Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends: Book 1 Paperback – April 10, 2014

Okay, now before I start, let me say, I have read all of Shannon Hale's other YA books and Goose Girl and Rapunzel's Revenge will always hold a special place in my heart. Admitting that, along with the fact I am a major Ever After High fan, I will now commence with my review.The book is centered around Apple White and Raven Queen, two students in Ever After High. For those of you not familiar with Ever After High, it is a high school where the sons and daughters of fairy tale characters go. On their second year, every student must pledge to follow in their parent's footsteps. If a student doesn't take the pledge, then the story they are in and they themselves will cease to exist. Apple White is the perfect future queen, caring, smart, beautiful and kind. Her only perceivable flaw is the fact she is blonde (so the book says, multiple times). She is ready to take on her destiny as queen. Raven, on the other hand, is the daughter of the evil queen. All her life, people have been telling her to be evil, and expected her to be a horrible person. Raven wants to be able to change her fate.Raven and Apple are going into their second year at Ever After High, the year when they take the pledge. They are rooming together, and are very different people. Raven wants to choose her own fate, and Apple is trying to make sure that Raven stays on her path, so that the story will continue to exist and her own story will end happily ever after. The relationship between them is very Wicked Galinda-Elphaba. Neither really understands the other at first, but the gradually become friends, despite the fact that Raven will someday have to poison Apple. Awkward much?I really didn't like Apple. Although she is just a pawn, she is very self-centered. When Raven confides in Apple, telling her how she wonders why everyone can't look past who her mother is and just be her friend, Apple thinks, "You are supposed to be evil, Raven. It's not wrong for people to see in you your true nature" (Hale). Fine, she is "supposed" to be evil, but being told you are evil doesn't make exclusion hurt any less. Apple has been adored her whole life, she really has no right to judge Raven, even if it is just silently.Saying that, there are some characters and parts of the story I adore! Maddie is my favorite character, followed by Raven. Cedar Wood and Cerise Hood are pretty cool to. And Dex, OMG, he and Raven are so cute together! I love how Maddie Hatter can communicate with the narrator, because she is mad herself, it makes the story seem almost second person perspective, the reader is so involved. I love how everyone is not how they first appear. Again, it's very much like Wicked. Everyone expects Raven to be bad, but really, it could be argued her cause is much more noble than Apple's. This book is chock-full of magic and plot twists, very Wicked meets Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl.I don't want to give to much away, so let me end with this. When buying the book, I would have liked to know more about when it ends. The descriptions were kinda vague about that, just going up to legacy day, which, in all fairness, is the climax of the story. Also, I would love to get inside the faculty's mind, to see what people other than the students and the narrator are thinking.Would I read this book again?YesWould I recommend it to a friend?YesWould I like to know more about some other characters and their motivations?YesWould I change the story?NoOverall, I really loved this book, the plot was really intricate, if a bit predictable and the writing and characterization were phenomenal! I am even bigger fan of Ever After High now, and I am anxiously awaiting the sequel! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1JcWRqBq9cI first found this book by watching the webisodes that Autumn @ Kitty Cat Reads recommended me to watch. These are absolutely adorable and are created by the same people that created Monster High! It is just too much cute to handle and I knew I just needed more story and I was completely satisfied with the first book in the series of Ever After High, The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale!The stories of Ever After High revolves around the lives of fairy tale characters children. The main characters are Apple White, daughter of Snow White and Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen. The children of fairy tale characters head off the Ever After High to learn how to prepare to follow in the footsteps of their parents.This was an absolutely adorable middle grade fantasy (fairy tale retelling) The characters were so dynamic and entertaining. All with their own quirks and similarities with their parents. The language used was fantastic and really gave a youthful vibe that fit perfectly in the world, which was absolutely hexellent! There was adventure and drama and some great messages about being yourself, accepting who you are and making your own decisions to follow your own path!I was able to finish this in one day and just could not put it down. I got so engrossed in the world and fell absolutely in love with all the characters! It is a fast paced enjoyable read that had me laughing and wanting more. I immediately picked up the second book in the series because I just could not get enough of this world and characters!Overall if you are looking for a fast, highly enjoyable and super adorable (and precious and cute all all other words that convey the deep love I had for this book! ) read that focuses on stories we are all familiar with from our childhood this is definitely a book for you. Also I highly recommend watching the webisodes because they are just perfect (and different from the book in ways that give you more stories and the background to more characters!)

I discovered Ever After High by chance, and the 11 webisodes intrigued me, as did the dolls. When I learned there was a book, I was excited. Finally, more detail and a plot than the webisodes! Now maybe more people will learn of Ever After High. The story is technically for younger readers, but there is a deepness to it. The characters are charged with following in the footsteps of their parents. While some embrace, others realize they are trapped. There is a hint of darkness in the story.Raven is my favorite character. I really liked Maddie too. Raven doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps, and she doesn't want her classmates to have to follow their set path if they don't want to, either. Raven wants to live in a world where there are choices. I knew about Ashlyn and Hunter, and Cerise from the webisodes, but it was great to finally have a detailed story!In the webisodes, it was hinted that Dex might fancy Raven, and it's obvious in Storybook of Legends. I think they're cute, but the only thing that grated on me was the scene when Raven dressed in her mother's clothes for Legacy Day. She suddenly felt the power her mother did, and thought it would awesome to have minions Then Dex shows up, and Raven realizes she almost started thinking like her mother. Like all princesses, Raven needed a prince to save her, or at least remind her of her original purpose. Or maybe I am just reading too much into it. Raven probably would have realized what she was doing on her own--as she should have. Dex and Raven are cute though.I can't wait for the sequel, and just more Ever After High stuff in general.