After recovering from a kidnapping, Elaine Westover wants nothing more than to live a quiet secluded life with her paints. But as her father’s home falls into disrepair and his business fails, she has little choice but to offer her services painting portraits. When a wealthy man hires her to paint an impossible portrait for a year’s income, Elaine considers accepting the job. At the interview, he makes it clear she has no choice but to accept, and he bundles her off to the attic against her will, promising to release and reward her when she completes his task. Her only friend and protector is Will, a young man she takes to be a servant. He vows to help her in any way he can, and soon she realizes she’s falling in love with him. Will feels drawn to Elaine as well, but when he discovers the connection between his family and hers, he knows he can never let her discover his name without ruining every moment they’ve shared together.
The first book in the Andari Chronicles was one of the best surprises I’ve had this year. I loved Davidson’s retelling of the story of Cinderella with its added political intrigue, and ever since I read it, I’ve been excited to read more. I like that this story features characters who appear very briefly in Traitor’s Masque, most importantly, Elaine Westover. While she didn’t strike me as a particularly dynamic character in the first book (she’s really just mentioned and off-stage the entire story), I liked the way her character unfolded in Goldheart.
Rumplestiltskin isn’t one of my favorite fairytales, and I wasn’t sure how a painter would factor into a retelling, but I have to say, I loved how it all played out. The themes about value and gold made the story even richer (see what I did there? Ha ha.) than the original tale. One thing that Davidson does really well is to craft believable fairytale men with believable friendships. Will and Blaise were a great pair, and the scenes featuring the banter between the two of them rank among my favorites.
So far I have to recommend this whole series. I’ll be reading the third book soon, though I’m honestly tempted to start it today. The next book is a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses and features another character I enjoyed from Traitor’s Masque: the prince’s friend, Kyril. Can’t wait!
Fans of fairytales definitely need to give these stories a read. They’re a bit grittier than Melanie Dickerson’s novels and a bit more traditional than Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles. It definitely reminds me of Robin McKinley’s Beauty and Spindle’s End, but without the magical elements.
Cultural Elements
The landscape of the story and the characters feel very Western European.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used with moderate frequency.
Romance/Sexual Content A man makes veiled threats that he could and might harm Elaine. She fears for her physical safety and it’s clear he could rape her if he chose, though it’s not explicitly stated. A man hints that his friend needs a few minutes alone in a carriage with a certain woman, but he means for privacy, not sexual reasons.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content Elaine has nightmares and remains tormented by memories of her earlier kidnapping. (From the first book in the series.) A man is bound and left in a cellar after being smacked around a bit. A madman lights his home on fire and himself as well.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
One of the best books I read recently happens to be Kenley Davidson’s debut novel, Traitor’s Masque. Today Kenley joins me to talk about what inspired the story and what’s coming next in the Andari Chronicles.
What inspired you to write a retelling of the Cinderella story? Is there a version of the story you found particularly inspirational?
I don’t know what this says about me, but I think what inspired me most was that I had never read a version of Cinderella that I could get very excited about. My kids had watched the animated movie several thousand times, and there was always that parental voice in my head that wanted to say to them, “No! This isn’t how love works. Please don’t actually choose a spouse this way!” So I think part of what drove me was an ambition to tell a story that is absolutely magical in a way that didn’t make me want to roll my eyes at the heroine.
I should probably also blame the fact that I grew up on fairy tales. It was Robin McKinley’s books that first made me want to be a writer, when I read Beauty and The Blue Sword and discovered not only delightful adventures, but female main characters that I could actually relate to! You could say, in a sense, that it was Aerin and Harry and Beauty who were my first inspiration for Traitor’s Masque.
Ha!! I should have known you were a McKinley fan. Those are two of my favorites as well. And I agree with you about growing up watching the Cinderella movies. It’s never been my favorite story, probably for all the reasons you mentioned.
In looking at your other novels, I see that you’ve continued to retell fairytales in the same story-world as Traitor’s Masque. (I love this idea!) Are you working on a fourth fairytale now? Are you able to share anything about your current project?
I actually have two more that are currently in the early stages of development, meaning that I’m plotting them out in my head. Fortunately my family is willing to put up with me muttering and occasionally laughing to myself while I do this. Book 4 is most likely going to be a retelling of Snow White, which I intend to be a short novel, much like Goldheart. Given that I am not very good at “short” books, I offer this information tentatively, and with great reservations. I can promise that Book 4 will feature characters from all three previous books. Book 5, which at this point is looking like a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, is definitely going to tend more towards the ginormous and dramatic, and will have recurring characters from Traitor’s Masque and Pirouette.
At the moment I’m trying to tell myself that I’m going to take a break from the past six months of pushing the publishing schedule too hard, but I don’t think my writer brain is going to cooperate — too many stories to tell!
I feel like I should offer sympathy for your being pinned under a very driving muse. Instead, I’m like oh, yay! More Andari books! 🙂
It seems like fairytale retellings are really popular right now. With so many authors retelling these classic stories, is there a fairytale that you feel gets overlooked today?
There are so many great fairy tales, but some are simply much more difficult than others to retell — to somehow maintain the shape of the original while making it unique, deeply real and culturally palatable for modern readers. I have always loved both “Snow White and Rose Red” and “Bear-skin” (yeah, not sure what it is with the bear theme) but haven’t figured out yet how to retell them in a way I’m excited about. I know there are a few versions of those out there, but not nearly as many as some of the more popular tales.
Rose Red was one of my favorites when I was little. I would love to see both of those come to life – but you’re right – it has to capture the story and be something that gets you excited. I’ll hang on hoping for that spark of inspiration to hit. 🙂
What’s your favorite moment from Traitor’s Masque?
That might be like asking me to pick a favorite book (one of my least favorite questions ever… how do I even begin to choose???). As a writer, I enjoyed the moments of high tension and character confrontation the most, especially the scene at the top of the stairs at Westhaven. But, as a reader, I think my absolute favorite moment is in the final chapter, where Trystan is asking for forgiveness. There are so many opportunities there for both characters to choose an easy way out, or to choose to protect themselves at the expense of the other’s pain, but they don’t. That scene, to me, is the most romantic part of the whole book and it still makes me sigh a little when I read it.
Aaaargh!! That was a great scene. I really like the movie Ever After, but that last scene where Danielle and the prince reunite always fell a little flat for me. Traitor’s Masque definitely carried that scene well. 🙂
One of my favorite things about Traitor’s Masque was that it wasn’t simply a regurgitation of the Cinderella story. I loved the elements of intrigue and the tension between the two princes. What inspired you to create Rowan as a sort of warped Prince Charming?
Honestly, Rowan just happened. Initially, I knew I needed an antagonist that would be more of a threat than the ubiquitous stepmother. Cinderella is often a very passive character, and the most dramatic thing that happens to her is being locked in her room. I really wanted for her to experience more of a challenge, and to do more than wait for her fairy godmother to fix things. I also wanted “the prince” to be a strong character in his own right, which meant he needed some conflict in his life as well. Rowan sort of appeared on the page fully-formed, though I didn’t realize until later that he would be a big part of what tied the whole series together. Horribly enough, he is an incredibly fun character to write, and in some ways, he’s as much the Trickster as the Villain.
Oooh. I didn’t even think about him appearing in later stories. He definitely kept things lively and added a lot of tension. I never knew exactly what he was going to say next. I loved his entrance at the ball.
What do you hope readers take away from Traitor’s Masque?
For me, this was a book about what it really means to grow up. Falling in love and happily ever afters are great, but Trystan and Ramsey’s story isn’t primarily about their romance, it’s about their mistakes. Everybody makes them, but it’s what we do with them afterwards that matters. If there’s one thing I would want my own kids to take away from this story, it would be this: take responsibility for your mistakes. Learn from them, but don’t let them define you or shame you. And always remember that even our worst mistakes can be a part of something beautiful that we never would have seen coming!
That’s a great take-away and a great life lesson.
What are some of your favorite recent reads and what made them stand out to you?
I wish I could say I’d read a lot of amazing new books recently, but, sadly, that would be a lie. The ugly truth? When I’m stressed, I comfort-read old favorites. It’s kind of like wrapping up in a blanket and hanging out with a friend.
My most recent comfort reads? One I go back to a lot is Edenbrooke, by Julianne Donaldson. It’s a sweet and fun regency novel with a believable plot, lovable characters and an adorable romance that gives me all the warm fuzzies every time I read it. It’s my go-to when I’ve already read Northanger Abbey and Sanditon too many times for the year. I also recently re-read Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon. This book hits me in a lot of deep places (not least because it has a main character who carries around a dictionary). It’s about love and family and identity and art and dreams and it’s ridiculously romantic. I think what I like most about it is getting to see the whole process of two utterly different characters growing into their dreams and learning what love has to do with sacrifice. Well, I do like that part, but if I’m scrupulously honest, I mostly love the fact that it’s ridiculously romantic…
The book I’m currently re-reading is The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, not because it’s comforting, but because it reminds me what words are capable of. That book has so much beauty and complexity in its details, in its prose, in its relationships, a beauty that I think is even more evident because of the starkness of the setting. After I read a book like this, I feel simultaneously humbled by the fact that there are people who can do such glorious things with words, and encouraged to work harder at my own writing because so much beauty is possible.
That’s an awesome list. YES to all that you said about Scorpio Races, especially. And thanks for being here today!
About Kenley Davidson
Kenley Davidson is a story-lover, word-nerd and incurable introvert who is most likely to be found either writing or hiding somewhere with a book.
A native Oregonian, Kenley now resides in Oklahoma, where she persists in remaining a devoted pluviophile. Addictions include coffee, roller coasters, more coffee, researching random facts, and reading the dictionary (which is way more fun than it sounds). A majority of her time is spent being mom to two kids and two dogs while inventing reasons not to do laundry (most of which seem to involve books).
(Author bio from her web site.)
Check out Traitor’s Masque and other books in the Andari Chronicles
As Cinder and her friends race toward Luna, the final battle with Levana draws near. With the help of her friends, Cinder must rally her people against the queen, liberate them by dethroning her aunt, and take her place as queen. If she fails, it’s pretty much game over – Levana will take over earth once her marriage to Kai is complete, where she’ll enslave everyone.
Though Levana’s ward, Princess Winter, has always seemed reclusive and crazy, the people love her. When that love becomes yet another threat to Queen Levana’s rule, Winter’s stepmother orders her killed at the hands of the guard who has loved Winter since they were children. Though Cinder comes to Luna to stir up a revolution, she may be Winter’s only hope.
There were so many moments in this story that satisfied the needs the earlier books in the series created for me. Scarlet and Wolf. Cress and Thorne. Cinder and Kai. All the romance!! So good.
At first, I wasn’t super crazy about Winter. Jacin wasn’t my favorite either. As the story progressed, I liked both of them more, but I think it was tough to compete for my affection amid the cast of other characters. I am always blown away by how seamlessly Meyer incorporates elements from the fairytales into her novels. In all the chaos of the other story elements, I kept forgetting that Winter had elements from Snow White. As the elements from the familiar tale emerged, I found myself super excited and surprised by them. I feel like this has to be the highest praise a fairytale retelling can earn because to tell a familiar story in such a fresh, new way has to be really difficult.
This entire series has been so much fun to read. It’s largely clean (I think there was maybe the heaviest content in Fairest, which is Levana’s story) and because even the approach to the mind manipulation is taken from a sci-fi standpoint, it doesn’t feature the use of magic. If you like sci-fi or fairy tale retelling, this whole series is excellent. If you’re new to the series, check out my review of Cinder, the first book in the series.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing.
Spiritual Content Lunar people possess a gift which allows them to manipulate bioelectricity and therefore control the minds of those around them. There’s a lot of discussion about the ethics of this behavior and under what circumstances it’s appropriate for the mind control to be used. Cinder struggles with when and how to employ her gift and whether or not using it makes her as evil as Levana. Winter’s stubborn refusal to use her gift has caused mental instability.
Violence Winter witnesses an execution in the Lunar court in which the prisoner uses a knife to kill himself while under the control of a high military official. It’s graphic but brief. Scarlet bears evidence of her torture in Lunar custody, though she doesn’t discuss it. There are some battle scenes between Lunars and revolutionaries. The wolf soldiers are a bit scary, and some of the battles contain vivid imagery. Winter also hallucinates some disturbing images – the walls bleeding, that sort of thing.
Forbidden Wish (Sneak Peak) Jessica Khoury
Penguin Young Readers Group/Razorbill
When a young thief summons Zahra from her lamp, she must grant him three wishes. But the world in which he lives forbids her presence, and her unwilling allegiance to her jinni kin means she may have to betray him at any moment. Nevertheless, she can’t help falling for the charming, fearless boy named Aladdin.
This sneak peek contains the first few chapters of this novel. If you’ve been lurking around The Story Sanctuary long, you’ll already know I’m a total sucker for fairytale retellings. So this was one I couldn’t resist checking out in advance.
I love that the story is told from the jinni’s perspective and that the love angle comes into play between the jinni and Aladdin. Aladdin is a bit of a player—which my little fairytale romance heart wasn’t too crazy about—so it seems all the girls know him and have experienced falling in a dead faint at his feet. He’s still the clever, quick little thief. The streets of his city really came to life in this tale. It felt like something between the underbelly of old London and a Middle Eastern town. Very fantasy, very believably gritty and dirty and dangerous.
This is definitely a book I’ll keep on my watch list to read when it comes out next February.
Language Content (Chapters 1-8)
Mild profanity used infrequently.
Sexual Content (Chapters 1-8) None.
Spiritual Content (Chapters 1-8) The story is told from the point-of-view of Aladdin’s genie. Other genies exist, and there is a lot of animosity between them and humans.
Violence (Chapters 1-8) A boy is beaten by soldiers. A burly man and a young woman face off in a fight (for money.) Brief descriptions of a battle that led to the fall of a kingdom.
Drug Content (Chapters 1-8)
Aladdin goes to a bar to drink wine and gets a bit drunk.
When Lo-Melkhiin comes to her village looking for his next wife, she knows he will choose her beautiful sister. She knows, too, that her sister would then be next in the long line of girls who meet death soon after becoming his bride. She vows to take her sister’s place.
In the palace, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her every night. She spins stories for him, grand tales about her home. Each morning she wakes. Each night he comes again. Strange things begin to happen. Power flows through her hands at weaving. Rumors surface of the good, kind man Lo-Melkhiin once was. She vows to weave power strong enough to free him from whatever curse has made him cruel. But she must do it before he destroys the kingdom and her.
Because the story is told through a lilting first-person narrative, I was so captured by the tale I didn’t realize the main character isn’t named. Normally that would really bother me, but as I said, I was sucked right into the plight of this brave girl who expected every night to be murdered by her husband.
As the story went on, I had more of a love-hate experience regarding her relationship with Lo-Melkhiin. I wanted there to be flashes of his former self behind his eyes or something, and it really wasn’t that kind of story. She believes wholly on faith that a good man exists, imprisoned inside him. I think that worked, I just had to adjust my expectations a bit.
I also kept having to resist the urge to compare this story to a recent favorite, Book of a Thousand Days. The narrative flow is a little similar, in that it has this poetic feel. It’s not really the same, and I think the two can’t really be compared. Book of a Thousand Days felt denser (in a good way) to me. This story felt simpler, not necessarily in a bad way.
That said, I’m generally a huge fan of fairytale retellings, and this, based on the stories of Scheherazade, did not leave me feeling disappointed.
The one note I’ll add about content is that I grew up in a church which condemned watching or playing Pokemon because it bore too close a parallel to trying to control spiritual creatures (too much like demons), and from that perspective, I’m not sure I would have been allowed to read this book as a younger teen. Certainly my parents and spiritual leaders would have been concerned with the demon-possession aspect and with her own power coming from worship and prayer given to her by the people.
At this point for me personally, it’s not always easy to decide where to draw the line on spiritual matters emerging in books, movies, and video games. My daughter’s father and I don’t always share the same values on these issues. In fact, we don’t always even land on the same (conservative vs liberal) side of the scale depending on the issue. So co-parenting across those lines can also be challenging. Because it is important to both of us to foster respect for our decisions in our daughter, I think we tend to try to err on choosing the more conservative side of the spectrum. It’s often about waiting rather than forbidding. At ten, the answer is no, but at fourteen, it might be yes. I suspect this book might fall into that category in my own judgment.
Language Content
None.
Sexual Content She understands that she’ll be expected to have sex with her husband, and worries about it. No details given.
Spiritual Content The people pray to smallgods. Each family has a shrine set up, often to a family member who who has died. Everyone prays to the person and leaves relics and offerings at the shrine. These give the smallgods power. When she leaves her family to become Lo-Melkhiin’s wife, her family sets up a shrine to her and her sister prays and keeps it. Over time, others pray to her as well, and her power grows.
Lo-Melkhiin returned from a hunting trip possessed by a demon. It controls him, keeps him caged within a small part of his brain. It also uses his power as king to control the people. It kills his wives to strengthen itself. It’s a pretty dark concept.
The demon’s power is pitted against her growing power as a smallgod. Each tries to destroy the other: she wants to free Lo-Melkhiin. He wants to kill her and take her power for his own.
Some spiritual power and authority also goes to the Skeptics, learned men who study the universe and its often unanswerable questions.
Violence References to wives being murdered. He sort of draws out their life force and leaves them withered and dead husks. It’s briefly described.
