E-Book Review: Wraith's Forest by L.J. Leger

Wraith's Forest by L J Leger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First, let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed reading this story. I got an email requesting a review and, after reading the blurb, I knew I had to read Wraith’s Forest. Ah, the power of a good blurb. To read it for yourself, click here. It intrigued me, and I had to know how Jenna’s story would turn out to be a rendition of the classic beauty and beast fairytale.

Recently, the hottest new fads for YA books are either dystopian stories (thanks to The Hunger Games) or classic fairytales told with a modern twist. I’ve enjoyed several other stories that retold fairytales such as Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (Little Red Riding Hood) and Beastly by Alex Flinn (Beauty and the Beast). On my TBR list are other such stories like Cinder (Cinderella) by Marissa Meyer, Sweetly by Jackson Pearce (Hansel & Gretel I think), and Bewitched by Alex Flinn (not sure what to expect here).

So, when I was offered the chance to read Wraith’s Forest, a new take on the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, I jumped at it.

The very beginning of the story is captivating. I found my curiosity piqued about the history and mythology of the magical fruit and the mysterious monster living in the surrounding forest. My enjoyment of this story continued almost to the very end without complaint.

The reason I didn’t give this story 5 stars is mainly for the very reason why I enjoyed it so much…it’s short. I finished reading it about an hour after I uploaded it to my e-reader. At the time, I needed something short. But, I think, as much as I enjoyed its brevity, this story maybe was a little too short. There were too many things not clarified to my satisfaction. I wanted to know more about the history of the village and its need for the magical fruit. I wanted to understand better the mechanics of the magical fruit – what exactly did it do for the village and how? The explanation for the Wraith’s existence felt rushed where it could have been fleshed out more to make me connect better with the poor creature. And my biggest complaint is that the Wraith asks Jenna to stay with him for a full week, but he really could have asked for only one night, because the story ends the second day of her week-long sentence. Even with these shortcomings, I still liked this story a great deal and don’t regret reading it…twice.

This e-book was offered to me for free for a review.



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