Posts Tagged: jackson pearce

Book Review- Sweetly

17 Aug, 2011 by in sweetly 1 comment

by Jackson Pearce

Hardcover, 312 pages

Expected publication:


August 23rd 2011

by Little, Brown

series: Fairytale Retellings #2


4 stars



SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.

Summary: Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

Hansel and Gretel has always been one of my favorite fairy tales so Sweetly has been on my wish list ever since Jackson announced it after her first retelling of Little Red Riding Hood entitled Sisters Red. These two books fit hand in hand and follow Jackson’s dark, modern modernization of childhood favorites. Sweetly begins with Ansel and his twin sisters playing in the woods near their home, dropping the yellow candies no one likes along the way. Out of the deep appears a witch with yellow eyes and big teeth scaring the three siblings to a chase,and it’s not until they get home that they realize one of the twins is lost forever. The two surviving brother and sister Ansel and Gretchen face the guilt and fear every day, and eventually one day are kicked out of their home by their step-mother. They pack up their belongings and travel across country towards the ocean until their car breaks down in the deep south town of Live Oak, South Carolina.

Here’s where I fell in love. The town has that kitsch retro feel of small town Americana frozen in time. The locals distrust anyone from the outside. Lucky for Ansel and Gretchen the chocolatier on the outskirts of town needs some help and can help pay for Jeep repairs. Lured by the dreamy vanilla smell and handmade delicacies they decide to stay with Sophia, the patron saint of candy until her famous Chocolate Festival. But as secrets begin to unfurl and sea shells mysteriously show up on the porch, Gretchen is sure there’s more than meets the eye to Sophia.



Enter in Samuel, the woodsman everyone calls crazy. He’s a loner and packs a rifle which comes in handy when Gretchen decides to fight back against the witch in the forest she’s always feared. Sweetly is an atmospheric story about family loyalty and the mystery of twins with just the perfect dash of romance and a sprinkle of darkness. You’ll fall into this mouth watering tale head first and want to come back for more. To see more about the world of Sweetly visit our Etsy treasury here and Jackson’s microsite here. Recommended for teens age 16 ands older due to swearing, graphic violence and mention of sex.


Sweetly Inspired Fine Art Giveaway

17 Aug, 2011 by in etsy, sweetly 13 comments





Our Etsy giveaway this week is inspired by Jackson Pearce’s book Sweetly and is brought to you by the amazingly talented Jaz.

“I’m a full time artist based in Brisbane, Australia… I specialize mainly in pop surreal, big eyed, lowbrow, whimsical, fantasy, fairytale styles of art. Is that specialized? 😉

My inspiration comes from vintage storybooks, dreams, movies, nursery rhymes, Alice in Wonderland, steampunk, sea creatures, mermaids, museums, art…the list goes on and on.

I live with my gorgeous fiance, our beautiful daughter, and our little black & white cat – Oreo! ”

She has donated the lovely “Hansel and Gretel” Art Print

Size: 12″ x 16″ (30.5cm x 40.6cm) – with a white border for ease of framing (A3 size in total).

These prints are beautiful on their own or in a frame!

This one is based off the original Brothers Grimm fairytale of “Hansel and Gretel”. After they’ve been left stranded in the forest, Hansel and his sister Gretel stumble upon a house made completely out of candy! It’s extremely tempting, but they’re both a little weary about going in…

There’s lots of little details painted into this one! Lots of different sweets on the house, along with melting ice-cream cone turrets, and a roof made of candy hearts. I’ve purposefully made the house nice and bright, so that it contrasts with Hansel and Gretel in their bland and worn shades of brown and cream.

It’s a professional 12″ x 16″ art print on Glossy Photo Paper, printed with archival ink, so your art print should stay nice and bright for many years to come!

To enter to win 12×16 fine art print simply leave a comment below.

Optional additional entries

+1 for favoriting her etsy shop

+1 for picking your favorite item from Evelyn Mae Creations website

+1 if you follow Fire and Ice on twitter, facebook, tumblr or networked blogs

+1 for each retweet of the giveaway @fireicephotos

+1 for liking the ArtbyJaz page on facebook

Add up your entries and leave the total with the links in your comment. Contest ends August 31, 2011 and is open internationally.

Waiting on Wednesday- Sweetly By Jackson Pearce

02 Jun, 2010 by in sisters red, sweetly 1 comment

Our Waiting on Wednesday is Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. I read her first in the Series “Sisters Red” back in January as part of the Mundie Moms ARC tour and loved it! Then last night while chatting with the author, I hear she is re-working the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel! I am SO excited! One of my favorite fairy tales re-told by an amazing author. As described on Jackson’s website… “SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED and FATHOMLESS”

Can’t wait for the release in 2011. In the mean time, and while we are still waiting for the release of Sisters Red #1 to stores, enjoy her teaser trailer.

Photography Friday- Into The Woods

29 Jan, 2010 by in photography, sisters red 2 comments


Le Petit Chaperon Rouge by Rachel-Picz
www.rachel-photography.nl


lr2h by Ahef

Post apocaliptik version of the little red riding hood


Into The Silvery Wood by crowolf

“The woods are just trees. The trees are just wood.”
Red Riding Hood

“There’s no possible way. To describe how you feel. When you’re talking to your meal!”
The Wolf
from “Into The Woods” by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

See my other Red Riding Hood Flickr favorites in this gallery
http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherzahngardner/galleries/72157623307232832/

And of course…the wolves here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherzahngardner/galleries/72157623307697628/

Review-Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

28 Jan, 2010 by in etsy, sisters red 1 comment

Published by Little Brown
Release date June 7, 2010
336 pages
4 stars

Some of the other handmade Little Red items currently on Etsy

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris– the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax– but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they’ve worked for- Goodreads

I received this book while it was on an ARC tour from KatieB of Mundie Moms. From the first scene Silas is introduced, I knew he was a keeper…the woodsy scent, hard work ethic, kindness and life long friendship that he encompassed is a sure draw. Who wouldn’t want to fall in love with a woodsman who comes to your rescue and encourages you to take community ed origami?

Rosie and Scarlett are tough axe swinging women of the modern day twist to an old fashioned fairy tale. Standing up to the Fenris and defending other girls from the attacks they suffered as children, they are two hearts that act as one. I truly enjoyed this book, but must way it was a little violent for me…should have watched Jackson Pearce’s video description to prepare me for the dismembered arm 🙂 It is an amazing read which explores sisterhood, family, independence and love.

SISTERS RED currently has at two companion books, SWEETLY(#2) and FATHOMLESS (#3)

Check out Jackson Pearce’s website at http://watchmebe.livejournal.com/516029.html

Check out our wolf book hook http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37932850 and other sisters red items in the Etsy shop.

Here Jackson Pearce tells about Sisters Red in a video filmed by Castergirls

Waiting On Wednesday "Sisters Red"

20 Jan, 2010 by in sister red Leave a comment

Checking my mailbox every day for this one which is on ARC tour…
Summary From Goodreads:
Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris– the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax– but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they’ve worked for.

Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Pearce delivers a dark, taut fairy tale with heart-pounding action, fierce sisterly love, and a romance that will leave readers breathless.

Coming June 7th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers