Pathways is a fairy tale retelling. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the genre, it’s simply a book that tells a classic fairy tale (like Snow White) and puts a different spin on it. Usually, the story will keep the core themes and concepts of the story while adding new layers, like putting it in a different genre. Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a great example of this (and a great book).
I don’t know about you, but when I get sick, the only shows I want to watch are Disney cartoons. Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Inside Out… for some reason, I instantly feel better when I see the iconic theme and the Disney castle. These fairy tale retelling books evoke the same feelings of nostalgia and magic, while introducing completely new, intriguing twists.
I need to be quiet now, before I spoil the AMAZING plot. This book was a surprise for sure; I read it on Kindle Unlimited, and immediately loved it. When I canceled my subscription, I knew that I had to own it. This is one of the first “indie” (i.e., independently published) books that I had read, and it surpassed all expectations!
Eileen has never been interested in love. Ever since her father’s abandonment, she’s vowed to never experience such pain again. But the enchanted forest has different ideas. When the continuously shifting pathways lead her to a mysterious stranger, Eileen finds her promise to fiercely guard her heart increasingly difficult to keep.
The mysterious stranger she met in the woods has his own reasons for helping her succeed, although the cost of his assistance may be too high: that of Eileen’s heart, the one thing she’s vowed never to give.
Treasure Maps
The characters and plot of this story are wonderful. The writing flowed well, and I can say from experience that there was not a single point where I was ready to stop and put my bookmark in. The idea of an enchanted forest with changing pathways was something fresh, and the story took so many different turns I would not have guessed which fairy tale was being retold unless you had showed me the cover.
Aiden, the MMC (male main character), in particular was a very multi-faceted character. Every scene he was in was interesting, and I found myself waiting for his POV chapters because I enjoyed them so much. On the other hand, Eileen was a wonderful character that remained mostly the same throughout the story. Although this helped with the “cozy fantasy” aspect of the retelling, I would have loved some more internal struggle to really fill out her character. The side characters (like Rosie and Liam) added some from side stories to the book and foreshadowed upcoming novels.
Once again, Pathways is a great example of a stand-alone novel. Although it can be read in a series, it doesn’t have to be. These kinds of stories are always enjoyable because you don’t have to commit to the whole series unless you want to. (With this book, I definitely did!)
Poisoned Apples:
This book is clean fantasy romance, which means that there is no violence and no innuendo. L1 profanity.
Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust
This book does not have any direct spiritual references, although there are good Biblical takeaways about trust.
The Frog Prince
As the first book in a series called The Kingdom Chronicles, Pathways is one of those wonderful stories that can stand alone but is even more magical when you read the whole series. I highly encourage anyone looking for a quick, cozy read to put this in your Amazon cart. As of posting, it’s about $12.30. It’s also available on Kindle, and Audible, so you can experience this tale in any format! Camille Peters is a wonderful author, and you can’t NOT love her characters, story, and world. Although many of her stories fall under the “cozy fantasy” category, meaning the characters can sometimes be predictable, the stories are perfect for reading while sipping a cup of hot tea (or coffee… or hot chocolate!). So, take a moment and read this magical retelling. I promise, it will lead you down a wonderful pathway!
If you are interested in purchasing Pathways, you can buy it here.
𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑒