Letters to Zell by Camille Griep

Title: Letters to Zell
Author: Camille Griep
Publisher: 47North
Release Date: July 1, 2015
Source: ARC from Publisher (thanks 47North!!)

Summary from Goodreads:

Everything is going according to story for CeCi (Cinderella), Bianca (Snow White), and Rory (Sleeping Beauty)—until the day that Zell (Rapunzel) decides to leave Grimmland and pursue her life. Now, Zell’s best friends are left to wonder whether their own passions are worth risking their predetermined “happily ever afters,” regardless of the consequences. CeCi wonders whether she should become a professional chef, sharp-tongued and quick-witted Bianca wants to escape an engagement to her platonic friend, and Rory will do anything to make her boorish husband love her. But as Bianca’s wedding approaches, can they escape their fates—and is there enough wine in all of the Realm to help them?

In this hilarious modern interpretation of the fairy-tale stories we all know and love, Letters to Zell explores what happens when women abandon the stories they didn’t write for themselves and go completely off script to follow their dreams.

Review

"Love is hard work, not magic.  There's no secret formula, there's no right person; it just takes a certain amount of chemistry and then working your ass off.  Being honest about who you are and what you want and then hoping for the best.  The magic part comes later. At least in my experience."

Letters to Zell blends real modern day issues, humor, and fantasy and then delivers it to the reader in the form of letters from some of the most famous fairy tale princesses (Snow White, Aurora, and Cinderella).  The entire book is a collection of letters written to Rapunzel from her 3 closest friends. Rapunzel never writes back and there were times throughout the story I did really want to know what she was thinking and what her response would be to some of the crazier letters.  Each character has their own unique personality and is facing their own personal struggle.  Letters to Zell tackles some tougher subjects such as happiness in marriages, infidelity, self worth, and finding true happiness.

The topics and struggles the princess face are heartfelt and expressed through their letters to Zell. The author does an excellent job of bringing out the emotions of each individual character through their own written word. Even though the princesses are facing some heavier life decisions, the author finds a way to add humor to the story and keep the reader completely engaged.  By no means is this an action heavy book; this book looks at the deeper feelings of three totally different but connected characters.

Letters to Zell is so different than any other retelling I have read; between the book's format and the unique world, I was hooked.  Each princess has to complete their 'pages' to get their happily ever after but throughout the book they learn they want more than just their classic fairy tale.  Letters to Zell is an epic story of love, friendship, and self-expression.