Customer Reviews

The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights" (Once Upon a Time (Simon Pulse))

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A retelling of the Arabian Nights tale from the Once Upon a Time series. There once was a king who was deeply wounded by his wife. In response, he walled up his heart and vowed to continually take a bride and kill her the following morning. Hoping to save the kingdom, the future wives, and the king, Scheherazade volunteered herself and married the king. She had a trick up her sleeve, however, and using her talents for storytelling, she wove a fantastical story that had the king in thrall. Refusing to kill her until the story was completed, the king listened to Scheherazade's tale over the course of many nights until he found himself falling in love with her.

The basic story is the same as the original, though the characters' personalities and backstories are changed and expanded on and the tales Scheherazade tells are, as far as I can tell, Dokey's own creations. While I didn't connect with these characters as much as I connected in Dokey's other books in the series, the story was engaging and multi-layered. Scheherazade's tales were woven seamlessly throughout, adding depth and a meandering quality befitting a fairy tale.

I find Dokey's strong points are her original twists to the fairy tale she's retelling that have surprised and impressed me and her ability to create characters the reader connects with and cares about. Unfortunately, The Storyteller's Daughter fell flat for me in both areas. While not terrible and good on its own, I find myself slightly disappointed with this book in comparison to Dokey's other offerings in the series. I'd give this one more like 3 and 1/2 stars, but bump it up that extra 1/2 star because her other books are so much better.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read, and everyone I have let borrow it agrees with me. This is a book that you come away from wowed. The truths Cameron Dokey expresses in the story about love and selflessness are exceptionally well-put. The story is so well-written that you are drawn to the end without stopping for a breath. Bravo, Cameron Dokey!

(Incidentally, her other fairy tale retellings are not as good, but they are still pleasant reads. Those stories call to young minds, whereas this book captures the hearts of all ages.)

I liked the idea. It's been a while since I've heard the story and it was nice to reread it again. However, it just wasn't done well.

The point of view kept switching back and forth and to everyone else. It wasn't consistent. One sentence it would be hers, next it would be his and next... who knows.

I wasn't crazy about the way the story was told. It was third person for most of it. But then every once in a while, it'll have some stupid narration coming in and saying "I know what you're thinking" or something along those lines. -_- That ruined the story. It ruined the point of view. It ruined the third person. It was third and first and who knows what else all at once. A jumbled mess if you ask me.

I don't remember the names in the original story, but the names in this one was too much. The two main characters, male and female, had very similar names. I couldn't tell one from the other except one had a "d" at the end and the other had a "r" at the end. Even the brothers were so close in names, it was annoying. How can I tell who is who if I don't even know what name goes with who?

This was supposed to be more of an Indian feel to it. After all, it is after Arabian Nights, isn't it? However, they call their deity God and not Allah. I may not know much about different religions, but at least I know that much.

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that good either. I don't like the way Cameron writes. I saw some reviews that mentioned she writes better than this one, so I might give her another try. But it won't be for a while.

Storyline - You think you know the story of Shahrazad. But you were wrong. That is how our story begins. As a young girl, she was not liked by the other children because her mother was different which made her different. So she hid herself from the world. But when the king changes after his late wife finds a lover and conspirates to kill him, Shahrazad knows it is she who is meant to save him. But will her plan to help him be taken as a plot against him if he learns of it? And what of the brothers of the king's late wife who now wants revenge? Will the king and Shahrazad find love before it is too late?

Writing - The words the author used and the sentence structure was like what you would read in fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson. Even though it was a little different, it was appropriate for the story and was rather interesting.

Personal Opinion - For being a secular book, it was good. Clean and decent and I enjoyed the story. The retelling of this old tail was new, interesting, and very clean. I will be giving other books in this series (especially the ones I am interested in the most) a read when I can get my hands on them. If interested in the Arabian Nights story or fairy tales, this is a very interesting book.

This is one of my favorites of the 'Once Upon a Time' series but one of the least imaginative colors. They could have done all kinds of cool things with the Arabic wear and veils and many different fabrics. As it is the poor half-woman on the cover has diamonds patterned over her skin and a bland looking, oddly patterned dress...

However, this is one of my favorites probably because of the inherent magic. Shahrazad is the daughter of the vizier to the king and Maju, a storyteller from a faraway land. Maju is one of great beauty and one of the greatest storytellers but is blind. By feeling cloth that comes out of her trunk she is able to decipher the story in the weave of the cloth. Once Maju died this gift to read the cloth (and also blindness) went to Shahrazad. The vizier remarried and his second wife also bore him a daughter but that wife died birthing the child.

Every good fairy tale must have a prince and so the story takes a turn to look at the two princes of the king that Shahrazad's father serves. Both sons married and both sons had their wives betray them (and nearly kill them). The eldest prince was cursed by his wife before she killed herself that he would never know peace until he knew the heart of the woman and that woman knew his heart as well. This tormented the prince so much that his heart turned to stone and he set forth an edict that he would take a new wife at the full moon so that he would not be without female company but would have her beheaded the next day so that she would not have time to betray him. No one wanted to give up their daughters but Shahrazad volunteered for the job. Her father and sister tried to dissuade Shahrazad but she had a plan in place that would hopefully give her the time needed to learn the prince's heart and him to knows hers as well. Each night she would read the cloth and tell the prince (and her little sister) part of the story within the cloth.

The plot is deceptively simple with a little bit of tricky politics but under it all is just a well-written love story.

What stories come to mind when you hear the phrase "fairy tale"? Cinderella? Beauty and the Beast? Probably not Arabian Nights. But though it's not exactly what you'd expect from a series called "Once Upon a Time", "The StoryTeller's Daughter" is one of the best.

The story is excellent and the romance well done. The themes of honesty, trust, and knowing yourself are well thought out. The characters are complex and interesting. The writing is also good, though it is a little overwrought in places. I especially enjoyed the way Shahrazad's stories reflected the events of the book.

So even though this may not be a traditional fairy tale, it's one of, if not the best, in the series, at least the best I've read so far.

There hasn't been much fairy tale/alternative fairy tale stories in the Arabian Nights end of the spectrum, and I was looking forward to it purely because it hasn't been done to death. It was a nice read, though short, and relatively simple.

I think what I enjoyed the most was that it was told with a very 'oral tradition' style of prose, as though it was indeed being told by the storyteller herself to an audience.

However, in doing so, the language was kept simpler, and at times hindered the development of the characters on a deeper level. We did not feel as they felt truly, but only as the storyteller explained it. In this, the main characters of the story were often kept as shallow as those in the stories within the stories.

Having picked up an earlier $5 "school market" printing of the book, I do feel as though I got my money's worth in the telling... but only barely. I was hoping for more depth, and perhaps that's what makes this book remain a YA level only retelling over something for YA and adults who love the fairy tale genre as well.

I had no expectations of this book, because I have never heard of the original story. With that said, it was wonderful! It was full of mystery, suspense, and romance. I seriously loved this book, and is one of my favorite "Once Upon A Time" series.

I read this book quickly and it was well written,I love this story and i cant wait to order more books from this series!

I honestly enjoyed this book. I read through it in three days, and hope to read more from this author.

However, there's always at least one pro and one con to everything.
The big con to this is that, were it not for the characters names, I wouldn't have known this was a retelling of The Thousand And One Nights. There was practically no hint at it taking place in the court of a sultan. The characters also refer to their deity as 'God'. Wouldn't it be a bit more accurate for them to say Allah? Judging by the characters names, it's obviously not taking place in a much different country from the original tale.

As a lover of Bertrice Small's writing, I have slightly high expectations when someone is writing about sultans/harem life/etc. This book didn't exactly make me squeal with joy when I finished it, nor did it make me want to donate it to the nearest Half-Price. Good if your a teen new to fiction about Scheherazade or sultans, so-so if your a lover of the genre looking for something exciting to add to your collection.