Title: Dead Upon a Time
Author: Elizabeth Paulson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: August 25, 2015
Genre: Young Adult // Retellings
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
It's a fairy-tale nightmare . . .
One girl is kept in a room where every day the only food she's given is a poisoned apple. Another is kept in a room covered in needles -- and if she pricks her finger, she'll die. Then there are the brother and sister kept in a cell that keeps getting hotter and hotter. . .
A sinister kidnapper is on the loose in Kate's world. She's not involved until one day she heads to her grandmother's house in the woods -- and finds her grandmother has also been taken. Already an outcast, Kate can't get any help from the villagers who hate her. Only Jack, another outsider, will listen to what's happened.
Then a princess is taken, and suddenly the king is paying attention -- even though the girl's stepmother would rather he didn't. It's up to Kate and Jack to track down the victims before an ever after arrives that's far from happy.
Dead Upon a Time was a nicely contained tale that brought together your favorite classic characters!
Plot: In little over 200 pages, Elizabeth Paulsen weaves a tale with familiar fairytale elements with a whole new twist. The only word that I can think to associate with this book is "nice." The plot was somewhat unique in the fact that I wasn't able to solve the mystery, but Dead Upon a Time felt like it skimped on a lot of information. It's barely 200 pages which was not sufficient for me to acquaint myself with the world, plot, and characters.
Characters: Kate Hood's background is, naturally, Little Red Riding Hood, with a grandmother who has been cast aside and chooses to live the outskirts of town. I personally enjoyed Kate as a character, she was defiant and paid close attention to her surroundings which made her a pretty clever. I wish I didn't have to list her as a victim of "insta-love fever." Her love interest, Jack, has a pretty suspicious past which I would have loved to analyze, but with 200 pages we are only given glimpses and hints of his past.
World Building: The world of Dead Upon a Time was rather bland for me. I think I can relate this to the length of the book, but I was unable to lose myself in the landscape and the history.
Short N Sweet: Dead Upon a Time is a nice fairytale for those who enjoy their Happily Ever Afters.
Labels: 3 stars, book review, dead upon a time, elizabeth paulson, fairytale retellings reading challenge, reviews, scholastic press
