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wildflower_magic's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, War, Gore, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, and Vomit
Moderate: Bullying, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
nialiversuch's review
Graphic: Medical content, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Ableism, Body shaming, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
kyrstin_p1989's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Addiction, Abandonment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Body horror, Cancer, Murder, Rape, Bullying, Death of parent, and Violence
vandeliz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Gore
Minor: Abandonment, Cancer, Murder, Car accident, Child death, and Vomit
Very PG in terms of graphic gore and violence for a Stephen King novel. Occurs halfway through the book.karapillar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Police brutality, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Cursing, Hate crime, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Grief, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Torture, Abandonment, Medical content, Cancer, Pregnancy, Slavery, Child death, Cannibalism, Confinement, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
billyjepma's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Bowditch is the book's highlight, arguably, and viewing him as King's self-insert character (as I did) gives the story some potentially meta-commentary elements that I liked. I doubt this is intentional, as the book doesn't explore those elements, so take my assessment with a grain of salt. King isn't interested in interrogating or subverting the fairy tale ideas he's using, opting instead to enjoy them as toys for a relatively by-the-numbers tale that's content to be a soft remix of the greatest hits. On those terms, Fairy Tale is an easy, enjoyable read, even though I kept waiting for it to become something more.
Ironically, the most effective parts of this book take place outside of the fantasy world, as it's there that King's writing is most touching and memorable. After the fantasy starts, things regrettably grow a little dull. King's characterization and pacing falter, as does his plotting. We're introduced to some wonderful supporting characters and big, exciting ideas; they just don't go anywhere. Charlie becomes a less interesting protagonist, too, as his role in the traditional fantasy adventure is as by-the-numbers as they come. King's attempts at giving it some teeth are more monotonous than anything, too, and eventually, my earlier investment in Charlie took a nosedive.
Still, despite its shortcoming, I love a good fairy tale and getting to read one of the best storytellers of a generation tell one was a ride I'm glad I took. The ending wraps things up on the kind of nostalgia-tinged note I'm always a sucker for and nails the balance between bitter and sweet like all fantasies should. I won't be running back to this one, but the vibes and visuals will happily linger in my head for a while. The book gets a 3.5/5 from me, but Radar the Very Good Dog™️ gets a 12/5.
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Medical content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Abandonment, Bullying, Cancer, Racial slurs, and Torture