Title: Jaclyn and the Beanstalk
Author: Mary Ting
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
ARC Received From & Hosted By: Xpresso Book Tours
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.
Together, Jaclyn and Jack must battle to save not only their fathers, but the townspeople the beasts plan to lay waste to before it’s too late.
This re-telling of Jack and the Beanstalk is beautifully done. The bones of that classic fairy tale are faintly evident throughout, but Ms. Ting made it more than a child, magic, and monsters.
In these pages she brought to life a girl who's strong-willed, strong-minded, and courageous. She loves passionately and deeply. Her loyalty is unbreakable. She finds the strength to do the impossible and discovers a bond deeper than friendship with a boy who's always been there for her but who she has never dared reveal her true feelings to. They battle monsters and darkness to save the day.
The romance between Jaclyn and her best friend Jack was lovely in that it wasn't the dominant point of this story. It's subtle and grows as they journey to save their loved ones, every now and then showing it's power without taking away from their circumstances.
One aspect that did surprise me was the use of Christian messages in this story. Christianity and fairy tales don't usually go hand-in-hand, usually because fairy tales involve magic, a practice frowned upon in the Christian religion. And, yet, it didn't detract at all for me. The messages and the lessons learned seemed to go hand-in-hand, co-dependents to giving the story body and depth I feel it would have lacked otherwise.
Ms. Ting is a new-to-me author. Her writing is engaging, and the characters of this re-telling are delightful twists to the fairy tale I grew up hearing. I hope the ending of this story isn't just a tease but an actual gateway to another tale to follow. It's one I hope to read if Ms. Ting feels so inclined to follow through. Regardless, I look forward to reading more by Ms. Ting. I'm sure there are more worlds she's created that are waiting for me, and others, to be discovered.
Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.
Great review! This sounds well written and unique! Glad you liked it!
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