Sunday, March 13, 2011

Cloaked by Alex Flynn

Cloaked by Alex Flynn
5/5 stars

Summary:
Johnny’s family has run the shoe repair shop in a hotel in South Beach for generations. But his father left them when he was two and his mother struggles to keep them in electricity. Johnny works long hours in the shop to help but it’s never enough. His best friend, Meg, works in the family run coffee shop across the way. Ryan is the lifeguard at the hotel pool. Nothing seems to ever change. That is until the beautiful Princess comes to town. Ryan and Johnny sneak a look when she arrives and they actually get to talk to her. Johnny’s life changes from that moment forward. The Princess wants Johnny to help her find her missing brother. She is willing to marry Johnny if he helps her. She is rich and this could mean everything to his family. But her tale is crazy and it can’t be true until it is. As Johnny tries to help the Princess, he encounters many others that need help including himself. The magic that the Princess tell him about is true and Johnny has to learn some himself if he is every going to succeed. What will happen to all those he meets on the way? What will happen to him? What about his friendship with Meg? She hates the Princess and Johnny doesn’t understand why she is so upset at the idea of him marrying her. Will their friendship last past this quest?

My thoughts:
What a fun story full of so many great fairy tales. The plot includes elements from The Elves and the Shoemaker, Frog Prince, The Six Swans, The Golden Bird, The Valiant Tailor, The Salad, and The Fisherman and his wife. The stories are artfully woven into a story of self discovery and love. I loved how it was clear that no matter how bad your life seems there are things that you are taking for granted if you are willing to look. Seventeen year old Johnny goes from wanting his miserable life to change to wishing he could have it back. As all good fairly tales, this story is full of good messages but it is also a great love story. Alex Flynn does a masterful job of taking these messages and entertaining us with them along the way. After reading a few heavy books, this was refreshing and enjoyable. Absolutely find time to read this one!

Enjoy the read!

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