A review by growe16
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany

3.0

I probably should give this a lower rating, but I feel bad doing so. It feels like Lord Dunsany has taken the antiquated fairytale writing style (in which events occur quickly) and expanded it into a full book-length work. But like most fairy tales, it's devoid of any distinctive personality traits in characters and any immersive details (with the major exception of the beautiful, poetic descriptions of nature). The natural settings certainly seemed like characters in their own way. And several characters were cute, loveable, and entertaining. It was surprisingly funny. And I was also surprised by nearly every twist the plot took. I just felt a bit disappointed because my surprise was a little easier to achieve, as the story had no real direction/plot for the large majority of the characters to follow.
I find this same narrative style so easy to get through in LOTR because of the songs, descriptions of food, greater attention to personal interactions, and the very clear direction for the plot. But while I really liked certain aspects of this story, it was difficult to get through.