Scan barcode
rex_libris's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who has enjoyed the ongoing stories offered in Fables along with those offered in the spin-offs and stand alone releases I was excited by the potential of the Fairest series. Have enjoyed the first two volumes I was looking forward to what would be offered in Fairest In All the Land.
While I enjoyed the story and art immensely my main criticism of it is that for me it didn't feel like a story that comfortably fitted with the idea behind Fairest. Despite the main motivators, protagonists and antagonists being female fables, for me the story felt like one that more rightfully and comfortably sit among the main Fables story arcs or as part of Cinderella's ongoing stand alone adventures. It is a bit of a bizarre criticism but it is just not what I was expecting from a Fairest title.
Really I feel Cinderella has already had a great deal of face time in her spy-themed stand alone releases so I wasn't as excited to see her as the main figure in this Fairest release when there are plenty of other female fables I would like to see explored and developed further. Also, I would have like to have seen Fairest Cinderella be something other than a spy/detective type we have already seen plenty of. She is clearly a dynamic figure in the Fables line up, surely there are some other stories and character traits that could have celebrated in this release. If she is going to feature, why not show us a new side to her like we got with Brier Rose, Beauty and Rapunzel in the earlier stories?
Overall, while it was an enjoyable Fables story I found it a somewhat disappointing Fairest story.
Beyond my criticism of how it fits, the story itself is a solid addition to the Fables line up. It has fantastic pacing that kept me pushing on through a rather fragmented narrative. It is a classic detective story made more troublesome and difficult through the addition of all the magical potential fairy tales can offer. It filled in a few gaps left by previous arcs and no doubt the victories and losses of this story will be felt in the following Fables stories. A quick and satisfying read for anyone who has enjoyed Fables or is looking to or who likes to see fairy tales from a different point of view.
While I enjoyed the story and art immensely my main criticism of it is that for me it didn't feel like a story that comfortably fitted with the idea behind Fairest. Despite the main motivators, protagonists and antagonists being female fables, for me the story felt like one that more rightfully and comfortably sit among the main Fables story arcs or as part of Cinderella's ongoing stand alone adventures. It is a bit of a bizarre criticism but it is just not what I was expecting from a Fairest title.
Really I feel Cinderella has already had a great deal of face time in her spy-themed stand alone releases so I wasn't as excited to see her as the main figure in this Fairest release when there are plenty of other female fables I would like to see explored and developed further. Also, I would have like to have seen Fairest Cinderella be something other than a spy/detective type we have already seen plenty of. She is clearly a dynamic figure in the Fables line up, surely there are some other stories and character traits that could have celebrated in this release. If she is going to feature, why not show us a new side to her like we got with Brier Rose, Beauty and Rapunzel in the earlier stories?
Overall, while it was an enjoyable Fables story I found it a somewhat disappointing Fairest story.
Beyond my criticism of how it fits, the story itself is a solid addition to the Fables line up. It has fantastic pacing that kept me pushing on through a rather fragmented narrative. It is a classic detective story made more troublesome and difficult through the addition of all the magical potential fairy tales can offer. It filled in a few gaps left by previous arcs and no doubt the victories and losses of this story will be felt in the following Fables stories. A quick and satisfying read for anyone who has enjoyed Fables or is looking to or who likes to see fairy tales from a different point of view.
jessica_lam's review
4.0
So much better than the rest of the Fairest series (though a major character does come from one of the other Fairest stories)! There's plenty of action/mystery/intrigue and is a less stylistic extension of the Cinderella spinoffs, as she acts as the principle investigator in a string of murders. There are also consequences to the murders, decisions to be made, which leads to a greater discussion on the importance of beauty in classic fairy tales and the import this world places on it. It's a great story centered around strong, competent women.
mackle13's review
2.0
2.5
This was an ok story, very Cindy centric, a several of the Fairest stories seem to be. She's called in to investigate after a murder, since Bigby is currently unavailable.
Speaking of which, this book definitely has some spoilers for the main Fables plotline, with no inkling given in the book itself where it falls within that arc.
My biggest issue with the story, I think, is that the artwork changes every couple of pages, and it's wildly inconsistent. Some of it is weird cartoon-realism, and some of it is ultra-cartoony and not great quality, while some of the middle-range realism that the series, as a whole, tends to use (which is my favorite). It got to where some characters weren't even recognizable from one panel to the next.
Also, the story itself is semi-moot because you know
I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for people into the Fables world, unless you don't mind spoilers. Hell, I wouldn't recommend it anyway just because it's not the strongest stories and relies too heavily on familiarity with the characters as opposed to really introducing them, though it does give a smattering of backstory on some we may not have seen before.
Not a bad side-story in the Fables world, but far from a necessary one.
* Not only is in unclear, aside from reading, where this falls into the Fables timeline, it's not even clear where it falls on the Fairest line. The book-page I'm on tells me this is Fairest #5, except Fairest #5 is actually [b:Fairest, Vol 5: The Clamour for Glamour|23846750|Fairest, Vol 5 The Clamour for Glamour|Mark Buckingham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438780616s/23846750.jpg|43456945], and this stand-alone GN was published between Volumes 2 and 3 of the Fairest series.
This was an ok story, very Cindy centric, a several of the Fairest stories seem to be. She's called in to investigate after a murder, since Bigby is currently unavailable.
Speaking of which, this book definitely has some spoilers for the main Fables plotline, with no inkling given in the book itself where it falls within that arc.
My biggest issue with the story, I think, is that the artwork changes every couple of pages, and it's wildly inconsistent. Some of it is weird cartoon-realism, and some of it is ultra-cartoony and not great quality, while some of the middle-range realism that the series, as a whole, tends to use (which is my favorite). It got to where some characters weren't even recognizable from one panel to the next.
Also, the story itself is semi-moot because you know
Spoiler
they're not going to kill off some of the main characters in a random off-shoot.I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for people into the Fables world, unless you don't mind spoilers. Hell, I wouldn't recommend it anyway just because it's not the strongest stories and relies too heavily on familiarity with the characters as opposed to really introducing them, though it does give a smattering of backstory on some we may not have seen before.
Not a bad side-story in the Fables world, but far from a necessary one.
* Not only is in unclear, aside from reading, where this falls into the Fables timeline, it's not even clear where it falls on the Fairest line. The book-page I'm on tells me this is Fairest #5, except Fairest #5 is actually [b:Fairest, Vol 5: The Clamour for Glamour|23846750|Fairest, Vol 5 The Clamour for Glamour|Mark Buckingham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438780616s/23846750.jpg|43456945], and this stand-alone GN was published between Volumes 2 and 3 of the Fairest series.
library_hungry's review against another edition
4.0
I know I had my complaints about Fairest before, but Bill Willingham himself is just so awesome. I love how he writes all his characters, and this story is more substantial than the other Cinderella stories, and not at all annoying in the way that some of the other Fairest stories were. I'm still not reading Fairest, unless Willingham writes it himself.
My only complaint at all here is the text-heavy opening; I find that too much text in comic books starts to ramble fast--especially when your character is kind of a florid speaker like the Mirror.
Good stuff, good stuff.
My only complaint at all here is the text-heavy opening; I find that too much text in comic books starts to ramble fast--especially when your character is kind of a florid speaker like the Mirror.
Good stuff, good stuff.
i_dream_of_books's review against another edition
5.0
Two things, one bad, and one good.
Bad news first: this is the 6th in a series and I thought it was a stand-alone. I haven’t finished reading Fables yet (I just started vol. 5) and this definitely has spoilers. So if you haven’t finished Fables, maybe don’t read this series, or maybe don’t be a doofus like me and read the 6th one.
Good news: While it may have been slightly spoiler-like, the actual spoilers were vague. All of that aside, I really enjoyed this. The Fables world in general is becoming one of my favorite places.
Bad news first: this is the 6th in a series and I thought it was a stand-alone. I haven’t finished reading Fables yet (I just started vol. 5) and this definitely has spoilers. So if you haven’t finished Fables, maybe don’t read this series, or maybe don’t be a doofus like me and read the 6th one.
Good news: While it may have been slightly spoiler-like, the actual spoilers were vague. All of that aside, I really enjoyed this. The Fables world in general is becoming one of my favorite places.
thelaurakremer's review against another edition
4.0
This paled in comparison to 1,001 Nights of Snowfall in regards to the varied art. But the story was still excellent.
just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
3.0
I just can't escape Cinderella, she is absolutely my least favorite Fable, and even after her failed spin-off she is still the main character for story arcs...why?! Luckily, she was slightly more tolerable in this story, but only slightly.
This story revolves around the murders of various Fables, they are big names and you just know they aren't going to stay dead, so the shock isn't there and neither really is the suspense.
The big question is, who is the murderer and why? For some reason, Cinderella is King Cole's choice for lead investigator. Along with the fairy turned slave vehicle, she drives around piecing the clues together.
The narrator for the story is actually the magic mirror, and the murder mystery is book-ended by his introduction and epilogue which is novelized instead of drawn in panels for some reason.
Overall, it was a fun mystery, but there was very little at stake. Several different artists worked on this book, and the art style changes frequently which keeps the story visually stimulating.
This story revolves around the murders of various Fables, they are big names and you just know they aren't going to stay dead, so the shock isn't there and neither really is the suspense.
The big question is, who is the murderer and why? For some reason, Cinderella is King Cole's choice for lead investigator. Along with the fairy turned slave vehicle, she drives around piecing the clues together.
The narrator for the story is actually the magic mirror, and the murder mystery is book-ended by his introduction and epilogue which is novelized instead of drawn in panels for some reason.
Overall, it was a fun mystery, but there was very little at stake. Several different artists worked on this book, and the art style changes frequently which keeps the story visually stimulating.
kelters's review against another edition
4.0
The only issue is the art changes every other page. It is still amazing!!
literary_princess's review against another edition
3.0
Great illustrations. I have to confess - despite my stubborn feminism - I do love the absurdly attractive characterizations of the Fairest themselves. Good story, too.