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abby_shupe's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Xanthous’s interactions with the shopkeeper, his heart to heart with Emerelda, and his blush-filled relationship with Eldrik all made me cry. Like just bawl. I hope some kids reading it can relate to it as much as i do but <(spoiler)> I’m happy to see some gay representation in this series that doesn’t end with death, and a more personal storyline surrounding xanthous and his sexuality. I’m so happy Colfer was able to write a beautifully crafted coming out story without ever needing to use any explicitly gay terms. <(spoiler over!)> I want even more of this series now, as much as book three has given me I want more! The reader really gets to see each of the fairy council’s personalities a little more, and I could easily see 2-3 more books going into personal depth and getting to see more of their adventures would be oh so fun! In book three, Xanthous’s character is mainly examined so i would love to see more of Skylene and Tangerina, and Emerelda even though i was happy that i saw more of her in this book. Rosetta is my second favorite of the fairy council, so I would obviously love to see way more of her in a coming book if colfer ever makes more. I understand that in the series timeline Rosetta is a little kid, but it would be so amazing to see more of her, and her life and powers! Because Pip is also a kid, I’m sad that Rosetta wasn’t mentioned again. I clearly loved the opportunity to see more of the individual members of the fairy council, and their relationships with each other. Their interactions throughout the book had me smiling knowing their further endeavors in the Land of Stories series. If you’ve read the Land of Stories before starting this series, I love that the reader can see some clear reflections of Brystal and Alex, especially in their love interests. I love knowing where Alex got so many aspects of her personality, and seeing Brystal adventure around the world knowing Alex will follow in her footsteps. Absolutely everything about this series is SO well thought out, I still don’t know how Chris Colfer did it! Especially at the end of this book, all of the loose strings are tied oh so perfectly, it left me smiling from ear to ear knowing it’s all set up for the Land of Stories. A Tale of Sorcery is filled with a lot of laughs, love, and adventure, certainly the best book in the series; but that’s just my opinion so go read the series to decide for yourself! There are definitely some plot holes I noticed, but I won’t bore the reader of this review with those. And I still have quite a lot of questions and interest for how everything eventually came to be, which is why I’m crossing my fingers Colfer isn’t done with this series yet! If Colfer is really done with the series which I can see happening just because I don’t know how many other forms of magic there are for him to use the “A Tale of Magic” title format, I would absolutely love a book similar to the Land of Stories Book Huggers Guide. Something that gives me the history, info, and fills in any remaining questions would be incredibly interesting!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts
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