My Little Pony Friendship is Magic DVD box set is a collection that includes all episodes from the popular animated series. It features a selection of brightly colored, magical ponies who reside in the land of Equestria. The show focuses on the values of friendship, love, and teamwork. Each pony has its own unique personality and represents a different element of friendship. The main character, Twilight Sparkle, along with her friends, embarks on numerous adventures, facing various challenges and learning important life lessons along the way. This DVD box set allows fans to relive these heartwarming and entertaining episodes whenever they want.
An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.NOTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE Secretly trained, swordsmith Sage Blackwell steps up to run her family’s forge when her father falls ill. Sage desires to help the neglected Aermians but is bound by duty to provide for her own… Until, that is, she's offered a chance to make a difference.
When the man with flashing violet eyes whisks her through a portal into a world beyond her imagination, a world vicious in its beauty and wicked in its lies, Brea begins to wonder if she was ever crazy at all. From the acclaimed author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns comes a fantastical new tale of darkness and love, in which magical bonds are stronger than blood.
This DVD box set allows fans to relive these heartwarming and entertaining episodes whenever they want. It also comes with bonus features such as behind-the-scenes interviews, making-of featurettes, and sing-along songs. The box set is a must-have for My Little Pony enthusiasts of all ages, providing hours of fun and nostalgia.
Review – A Curse of Thorns by Nicole Mainardi
In order to repay her father’s debt to the Regime and save her sisters from a terrible fate, Belle Fairfax—an eighteen-year-old girl with a love for forbidden books and the thrill of the hunt—must risk everything to find the reclusive Beast and steal the ring that cursed him.
But the Beast is not what she expects.
A young king cursed by a witch and forgotten by his village, all Bastian wants is to win the heart of the forest girl with the silver scars. But he’s a hideous Beast that abandoned his people for the sake of vanity, and he knows it won’t be easy to earn her affection.
But there’s more to the girl than he thought.
Belle only has one purpose once she makes it to the Beast’s castle: find the ring, take it, and leave the Beast to rot. But as she comes to know about the Beast, she realizes that she has more to fight for than just her family. Bastian knows he’s left his people in the hands of the corrupt Regime, and the guilt of their suffering gnaws at him. The more time he spends with Belle, though, the less he hates what he’s become.
With Briar on the brink of falling completely under the control of the Regime, Belle and Bastian find that, together, they may be the key to freeing their home from the reaching grasp of the tyrannical Emperor.
Initial Thoughts
I was super excited to have been chosen for this review tour by Read and Review Book Tours. Since I am new to the bookish community, I am eager to meet new book lovers and connect with authors. Being chosen allowed me to chat directly with Nicole Mainardi via email (and that was so exciting!). Anyway, this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I absolutely love fairy tale retellings. Needless to say, this story sounded amazing.
Cover Art
Although I have this as an e-book, and shelf appeal doesn’t really apply here, I really like the cover. Classic imagery that comes to mind when I think of Beauty and the Beast includes the Beast’s castle, books, roses, teapots, candelabras, etc.. I loved that this cover strays from the conventional. Rose petals (instead of roses), the castle in the background, and, most importantly, Belle featuring her silver scars. The cover immediately evokes the feeling of Beauty and the Beast without being cliché.
The Setting
I can’t express in words how much I loved the setting of this story. Unlike the original story, this telling of Beauty and the Beast is set in a version of the real world. I really enjoyed the references to Pride and Prejudice, Hamlet, and France in general. It grounded the story in a way that I found incredibly refreshing.
Additonally, I thought the introduction of the Regime was a great plot element. It is something that can transcend this book and continue into more books in a series.
I am a huge fan of historical fiction and the Regime gave me World War I/World War II Germany feels. Not sure if that was specifically the author’s intention, but I loved the dystopian/historical fiction vibe that it created.
Series Value
I loved all of the references to other fairy tales in this story. I think Nicole Mainardi has set up a fantastic setting that could easily be spun into other stories. I would read any other stories she writes that are set in this world.
Final Thoughts
I loved this book! I read it all in one sitting (always a good sign). I think this series has so much potential and I can’t wait to see what else Nicole Mainardi comes up with. This was a fantastic Beauty and the Beast retelling with elements of so much more sprinkled throughout it.
Recommendtions for Further Reading
- Thief of Cahramanby Lucy Tempest – this is another fairy tale retelling where several tales are spun into one setting. There is a Beauty and the Beast sub plot featured in book 4 of this series.
- Frostblood (and the entire series) by Elly Blake – although the main plots are quite different, both A Curse of Thorns and Frostblood feature a Beauty and the Beast romance theme. Definitely give this series a try if you liked A Curse of Thorns.
- Fawkes by Nadine Brandes – I absoutely love Nadine Brandes’s writing style (for many of the same reasons I fell in love with Nicole Mainardi’s). Fawkes has another Beauty and the Beast vibe to it with a magical/historical fiction backdrop.
Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on.
So saddle up and join the journey of friendship with the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic DVD box set..
Reviews for "Step into the Magical World of Equestria: The My Little Pony Friendship is Magic DVD Box Set"
1. Sarah - 1 star
I purchased the "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic DVD Box Set" for my daughter who is a big fan of the show. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed with the quality of these DVDs. The picture quality was very blurry and the sound was muffled. Some of the discs even skipped and froze during playback. I tried cleaning them, but that didn't help at all. It was frustrating to see my daughter so upset because she couldn't fully enjoy her favorite show. I would not recommend this box set to anyone looking for a good quality viewing experience.
2. Mark - 2 stars
As a parent, I find it important to find shows for my children that are both entertaining and educational. However, "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" missed the mark on the educational aspect. I was hoping for a show that would teach my kids valuable life lessons in an engaging way, but instead, it was filled with shallow and superficial storylines. It seems to only promote consumerism and materialism, focusing on clothes, makeovers, and parties. Additionally, the show doesn't provide any deep character development or complex plotlines. Overall, I found "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" to be a disappointment for parents looking for more substantial content for their children.
3. Dylan - 3 stars
While I can understand the appeal of "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" for younger children, as an adult, I found it difficult to get through even a few episodes. The animation style seemed overly cutesy and the characters lacked depth and complexity. The humor was simplistic and didn't cater to older audiences at all. Therefore, I couldn't fully enjoy the show as an adult viewer. However, I recognize that it might be enjoyable for kids and can see why it has such a dedicated fan base among them. Nonetheless, I wouldn't recommend it to adults looking for a more mature and well-rounded animated series.