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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book definitely feels like two different stories glued together. The second part is clearly the main selling Point, but the first part is more character-focused and comes across as a bit more mature, while the second part leans into a more classic fantasy-adventure vibe.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation
This is the story of a boy who goes on a quest into another world filled with monster-like fairy tale creatures all so his dog can live longer… the most relatable main character I’ve read in years.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I really loved the first 200 pages of this book. Getting to know Mr. Bowditch and Radar was captivating, and the bond that formed between them and Charlie was easily my favorite part of the story. King really pulled me in with that setup.
After Mr. Bowditch’s death, though, when Charlie goes “through the rabbit hole,” the pacing slowed way down for me. I had a hard time connecting with the new world and characters until Charlie was captured, but from his time in prison through the ending, I was hooked again. That middle stretch—maybe about 100 pages—just dragged in comparison.
I also found some of the writing choices frustrating. King had a habit of over-explaining his fairy tale references, and the repeated modern cultural nods didn’t feel authentic. The constant mentions of the Turner Classic Movie channel and some of the slang used just didn’t ring true for a 17-year-old narrator. It pulled me out of the story more than it added.
The epilogue tries to smooth this over by framing Charlie as looking back on events nine years later as a professor, but that solution felt a bit like a cop-out. Instead of actually writing in a believable 17-year-old’s voice, the narrative just explains away the disconnect.
Separately, I couldn’t help but notice a parallel between the sundial in Fairy Tale and the cemetery in Pet Sematary. In Pet Sematary, Judd talks about how the burial ground has a pull on people — it gets inside you and makes you want to use it, even when you know you shouldn’t. That’s why he encourages Louis (I had to look his name up!) to use it on the cat, Church.
Separately, I couldn’t help but notice a parallel between the sundial in Fairy Tale and the cemetery in Pet Sematary. In Pet Sematary, Judd talks about how the burial ground has a pull on people — it gets inside you and makes you want to use it, even when you know you shouldn’t. That’s why he encourages Louis (I had to look his name up!) to use it on the cat, Church.
In Fairy Tale, Leah and Charlie talk about the sundial in a similar way. Leah explains how the sundial gets locked up because of its corrupting influence — it ruins the souls of people like Petra, though it doesn’t seem to affect animals like Radar. Charlie even wonders if Mr. Bowditch never sealed the portal because of that same irresistible call. To me, this echoed the way King wrote about the Sematary: both are places of forbidden power tied to the temptation of cheating death, and both show how humans can’t resist trying, even when they know the cost.
Overall, I enjoyed Fairy Tale—especially the beginning with Mr. Bowditch and Radar, and the final act once the tension ramped up. But the slow pacing in the middle and some stylistic choices held it back from being a standout for me.
First Stephen King! Really enjoyed it, all the references to fairy tales we’ve all grown up with. Such a creative, wonderful story
adventurous
dark
tense
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:
No