Book Description:
What fate awaits a girl who hears monsters at night…Sixteen-year-old Jaclyn looks up to her father. An honest man who once fought for the king, he now teaches Jaclyn how to use her wits—and her sword.
But he has a secret. And his secret may have a connection to the one thing Jaclyn is hiding from him.
Upon hearing “monsters” are terrorizing the small villages around Black Mountain, Jaclyn’s father and his friends head out to hunt them … but they don’t return.
Armed only with her sword and three magic beans—a gift from a mysterious old woman—Jaclyn sets out for Black Mountain to save her father.
On her climb, one bean drops and grows into a beanstalk, catching her when she falls.
She isn’t the only one that takes the ride. Jack, her childhood friend and secret crush, is following her.
Jaclyn and Jack will have to work together to save not only their fathers, but the townspeople the beasts plan to lay waste to before it’s too late.
My Thoughts:
I always enjoy Mary's books and this one was awesome! It is a twist on Jack and the Beanstalk but it didn't go the way I expected. Jaclyn is a beloved daughter and she dotes on her parents. I love how they let her be herself and her father teacher her to take care of herself. The monsters were completely freaky!
Jaclyn is so strong and courageous. There were times I could have smacked Jack through the book but he was great too. The author did wonderful with her cast of characters and I loved the retailing of this fairy tale. The parallels she did were masterfully done and I liked that if you wanted to, you could see a moral to the whole thing.
It was a 5/5 for me. Loved this book!
Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.
Great review, Ashley! This sounds like a well written, unique read!
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