Fairytale Retellings by Jackson Pearce: I've really loved this series, so much is always happening, whether it's fights, chases or taking the bull by the horns, Jackson Pearce has put her own stamp on things. Books one and two can easily be read as standalone books, any connections made to the first book aren't obvious, so anyone who has read Sisters Red will appreciate the little links. The only downside to the first book being so good is that I missed all the action and the hunting, but that being said Pearce expanded the supernatural world and really fleshed out a story regarding the wolves, or fenris.

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz: It's such a shame that this series lacked the pow it deserved, I really felt like it was going to gear up to something. Sticking to the positives though Cruz makes the witches her own by using Norse mythology as their background, something I loved about the Blue Blood novels. In the first and second books Salem is mentioned quite a bit but nothing comes of it until the third book, and thank goodness it did otherwise I'd have very little to say about this. For me the TV series was far more enjoyable, it's just a shame it got cancelled.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead: I'm so annoyed at myself when it comes to this series, because of a personality clash I struggled to get into the series as I wanted to throttle Rose at times. Thankfully she's grownup a lot and come a long way, although her temper has a bad way of getting the best of her she'll go down swinging till the bitter end. So much happens in each book, with seeds being planted and being revisited on and off until it becomes the main focus. This gives the series a great sense of consistency, making each book flow, and reminding me of real life. I was worried that one of the main themes, Moroi politics, would be mentioned and then forgotten about till a book where it would be the main focus, but instead the topic crops up here and there until it's a main focus.

At least in the US and just in time for the holidays, Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen is free on Audible--and the sample sounds great.