From the moment I picked up my kindle and started reading, I was hooked. The storyline was enchanting and pulled me along with it the entire time. I actually felt I was right there with Ivy when she was running in the forest trying to get away from Beast, I too, was literally gasping for air.

Emily Casey you have a wonderful gift. You took the characters of the Beauty and the Beast Fable and totally made them your own. I loved that there were bits and pieces from the original tales but twisted into your own.

I'm very eager to read your next installment in the Ivy Thorn Series.

Well Done Emily Casey! ( )

Ivy Thorn has been displeased with the way her life has been going for a very long time. Because her father works for the army, she’s not exactly allowed to remain in one place for long. She’s moved around so much she’s lost track of where she’s lived and how long they’ve stayed there.

The new move to their new place makes her realize just how much she hates moving. Inadvertently lashing out at her mother due to the fact that her treasured picture of her father has gone missing, Ivy thinks it can’t get any worse. She soon founds out how wrong she is.

She’s soon transported to a new world via the mirror in the bathroom, inciting her fear of mirrors as she recalls the face looking back at her within it. She desperately clamors to go back home, even though she knows it’s not yet likely for her to do so. She’s now a prisoner in an unknown world and all because of a wretched pixie.

With no other alternative but to march forward, she decides to play along with the pixie’s games. Part of her hopes that in doing so, she’ll be able to go back home. Tumbling around in a dark forest, she comes across a Beast intent on keeping her locked up within his castle. Once there, she meets Beauty whom Beast has also kept prisoner within the enchanted castle.

Ivy refuses to accept that she’s supposed to amuse the pixie and remain in his world for time being. She’s determined to thwart his plans at every turn and sets out to do just that. When she tries to undo the enchantments surrounding Beast and the castle, she sets loose a chain reaction of events that has her wishing she’d never done so in the first place.

As time begins to dwindle and the Beast draws ever closer, Ivy accepts the fact that she must concede and play along in order to solve the puzzles set before her. She’s intent on making things right in hopes of finally returning home. To do so, she must first come to terms with herself and the world that now looms before her.

This was such a new and refreshing take on the Beauty and the Beast story. The twists and turns were unexpected and kept my attention glued to each page as I sought to discover more about what was going on within the story. The magic and the lore was quite refreshing. I enjoyed the story very much and am looking forward to the next installment of this series. ( )

Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale--although I'm only familiar with the Disney version--which is why I was excited to get the opportunity to read this book and participate in the blog tour. With The Fairy Tale Trap, Emily Casey takes the classic tale and injects a sarcastic teenager who is trapped in the tale and desperate to get home.

Ivy is a military brat and has just been carted away to a new house for the umpteenth time and is upset that she had to leave her friends and her life, when she's pulled through the mirror she finds herself in an enchanted forest. There she meets a pixie who tells her she must play out the fairy tale in order to return home.

I liked Casey's take on the fairy tale. As I've told you, I'm only familiar with the Disney version, so for me it was something unique and different and enchanting enough to keep me turning the pages. I also love the fact that there is nothing contained within the pages that would stop me from sharing this tale with my 8yo niece.

If I had one complaint it would be that it moves a little fast in the beginning. Ivy is sucked through the mirror and into the fairy tale world before I had chance to get my bearings and connect with the story. It was just a little jarring.

Other than that, this book is just adorable and incredibly funny. Ivy is snarky and hilarious, and had me laughing aloud.

Final Thoughts: Casey has written a magical tale with a loveable heroine that I recommend to fans of Beauty and the Beast and/or fairy tale retellings. They will love going along with Ivy as she's trapped in a castle far away from her family and discovers the true meaning of home. ( )