Ever After: Book of Legends
by Shannon Hale

At Ever After High, the students are all descendants of fairy tale characters.  In their 2nd year of school, they will sign the Book of Legends.  This book binds them to carry out their roles in the stories we know so well, as their parents did before them and so on and so on back in time. But Raven, daughter of the Evil queen from the “Snow White” tale, doesn’t like the idea of being stuck as the evil character of this story.  As Raven questions whether to “be good” by signing the book and agreeing to her fate of being bad or being rebellious so she can be good, her new friend, and potential future target, Apple White, tries her best to convince Raven to go ahead and sign on to the agreed-upon story.  Apple wants her happy ending, even if it means a poisoned apple along the way. 

I was initially drawn to Shannon Hale many years ago by judging one of her books by its cover.  With Ever After, however, I avoided it because of its cover.  But since we’ve been all things Shannon Hale in our house of late (and I love her work), I gave it a try.  It wasn’t until after reading it, I learned the backstory of how this book came about.  It was a concept created by Mattel to pair with its Monsters High line.  But, regardless of origin, and my aversion to the Bratz-style art, I always enjoy Ms. Hale’s books, and this was no exception.   The book is definitely geared towards teens, and perhaps reluctant readers, but the story was good.  I really enjoyed the age-old idea of deciding whether to embrace the familiarity and comfort of the life you’re expected to live vs. choosing to “write your own story,” even if it means you don’t know where it will lead.  (I’m also a complete sucker for puns, and this book is full of them.)

This book is a series, and I haven’t read the others yet.  And while it may not be for everyone, I thought it was an enjoyable read.