A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (Once Upon a Time Series) by Debbie Viguié. Title: Violet Eyes. Author: Debbie Viguié. Genre: YA Fantasy. Mass Market Paperback: 195 pages. Publisher: Simon Pulse; First Edition (2010). Description: When a storm brings the dashing Prince Richard to her family's farm, Violet falls in love at first sight. Richard also gives Violet his heart, but he knows his marriage is destined to be an affair of state, not of passion. For the king and queen have devised a contest to determine who will win their son's hand in marriage. To be reunited with her prince, Violet must compete against princesses from across the land. It will take all of her wits, and a little help from an unexpected source if Violet is to demonstrate the depth of her character and become Richard's bride. Review: Well, I have been disappointed with a lot of the books in this series. There are actually authors I avoid. And I love fairy tales! So of course I am frustrated when I don't like what they've done with the old versions. Sadly this book did nothing to bolster my opinion of the series.
I like the early books but not the new ones. I get a rushed vibe from the new ones, as if the authors are just whipping them out. "Need a book? Okay, give me a week or two." Not good. The story was okay. The little twist was nice... but they do give it away in the excerpt on the first page. The characters were... okay. No one really outstanding or containing much depth. If this were a movie there would be crew moving the cardboard cutouts around (badly). Men would be making little girl voices. And yes they would have headsets. There would probably be a guy multitasking and holding a boom. Back on track: I hated the descriptions used for the characters and their actions. The Prince had a "chiseled jaw". Gak! Haven't I heard that a million and one times! And of course said Prince's eyes were constantly "smoldering". Is that the only way to describe passion in a ya book? "Baby, I just have this internal fire thing going on. So my eyes will smolder on occasion. No, no, it isn't catching."