Jon Etter

"Readers, beware: what you hold in your hands is a dreadful fairy book. I wish I were narrating almost any other fairy story, but alas, this is my lot. Whatever expectations you have of delightful and whimsical fairies are sure to be disappointed."

Lillyshadow Glitterdemalion, or Shade as she prefers to be called, is a little sprite, but she's unlike any other sprite in Pleasant Hollow. She's a little bit rounder and doesn't have colorful butterfly wings like the others, and most of all, she LOVES books, which the other sprites just can't wrap their heads around. Shade lost her parents but still has the books they all used to read together, until the other sprites set off fireworks and burn her house down. All but one of her books are destroyed ("Traveling in the Greater Kingdom: A Guide to the Wonders and Dangers of the Fairy World," written by Stinkletoe Radishbottom), and Shade decides she has to leave Pleasant Hollow and go in search of a place full of more books than she could read in her lifetime. During her adventures, she meets a host of colorful characters who help her out in her quest.

The world building in this book was phenomenal. The characters were fun and varied, and you find yourself rooting for Shade and her friends. I did think Shade had an attitude most of the time, but since this book is written for the middle grade crowd, I don't know if that would be a problem with them or not, although I doubt it. This was a very easy and quick read.

In summary, I enjoyed reading this book and think the MG crowd would also have fun with it.

4/5 stars.

*** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley free of charge in exchange for my honest review.… (altro)

I do not have young kids anymore, but this would be a good thing to read with your children. It is updated for today's humor without being toilet humor, etc. As an adult, it kept me reading and engaged.

As I read it, I found myself a little upset that two of the characters are The Marx Brothers as fairyland creatures. Yet, I did enjoy them. Truth be told, I am an author that did a takeoff of "Who's on First?" So who am I to throw stones.

This is a fun book to read with your kids and the design of the book is well-done and adds to the experience.… (altro)