Myths of Mish (Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #2)

4.5 magical stars!

This is a clever and futuristic re-telling of Hansel and Gretel, with another fairy tale mixed in for good measure. (No spoilers here, you’ll have to read to find out which!)

Older brother Hansel is head strong and super protective of his sister Gretel, especially ever since their father’s new wife tried to lose them in the woods when they were children. Now that Hansel is 21, his father has given up trying to form an alliance via his marriage, and instead has arranged for sweet, 17-year-old Gretel to marry a neighboring President. Fearing for his sister’s safety and happiness, Hansel steals her away in the middle of the night to avoid early morning nuptials. Gretel’s childhood friend, Wilhelmine (Minna), sneaks onboard the spaceship to help look after of them.

As Hansel, Gretel, and Minna journey off on the adventure of a lifetime, they learn more about each other and themselves.

Perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer’s ‘The Lunar Chronicles’!

Thanks to Curiosity Quills Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hamstead has done it again with this addition to the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles. I simply couldn’t put this book down. Her ability to create the most captivating characters, imagery and world is just astounding.

Going into this book I didn’t know what to expect as it had been awhile since I read the last one and I wasn’t sure whether this was going to be a sequel, or something else. Well it turned out to be more like a prequel, where you get to learn more about how the different kingdoms came together in the first place. I really loved getting to know more about the individual kingdoms and some of the legends and lore that surrounded them.

I’ll be honest in saying that while I know the basic story of Hansel and Gretel (you know, two little kids go into woods and almost get eaten by evil witch) I don’t know much past that. So it was great to read Hamstead’s new spin on it. Also I feel like there might’ve been a twist on The Little Mermaid in there somewhere as well, which was fantastic. As an author she does a marvelous job of weaving these new stories and making them believable in these worlds.

The characters she creates have such excellent depth as well. In the beginning Hansel was starting to grate on me after awhile being so overtly rude to Minna and acting like a little child on the playground, always so paranoid. But by the end of the book I was just as in love with him as Minna was. And it takes great skill as a writer to make a reader change their mind about how they feel about a character over such a short span, so serious kudos for that. I think part of it had to do with that adorable faux-play scene near the end, so adorable! And I’m so happy that she always keeps the romances passionate but chaste at the same time. Gretel was cute and I liked her added sweetness and the lighthearted aspects she brought to the book, but I did want to slap her for being almost too naive near the end, but as always it all came together and everyone fit perfectly, including Rune who was such a quirky, awesome guy.

I only have two nit-picks about this book, but they’re not really anything that changes my opinion overall. My first one is that I’m not a huge fan of the cover this time around, I get why that’s the cover after reading the book, but the last cover for Princess of Tyrone was so stunning I just wish I could love this one the same.

Also, the pacing of this book did feel a little rushed compared to Princess of Tyrone, but I think that fit this book better as the circumstances called for a faster pace as the characters were under more constraints. My only wish would’ve been for the ending to have been dragged out maybe a couple of chapters more, I felt like the action was pushed through pretty quickly and there could’ve been more added to it, but overall it was still done wonderfully.

I’m so excited that I got invited to read this. It’s hard to find fairytale retellings that are done well, and done so consistently, but Hamsead has delivered a stunning book not once, but twice now so I look forward to reading as many books in these Chronicles as she wants to write!

<b>*Generously received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*</b>

Myths of Mish is a sequel to Princess of Tyrone, but it can be read as a standalone novel. I have written a review of Princess of Tyrone, if you have not read it then you can find it here. I would recommend reading Princess of Tyrone first though due to different places and people being referenced. Thus, you will have a more informed mind of how the whole world that Hamstead has created works.

<a href="http://libraryofaredhead.blogspot.com/">*Review Posted on Library of a Red Head*</a>

I really liked this book. It wasn’t quite as good as the first book in the series, but I still enjoyed reading it a lot. Honestly, I can’t really remember the last time I read such a fast-paced book. It felt like I started reading it, and then it was just over. I’m still trying to process everything. I’m a bit sad it was over so fast, though, because now I have to wait for the next book.

I didn’t really like Hansel and Gretel at first.

Hansel felt really over-the-top, like everything about him was made out to be really big and important, which didn’t convince me. In the beginning, he’s also really mean to just about everyone but Gretel. And Gretel was really naïve, she trusted everyone without a second thought, and she gave off the impression of being way younger than she actually was. Both of them did. It felt more like a Young Adult book than New Adult, because Hansel and Gretel were just so immature.

But, the good thing was that they both grew a lot through the book, and by the end of it, I really liked them both.

I really liked Minna, though.

Minna is great. She doesn’t fit into any stereotypes; she just does what she wants regardless of what others thinks she should do. It was great! And she was a lot more mature than Hansel and Gretel. I really loved reading about her and watching her grow.

I have mixed feelings about the romance.

I liked the romance between Minna and Hansel, it worked really well with the rest of the story, and I liked to see them grow, both as individuals and as a couple. But, the romance between Gretel and Rune felt a bit hurried. I’m not a big fan of love at first sight, and while they’re a great couple, it was just too much love at first sight.

I was a bit hesitant about the perspective changes, but it worked.

The perspectives changed a lot, and at first, I didn’t like it, but surprisingly, it worked for this book. The different perspectives were necessary for this book; it gave a better perspective on everything that was going on. It worked really well.

The plot was really fast.

When I started reading, I was surprised at how fast it went. The plot started immediately, and it was really easy to get into it. That made it impossible to put down, and it was over way too soon. And the way she took a beloved children’s fairytale and made it something completely different and unpredictable was amazing!

To sum it up, Myths of Mish is a fast-paced space adventure filled with family, friendship and love, and it takes the story of Hansel and Gretel to a whole new level. This is a must-read for every Sci-Fi (and Retelling) lover out there!

(I received this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and so when I was contacted and pre-approved to read this second book I was very excited as I knew this would be something I would enjoy, and I was right.

This story follow Hansel and Gretel years after they survived the witch in the woods which I thought was such an interesting concept which worked really well. At first, I wasn't too sure about the characters of Hansel or Gretel, as Hansel was mean to everyone other than Gretel and Gretel seemed rather young and naive for her age. However both of these characters had great character development and by the end of the book I really liked them both. I also really liked Minna, who was strong and independent and together the friendship between the three was great.

I liked the romance in this book as it didn't take over the entire story and as with the first book I loved the world and side characters. Overall I really enjoyed this second book, it was fun, fast paced and I never knew was was going to happen next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for giving me this book to review.

Myths of Mish is a very enjoyable sci-fi fairytale retelling of Hansel and Gretel. It is fast paced, fun and I didn’t want to put it down. The book was full of adventure, romance and good chemistry between the three characters but it was predictable.

Hansel is paranoid, protective and stubborn but I was not a fan of him in the first half of the book as he was so rude and cruel but he grows out of it and shows he is passionate and smart. Gretel is naïve, kind and wants what is best for everyone. My favourite character is Minna as she is clever, resilient and gracious.

I really liked this book and am looking to reading the next book, Dwarves of Calcus. I would recommend Myths of Mish to fans of the first book, Princess of Tyrone, and those who liked The Lunar Chronicles.