Rumpelstiltskin vs. Miller: The Child Custody Battle That Turned a Kingdom Upside Down

Rumpelstiltskin vs. Miller: The Child Custody Battle That Turned a Kingdom Upside Down
by  Adlai Miller-Bonbour

ISBN: 9780805960242
774 Pages
Available in Paperback

Synopsis:

In this compelling novel we pick up the Rumpelstiltskin story after the Queen guessed his name and avoided giving him her baby. But the legendary elf-genius doesn't give up and sues the Queen for breach of contract. She then was jailed for "disrespecting the king" (he felt her not telling him who produced the gold made him, the mighty monarch look ridiculous) and the King also planned to force Rumpelstiltskin to reveal the formula for making gold. At stake in this "Trial of the Millennium" is not only the custody of a royal baby but a country's future. Will the despot king get the baby and Rumpelstiltskin's gold formula or can the Queen and Rumpelstiltskin join forces to stop this tyrant?

My Thoughts:

When I first received my copy of Rumpelstiltskin vs. Miller in the mail, I regarded it with trepidation. The massive 765 page story was quite larger than I had expected, and I became concerned about the content. Then I cracked it open. Gasp! Small font and no pictures! What on earth was I to do? The answer was obvious - dive in!

Dorrance Publishing's Rumpelstiltskin vs. Miller is a witty - and wordy - account of the events that happened after the fairy tale ended, when the miller's daughter turned queen foiled Rumpelstiltskin's attempt to take her first born child. If you are looking for an interesting and detailed new perspective on an old story, then you are in the right place. However, if you are looking for a simple or light read, look somewhere else.

On one side, the story is clever and well told. On the other side, there are quite a number of large words and complex concepts. If you graduated in the top of your class and aced your SATs, this is perfect for you. If you didn't, it will probably send you running for a dictionary at least once. The author pegs it in the introduction - vanity. The story is to be written in the perspective of a prince, someone who grew up with everything, all the best education had to offer. So the writing style fits. To me, it seemed perfectly like something a highly educated business analyst turned writer would create, an intelligently funny story, with a little bit of his own vanity showing in the language.

I received a complimentary copy of Rumpelstiltskin vs. Miller as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team, in exchange for a fair and honest review. I do believe that since then they have ended the Book Review Team program.

Parent's Guide:

As previously stated, Rumpelstiltskin vs. Miller is an extremely complicated book, with lots of high level words and adult concepts. While it is based on a traditional folk tale that is often shared with children, this is by no means a children's book. At best, I would recommend this book to upper level teens who like sarcasm and wit.

What's this? A post! Also, check out this show!

I know, I haven't posted in like a million years. Or, more specifically, 8 years. When I started blogging, I absolutely loved it. But I was dealing with other outside factors and, after a while, trying to keep the deadlines felt like a chore. So I slowed down. At first I felt bad about it. But then I read a post from a fellow blogger that I followed who was experiencing the same thing, and it helped remind me that my mental health was the most important thing and that it was okay to step away. So I did, in a big way. A while back I created a Facebook page and I have been posting tidbits there occasionally. I am hoping to slowly come back to posting media reviews here, once I am comfortably in the headspace to be reading more. But for now, I had something that I really wanted to share:

Today I had the opportunity to pre-screen the first episode of Netflix's newest superhero themed offering - a show called Jupiter's Legacy. I grew up on superhero shows and comics, so I went into it with an objective stance, expecting to be critical of it but still having high hopes. Honestly, it did not disappoint.

Jupiter's Legacy is a true modern superhero show, with plenty of pop culture references, social commentary, and just enough humor to not make it overly dramatic. The show centers on your typical dysfunctional family - but if they were supers. The parents are the standard good guy, slightly overbearing parents, and look really good for their 120-ish year age (though the "silver hair means old while having the skin of a 40-something" thing is always meh). The kids carry some of the common millennial/gen z tropes, but not enough to be annoying yet. The cast is diverse, the costumes are colorful, and the sets are impressive.

Seriously, the costuming is on point. Super suits and
"flashback scene" fashion alike.

This show is definitely not for the younger kids. There is quite a bit of "bad language", mentions of drug usage, and LOTS of violence. The action scenes are a little more graphically violent (some gore) than I usually like, but not to the degree to put me off. Some people may be a little more squeamish at a few scenes. Aside from the action, the rest of the story is detailed and intriguing. It's not too difficult to follow, even with the regular shifting between the past and the current. They are a bit light on exposition, but since it is a series I suppose that is forthcoming. Overall, I look forward to watching and seeing how it progresses.

You can catch #JupitersLegacy on Netflix starting on May 7, 2021.

Further Notes:
There is a warning at the beginning of the episode about strobing lights. I watched on my phone in a well lit room and, having only minor photosensitivity, it wasn't bad. However, if you have photosensitivity, be cautious watching it on a large screen in the dark, as there are several scenes with strobing or flashing lights, like above.

CW // Suicide