Synopsis from Goodreads:
From the author of "8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf" comes an original fairy tale about a teenage princess who hires the witch from "The Frog Prince" to get revenge on a Mean Girl at school. (Intended for YA readers and up.)
My Thoughts:
This is a twist on traditional fairy tales, told in verse. It is a short and entertaining read. I love twists on other stories and Michael Mullin is very good at them.
Princess Penny is tired of being bullied by Darcy and, after seeing an ad by the witch in the local paper, decides to take her revenge. She goes to the witch, who lives deep in the woods in a candy encrusted cottage, to purchase a potion that will curse Darcy. Along the way, she meets Jink, a troll under the bridge who tries to persuade Penny not to go through with her plan.
I like this twist on getting revenge and how, often, the outcome is often not what you expect. Mr. Mullin treats this often emotional and sensitive topic with humour and honesty.
Teens will likely relate to the social dynamic between Penny and Darcy and the cliques at school. I think most of us know or have known kids just like them. He plays with familiar stereotypes, both in high school and in fantasy, to make something new.
Every now and then, I found the verse a bit cumbersome, but for the most part, it was easy to read and flowed well. In fact, I was done reading the story before I knew it. The verse also adds to the fairy tale story aspect of the story, making it different from a regular short story.
Mr. Mullin also wrote "8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf" (you can read my review of it here), and I recently had the opportunity to interview him (you can read the interview here). You can find this book on Amazon.
