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jesm98's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I think the author does a fantastic job of keeping a witty dialogue between characters while the events unfold. There were many moments that made me snicker to myself. Additionally, I love the allusions to fairy tale items and stories throughout the book. Also, there was so much room to create different spinoff stories before, during, and after this novel. I will continue to read of the exploits of Beaumont and Beasley!
krhea's review against another edition
5.0
Too fun. There were parts I'd like to have slowed down a little, but there were curses to break and paradigms to shift, and I understand sometimes we need to move things along.
Crispin Beasley is my son now. Just, as an aside.
Def need the next book in this series, pronto.
Crispin Beasley is my son now. Just, as an aside.
Def need the next book in this series, pronto.
shebephoebe's review against another edition
4.0
This book kept unaccountably putting me to sleep. XD I enjoyed the dialogue, and the plot kept a decent pace (if a little too concise for my taste). The writing style itself was pretty fun (and reminded me constantly of a writing buddy’s style, and I love her writing). However, I couldn’t really connect to the characters, especially Cordelia. Dunno what the writer was going for with her but it didn’t land for me. Much as I’d like answers to a few questions, I don’t think I’ll continue the series.
All that said, I would not hesitate to recommend this one if I thought it matched someone’s tastes.
merieshenanigans's review against another edition
5.0
f you're a lover or fairytales, like me, you'll enjoy this book. But if you like a snarky magic skeptic as a narrator, detective stories with a fun new twist, fantastically whimsical characters, and epilogues that will make your mind go BAM, then read this book.
(That epilogue though. It was a stroke of pure genius.)
(That epilogue though. It was a stroke of pure genius.)
storiesforhisglory's review against another edition
5.0
Super fun
Thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and as many short stories as possible. Nick is funny and Cordelia is sharp. Great story!
Thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and as many short stories as possible. Nick is funny and Cordelia is sharp. Great story!
rmarcher's review against another edition
5.0
The book hangover from The Beast of Talesend has lasted a week and doesn't show signs of stopping. (Also, ThAT ENDiNG. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.)
oliviacornwell's review against another edition
3.0
Nick is like 75% done with everything in life and he is adorable XD
This was a fun read. I love the way fairytales have been woven into the world as facts of history (more or less). It's not medieval in setting (there are guns and automobiles), so it made fairytales seem old-fashioned, but we find they're very real. And sometimes not as "happily ever after" as we're told.
Crispin is a precious teddy bear XD I loved his and Nick's relationship, though I didn't see a lot. It'll be interesting to see how it develops (for better or worse). And I have theories that really worry me... o.o Cordelia is a saucy thing with a well-intentioned heart which I ship with Nick's skeptical one. B)
The plot overall felt a bit quiet (though things definitely get intense), but I'm guessing that's because it's book 1 of a series. It'll be interesting to see where this tale goes.
This was a fun read. I love the way fairytales have been woven into the world as facts of history (more or less). It's not medieval in setting (there are guns and automobiles), so it made fairytales seem old-fashioned, but we find they're very real. And sometimes not as "happily ever after" as we're told.
Crispin is a precious teddy bear XD I loved his and Nick's relationship, though I didn't see a lot. It'll be interesting to see how it develops (for better or worse). And I have theories that really worry me... o.o Cordelia is a saucy thing with a well-intentioned heart which I ship with Nick's skeptical one. B)
The plot overall felt a bit quiet (though things definitely get intense), but I'm guessing that's because it's book 1 of a series. It'll be interesting to see where this tale goes.
hlburke's review against another edition
5.0
I'm torn on how to rate this one because I'm normally fairly hard on short stories that don't feel like a complete story but instead or just obvious "previews" to a larger work. However, a few things make me rate this one a little higher even though it is does, at least to me, feel more like a sneak peek than a complete work in itself.
1. It's not asking me to pay for it. This book was a free newsletter bonus from an author I wanted to follow anyway.
2. It's a really intriguing premise.
The best thing to compare this to is an end credit scene in a Marvel movie. It's a hint, a taste, a tease, maybe even an Easter Egg, and it's a good one, but it's hard to give a star rating when comparing it to other stories that are a little more complete in their concept. But you get the feeling it is totally MEANT to be a tease, not a story.
So I think as long as you're aware going into it that that's what it is, you'll like it. Especially if you are long term following this world and just want a little window into where things might be headed.
Merged review:
This book is so much fun!
I've read a lot of fairy tale detective attempts that got things wrong, so it is refreshing to read one that gets it right, mainly with the world and characters. Yes, they are exaggerated and larger than life, but they remain relatable with believable flaws and strengths. While nothing comes too easily, they also avoid the "characters bumble around like idiots for easy laughs and to make the plot go longer" mistake.
One thing it does so very, very right is committing to the world and characters. They are written "real" with more than one layer rather than a veneer of "this is a type of character you've seen before so you will recognize them and I don't need to try any harder" that you often run into in this tongue and cheek type of fiction. The world is believable and grounded while still retaining a bit of self-referential snark.
There is a fun, old Hollywood feel to the story. Like I can see Nick cast as Jack Lemmon or Bob Hope in a Ghost Breakers style movie.
Nick is a pleasant mix of over-confidence and vulnerability. Cordelia is unpredictable but competent, more flexible than Nick, resilient but believably damaged by a backstory that is subtly hinted at.
This reads as a complete tale (though a few important story points are left unresolved for sequels as well as hints of future adventures) which I would highly recommend.
1. It's not asking me to pay for it. This book was a free newsletter bonus from an author I wanted to follow anyway.
2. It's a really intriguing premise.
The best thing to compare this to is an end credit scene in a Marvel movie. It's a hint, a taste, a tease, maybe even an Easter Egg, and it's a good one, but it's hard to give a star rating when comparing it to other stories that are a little more complete in their concept. But you get the feeling it is totally MEANT to be a tease, not a story.
So I think as long as you're aware going into it that that's what it is, you'll like it. Especially if you are long term following this world and just want a little window into where things might be headed.
Merged review:
This book is so much fun!
I've read a lot of fairy tale detective attempts that got things wrong, so it is refreshing to read one that gets it right, mainly with the world and characters. Yes, they are exaggerated and larger than life, but they remain relatable with believable flaws and strengths. While nothing comes too easily, they also avoid the "characters bumble around like idiots for easy laughs and to make the plot go longer" mistake.
One thing it does so very, very right is committing to the world and characters. They are written "real" with more than one layer rather than a veneer of "this is a type of character you've seen before so you will recognize them and I don't need to try any harder" that you often run into in this tongue and cheek type of fiction. The world is believable and grounded while still retaining a bit of self-referential snark.
There is a fun, old Hollywood feel to the story. Like I can see Nick cast as Jack Lemmon or Bob Hope in a Ghost Breakers style movie.
Nick is a pleasant mix of over-confidence and vulnerability. Cordelia is unpredictable but competent, more flexible than Nick, resilient but believably damaged by a backstory that is subtly hinted at.
This reads as a complete tale (though a few important story points are left unresolved for sequels as well as hints of future adventures) which I would highly recommend.
ebdawson's review against another edition
5.0
Kyle Robert Shultz is a master storyteller. That can be difficult to find in a day when writer blogs, self-help books, and accessible self-publishing have turned novel writing into a formulaic step-by-step process in an effort to make the gift of storytelling available to anyone. It is not available to everyone, nor will it ever be. Although the art of storytelling can be learned, it takes a great deal of time and investment. Some authors never get there. Whether by innate talent or hard work, Shultz has.
His dialogue is fresh and engaging. His writing is so clean and effective that it disappears and allows the reader to experience the story. His characters are believable and delightful. His story is a wild romp of pure imagination and though it touches on very real strains of darker human emotion, overall the tale remains refreshingly lighthearted.
I am very much looking forward to the next installment, and you should be too. Overall it reminded me of a mix of Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time, and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
His dialogue is fresh and engaging. His writing is so clean and effective that it disappears and allows the reader to experience the story. His characters are believable and delightful. His story is a wild romp of pure imagination and though it touches on very real strains of darker human emotion, overall the tale remains refreshingly lighthearted.
I am very much looking forward to the next installment, and you should be too. Overall it reminded me of a mix of Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time, and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
gracecrandall's review against another edition
5.0
*falls backwards*
*stares happily at the ceiling*
Well. THAT was glorious.
I loved how FUN this story was. It wasn't only fun; there was meat and substance to it, too, but--it was also fun. Fun-ness is a virtue that a lot of stories seem to forget, it seems; but not this one.
Years after all the fairy tales have ended, the world still turns on, growing and changing, filling up with cars and zeppelins. Magic seems, at best, like a half-forgotten memory; at worst, an invention and a myth.
Nick Beasley, a private detective with a penchant for tracking down and disproving any hint of fairy-tale magic he can find, is of the latter opinion.
Or, he was. Right up until a hunt for an ancient artifact landed him as a horned beast, riding a magic carpet with a half-insane noblewoman in a desperate attempt to save the world.
This whole book read like the pilot episode of a really epic TV show. It was fast-paced, insanely clever (I was grinning the whole time), and it was satisfying, but it felt like there was so much more going on, and so
much more that COULD go on in the future. (so happy there's going to be a sequel!! I cannot wait). The whole mythology and structure of the story's world felt at the same time oddly different from anything I've ever seen, but also familiar. It was an adventure in the truest sense of the word.
I also loved the characters. Nick was such a wonderful grumpy skeptic, but with a big heart, and Cordelia was--well--Cordelia. Slightly insane and wildly idealistic, I really liked the edges to her character--and I'm curious to know more about her past, too. (Crispin, meanwhile, is my favorite. Don't tell him, though).
Again, this was so much fun.
I think I'm going to go and read it again...
*stares happily at the ceiling*
Well. THAT was glorious.
I loved how FUN this story was. It wasn't only fun; there was meat and substance to it, too, but--it was also fun. Fun-ness is a virtue that a lot of stories seem to forget, it seems; but not this one.
Years after all the fairy tales have ended, the world still turns on, growing and changing, filling up with cars and zeppelins. Magic seems, at best, like a half-forgotten memory; at worst, an invention and a myth.
Nick Beasley, a private detective with a penchant for tracking down and disproving any hint of fairy-tale magic he can find, is of the latter opinion.
Or, he was. Right up until a hunt for an ancient artifact landed him as a horned beast, riding a magic carpet with a half-insane noblewoman in a desperate attempt to save the world.
This whole book read like the pilot episode of a really epic TV show. It was fast-paced, insanely clever (I was grinning the whole time), and it was satisfying, but it felt like there was so much more going on, and so
much more that COULD go on in the future. (so happy there's going to be a sequel!! I cannot wait). The whole mythology and structure of the story's world felt at the same time oddly different from anything I've ever seen, but also familiar. It was an adventure in the truest sense of the word.
I also loved the characters. Nick was such a wonderful grumpy skeptic, but with a big heart, and Cordelia was--well--Cordelia. Slightly insane and wildly idealistic, I really liked the edges to her character--and I'm curious to know more about her past, too. (Crispin, meanwhile, is my favorite. Don't tell him, though).
Again, this was so much fun.
I think I'm going to go and read it again...