Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
Release Date: Mar 12 / 2013
Publisher: Random House
The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
I was really excited for Strands of Bronze and Gold as I had never read a retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale. Hell, I've never even read the original Bluebeard fairy tale. So before I read this, I made sure to read the original story. I definitely went in prepared. (I was horrified by the story by the way)
There weren't a lot of things I enjoyed about this book. It wasn't as dark as I would've liked though it definitely crept me out. I only liked the side characters, Anarchy and Mr. Stone. They were the local people from the village and they were the only characters I liked. The descriptions of the de Cressac
abbey was fantastic though. I could really see what the place looked like and feel the hot weather of Mississippi.
Though I did like a few minor things, I didn't like any of the main story or characters. Sophie was really annoying as she was too trusting. It seems like she's questioning her godfather but with her clues she should've figured out Bernard was a psycho wife killer. It's not that hard to join the dots together. Bernard was so creepy. I was telling my best friend about the book and I labelled him as the creepy godfather. I detested the romance between Bernard and Sophie. I always felt like Bernard was going to rape Sophie any second. It was so disgusting.
It did have a happy ending so I guess that was a plus. But I would never recommend this to anyone. It was as creepy and disgusting as hell.
Rating:
The Bluebeard fairy tale is new for me as well I don't think I even know the original let alone stumbling upon a retelling. But it's too bad this one had such meh and creepy characters. Bernard already makes my skin crawl *shivers*
ReplyDeleteI actually initially thought this one was sounded phenomenal, but since then, I've heard lots of mixed things. I am definitely NOT into any relationship where you fear the boy raping the girl at any moment! How about NO. And protagonists that are way too trusting? Bleh. I think I'll have to pass on this one. I'm glad you appreciated the setting and some secondary characters, though! Lovely review, Ariella! :) <3
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sophia :) I just thought Bernard was really creepy and was so annoyed with the MC for not seeing through his crap..
DeleteOkay I was interested in this book cause it has pretty cover and it's a fairytale retelling. But after hearing so many mixed reviews I guess I'm not gonna try this at the moment... I've never read the real Blueberd story but I read a retelling about it before in a book called Kill Me Softly. Didn't quite enjoy that book though.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Ariella!!
Kill Me Softly was a retelling of this fairytale? I read it, but I didn't know that! I don't even remember what it's about now. Sorry you didn't quite enjoy Kill Me Softly though :(
DeleteYeah.. I didn't get what the point of the Fairytale was. Maybe to scare kids away? Lol I don't know..
ReplyDeleteAll right, every time I started to type a comment, the page got rid of my comment as I was typing it, so let's see if my comment is saved this time. I'll type quickly!
ReplyDeleteThis one really hasn't gotten the best reviews, has it? It seems that 90% of my friends definitely disliked it, which is an absolute shame considering the fact that I just got an ARC of the sequel. The points you and other reviewers bring up would definitely indicate things I dislike in a book, so I'm not sure. (But apparently the sequel is really a companion novel and is a retelling of a different fairytale, so who knows? Maybe it'll be better. *fingers crossed*)
Yay! My comment made it!
I think you should definitely read the sequel. It is a different fairy tale. I liked her writing, just not the creepy godfather.. *shudders*
DeleteSuch a shame! I've read similar reviews, pity the story wasn't executed as well as was anticipated, I was so looking forward to this one!
ReplyDeleteI think the sequel might be better since it's a different story retelling. I would pass this one on though.
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