A review by avoraciousreader68
Stiltskin by Andrew Buckley

4.0

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Curiosity Quills.

Rumpelstiltskin has been imprisoned in the Tower for years and years. Now, somehow he has escaped and he’s on a mission to finish the dastardly deed he started so many years ago. But first, he has to pass a message to the Mad Hatter’s son, Robert Darkly who doesn’t live in Thiside with the rest of the weird and dark fairy tale denizens. Robert lives in Othaside or as we call it, normal reality. However, Robert’s life hasn’t exactly been normal though he has no idea why. Well, his journey to discovering who he really is starts with a very rude dwarf in his bathtub.

An entertaining fairy tale retelling that is not warm and fuzzy. The entities in the so-called fairy tales are nothing like what is written in Othaside, I mean, our reality. They are very very different. I had fun trying to guess which person (we’ll say person here even though there are animals, dwarves, gnomes and other weirdos) matched which story. Robert Darkly is a bit of a dweeb. But he’s a likeable dweeb and following him around while he’s following around Lily and two gnomes was quite entertaining. Especially when he starts talking to a voice in his head. Well, apparently he’s not the Mad Hatter’s son for nothing. The ending is left a bit up in the air and I’m peeved I didn’t get to find out who Robert’s mother was. I also have an almost uncontrollable urge to go buy a garden gnome for my front yard. Maybe I’ll just watch some of the Travelocity YouTube videos until the urge passes.