Title: Strands of Bronze and Gold
Author: Jane Nickerson
Series: Strands of Bronze and Gold, book #1
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon |
Barnes & Noble
The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
I was initially drawn to
Strands of Bronze and Gold because of that gorgeous cover, but I also love fairy tales as much as the next girl. Truth be told, I'd never actually heard of the Bluebeard fairy tale until I discovered this book. Much like my experience with
Entwined, I went into
Strands with few expectations. My only hope was that it would be sufficiently creepy.
Alas, the end result was not quite what I had been hoping for. The pacing of this novel was quite slow. I was reading with a buddy, and we kept asking, "
When is something going to happen?" True, the lack of action does add to the suspense, but there is absolutely no mystery to this story. It is what it sets out to be, but there is never any question that things are amiss at Wyndriven Abbey and Sophie should escape before she is well and truly in danger.
But that Sophie...she's not the sharpest crayon in the box. Okay, that's not entirely true. She is
somewhat clever, but her naïveté only lends itself to inaction, making her one of the most frustrating heroines I've ever suffered through. The rest of the characters weren't much to write home about either, with the exception of the enigmatic Monsieur de Cressac. I wish the story had been told from his point-of-view...I really think it would have been much more interesting and a hundred times more fun to read. (Someone should consider that...rewriting all the old fairy tales from the villain's point-of-view. Unless, of course, that's already been done. In which case, I need recs.)
As it stands, I enjoyed the story well enough, especially not knowing what to expect from the ending. Though being a fairy tale retelling, I should have had
some inclination toward the outcome, I suppose. Unfortunately, I had discussed the original story with a friend beforehand and
did expect more gore and creepiness from this book than what was actually delivered, based on that conversation. Even so, I still have hope that the other books in this series will improve upon the original stories from which they are borrowed.
Rating: 
Monday, March 11, 2013
Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
Author: Jane Nickerson
Series: Strands of Bronze and Gold, book #1
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
I was initially drawn to Strands of Bronze and Gold because of that gorgeous cover, but I also love fairy tales as much as the next girl. Truth be told, I'd never actually heard of the Bluebeard fairy tale until I discovered this book. Much like my experience with Entwined, I went into Strands with few expectations. My only hope was that it would be sufficiently creepy.
Alas, the end result was not quite what I had been hoping for. The pacing of this novel was quite slow. I was reading with a buddy, and we kept asking, "When is something going to happen?" True, the lack of action does add to the suspense, but there is absolutely no mystery to this story. It is what it sets out to be, but there is never any question that things are amiss at Wyndriven Abbey and Sophie should escape before she is well and truly in danger.
But that Sophie...she's not the sharpest crayon in the box. Okay, that's not entirely true. She is somewhat clever, but her naïveté only lends itself to inaction, making her one of the most frustrating heroines I've ever suffered through. The rest of the characters weren't much to write home about either, with the exception of the enigmatic Monsieur de Cressac. I wish the story had been told from his point-of-view...I really think it would have been much more interesting and a hundred times more fun to read. (Someone should consider that...rewriting all the old fairy tales from the villain's point-of-view. Unless, of course, that's already been done. In which case, I need recs.)
As it stands, I enjoyed the story well enough, especially not knowing what to expect from the ending. Though being a fairy tale retelling, I should have had some inclination toward the outcome, I suppose. Unfortunately, I had discussed the original story with a friend beforehand and did expect more gore and creepiness from this book than what was actually delivered, based on that conversation. Even so, I still have hope that the other books in this series will improve upon the original stories from which they are borrowed.
Rating:
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Teaser Tuesday #46: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This week's teaser(s) comes from the following book(s):
Author: Jane Nickerson
Series: Strands of Bronze and Gold, book #1
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
My teaser:
This book just gets creepier the more I read. I'm just glad I'm reading along with my buddy Em so I'm not reading alone. =)
What are you teasing this week? Share it in the comments or leave a link so I can visit!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Waiting on Wednesday: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's WoW selection is...
Author: Jane Nickerson
Series: Strands of Bronze and Gold, book #1
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
Why I'm waiting: Okay, I'll admit it...I had to do a little research on Bluebeard. I've never heard of that "fairy tale". (Sounds more like a horror story, if you ask me.) Anyway, between what I found online and the premise for this novel, I must read this story! It sounds like a fantastic retelling, and I am ALL ABOUT THE DEBUTS, y'all. And, ermigawd, that cover is soooooooooo gorgeous! =)
What are you waiting on this week? Share it in the comments or leave me a link so I can stop by! Happy Wednesday!
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starryeyedjen
- I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
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