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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
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
A reimagined spin on the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin, where instead of the classic main girl outwits the evil fae, the first child bargain isn't fulfilled as expected.
We follow Giselle who is the first born of Queen Bianka, the mortal woman that the "evil fae sorcerer" struck a bargain with. As the tales were told, the bargain was that the fae sorcerer has to help the mortal woman in the challenge that the king has issued her to turn straw into gold. In exchange, the mortal woman must guess the fae sorcerer's name, or else give her first born child up.
In this story however, Queen Bianka never uses her resources and wits to guess the name of the fae sorcerer. In fact, she actually misunderstood the point of the bargain and the fae sorcerer has forgotten his own name! I honestly thought the whole issue will be pinned on Queen Bianka having ulterior motives and secretly being evil but it seems she's not as involved in this story.
I liked the world-building that slowly unravels as Giselle spends more time in the world of Fae. A lot of aspects felt original and served as strong backdrops against the author's description of Fae. I especially liked the inclusion of genderfluid characters, with a lot of the characters being queer as well. The smut scenes were also there to establish the bond and build on the relationship of the two main characters instead of just being thrown in for the sake of it.
To me, the ending did feel like there could have been MORE, but I'm happy with how the relationship between the characters were established and how the conflicts were resolved. I would have wanted to see more of Apfela and Nissa and hopefully they get their own story too!
Overall, I think this book is a pretty solid retelling of a beloved classic fairytale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Abandonment