Melissa's Reviews > Fairy Tale

This might be my first book from King that I'd consider fantasy over horror. I've not read all his books (that would be quite the feat), but I have read quite a bit. This one is one of his newest one, and is an epic tome of adventure.

Charlie is your average kid. Well maybe not average, he's actually a pretty decent kid who has faced some struggles. In atonement or maybe in trade, he decides to help an older grumpy neighbor when he's injured. But he gets more than he bargains for when he learns the whole backstory for this man, and what it might mean for him.

Charlie is slightly too good to be true. And I say that in a nice way, because he's a nice kid. But unfortunately, I just don't find him very realistic because of it. Sure, we hear about bad things he's done, but we don't see it so it's more telling than showing. Kinda the same with his dad, a little too accepting of things. Howard, the old man, was my favorite. He seemed the most realistic. And since this is a fantasy novel, suffice it to say there are plenty of fantastical people too, but they all have their own quirks and I felt that they were quite compelling because of it.

The first part of the book is what really grabbed me. Just the relationship building between Charlie and Howard was intriguing and enveloping enough to be the whole book in my opinion. But it wouldn't be a King novel without something else, and the second half of the book takes us on a long journey. Almost too long at times. In fact, while I liked the idea of it, the execution just took forever to get through. And there were certain things that were never explained (although they neatly tied the story together). It just left me wanting something slightly different.

Still, one of King's average is still pretty good in the realm of books. If you've liked his previous works, or want a little more morbid and disturbing foray into the fantasy genre, this book will give you what you're looking for.

Review by M. Reynard 2023