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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
A relatively wealthy family moves away from the big city into a rural home that is surrounded by fabled mysteries and ancient history. I've picked this book up and started to read it many times throughout the years, but for some reason have never finished it. Recently I decided to pick it up again and make it through the whole thing. It checks all of the boxes that I normally enjoy in a book with a few small faults that dock it down a star.
For starters, I really enjoyed the smooth transition from creepy into fantasy/secret society themes. The book is a clever combination of horror, dark fantasy, and thrills. We get creepy visitors in the night, but there is A LOT going on behind the scenes that we don't fully understand until later in the novel. I like how something much bigger is teased by watchful eyes in the edge of the woods or from under the troll bridge. All of the characters are quite likeable and the country/small town setting was perfect for the plot. Mark & Gary (the researchers), Jack, Gabbie, and Sean are all extremely likeable. When the story truly ramps up a little over halfway through after a secret room is discovered in the basement, the action and fantasy sequences are really enthralling and the novel is hard to put down. We get spirits, changelings, ghouls, and we also get queens, fairies, and mystical settings. When Sean goes underground Feist's descriptions of the settings really pull you into the fantasy world. It's an outstanding mix if real world and fantasy. In the last few chapters the story fires on all cylinders with time running out and major conflicts taking place. The ending throws a lot at you but it's a satisfying conclusion.
From there I'll lead into my main fault: this one is a slow burn. The book starts out very slow and takes a long while to ramp up. We learn more about the plot as we approach the halfway mark and start to see interactions between the humans and fae. On the back end the story crams a lot (and I mean A LOT) of lore, backstory, and action sequences into the final 1/4 of the book. Overall the pacing could have definitely been better. I realized why I put the book down as a DNF so many times when I was younger and it's because it starts off so painfully slow. I really wish we had the backstory on the secret society and Mark's research earlier in the novel instead of Feist just putting everything off until the last 2-3 chapters before ending the story abruptly. A couple of other minor quirks I'll mention are early in the novel I felt like there were hints that Jack knew more about the fae than the novel ever revealed and that was never fleshed out. I also feel like the ending of the novel was setting up for a sequel that never came, but that's okay because the book stands just fine on its own.
Overall I'll log this novel as a slow burn but a great read. The story is definitely worth the time and it's a book I'm glad I finally read after all of these years. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of horror, fantasy, or good fiction.
For starters, I really enjoyed the smooth transition from creepy into fantasy/secret society themes. The book is a clever combination of horror, dark fantasy, and thrills. We get creepy visitors in the night, but there is A LOT going on behind the scenes that we don't fully understand until later in the novel. I like how something much bigger is teased by watchful eyes in the edge of the woods or from under the troll bridge. All of the characters are quite likeable and the country/small town setting was perfect for the plot. Mark & Gary (the researchers), Jack, Gabbie, and Sean are all extremely likeable. When the story truly ramps up a little over halfway through after a secret room is discovered in the basement, the action and fantasy sequences are really enthralling and the novel is hard to put down. We get spirits, changelings, ghouls, and we also get queens, fairies, and mystical settings. When Sean goes underground Feist's descriptions of the settings really pull you into the fantasy world. It's an outstanding mix if real world and fantasy. In the last few chapters the story fires on all cylinders with time running out and major conflicts taking place. The ending throws a lot at you but it's a satisfying conclusion.
From there I'll lead into my main fault: this one is a slow burn. The book starts out very slow and takes a long while to ramp up. We learn more about the plot as we approach the halfway mark and start to see interactions between the humans and fae. On the back end the story crams a lot (and I mean A LOT) of lore, backstory, and action sequences into the final 1/4 of the book. Overall the pacing could have definitely been better. I realized why I put the book down as a DNF so many times when I was younger and it's because it starts off so painfully slow. I really wish we had the backstory on the secret society and Mark's research earlier in the novel instead of Feist just putting everything off until the last 2-3 chapters before ending the story abruptly. A couple of other minor quirks I'll mention are early in the novel I felt like there were hints that Jack knew more about the fae than the novel ever revealed and that was never fleshed out. I also feel like the ending of the novel was setting up for a sequel that never came, but that's okay because the book stands just fine on its own.
Overall I'll log this novel as a slow burn but a great read. The story is definitely worth the time and it's a book I'm glad I finally read after all of these years. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of horror, fantasy, or good fiction.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In theory I should love this book, in reality it falls short most of the time, and the running theme for me would be that it’s a «product of its time».
In Faerie Tale there are four (FOUR!!) NAMED doctors; at the same time there are There are like 3 or 4 female characters total in this book (one of which only gets 1 sentence in the last chapter), and they are all cardboard cutouts imitating real women. The male characters aren’t that much better; they are all basically the same person, but at least they get to speak (and don’t get sexualised every 2 sentences). The titular faeries themselves are basically battling the illuminati (fae-luminati?), and there is so much chatter about how bloody rich these people are. But why? It’s not instrumental to the story at all, it has no bearing on anything, other than to tell us they’re rich. Maybe I sound a bit over-sensitive, but trust me - they talk about their wealth A LOT.
And to segue onto the independently rich daughter via money talks - WHEW! So she’s an heiress, which is fine - she also has a good relationship with her stepmom and subverts the bratty stepdaughter trope which is good - but apart from being flatter than a popsicle stick in character and personality, what really sticks out to me is the extreme and unrelenting sexualisation she’s subject to.
I believe she’s around about 18 years old, she’s just in her first year of college and every single male pov when she’s in the room has to point out how good looking and sexy she is. This also happens after she’s been violently sexually attacked by a faerie in the woods; EW!!!! What purpose does this serve?
Also, she meets a guy in the prologue, and is engaged to him before 5 months is up; dropping out of college (hopefully temporarily) to become his housewife (and his provider as she has so much money *cough*).
I could go on a very long tangent here to compare her arc to her estranged mothers’, how the book constantly tells us how her mum married too young (pot, kettle) and how she was a bad woman for wanting a career and leaving her young family behind. Mind you, daughter Gabbie ended up staying with her maternal grandmother and not her father, as he also focused on work - but of course that’s ok (I’m rolling my eyes if you couldn’t tell).
There are some saving graces that keep this book from 1 star, but there aren’t many of them. I liked the whole vibe of researching and feeling watched and suspicious magical stuff happening, but there was more focus on sexualising the teenage daughter than this aspect, so that was a bummer too.
The fairy-lore is mish mashed and that’s neither here nor there, but the weird conspiracy tie ins are bizarre. I don’t want to get too spoilery, but good grief what a mess.
This could have been a tight little creepy and fantastical novella - but instead every interesting thing that happens for some reason needs to be wrapped up in sexualising the daughter, or talking about all the money these people have; it drags on.
I haven’t talked about the twin boys yet, because I’m getting ready to talk about some of the saving graces of the book. Sean and Patrick’s arc is interesting and well told - this should have been the whole book - I don’t need to hear about all the nonsense everyone else is doing/thinking/saying. Their story alone still had some issues, but it was over all more interesting and at least a modicum less sexualised than the rest of the story.
The book also reads super quickly. Even when I was annoyed I kept going because it went down smooth. Obviously this is well written, and the bones are interesting - but the whole thing all together just ended up annoying me and at times genuinely pissing me off.
Even though it’s a product of its time - I’ve got to say that I’ve read plenty of books that were both written and set way earlier than Fearie Tale and that feel less aged. It bums me out because like I said - in theory this book has everything I love, unfortunately it couldn’t deliver on the premise - at least not for me.
In Faerie Tale there are four (FOUR!!) NAMED doctors; at the same time there are There are like 3 or 4 female characters total in this book (one of which only gets 1 sentence in the last chapter), and they are all cardboard cutouts imitating real women. The male characters aren’t that much better; they are all basically the same person, but at least they get to speak (and don’t get sexualised every 2 sentences). The titular faeries themselves are basically battling the illuminati (fae-luminati?), and there is so much chatter about how bloody rich these people are. But why? It’s not instrumental to the story at all, it has no bearing on anything, other than to tell us they’re rich. Maybe I sound a bit over-sensitive, but trust me - they talk about their wealth A LOT.
And to segue onto the independently rich daughter via money talks - WHEW! So she’s an heiress, which is fine - she also has a good relationship with her stepmom and subverts the bratty stepdaughter trope which is good - but apart from being flatter than a popsicle stick in character and personality, what really sticks out to me is the extreme and unrelenting sexualisation she’s subject to.
I believe she’s around about 18 years old, she’s just in her first year of college and every single male pov when she’s in the room has to point out how good looking and sexy she is. This also happens after she’s been violently sexually attacked by a faerie in the woods; EW!!!! What purpose does this serve?
Also, she meets a guy in the prologue, and is engaged to him before 5 months is up; dropping out of college (hopefully temporarily) to become his housewife (and his provider as she has so much money *cough*).
I could go on a very long tangent here to compare her arc to her estranged mothers’, how the book constantly tells us how her mum married too young (pot, kettle) and how she was a bad woman for wanting a career and leaving her young family behind. Mind you, daughter Gabbie ended up staying with her maternal grandmother and not her father, as he also focused on work - but of course that’s ok (I’m rolling my eyes if you couldn’t tell).
There are some saving graces that keep this book from 1 star, but there aren’t many of them. I liked the whole vibe of researching and feeling watched and suspicious magical stuff happening, but there was more focus on sexualising the teenage daughter than this aspect, so that was a bummer too.
The fairy-lore is mish mashed and that’s neither here nor there, but the weird conspiracy tie ins are bizarre. I don’t want to get too spoilery, but good grief what a mess.
This could have been a tight little creepy and fantastical novella - but instead every interesting thing that happens for some reason needs to be wrapped up in sexualising the daughter, or talking about all the money these people have; it drags on.
I haven’t talked about the twin boys yet, because I’m getting ready to talk about some of the saving graces of the book. Sean and Patrick’s arc is interesting and well told - this should have been the whole book - I don’t need to hear about all the nonsense everyone else is doing/thinking/saying. Their story alone still had some issues, but it was over all more interesting and at least a modicum less sexualised than the rest of the story.
The book also reads super quickly. Even when I was annoyed I kept going because it went down smooth. Obviously this is well written, and the bones are interesting - but the whole thing all together just ended up annoying me and at times genuinely pissing me off.
Even though it’s a product of its time - I’ve got to say that I’ve read plenty of books that were both written and set way earlier than Fearie Tale and that feel less aged. It bums me out because like I said - in theory this book has everything I love, unfortunately it couldn’t deliver on the premise - at least not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Minor: Pedophilia
4.5 stars.
The perfect blend of horror and contemporary fantasy.
The perfect blend of horror and contemporary fantasy.
I liked the story but had a hard time caring too much about any of the characters. It was a well spun yarn but I wish I liked the characters more.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Faerie Tale is about a successful, rich family that move to a country house bordering some woods. Unbeknownst to them they have moved in next to a faerie hill and the become pawns in cruel games between faeries and humans. The tone is similar to some Stephen King novels, the dialogue was sitcomish and the characters are a stereotypical. The writing is not as good as a King novel though and some of the faerie lore was slightly off. The main let down of this novel is its relentless pervy, horndog perspective and hetrosexuality. At every single stage the women were objectified and sometimes the men and children too. Even during family crises at the hospital, the doctor took time out to muse on how hot he thought the teenage daughter was. Yes, sex does have a part in faerie lore and in horror it can add to the suspense but this was way overdone and just pathetic and annoying.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
An exceptionally boring dark fantasy that did not age well. Characters stuck in stereotypes, dull thrills, hyper sexualization of young females, and the driest ending ever combine to form a waste-of-time tale.
You can tell this was written by a man in the 1980's. It is very much a product of it's time - this is particularly evident in Feist's treatment of his female characters. It was a slow burner but I felt the ending was a little rushed by comparison to the build up. I haven't read much dark fantasy/horror, nor have I read anything by Feist before, but I was expecting a much scarier story. I don't think I'd be overly inclined to read anything else by this author.
Faerie Tale is one of those books, for me at least, that does not get better with age. The first time I read it, I enjoyed it. The second time, I couldn't remember why I liked it to begin with. It's the only book that I've really had that type of reaction to. I've liked books less when I've gone back and re-read them, but not that much. It was like watching the old, original Battlestar Galactica as a child and then re-watching it as a college student- I guess I liked the Vipers, but gosh, I didn't realize how sexist it was, and where did a prostitute learn to sky dive?
My problem upon re-reading Faerie Tale was twofold. It isn't as "cool" as it thinks it is, and the female characters were off.
My problem upon re-reading Faerie Tale was twofold. It isn't as "cool" as it thinks it is, and the female characters were off.