Half Upon a Time is the first in the series by James Riley. He takes fairy tales and pushes them to the future a bit. We get to follow the adventures of May, who is the granddaughter of Snow White, and Jack, the son of Jack of Jack in the Beanstalk.
May is part of our world and only believes the fairy tales to be exactly that - fairy tales. Jack, on the other hand, lives in the world where these stories are reality. And his reality is not all that great considering who is father is, but that doesn't stop his grandfather (who is also named Jack) from encouraging him to become his own person, to become a hero. When their worlds collide, things get flipped upside down.
Over all, the story was well written and enjoyable. It didn't hold my attention the same way that Riley's Story Thieves did, though. There were parts that made me laugh and parts that made me groan. The whole character of Phillip (the Prince who joins them along the way) was a big contributor to the groaning. How proper he spoke and his mannerisms just made him seem fictional. Where Jack's reactions to different things made him relatable and likable. I think the only thing I really liked about May was her sarcasm. Other than that I did not really pay attention to her character.
Riley does a wonderful job of breathing a new kind of life into these stories that children have heard for decades. It definitely fits in with the fairy tale craze that is very present due to the popularity of Once Upon a Time. But fairy tale adaptations and re-imaginings have been around for a lot longer than one would think. I would recommend this book if you are a lover of fairy tales.
Until next time... Kara