A Reading Vocation

I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this. I didn't automatically assume that because it was written to sell a doll line that the stories wouldn't be good -- I grew up adoring JEM, after all, for the stories more than for the dolls. And I'm glad that Mattel hired a writer who truly loved fairy-tale subject matter. The fun Shannon Hale has in a fairy-tale created world comes through in the writing, which is light and full of fairy-tale "in jokes," some of which are a little too cutesy, but others that inspired some genuine chuckles. I could have done without the heavy descriptions of the clothes the girls wore, and although the story is fairly simplistic, the characters have some depth. I was also pleased that it addressed some of the nagging questions I had when I first came across the series, such as, how can the future Snow White and the future Evil Queen be in the same class? (It didn't answer that question, but it did at least tip a head in that direction so that we can rest assured the writers are aware of the apparent contradiction.) There's also the hint of something potentially darker than seems going on, and I'm curious to see how that pans out. I have the second book and will read it, and I'll let that determine whether I go any further with this series.