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Title: A Hidden Magic by Vivian Vande Velde, Trina Schart Hyman ISBN: 0-15-201200-1 Publisher: Magic Carpet Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.73 (11 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Lovely, but . . .
Comment: Just a quick blurb for the time being, as everyone is already heaping praise on it. Warning: I'm playing Devil's Advocate here.
I loved it, too, but in retrospect, the book is a trifle misleading. I mean, the title of the book is better suited to the cover picture, and the cover picture is better suited to the title, than either is to the actual story.
It's a charming picture with a charming title. The substance of the tale -- a country princess trying to get a foppish prince out of trouble with the help of an absent-minded magician and the hindrance of a couple of witches -- is, however, rather fluffy (in spite of how much fun the synopsis is), and slightly too predictable. Anyone reading fairy-tale sendoffs should expect a certain amount of predictability, of course, but in some places I could guess exactly what was going to happen chapters ahead of the actual event. And it's kind of a letdown when you expect something to happen, and read through the several pages or chapters pre-event, only to find exactly - and only - what you expected.
Vivian Van Velde's trademark blend of gentle humor, sharp wit, quirky characters, and that teensy bit of grimness is still here, but not in enough abundance to justify the book's outward appearance.
On the other hand, those are the only things I can really think of to say against the book.
In spite of appearances, I'm actually a huge fan of Van Velde's work. Even her lesser works (Companions of the Night, anyone?) show off her genuinely unique powers of imagination.
And, I like her style.
Vivian Van Velde, as much as I've whined here, you rock!
Rating: 4
Summary: A different sort of fairtale
Comment: Vivian Vande Velde's A Hidden Magic turns the standard fairytale of the beautiful princess and the handsome prince on its ear. First of all the princess, Jennifer, is not beautiful. Secondly, the handsome prince has only his handsomeness to recommend him; he is arrogant, snobbish and rude. Thirdly, the prince does not rescue the princess: when Prince Alexander offends an evil witch who sends him into a deep sleep, it is left to Jennifer to rescue him.
She finds assistance from a clever young sorcerer named Norman. With his grudging aid Jennifer is able to defeat the evil witch and restore Alexander to wakefulness. Despite the role reversals and the lack of customary beauty and modesty, the novel proceeds like many fantasy novels do, complete with a dark forest, an ogre, a dragon and a mysterious Old Witch, until Alexander is awakened. Then Vande Velde does something that makes this story special and more than a slightly-strange fairytale: Jennifer defies fairytale convention and shows excellent good sense in refusing to love or marry the handsome Prince Alexander. Instead she has fallen in love with the sometimes awkward but good-hearted young man who stayed by her and helped her on her quest: the ordinary-looking sorcerer, Norman. Good guys do not always finish last!
Vande Velde has written a very good story, although I would have liked it to be a little bit longer, and with a little more support for Jennifer's almost all-of-a-sudden fondness for Norman. I cannot say that Jennifer's interest in Norman is unexpected or not foreshadowed, but a more subtle handling of their romance would make this good story an excellent one.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Hidden Magic
Comment: A Hidden Magic is a great book. In A Hidden Magic a not-so-ordinary princess (Jennifer) and a handsome but self-centered prince (Alexander) wander into a magical forest, but a magic mirror casts a spell on Alexander making him fall into an endless sleep. Jennifer ends up teaming up with a not-so-powerful warlock named Norman thus, beginning their adventure to save Alexander. I think that A Hidden magic has an awesome plot line and the characters are very colorful. There is almost every magical creature you can think of in this book, from dragons to giants to genies to witches and warlocks. If you enjoy fantasy books you will love A Hidden Magic.
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Title: A Well-Timed Enchantment by Vivian Vande Velde ISBN: 0152017658 Publisher: Magic Carpet Books Pub. Date: 15 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.00 |
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Title: Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde ISBN: 0152166696 Publisher: Magic Carpet Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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Title: Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde ISBN: 0152045600 Publisher: Harcourt Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, Vivian Velde, Vivian Vande Veide ISBN: 0439305292 Publisher: Scholastic Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
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Title: Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde ISBN: 0152166637 Publisher: Magic Carpet Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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