The Shadow of the Bear

 

The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold

by Regina Doman
Fiction - Modern Retelling of Fairy Tale
228 pages

SUMMARY:

This modern retelling of Briar Rose introduces the characters of high school sisters Blanche and Rose. Rose and Blanche were homeschooled in the country, but now live in NYC and attend parochial school following the death of their father. Amidst the big city life of NYC, they encounter mysterious Bear. We slowly learn about Bear's backstory, his conversion to the catholic faith and his brother Fish as adventure and danger unfolds!

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK: 

I attended university with the author's brother and tried to start this series a few years ago, but couldn't get into it. It definitely has a quirky homeschool vibe that initially turned me off. But I recently had to read a fairy tale story for a reading challenge and decided to revisit these books. Oh, goodness! They hit the spot and I fell in love with them! It is funny how books can hit you differently at different points in life.

 

This is a striking YA novel series. Wow! In a fresh, authentic and often quirky way, the novels depict characters coming of age, facing adventure and living out catholic beliefs in the midst of the broken modern world. Catholic teaching is translated into the modern vernacular life and experiences of young adults with striking realism. Captivating characters and moral reinforcement for young catholic adults! 

 

Excellent writing skills made this story feel organic and fresh. I largely forgot this story was a modern retelling of a fairy tale. But looking back, it was cleverly done. A lot of orthodox theology is baked into the story without feeling heavy-handed through realistic conversations and bold life choices taken by beloved characters. Homeschooling readers will probably find fun parallels to their own lives. But be aware that these stories do not pull punches when depicting a broken world and can get dark and violent in the tradition of the original Grimm fairy tales.

 

MY THOUGHTS ON THE SERIES:

In a nutshell: I loved the first four books and disliked the last two.

 

This is the first book in fairy tale series by Regina Doman. 

Here are my brief thoughts on the other books in the series.

 

#2 - Black as Night (2004)

This book is a retelling of Snow White. It is the story of Blanche and Bear's romance with Fish and Rose included. I loved reading about the friars that Blanche encounters in the story and imagining their lives. This is based off the author's own experience living and working with the Friars of the Franciscan Renewal in NYC. So cool! I also loved reading the author's notes at the end of this novel and hearing about her personal connection to the story.

I loved this book and was distressed that the series is going out of print, so I bought the entire series for our house. We are normally library people, so this is very rare and high praise from me!

 

#3 - Waking Rose (2008)

This book is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It is the story of Rose and Fish's romance with Blanche and Bear included. New side characters Paul, Alex and Kateri are also introduced. The book follows Rose to college that is a literary combination of Franciscan University of Steubenville and Christendom College. I loved seeing some only-at-Franciscan moments recreated in the novel. It was a really fun and unique treat to relive my college years. 

 

I was also blown away that this novel subtly addresses homosexuality and boys questioning their own manhood. It was subtle, so innocent readers might miss or overlook the references. Adult readers and readers who have experienced this struggle will pick up on it. This book could be a lifeline to male readers who experience, but don't know how to articulate or understand, this struggle. In the end, we rejoice with the male character who leans into his faith and finds the courage to embrace life fully as a man in a relationship with a woman. 

This was personally my favorite book in the series.

 

#4 - The Midnight Dancers (2008)

This book is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It follows Paul after college and tells his romance story with a new female character. I enjoyed it thoroughly and didn't mind the break from older established characters. 

 

It subtly contained a lot of hard but necessary truths for girls entering dating life!

#5 - Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves (2010)

This book is a retelling of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. It tells Alex and Kateri's romance story with a blink-and-you-missed-it cameo by Rose & Fish.

 

I had a harder time with this book because it requires you to see Alex as a dashing hero versus a cringe-worthy weird boy. I was rooting for Kateri to run the entire time! I did not enjoy reading about Alex, who is mindbogglingly dumb and insensitive. The cyber crime storyline never engaged me and the novel never addresses that Alex's Dad does super shady stuff online.

This is the book I initially tried to read and it turned me off from the entire series. I do not recommend this particular book.

 

#6 - Rapunzel Let Down (2013):

This book is a retelling of Rapunzel. I've read in other reviews that Rapunzel's mother is a man-hating lesbian and that both a male and female character are raped in the story. The book is currently languishing on my nightstand unfinished. It seems even farther removed from the original series with all new characters and a significantly darker tone.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

This book series is written for Young Adults; I would give it to Middle School or High School readers based on their maturity level. Adult readers can also enjoy this series. These novels are a great find for young adults coming of age from an orthodox catholic perspective! But due to the sensitive topics addressed, I recommend parents read these books and form their own opinion before passing them along to children.