Friday, November 29, 2013

DNF: The Wolf Princess by Cathryn Constable



DNF Explanation

Read: 101 of 320
Received: ARC from publisher, via NetGalley

I don't know what it is about icy fairy tales, but they don't seem to work for me. I was hoping The Wolf Princess would break that streak, but no such luck.

It started out ok enough, though it definitely reads as a middle grade book. That could have been fine, if everything else hadn't hit all the wrong marks for me.

First off, the main character Sophie Smith never grabbed me. She's one of those wallflower "normal" types who either instantly grab me as a kindred spirit or bore me to tears. Sophie obviously had the latter effect on me.

Her one defining feature was that she felt an inexplicable connection to Russia, which was strange, had no actual grounding in the story (yet), and made Sophie mildly irritating.

Oh, and did I mention she's an orphan? Usually orphans and me totally get along (Anne Shirley, Annie (, Little Orphan), Harry Potter, Ponyboy, I could go on), but, nope, even that sure bet feature couldn't muster up even an ounce of bosom friendship between us.

Then, the plodding plot. I kept telling myself, "Read until you get to the part where the story actually starts and then decide if you want to DNF" except that part STILL HADN'T HAPPENED by page 101 when I allowed myself to finally stop.

Ok, ok, fine, I guess SOME things had happened. They were just boring. Most of it was filled with boring interactions between Sophie and her two stereotypical friends (Bookish and Beautiful) and even more boring memories and woe is me thoughts from Sophie.

Also, the plot was totally illogical in a weird "what not do to" example for a school sponsored stranger-danger assembly. I mean, really, the premise was absurd.

Bottom line

This is a fairy tale, so the fact that Sophie is pretty one dimensional isn't an auto-killer. Readers less impatient than myself might enjoy The Wolf Princess, especially if the wolf and princess-y parts redeem things (I never got to them). Also, readers more interested in "poignant journeys and a coming of age tale" might like this more than me, who wants "sparkling adventure with a dash of romance!"


Do you have any questions about Ink that I haven't addressed?
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Have you read The Wolf Princess? What did you think about it? 


Looking for another book like this?
You might like:

http://smallreview.blogspot.com/2011/09/book-review-breadcrumbs-by-anne-ursu.htmlhttp://smallreview.blogspot.com/2011/11/joint-book-review-princess-of-wild.html

 Click on the pictures to go to my reviews/Goodreads.

6 comments:

  1. Gosh, I think this would drive me nuts too!
    I don't mind middle grade when it's like smart and funny middle grade, but this sounds like it was just immature.

    I'm sorry, Small!
    I hope your next read is awesome

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it would be a good book, but for the intended audience. It's not one of those MG books that can work for older readers as well.

      Delete
  2. I often have trouble with snowy fairy tales (or snowy books in general), as well. I think some authors have difficultly making snow engaging. It's cold, so there's no one walking around in the story for the main characters to interact with, and it's snowy, so there's nothing to look at in the landscape. Overall, the effect can come off as isolated and boring.

    ReplyDelete
  3. At the end of the day it's all about being able to make that connection to the MC or at least to a supporting character! Sorry this one let you down!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, bummer! This one DEFINITELY reminds me a bit of Breadcrumbs, which you weren't really a big fan of. It sounds dull, but maybe it really gets going like Breadcrumbs did once you hit the fairytale part to the story? I sure hope so. Lucky for me, I don't have this one as an E-arc! Whew!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Back from my blogging break! I love fairytales so it's a shame you can't recommend this one, Small. The cover of this one is so pretty though and the castle in the background kind of looks like it's Russian. Maybe that connection to Russia becomes evident in the later part of the book?

    ReplyDelete

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