The Scarecrow King A Romantic Retelling of the King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale

4 Stars The Scarecrow King is a “romantic retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale.” They probably had to put that on the cover because not many people are familiar with the tale. Although I often dislike rewrites, I am still a sucker for retellings of any the Brothers Grimm tales. So of course I had to read The Scarecrow King. Rinda is a princess. She is wealthy and pampered. But her father blames her for her mother’s death and is cold and abusive towards her. Rinda’s life has a lack of love in it. She rebels by acting like a spoiled brat. When her father decides the only thing to do is marry her off to anyone who will take her, she tries to scare them all off by acting as horrible as possible which sets off a chain of events that will change her life forever. If you are familiar with the fairytale, then you will know one of the twists. Although it probably would not be hard to figure out even if you never read the original story. It is a fairly straightforward story, but I definitely enjoyed it. The Scarecrow King is a much lighter and more romantic take than the darker Brother’s Grimm version. I grew up on Grimm stories, so I definitely do not shy away from dark or scary or stories that are more about the lesson than happily ever after. But I was glad that this version was less The Taming of the Shrew / subdue the emotional female vibe and more about empowerment and self-discovery. That was one good change compared to the original story. The other good addition was explaining why Rinda acted the way she did. Rather than just being a spoiled princess who needed to be taught a lesson, she had more depth. And while she was annoying at times, I still understood why she acted the way she did. The story was sanitized but sweet. I liked the banter between Rinda and Alek. I loved when he taught her to fight. The story was endearing and easy to read. The action parts could have been built up more to increase the stakes though. Keeping things on the very tame side of PG13 unfortunately made things seem less dangerous. It would have been wonderful if the author had maintained at least some of the ominousness tone of the original writers. You know, just enough to send some shivers down my spine a time or two. Instead, the bad guys weren’t ruthless enough which also meant they weren’t scary. Which in turn made the threat seem less menacing. I wish The Scarecrow King had been longer and fleshed out with more risk and atmosphere. But I still greatly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes their fairytales with a little adventure but not too much gloom. RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Writing Style: 4 Stars Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars Level of Captivation: 4 Stars Originality: 3 Stars

This was awesome. Exactly what I needed to get me into reading for fun again. I could say that it could have been spun out with a bit more world building, but the fact is that I loved it.

"You are worth more to me than a thousand kingdoms , and I will happily follow you to the ends of the earth and live with you in a hovel if that is what it takes to win you back.Because when I am with you, I am happy . And when I am not with you,I am nothing." This book is a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales of all times. I still find myself listening to it at night to help me fall asleep. And this book does the story justice,as it shapes a new world around it,without losing its very essence. I found the mythology of the Birthrights to be truly fascinating. Knowing the story beforehand,the reveal didn't shock me,but this didn't mind me in the least. I loved Alek so much. I truly appreciate the depth the author gave to the princess,as well as the feminist approach to a much loved but maybe a tad sexist children story.