated queen in the prophecy so that Lucia could become the beloved Queen that saves the kingdom. Are you intrigued yet? Can you imagine how lonely that would be to deliberately make sure you are hated in order for someone else to be loved? Now the heartbreaking part. How will Katya ever find someone to love her as the evil queen? This has a stellar twist that caught my interest immediately. 4. TAINTED ASHES Laura Greenwood has given the Cinderella story a modern twist while keeping true to the core of the tale. And get this, instead of a Fairy Godmother, she has a tiny dragon! There are mysteries and intrigue throughout the story, along with drama and action. If you love fairy tales, you won't want to miss this one. 5. BRAIDED SILVER Laura Greenwood has given the Cinderella story a modern twist while keeping true to the core of the tale. And get this, instead of a Fairy Godmother, she has a tiny dragon! There are mysteries and intrigue throughout the story, along with drama and action. If you love fairy tales, you won't want to miss this one. 6. FRACTURED CORE In the sixth book, 'Fractured Core', of her "Untold Tales" series, Laura Greenwood gives us the retelling of Snow White. I think everyone knows the overall story of Snow White but Laura Greenwood has given the plot a twist and turn, changed some characters, and wahlah, we have Lucia running away from her sister-in-law who's trying to steal the kingdom after her husband, Lucia's brother, died. Each of these books can be read as a stand-alone but 'Fractured Core' is a companion to book three, 'Poisoned Fate' in order to get the full story. Whether you've read these independently when they were released and you want the entire boxset to add to your collection or you've waited for the boxset in order to binge-read, these stories are delightful.