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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Well… it was fine. There were some good parts, but it had some bad parts in it. I promise you that’s funnier if you’ve read it. It’s a long, coming of age story in the form of a love(craft) letter to H.P Lovecraft. We move from tongue-in-cheek nods, to references, to essentially the big guy Cthulu himself making an appearance. Why does eldritch equal tentacles?
Anyways, Charlie is just your average boy. You know, 2 sport athlete, promising college attendee, perfect attendance, dad’s a debilitated alcoholic, mom got ripped in half by a van. So relatable! He fell in love with someone else’s dog and then that leads him down a deep, literal and metaphorical well of darkness within. Then we get ALL the Disney references and quite the lovable cast of horrifically deformed survivors. It’s fun for the whole family!
He doesn’t kill the dragon, doesn’t get the girl, and doesn’t inherit the kingdom, which is original and I thought would be more fulfilling, but it weirdly wasn’t. The end just doesn’t match the buildup of a few hundred pages before the fairy tale truly begins. Also, Rumpelstiltskin gets ripped in half, I don’t know, more than once? Plus he also gets stabbed to death, which is weird because he’s not even really a character in the book and yet he has like, a lot of deaths and plays a huge role. Whatever. Radar is, as the millennials are wont to say, the goodest girl and literally the only not morally grey character in the book, unless you count that weird ass cricket king. I don’t. He doesn’t even talk. Probably the worst guy in the universe. Those eyes-they’ve seen some shit. Plus he just like takes some torture and is fine with it? That guy crawled through a river of shit and did NOT come out clean on the other side! HEY, WAIT! That’s what our boy Charlie did! Boom, solved it! Fairy Tale!
Anyways, Charlie is just your average boy. You know, 2 sport athlete, promising college attendee, perfect attendance, dad’s a debilitated alcoholic, mom got ripped in half by a van. So relatable! He fell in love with someone else’s dog and then that leads him down a deep, literal and metaphorical well of darkness within. Then we get ALL the Disney references and quite the lovable cast of horrifically deformed survivors. It’s fun for the whole family!
He doesn’t kill the dragon, doesn’t get the girl, and doesn’t inherit the kingdom, which is original and I thought would be more fulfilling, but it weirdly wasn’t. The end just doesn’t match the buildup of a few hundred pages before the fairy tale truly begins. Also, Rumpelstiltskin gets ripped in half, I don’t know, more than once? Plus he also gets stabbed to death, which is weird because he’s not even really a character in the book and yet he has like, a lot of deaths and plays a huge role. Whatever. Radar is, as the millennials are wont to say, the goodest girl and literally the only not morally grey character in the book, unless you count that weird ass cricket king. I don’t. He doesn’t even talk. Probably the worst guy in the universe. Those eyes-they’ve seen some shit. Plus he just like takes some torture and is fine with it? That guy crawled through a river of shit and did NOT come out clean on the other side! HEY, WAIT! That’s what our boy Charlie did! Boom, solved it! Fairy Tale!
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
slow-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:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Stephen King's attempt at Alice in Wonderland.
Okay, this rating may be my fault more than King's. This book just wasn't my cup of tea. This was the first straight up fantasy book I've read from King, and I am usually a fantasy fan all the way, but I'm not sure if I like King's take on fantasy. It unfavorably reminded me of Neil Gaiman. And note, I was never a fan of his writing way before the allegations came out.
I just couldn't get into this book, I actually liked the first part where it's set in the real world with mystery elements that set up the book, but once we get into the fantasy world, I lost interest. Just too Gaiman-esh for me. I might try King's other fantasy works to see if they are my speed.
Yeah, wanted to like it, but it was just not my cup of tea. I can see why others would like it though, but it wasn't for me.
Okay, this rating may be my fault more than King's. This book just wasn't my cup of tea. This was the first straight up fantasy book I've read from King, and I am usually a fantasy fan all the way, but I'm not sure if I like King's take on fantasy. It unfavorably reminded me of Neil Gaiman. And note, I was never a fan of his writing way before the allegations came out.
I just couldn't get into this book, I actually liked the first part where it's set in the real world with mystery elements that set up the book, but once we get into the fantasy world, I lost interest. Just too Gaiman-esh for me. I might try King's other fantasy works to see if they are my speed.
Yeah, wanted to like it, but it was just not my cup of tea. I can see why others would like it though, but it wasn't for me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Un maravilloso cuento de cuentos. Le cuesta arrancar con el tema fantástico, pero son páginas que te introducen a los personajes principales y que luego darán sentido a todo.
Los personajes son carismáticos e imaginativos. King le da una vuelta a los cuentos clásicos retorciéndolos todos y creando un nuevo mundo que descubres página a página.
Los personajes son carismáticos e imaginativos. King le da una vuelta a los cuentos clásicos retorciéndolos todos y creando un nuevo mundo que descubres página a página.
3,5 ⭐️
Maybe 3 stars for the story: it was just a nice and simple fairy tale. Fortunately for me, I do like fairy tales. But 4 stars because I absolutely loved the relationships Charlie had with his father, Mr. Bowditch and especially with Radar. That made me so often think of the German Shepards I grew up with myself. ❤️❤️
—————————
Quotes:
‘Tempus fugit is a good one,’ she said ‘but time doesn’t always fly, as everyone who’s ever had to wait around for something knows. I think tempus est umbra in mente is a better one. Roughly translated, it means time is a shadow in the mind.’
———
You never know where the trapdoors are in your life, do you?
———
When there is love, scars are as pretty as dimples.
Maybe 3 stars for the story: it was just a nice and simple fairy tale. Fortunately for me, I do like fairy tales. But 4 stars because I absolutely loved the relationships Charlie had with his father, Mr. Bowditch and especially with Radar. That made me so often think of the German Shepards I grew up with myself. ❤️❤️
—————————
Quotes:
‘Tempus fugit is a good one,’ she said ‘but time doesn’t always fly, as everyone who’s ever had to wait around for something knows. I think tempus est umbra in mente is a better one. Roughly translated, it means time is a shadow in the mind.’
———
You never know where the trapdoors are in your life, do you?
———
When there is love, scars are as pretty as dimples.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh I wish I could read this again for the first time.
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
medium-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:
No