Review: Wild Orchid - Cameron Dokey

Synopsis: Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army to fight the invading Huns, each family must send a male to fight. Tomboyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging and wounded father and bring family honor, so he disguises herself and answers the call. But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul made, in the commander of her division. Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?

Review: Wild Orchid is just as brilliant as the other Once Upon A Time books Cameron Dokey has written. Mulan is brave, resourceful, practical, and determined to learn, making for a very good heroine; I immediately felt for her.

I have very little to complain about with this story. It was masterfully written, the Author did a good job playing upon the original aspects of the ballad, the characters were all likable, and there was a proper amount of deaths. My only objection is a personal preference: in one version of The Ballad of Mulan I once read, Mulan's gender is not discovered until after the battle, when the army has gone to the capital to celebrate, and Mulan gives an allegory of when danger is at one's very doorstep, it is a woman's duty, as well as a man's, to protect their homeland. It displayed Mulan's genuine cleverness better than any accidental discovery by a doctor inspecting her wounds.

But that is, as I said, a personal preference, and overall, Wild Orchid is a very good version of one of my favorite stories.

Overall Rating: {{{{

Others in the Once Upon A Time Series:

The Storyteller's Daughter (Cameron Dokey)
Beauty Sleep (Cameron Dokey)
Snow (Tracy Lynn)
Midnight Pearls (Debbie Viguie)
Scarlet Moon (Debbie Viguie)
Sunlight and Shadow (Cameron Dokey)
Spirited (Nancy Holder)
The Night Dance (Suzanne Weyn)
Golden (Cameron Dokey)
Water Song (Suzanne Weyn)
Before Midnight (Cameron Dokey)
The Rose Bride (Nancy Holder)
The Crimson Thread (Suzanne Weyn)
Belle (Cameron Dokey)
Wild Orchid (Cameron Dokey)
The Diamond Secret (Suzanne Weyn)
Winter's Child (Cameron Dokey)
Violet Eyes (Debbie Viguie)
The World Above (Cameron Dokey)

Review: The World Above - Cameron Dokey

Synopsis: Gen and her twin brother, Jack, were raised with their mother's tales of life in the World Above. Gen is skeptical, but adventurous Jack believes the stories - and trades the family cow for magical beans. Their mother rejoices, knowing they can finally return to their royal home.

When Jack plants the beans and climbs the enchanted stalk, he is captured by the tyrant who now rules the land. Gen sets off to rescue her brother, but danger awaits her in the World Above. For finding Jack may mean losing her heart . . .

Review: Gen is a wonderfully upbeat heroine who doesn't allow her skepticism get in the way of accomplishing what needs to be done. She's practical and blessedly admits when she is wrong, rather than hanging on to denial for the entire duration of the story. The contrast between her and her twin brother add much to the believability of their relationship, and gives them both a very distinct personality.

Adding onto this is the combination of a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk and Robin Hood, which are two stories that interact beautifully in The World Above. For once, I actually liked Robin! The Author plays cleverly upon all elements of both stories - giants, Sherwood Forest, the archery contest - and even integrates different versions of Jack and the Beanstalk into the storyline with incredible smoothness.

The story opens with Gen saying how her story is far more interesting than any Jack and the Beanstalk the Reader has read; she's right. The World Above is, from beginning to end, far more interesting and exciting - and makes far more sense - than any version of the classic fairy-tale, and Robin Hood, combined.

Overall Rating: {{{{

Others in the Once Upon A Time Series:

The Storyteller's Daughter (Cameron Dokey)
Beauty Sleep (Cameron Dokey)
Snow (Tracy Lynn)
Midnight Pearls (Debbie Viguie)
Scarlet Moon (Debbie Viguie)
Sunlight and Shadow (Cameron Dokey)
Spirited (Nancy Holder)
The Night Dance (Suzanne Weyn)
Golden (Cameron Dokey)
Water Song (Suzanne Weyn)
Before Midnight (Cameron Dokey)
The Rose Bride (Nancy Holder)
The Crimson Thread (Suzanne Weyn)
Belle (Cameron Dokey)
Wild Orchid (Cameron Dokey)
The Diamond Secret (Suzanne Weyn)
Winter's Child (Cameron Dokey)
Violet Eyes (Debbie Viguie)
The World Above (Cameron Dokey)

Review: Winter's Child - Cameron Dokey

Synopsis: Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Grace's grandmother and sharing each other's secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declares his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai - and their friendship - away. Dejected, Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai . . . and discover herself.

Review: I am a huge fan of fairy-tale retellings, and I am especially fond of this series, which retells so many different stories in so many unique and classic ways, making the tales feel new and fresh - and making a whole lot more sense than the original stories! One of my all-time favorite fairy-tales is The Snow Queen, and while I do not believe it ever needs to be rewritten, I thoroughly enjoyed this particular version. It gave new insight into the Snow Queen herself, which was wonderful to see for someone who always liked the Snow Queen as a character (oddly enough, I never thought of her as the villain).

The writing was of that beautiful and whimsical quality which is so characteristic of this series, conjuring up clear pictures of a snowy world, the coziness of Kai and Grace's childhood homes, and the misery of Grace's hard journey. I loved how she played upon the elements of the story - the mirror shards which caused people to see things in a distorted fashion, the bandits, the raven (which happens to be a falcon in this version), and even the important role the flowers play in bringing back Grace's memory when she stays with the old woman. I admit that I missed the reindeer and the lady from Lapland, but overall I thought it a brilliant piece of work. The ending is somewhat unexpected and rather eclectic in the fact that lots of things suddenly happen and the Reader is completely not expecting, and yet it worked well enough.

Winter's Child can be enjoyed by anyone - be they acquainted with The Snow Queen or are just looking for a whimsical, fairy-tale like love story.

Overall Rating: {{{{

Others in the Once Upon A Time Series:
The Storyteller's Daughter (Cameron Dokey)
Beauty Sleep (Cameron Dokey)
Snow (Tracy Lynn)
Midnight Pearls (Debbie Viguie)
Scarlet Moon (Debbie Viguie)
Sunlight and Shadow (Cameron Dokey)
Spirited (Nancy Holder)
The Night Dance (Suzanne Weyn)
Golden (Cameron Dokey)
Water Song (Suzanne Weyn
Before Midnight (Cameron Dokey)
The Rose Bride (Nancy Holder)
The Crimson Thread (Suzanne Weyn)
Belle (Cameron Dokey)
Wild Orchid (Cameron Dokey)
The Diamond Secret (Suzanne Weyn)
Winter's Child (Cameron Dokey)
Violet Eyes (Debbie Viguie)
The World Above (Cameron Dokey)