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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the first page, the ripple of words will pull you under, and not release you until the last page has been turned, October 14, 2006
This review is from: Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" (Once Upon a Time) (Mass Market Paperback)
Emma Pennington has been accustomed to a wealthy, comfortable life for as long as she can remember. She has never had to succumb to suffering, or been forced to work for the luxuries she has been shrouded in. And, while war is raging all around her, in the seclusion of her parents glamorous estate, she feels no different, give or take the sound of a gunshot or bomb exploding here or there. But then things change drastically. Young, beautiful Emma, and her mother travel from their home in Britain to their palatial estate in Belgium where they feel they will be safer, and will have less to worry about. However, upon their arrival, they see that the war is raging even closer in proximity in this location, and that they have placed themselves in grave danger by traveling this distance. Now, as enemy troops have claimed the estate as their own, Emma finds herself alone, with no family there to reach out to, and no way to escape from harms way. Now, the once material-obsessed Emma must focus her attention on saving herself from the danger that surrounds her in every nook and cranny, and that threatens her very existence, in an attempt to keep herself alive long enough to give her father, who is still faraway in Britain, the truth about what has happened to their beloved estate, and their once tight-knit family; while at the same time try and come to terms with the feelings of love she is experiencing towards Jack, a very peculiar man who is posing as her husband, in an attempt to keep the enemy at arms length.
I have never read the fairytale THE FROG PRINCE, so I feel that I truly have nothing to compare Suzanne Weyn's WATER SONG to. However, I can say that I enjoyed the tale very much, though I must admit that I found it to embrace more of a historical fiction genre in its writing than a fairytale genre. Emma is an enjoyable character, whose stubborn disposition, and oft-times overly-sensitive, emotional personality make her seem like a real person; while her interaction with Jack, is downright splendid. The two characters play off of one another perfectly, and the reader constantly finds themselves wishing that they would just admit their true feelings for one another. Suzanne Weyn has done an amazing job of combining a mixture of science fiction, historical fiction, and a slight bit of a fairytale together to create a magical combination that is utterly impossible to put down. From the first page, the ripple of words will pull you under, and not release you until the last page has been turned.
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not So Great: SOME SPOILERS, November 12, 2006
This review is from: Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" (Once Upon a Time) (Mass Market Paperback)
I quite like the "Once Upon a Time" series. They are usually fresh and original. Water Song is the 10th in this series. Some of the books are better than others and so I bought Water Song with some trepidation. I perhaps should have been more cautious. While there are some original, creative elements in the book, such as turning the "frog" into an American soldier from Louisiana, and the golden ball into a locket, the plot itself is almost painful to read. The first time the American soldier sees the heroine Emma he wants her love (pg. 33). Emma is continually frustrated with him (with good reason) and yet somehow this translates into her loving him. They seem to have a continually rocky relationship while falling in love with each other more and more. I do realize this is a fairy tale but the plot is highly unlikely. Call me a pessimist but the "love at first sight" aspect of the story is cliche and unrealistic.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More historical fiction instead of fairy tale fantasy, October 25, 2006
This review is from: Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" (Once Upon a Time) (Mass Market Paperback)
"Water Song" is the latest release in the "Once Upon a Time" series, in which current teen authors take different fairy tales and put their own spin on each story.
"Water Song" is based on the "Frog Prince" fairy tale, which, in all fairness, doesn't have a lot to go on. Kudos to the author for taking such a short (and relatively conflict-free) story and fleshing it out into a retelling set in World War I Europe.
The story follows Emma, a young British teenager who finds herself on the WWI battlefront, unable to leave for home and alone in the world after her mother is killed in a recent bombing. She encounters Jack, a wounded American soldier, and cares for him at her family's estate while enemy soldiers take over and occupy her home.
As a historical fiction book, I thought this was great. As a fairy tale retelling, I thought it was lacking a little. It's obvious who the princess and the frog are, but what's not so obvious is the use of magic (other than some events the characters can't explain and healing ability). In many respects, the author could have taken the use of magic out of the book and it would have been a stronger story. Another element that seemed poorly used was the secret of the locket. We spend most of the story wondering what exactly makes the locket special. When we finally do find out, it's rather ordinary and anti-climactic, and it's introduced quickly and discarded even faster.
As Emma and Jack are both on the same side of the war, it's easy to view the German soldiers occupying her home as "the enemy." Granted, the books in this series are supposed to be quick reads. But some characterization on the part of the Germans - showing their human side, not the sterotypical bad guy way they're drawn - would have made them more interesting to read about.
If you're new to the series, start with Suzanne Weyn's other book "Night Dance" or any of the Dokey books. Those are more solid fairy tale retellings.
As far as "Water Song" goes - promising premise, but incomplete delivery.
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