Review: Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Source: ARC (from Zoë at In The Next Room)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: Already Released
(Click this link to go to Cloaked's Goodreads page.)

Every since Beastly I've been drawn to the fairytale retellings that Alex Flinn writes. I loved A Kiss in Time too, so I wasn't all that surprised when I picked up Cloaked and loved it too. :D

Cloaked is a sweet and light read. The characters are realistic and have quirky characteristics, just like average everyday people. These characters are real, and the main character Johnny is normal, he's just your average guy, who happens to have a bigger burden than most people. He spends most of his summer repairing shoes so that he and his mother will be able to survive. I loved that Johnny's family were cobblers. It was an amazing set up for the whole story because of the way shoes are used in various fairy tales. Not only do shoes play a huge importance in Cinderella, but they're also prevalent in the Elves and the Shoemaker. After reading Cloaked, I'm going to look at shoes in a completely different way, and I may even look up some shoe quotes like Johnny and Meg. :D

The Elves and the Shoemaker weren't the only fairy tales alluded to in Cloaked, Alex Flinn also used several other ones, most of them I hadn't even heard of before, with the exception of The Frog Prince. I absolutely loved the way the different fairy tales were woven together. It created a seamless story, and they worked together to create a world where magic exists, but is simply unknown or ignored by most people. I loved how the world that was created seemed believable, and that if I paid more attention, I might just see the magical things that I've been missing.

Cloaked is just the story to read when you're in the mood for something light and funny, and I think it'd be absolutely perfect on a cold day where you just want something fun to read to distract you from the cold outside.  :)

You can get your own copy of Cloaked here:


Have you read Cloaked or any of Alex Flinn's other stories? What did you think?
And if you haven't, what are your thoughts on Cloaked?

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur