The Emerald Realm Series continues with Bearly Free by Abigail Manning. A minor character in the first novel of the series, Aurelia Lockly takes center stage in this novel about a young woman whose parents arrange her marriage without informing her of her upcoming nuptials until the day she meets her suitor. When Ms. Lockly’s parents reveal their wedding plans the morning of her coming-of-age party later, sixteen-year-old Aurelia hightails it away. But being a young lady, our heroine isn’t used to living on her own. Soon, she realizes she’s in over her head and discovers a deserted mansion to rest in. However, the house she found isn’t deserted for long.
Elsewhere in the Reviews section, I’ve listed quite a few Snow White retellings, but a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is rare. It’s a delight to read a book that retells a fairytale that is harder to adapt. Here, Goldilocks/Aurelia is aged up, and the bears are a bit different than one might expect. The narrative follows the main plot points of the short fairy tale, but the author also cleverly weaves a tale uniquely her own. To the novel’s advantage, the original story elements don’t overwhelm the new plot.
In this version, Aurelia finds herself snooping around the mansion while the owners of the residence inhabit it. The chapters dealing with her trying to stay hidden make for some engrossing scenes. Additionally, there are some delightfully funny moments of Aurelia being unladylike and sharply criticizing high society. The story doesn’t end when Aurelia steals away from the house either, continuing an engaging plot that is sure to keep the reader’s attention.
Aurelia is an enjoyable character. She yearns to be free and make her own decisions, the desire of everyone. Unlike Goldilocks, however, she doesn’t want to stay for long in the bear’s residence. The story revolves around her antics there, whether she’s physically present in the mansion or not. All supporting characters are properly heroic or villainous. And while I’d hoped Aurelia had more control at the climax of the novel, the ending of the book is action-packed and creatively designed.
A wonderful idea, an exciting ending, and some callbacks to the original fairytale make Bearly Free a terrific retelling. The first two books of the Emerald Realm series are both winners.