Mini-Reviews: Breadcrumbs and Sweetly

I'm in a bit of a blogging slump and don't feel like expending the effort it would take to write full reviews. I read both of these fairytale adaptations to help clean out my TBR list before going off to college. They're both very enjoyable, fairly quick reads; I don't have anything negative to say about them, but at the same time they weren't such absolutely fantastic reads as to deserve great raves.

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
2011; won from Eli to the Nth
This is such a sweet book! I was totally able to connect to Hazel, the main character, and a lot of what she's going through, even though I'm now several years older than her. The author's writing is excellent, making this a fun read for people of all ages. It seemed like this would be a retelling of Hansel and Gretel, but really, it's a mash-up of various tales and other inspirations from classic fantasy. The plot's a bit slow, but it's always well-developed and interesting.

Sweetly (Fairytale Retellings #2) by Jackson Pearce
2011; won from Forever YA
This is so, so perfectly suited to summer reading! It was quite different from what I expected - darker, not as funny (there were some funny lines; I just thought there would be more), a retelling of Hansel and Gretel (expected) with several twists and some other inspirations (not expected) - but all of these came together to create a mysterious, gripping read. I also loved the Southern gothic feel that came from setting the story in a small South Carolina town with all its attendant secrets.