When Tansy's father divorces her mother and moves away, Tansy does everything she can to anger her father. She answers his questions during their phone calls with monosyllables and stops reading novels, because that had been their "thing". When she has to move to Arizona to live with her father, she does the most rebellious thing yet - she starts dating high school's bad boy, Bo. Bo seems like a great catch, and Tansy believes he's just misunderstood. But when a date-turned-wrong (that wasn't actually her fault) ends in vandalism and a trip to the police station, Tansy is drowning in an ocean of trouble, and she doesn't know how to get out of it.
Enter Chrysanthemum Everstar. She's a fair godmother - not good enough to be a fairy godmother. She's been here before (taking care of the lives of pathetic mortals), and there are a whole lot of other places she'd rather be. She pushes Tansy to make her first wish - and everything goes wrong. It's the start of a chain reaction that may or may not be good for Tansy. There's Robin Hood and his Merry Men (a.k.a. runaway bandits and the city's most wanted criminals) and Rumpelstiltskin in the mix, as well as Hudson, the police chief's beautiful and smart son (who may or may not be into Tansy).
In this one heck of a fairytale, not everything is what it seems, and Tansy must learn the moral of her story before she can ever have hope of getting herself and her family safely home.
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My thoughts -
I wasn't quite sure if it was possible. I didn't know where Rallison was going to go with this book, and while I was sure it was going to be great, I didn't exactly know how great. My Fair Godmother was an exceptional piece of literature - serious, light, fluffy, adventurous, dangerous, funny, and romantic, all in one book - and I didn't think she could do it again.
HA! I laugh at my own stupidity. To think she couldn't do it again - and then to find that she has done it better. Yes. You read correctly - better.
My Unfair Godmother was a little darker, had a bit more action, just as much mystery, and a lot more emotion. It was packed. Never once was I bored or wishing it was more like My Fair Godmother. It was completely and utterly its own book, and I must say that while My Fair Godmother is still a favorite, this second addition to Chrissy's wish-granting adventures was even more memorable.
Character notes -
Tansy...oh, where to begin with this girl? I loved her from the start - cared for her, wanted her to succeed, winced when she got herself into trouble. She's trying to get back at her father for leaving them, but instead finds herself in a mess that could've been avoided. The amount of character change that happens to Tansy is realistic and wonderful.
And Hudson. Oh, Hudson. I have a thing for men in uniform, and while Hudson doesn't exactly work for the police, he does...in a way. And he is, without a doubt, the epitome of manliness (and he's a senior in high school - does it get any better for us young girls?). Strong, handsome, broad shoulders, smart, probably knows how to handle a gun... He's got his faults, too, and this only made me love him more, because what realistic guy is perfect? Hudson fit perfectly into this story - even his actions in the past had an impact on Tansy and the book's turnout. The way he and Tansy interact is perfect as well. Their fights are hilarious and the whole product of their friendship gave me butterflies.
Rumpelstiltskin. Let's just say, he had me shivering. I've always wanted to read more about his fairy tale, and I was not disappointed. He was evil, ruthless, and had a heart of stone.
I also liked Nick, Tansy's half brother. He is a sweet boy who cares about Tansy, even when she has a bad attitude. And this time around, Chrissy was altogether more likable (in my opinion) and she had a much greater impact on the story.
Story notes -
Like I said before, this story is darker than the last, and has its own fuel to keep it going. The way Rallison weaves in fairy tales with modern times and actual events in the Middle Ages is just genius. Everything fell together smoothly and with a grand finale at the end that had my jaw dropping.
There were so many scenes that stood out to me (such as when Robin Hood and his Merry Men first meet Tansy, or when Tansy receives the heart), but my absolute favorites include any of the scenes involving the baby. If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that my #1 goals in life are to be a wife and mother. So when a baby was brought into this story and it tugged at Tansy's heart, my own heart did a little dance and I giggled happily and squealed and just in general couldn't stop smiling. I can't tell you anything else, but just know that this was what made the book more amazing to me than the first one. (My favorite scene would have to be the "I'm not into you" flaming hair-do scene. Don't ask - just go read. It had me bursting with laughter.)
One word to sum it up (and final thoughts) -
Golden. This book is pure gold (considering its contents revolve around turning straw to gold, I'd say this is spot-on) and I don't want any of you to miss out on reading it, or its companion. Please, go buy this book. Right now. Read it (and the first one!) and then put it on your shelf and/or share it with your friends (if you can bear to let it go) and read it again and again and again. It really is one of the best.
