Howdy, everyone! Today we review The Sevenfold Spell, the debut novella from Tia Nevitt, a fellow blogger (who runs the awesomely appropriate blog Debuts & Reviews).
To promote The Sevenfold Spell, Tia is holding an honest to goodness pajama party. Why? Well, here’s what Tia has to say:
Why a pajama party? Because I will only be available for commenting after business hours, and I thought I’d make the most of it. I hereby swear that I will be wearing a pair of pajamas when I comment. I will not, however, post pictures of myself in said pajamas.
So there you have it! First, we’ll kick things off with Tia’s blog post, followed by a review later today! Please give it up for the wonderful Tia Nevitt!
Thanks, Ana and Thea, for having me at your blog–it’s a huge thrill for me to be here! For previous installments of this blog tour, and to read all the excerpts from The Sevenfold Spell in order, pop over to Jenny Schwartz’s Acquiring Magic blog (you might have to scroll down) and hop along. Here is the complete schedule.
Here, I talk about a yummy subject–fairy tale princes. And I did my best to make my prince in The Sevenfold Spell–who I named Andrew–both yummy and pure.
I almost didn’t include the prince in The Sevenfold Spell. His were the last scenes I wrote before I submitted it. Why did I exclude him? I didn’t intentionally, he was just a remote figure who I didn’t have a place for. However, as I was going over it that last time, I realized I needed a third man in Talia’s life. And it didn’t take a lot of thought for me to realize that it should be the prince. Thus was born Andrew. Since Aurora is supernaturally wonderful in my story, I knew I had to make Andrew that way as well. But I still wanted him to be engaging and totally not-stuffy. I hope I succeeded.
For fun, I thought I’d give my impression on the Disney princes. None of these really inspired Andrew, but perhaps all together, they collectively helped. Where names are unknown, I have defaulted to “Charming”.
This Charming has no speaking lines; he only sings. He is the most understated of the Disney princes, but when he bows his head before Snow White’s glass coffin, it is somewhat touching. Luv the puffy sleeves.
Phillip is an action-oriented, engaging prince. However, he has only two scenes where you hear his voice: the forest scene and the scene with his father. The rest of the time, he is completely silent while the fairies do all the talking. Maybe the voice actor had another commitment.
Sorry for the blurry image. I had a devil of a time capturing this guy. He is another understated prince. At least Charming I gets to rescue his fair maiden with a kiss. This Charming does get some speaking lines. He also is rather dull and stays at home while the nameless Grand Duke goes out with the glass slipper in search of Cinderella. What was up with that?
Eric is of the best of the Disney princes. Lines? Check. Action? Check. Rescues fair maiden? Check. This is the first movie where the prince equally shares the glory with the princess. He’s also kinda hunky with some fair arms.
This Charming isn’t kinda hunky, he is hunky, with some impressive arms–and check out those pects! I think the artists wanted to give Belle someone who looked as good as Gaston, but without the conceit. Too bad Charming in this form gets only about 3 minutes of screen time. As the Beast, he has lines aplenty, and he fights for his fair maiden. However, the Disney writers didn’t even bother to give the poor guy a name. Belle actually calls him “Beast.” You would think–since she’s so wonderful–she would have asked him for his name at some point.
This is the first leading Disney dude who becomes a prince by marrying a princess. All the others already had royal lineage. I rank him right up there with Eric. Heís got lines, action and rescues galore. He even sings.
Naveen starts out a jerk. He totally deserves the frog gig. However, he redeems himself. He has an intriguing accent and fully shares the glory with Tiana. He’s a musician, which is a plus in my eyes, and he can make a musical instrument out of a twig and a spider’s web. He even learns to mince. As in chopping veggies, you know.
My final rankings:
- Aladdin
- Eric
- Charming III/Beast
- Naveen
- Phillip
- Charming I
- Charming II
Tomorrow, I’ll do a post on the unexpected benefits of writing novellas over at Rabia Gale’s blog. For today’s excerpt, here’s the lead-up to my non-prince, Willard, the farmboy.
***
Mama purchased a fine loom. We were still struggling to learn how to weave a month later, when Widow Harla – her voice now restored – started visiting us.
Mama and Widow Harla had been bitter enemies while they both had their spinning wheels. The street where we lived – a dead-end nook called Tallow’s End – was not really large enough to support the output of two spinsters. Now that they had a shared misfortune, they became bosom friends. Since the spell was heavy on their minds, they spoke of it often, and of the curse.
“I heard that one part of the spell could not be cast,” Mama said, “because the seventh fairy had to weaken the evil fairyís curse with the sleeping spell.”
“Yes, some people say she will be flawed because of it.” Widow Harla’s eyes were aglow with the possibility. “They say the magic doesnít work correctly unless all seven parts are cast as planned.”
“I wonder what her flaw will be,” Mama said. “Maybe sheíll have warts.”
As if reminded of my own wart problem, Widow Harla looked over at me.
“It’s too bad Talia is so plain,” she said, as if I were not in the same room with them. “But that would be nothing if she had charm.”
“It’s true,” Mama said with a sigh. “Men will forgive a lack of beauty if there is charm, for charm will always outlast beauty.”
It was a familiar refrain but I still had hope, even if they did not. For every plain, dull girl, there is a plain, dull boy, and mine was Willard, the son of a farmer who lived just outside of town. He attended church in our parish and sold grain, fruits and vegetables at the local market. Thatís how we met.
***
Who is your favorite prince? I’d love to hear your choice! At the end of the day (just before I shut down for the night), I’ll pick a random commenter for a free ecopy of The Sevenfold Spell.
Thank you, Tia! You heard the woman! Leave a comment here letting us know who your favorite prince is to win a copy of
55 Comments
Carol Thompson
September 24, 2010 at 12:42 amI think I would have to go with Prince Charming from Sleeping Beauty mainly because he was the first Prince who fascinated me as a child and I have never forgotten the fairy tale.
Thanksfo r the giveaway.
Carol T
buddytho {at} gmail DOT com
Tia Nevitt
September 24, 2010 at 2:31 amWhen I was a child, I totally ignored the princes. They were sort of like Ken Dolls, although the prince from Sleeping Beauty was the best in my eyes.
BTW, for the contest we will count each unique visitor. Feel free to comment as often as you wish!
Camille
September 24, 2010 at 2:53 amActually, Beast’s official name is ‘Adam’, there you go! the Hunky beast has a name, he’s actually my favorite- he goes through the most changes, form being selfish bastard to learning to control his temper and learning that facades aren’t everything. Plus he falls for the bookish brunette 😉 hehe
I did have a massive crush on Eric and Aladdin as a young girl though lol
Ginny
September 24, 2010 at 3:51 amFor me it’s a toss up between Aladdin & the Beast, as they both seem the most genuine princes (though I haven’t seen The Princess & The Frog). & Aladdin does make me laugh.
Katie
September 24, 2010 at 4:20 amThe Beast/Adam is my favorite prince. Then again, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite princess movie, so there. The Beast is probably my favorite because he’s an actual character (unlike Prince Charming I and II) and he didn’t annoy me like Eric did.
Alex B
September 24, 2010 at 4:55 amIt has to be Aladdin. He sings so many cool songs and gets great scenes with the genie. Plus he stands out way more than the ‘Charmings’.
Linda Henderson
September 24, 2010 at 5:05 amWell since Sleeping Beauty has always been my favorite I have to say Phillip, he battles the really evil Malificent to get his princess.
seriousreader at live dot com
Hannah
September 24, 2010 at 6:01 amPrince Eric. Always has been, probably always will be. I’m gonna be honest, one of the main reasons is because he’s gorgeous. But he’s also charming and devoted and determined to find the woman he loves, even if he gets put under a spell and finds the wrong one. Plus he’s a sailor and he loves animals. What’s not to adore?
Green Faerie
September 24, 2010 at 6:04 amThe Beast. 🙂 Though (and this makes me worry) not in his human form. He’s not the guy Belle fell in love with, she loved the insecure, angry beast! He shouldn’t have to end up looking like every other beautiful man out there. He was special. *crazy rant*
But if I have to choose humans then I would go with Prince Phillip. He is cheeky, funny, impulsive and very forward thinking for his century. I’ve always loved the scene where he literally steals a dance with Aurora in the forest. Aladdin was always great, in the charming under dog way. 🙂 Though Cinderella’s Prince ‘Charming’ was anything but. He actually yawns in someones face and never even chases her himself. Cinders could have done better. 🙂
Eric was nice, but I don’t think I ever forgave him as a young child for not loving Ariel the moment he saw her again and for almost marrying someone else. O_o
/Rant
Ceilidh
September 24, 2010 at 6:09 amGreat post. I am something of a Disney nerd because they fascinate me so much – nobody promotes and sells innocence quite like Disney, even though some of the underlying messages in their work and history are anything but. While my favourite Disney movie of all time is Hunchback of Notre Dame, my favourite Prince has to be Naveen. He’s actually well developed, has a great voice, isn’t perfect and boring, makes mistakes and learns from them and his interactions with Tiana are hilarious. Plus he’s quite fit and plays a musical instrument. Hey, we’ve all got needs!
ritu
September 24, 2010 at 6:20 amI loved the Prince from the Princess and the Frog. I loved that he started off as an ass and slowly he grew throughout the movie. The growth was done superbly! And he had an Indian name! (Sorry, just had to say that. Color me surprised when I heard the name)
Tia Nevitt
September 24, 2010 at 6:28 amI’m loving all the responses and I wish I could participate NOW! Tonight should be a blast.
Mezzowriter
September 24, 2010 at 6:30 amI’d have to say Beast. And, like Green Faerie above, NOT in his human form.
Although I love the story, I’m sometimes struck with a twinge of disappointment that after all is said and done, she’s still rewarded with his transformation.
I thought the idea was to love and accept someone for who they were. Yes, I realize it’s a fairy tale. LOL
I just occasionally wonder about the message it sends…
Sandy G
September 24, 2010 at 6:49 amI like Prince Charming from Snow White
Nicole Downing
September 24, 2010 at 6:51 amThe Beast is my favorite prince 🙂
Miranda
September 24, 2010 at 7:05 amOhh, my favorite Disney Prince? That’s a hard one. It’s a choice between Aladdin, Beast and Naveen.
I think Naveen wins, though. He’s a very good character, because he has layers. He’s not stupid, just lazy; he’s at least trilingual, he knows how to play an ukulele, has at least some knowledge of science and biology (“It’s not slime, it’s mucus!”)… and the way he goes from not even thinking about getting one job from swearing to get three jobs just for Tiana is sweet, and you can see how much he grows in between that. He’s just a very well done character, and probably the best out of the princes. But he has some VERY tough competition in Eric, Beast and Aladdin.
Sue R
September 24, 2010 at 7:17 amI always like Dimitri from Anastasia. It was my favorite cartoon film as a child. For a Disney prince, I like Naveen. I loved the Princess and the Frog.
Kaethe
September 24, 2010 at 7:24 amAnother vote for Beast. I was really disappointed when he was transformed into Leif Garrett.
My favorite real prince is Edward. He’s theater geek, and bookish, and he didn’t serve in the military. I love him still, as a Duke.
Katy
September 24, 2010 at 7:33 amAladdin, definitely. Who doesn’t like a prince who can sing and make you laugh?
Lizz
September 24, 2010 at 7:45 amI always liked the Prince from Cinderella, simply because he wanted to take the time to search for the owner of the glass slipper. I thought it showed some sincere determination. 🙂
Scoot
September 24, 2010 at 7:47 amI am having a tough time choosing between Beast/Adam and Aladdin. I am more Belle like than Jasmine, so I will go with Beast/Adam. 🙂 Great post about the princes! Thanks seescootread[at]gmail[dot]com
Amanda Isabel
September 24, 2010 at 8:04 amEric Eric Eric!
He’s awesome!
Thanks for this! And I can’t wait toread the book!
kimmie lange
September 24, 2010 at 9:09 amI have to say it’s Captain Shang
But I think my favorite prince is Prince Edward from Enchanted.
klmc_37@yahoo.com
Su
September 24, 2010 at 9:21 amNot so much a Prince as a full-fledged King, but I’d have to go with King Louie, from The Jungle Book. 😀
Carolyn
September 24, 2010 at 9:31 amThe Beast, by far! He gave Belle a LIBRARY!
Susanna Fraser
September 24, 2010 at 10:34 amMy first instinct was to say the Beast because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie. But upon reflection that’s because I identify with Belle, being a brown-eyed brunette with a dreamy far-off look and my nose stuck in a book myself.
So I’m going to go with Naveen instead because he had a great character arc and ended up supporting the heroine’s dreams and working alongside her instead of just whisking her off to a life of royal luxury.
Lexi
September 24, 2010 at 11:07 amWhen I was little, we always ranked the princess from wimpy princess to those that actually did something. Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were wimpy. Belle was my favorite but I was sad when the beast turned human. I think I would have to go with Naveen as first slightly equal partnership.
Jenni
September 24, 2010 at 11:11 amAladdin has ALWAYS been my favourite 😀
He can sing, dance and he is in no way perfect. Ya gotta love him.
MarieC
September 24, 2010 at 11:14 amI torn between the Beast and Prince Philip. I loved the sense of humor you see from both of them.
Robin K
September 24, 2010 at 12:13 pmI think I would go for Naveen. The more modern in thought the better for me. I would not take to pandering well.
MaryK
September 24, 2010 at 12:34 pmYeah, it’s the Beast for me. I even prefer him in his beast form. 🙂
I’ve never thought about Aladdin marrying into Prince status. I like that.
Maureen
September 24, 2010 at 12:40 pmI would have to pick Aladdin because he was a fun character.
Chelsea B.
September 24, 2010 at 12:57 pmBeast is definitely my favorite! Nothing like a tortured hero 🙂
Sarah Neely
September 24, 2010 at 1:10 pmMy favorite Prince has always been Beast and I’ll tell you why:
Eric is my third place, he is disqualified for being great and “in love” but as a little girl I decided he should not have fallen under Ursula’s spell. (While this may be unfair, this was my reasoning and I can’t overcome it.)
Aladdin is my second place. I love him to death, his only downfalls are falling in love too quickly (based solely on beauty) and not coming clean with Jasmine soon enough. He is just barely in second.
My first place is Beast. BECAUSE he’s not perfect, he falls in love with her NOT because she’s beautiful and not BECAUSE she can break the spell on him, but because of who she is. It takes longer than any other Prince (except Naveen, but he’s too new) for him to fall in love AND instead of being selfish and keeping her, he gives her her freedom even though it means (what should be) his doom.
And for once, isn’t it nice to have the Prince sacrifice all for his girl awkward, book-worm girl’s benefit? 😀
Danielle
September 24, 2010 at 1:11 pmALADDIN ALADDIN ALADDIN ALADDIN.
Unless Snape counts. I bet he counts. He counts, right?
Yeah, then Snape.
MaryK
September 24, 2010 at 1:15 pm@Camille – I never realized he had a name. Where did you find it?
John
September 24, 2010 at 1:24 pmThere are some serious tough issues with me picking just once prince. I’m a Disney fanatic, so I love them all, no matter how absent they are.
Naveen is a current like of mine. I enjoyed his development as a character, and I like that he has that awesome non-pasty white look about him. Quite enjoyable to look at. 😉
HOWEVER: Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite tale, and I think that the character of the Beast (for he’s still the same person, after all) is my favorite prince, because he is the one shown to be most comfortable in his skin by the end of the movie. Plus…I’ve always had a soft spot for Beauty and the Beast retellings. 🙂
Mel S
September 24, 2010 at 2:19 pmI adore Aladdin – he had the moves, could sing and was a good friend as well as a kind heart. Plus he fell for Jasmine without knowing she was a princess and that gives him a bit of more depth! 🙂
Tia Nevitt
September 24, 2010 at 2:21 pmWhat a great response! Some of my responses:
1) I second the request for Beast’s name. Was that in a Disney movie–one of the sequels, perhaps?
2) Definitely Charming II wasn’t all that charming, with the yawns and leaving all the work to his lessers.
3) Leif Garrett! OMG, you are so right–but Leif was skinny. The transformed beast was anything but.
Don’t limit yourself to just one–feel free to rank them like I did!
I’m keeping track of everyone’s votes. Right now Beast/Charming III/Adam is by far the favorite, with Naveen sliding in at a distant second. Loved the votes for Snape and King Louie!
Coley
September 24, 2010 at 2:56 pmI would have to go with the Beast as my choice. He’s always been my favorite
Janni Nell
September 24, 2010 at 4:13 pmOkay I’m cheating because these princes aren’t Disney. But I love the princes from the musical “Into the Wood”. The lyrics of their duet “Agony” are just priceless.
Janni Nell
September 24, 2010 at 4:14 pmOf course I meant to type “Into the Woods”.
Emily
September 24, 2010 at 4:44 pmI haven’t seen Beauty and the Beast (yes I know, I’m terrible) and Eric was always meh for me. So it’s gotta be Aladdin. Also, he has the most awesome sidekicks out of any of the princes.
Lillian
September 24, 2010 at 5:53 pmMy favorite prince would have to be the Beast. I watched Beauty and the Beast almost every day as a child and thought Belle and the Beast were a perfect match, at least, before he became human. Even today, I still prefer the Beast in his..er..beastly form. To be honest, the end result of his transformation creeps me out.
Lashawn J.
September 24, 2010 at 5:54 pmAlways loved Eric!
-Lashawn
heather
September 24, 2010 at 5:58 pmi’d have to go with the beast from “beauty and the beast” simply because i liked how he grew throughout the story. he ended up loving belle for who she is, not what she is, and that seemed to go against the grain from so many of the other princes who simply went for looks.
Victoria Zumbrum
September 24, 2010 at 6:15 pmI like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. At first he was this mean Beast who didnt care about anyone but then he changed when he met Belle. He fell in love with her and then was able to let her go when she needed to go to her father. He discovered how to love and what the true meaning of true love was. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
Tia Nevitt
September 24, 2010 at 7:00 pmI’ve been keeping track! Here are the Prince Stats so far (as of the 47th comment):
The write-ins include Quasimodo (the Hunchback), Dimitri (Anastasia), Edward (Enchanted), King Louie (The Jungle Book), Snape (need you ask?), and the princes from Into the Woods (which I need to re-watch).
Charming I and II each had one vote.
Philip and Eric each had 3.
Aladdin had 6.5 votes
Naveen had 8 votes
And Beast (preferably untransformed) is the clear first-place winner, with a decided 16 points.
I loved your reasons for voting as you did. And it is clear that the winning princes had the most character growth.
I think the early princes were neglected because the original fairy tales almost always focused on the girl, rather than the boy. The prince from Sleeping Beauty, wielding his sword to get through the thorns, is the exception.
In Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella–which I liked better than the Disney movies even as a girl–the prince “Christopher Rupert Vwindemier Vlandamier Carl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman (Herman? Herman!) Gregory James” himself goes off in search of Cinderella, glass slipper in hand. Later, I watched Stewart Damon as Alan Quartermaine in General Hospital, and Leslie Ann Warren as Miss Scarlet in Clue. Her version of Cinderella was an annual event on TV in the 70s.
Audra Holtwick
September 24, 2010 at 7:17 pmMy fave Disney prince is Phillip from Sleeping Beauty, Because he slays the Dragon and wakes his true Love with a Kiss. Well I also love the name of Princess Aurora. I can’t wait to read your book I love fairy tales.
Maggie
September 24, 2010 at 7:19 pmI’m another who votes for the Beasty-Beast. For all of you who, like me, dislike his human form, I suggest that you read Robin McKinley’s awesome book, Rose Daughter. As you can probably tell, I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings.
Llehn
September 24, 2010 at 8:12 pmI’m taking Aladdin because he’s the underdog 😀
Tiffany M.
September 24, 2010 at 9:29 pmPhillip. He makes me laugh. He’s nice, but firm with his horse (“no carrots”). Also, he’s dreamy!
Plus, when he sang, I fell in love. When I heard “on the street where you live” from My Fair Lady, I flipped. Phillip returned!
Also, the Beast. He made me laugh. “If you hadn’t run away none of this would have happened.”
I would have picked Aladdin, forgiven him for lying in the beginning, but when he lied the second time when Jasmine called him on it, he became a lying liar from Arabia (because he didn’t always lie).
Tia Nevitt
September 25, 2010 at 3:23 amSarah Neely, you are the winner! Email me and I’ll send you a copy of The Sevenfold Spell in your preferred format.
Thanks everyone! I’ll be checking in over the next few days!
Margay
September 25, 2010 at 6:54 amI really have a soft spot for Aladdin because he’s such a lovable goof and I love the underdog.
Margay
Tia Nevitt
September 25, 2010 at 10:58 amYay, for Prince Aladdin! It’s funny–I tended to like the princes who made the glaring mistakes that others had trouble with. Although I must say that Beast’s self-sacrifice was probably the most touching.