the Shadow of the Bear// Book review

The Shadow of the Bear
by Regina Doman

     Once upon a time in New York City... there lived two sisters who loved books, poetry, music and fairy tales... They lived with their widowed mother in a brownstone with two rose bushes in front of it. One winter night a bear came to their door,and they let him in, even though he could not tell them his real name or his real mission. He became their friend, protector and constant companion. They never dreamed that his friendship might cost them their lives

     Everyone loves fairy tales. And I'm no exception. Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty? Yes please! So when a friend told me about the Shadow of the Bear, a fairy-tale retelling based on Snow White and Rose Read set in Modern New York City, I was extremely excited to read it. She did warn me however, before reading it, that Regina Doman's writing is terrible, but the story is so interesting it makes up for it. She was right. (!!!!!)

     At times the writing was so bad it was irritating... run-on sentences, horribly constructed paragraphs, etc., making it painful at times. But I kept reading because the story was amazing. There were so many clever twists and surprises, that it kept you on your toes, quite willing to wade through the actual writing to follow the story.

     So would I recommend this book to fellow fairy-tale enthusiasts? Absolutely. It's fun, (in a little dark way...) quirky, and different, making it worth the read. 

     My suggestion to Ms. Doman, were we ever to converse? Find a really good editor and revise it, and release another edition, (With a different cover!). That would totally turn this book into a fairy-tale retelling masterpiece. :)

My rating? *** {Three of five stars for storytelling}