Cloaked by Alex Flinn

8/10

Recently, modern spin-offs of classic fairy tales have become a major hit with both the young and old. Why? Because no matter how old you are, you can’t ever leave behind the joys of childhood and the tales your mum or dad read to you as you fell asleep.

The first modern spin-off of a fairy tale that I read and loved was the famous Ella Enchanted. We like it when the heroine does not hang around to be rescued by a Prince but hitches up her skirts and goes and gets what she wants. A modern woman like Fiona from Shrek.

Alex Flinn has been synonymous with modern fairy tale remakes after her famous attempt at turning Beauty and the Beast into a great, heart-warming teen romance in Beastly, which is now a popular movie starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens.

Cloaked is a similar story in many ways. Johnny is on a quest of self-discovery and magic and, there is a girl involved… two girls, in fact. In an intricate twist of some well loved stories, Flinn tells us about Johnny Marco, 17, who tries hard to keep his little shoe repair shop in the resort town of Key Largo, Florida going so he and his mother can afford their next meal. Johnny is much more than the Shoemaker. His designs could make Jimmy Choo jealous, but only if Johnny has the guts to show them to the world. In Johnny’s small town world live his best friend Meg and the jock, Ryan. The feisty and happy-go-lucky type, Meg encourages Johnny to show his work to the world, sometimes using any means necessary to help achieve his dreams. Ryan meanwhile is there to show Johnny the benefits (and sometimes the disadvantages) of being a brawn-over-brains hottie.

Put a princess into the mix and you would think it couldn’t get any worse. But it does!

I don’t want to put any spoilers here so I’ll just say that Johnny’s cushy little life is about to get way bigger! The Princess of Aloria is showing some interest in him, even in the presence of his muscle-bound friend Ryan. Surely there is something wrong in the picture?

Johnny can’t believe it either. But the princess is desperate and she needs Johnny’s help. In return, she promises herself in marriage. Suddenly, Johnny is sold much to Meg’s disgust. She can’t believe that Johnny is about to fall for the oldest trick in the book. But is it a trick? Or will Johnny, the lowly shoemaker get a complete Cinderella makeover?

In my opinion, Beastly was the better of Alex Flinn’s books. But that’s just me, so go ahead and get one for yourself and decide if the tale of Johnny Marco is a fairy-tale or not!