[Contemplation] Twice Upon a Time
Haaaaaa. You don't know how long it took for me to finish this! Twice Upon a Time written by Aya Ling, is the second installment of her Unfinished Fairy tales Series. Her first book The Ugly Stepsister took my heart and made me quite a bookworm after! So I knew I had to read this second part to continue the Cinderella-inspired story of Katherine Wilson and Prince Edward.
Here is the synopsis of the book:
Seven years have passed since Kat left Athelia. Through the intervention of the goblin king’s baby daughter, the book is re-opened and Kat is transported back to Story World. Upon learning she is given a second chance, Edward is determined not to let her go this time. His chance of succeeding, however, seems like nil. Kat doesn’t remember anything of their past, she loathes life at court, and she’s anxious to return to modern world. Not to mention that there’s a price to pay for tampering with the book again…
Unlike the first book, the Ugly Stepsister - which I read for a week, this book Twice Upon a Time took me about 5 months to finish. It's not that the story was boring - it was actually cute because the Cinderella theme was still there - but maybe because I felt like reading Ugly Stepsister again (or busy with work maybe?). I wished it started out differently. Owing to the fact that Kat lost her memory and being transferred back to Athelia. Hence everything in Athelia is somewhat new to her, when it is not so much to the readers. The first half of the book is all about Kat trying to re-adjust with the rules of the court. Which is kind of a waste of time. We've been through this in the first book and we had to know it again.
The thrill for me begun near the end (haha) when Kat found out the consequences of living in a Story book. It was painful because they had to go through their heartaches again and be separated and that's where the cliffhanger plays. Albeit that, I always love Prince Edward when he expresses his love and care for Kat. So cool.
I just want to point out reasons why I liked the Series (first book specifically). Firstly, it's a retold story of Cinderella with twists that follows nothing from the original fairy tale. Secondly, I like the the theme it pushes - it doesn't always need to be damsels in distress. The Main Girl made her way to the Prince's heart because she's unorthodox and witty. She stood up for herself and focused on unheard problems of the society no one cared about. I know she's like that because she's from the real world but the fact that even if people underestimated her, she took the liberty of doings things her way because she knows she can't depend on anyone but herself. And that's something.
I just wish that the third book story 'Ever After' takes place in our world instead of in Athelia. Instead of having Kat down in Athelia, why don't we have Edward in America instead? Because all those court rules and life of a prince and a princess is really kind of overwhelming. And it'll be breathing new fresh air. and not just the book smell.
My Rating:
Plot: 7.0/10
Characters & Dialogue : 8.0/10
Structure & Pacing: 6.0/10
Theme: 7.0/10
Style & Tone: 8.3/10
OVERALL RATING: 7.2