Reviews with content warning for Death - Fairy Tale

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Fairy Tale by Stephen King

133 reviews

caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I don't even know how to begin reviewing this book. It's all over the place. But I will try.

Audiobook narration - FIVE STARS. Seth Numrich definitely earned that Audie Narrator Award. And the surprise of having Stephen King play the grumpy Mr. Bowditch was chef's kiss.

The first 1/3 of the book was a solid four stars. I LOVED the writing, the characters, and the story. And then that big event happened that completely changed this book. This 2/3 of the book is where the actual "fairy tale" happens. For the next 1/3 of the book, we had the mc, 17yo Charlie (narrating as his adult self) doing a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. I was bored. I only made it through this section of the book on the back of the outstanding audiobook narrator. Then Charlie arrived at "the city" and the plot finally started to move along. At the end, all I can say about last 2/3 of the story is that it was ok.

But I can't end this review w/o discussing some issues. First, there was a LOT of lazy writing in this book. Charlie was constantly telling us how the beings/situations/locations in his journey reminded him of xyz fairy tale. If he mentioned Rumpelstiltskin one more time . . . Heck, King even name dropped one of his books! This book also felt like it borrowed (and not well) from Tolkien, The Hunger Games, and other stories. Second, can we talk about the sexist language in this book? The constant use of the words b*tch and c*nt to describe women that were unlikeable. But, OF COURSE, the princess was beautiful . . . and blonde. Which leads me to King/Charlie's love of racist H.P. Lovecraft and the trope in which the saviors/royals and blonde and blue-eyed. Just no.

This book could have been a three, but the lazy writing and overt sexist language and depiction of the women in the story left a sour taste in my mouth.

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mr255405's review

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adventurous dark funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Wonderful fairy tale with very clear connections to The Dark Tower.

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laviederhi's review

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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midwifereading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

It took me awhile to figure out how I felt about this book. I started it on audio, and finished the last 25% via hardback at 2:00 am.

King really is a good storyteller in so many ways, and this book is no exception. It starts slowly, establishing the protagonist, his motivations, and his character really well. I loved the first third of the book the most, actually. Getting to know Charlie, his dad, Mr. Bowditch, and Radar (the best doggo) was wonderful! I liked each of them so much, for different reasons.

Speaking of his dad, I loved him! It's always refreshing to meet a healthy father figure in storytelling. His dad battles alcoholism, enters recovery, stays sober, and is so very present for Charlie. 10/10 dad. Not because he's without fault, but because he does the work of healing without making Charlie his support.

I also enjoyed the hints at something more, something magical lurking in the background somewhere. The world-building is interesting and a bit weird, which is great for an "otherworld" setting. Everything is just familiar enough, but off in all the right ways.

Did I mention the incredible illustrations at the beginning of each chapter? They remind me of illustrations in classic horror novels like Dracula or War of the Worlds! All books should have those whenever possible.

I did have a few issues though, which is why my star rating isn't higher.

1) Swearing. Of course, I expect it. It is Stephen King, soooo... However, when did we start limiting it almost exclusively to the f-bomb? I wouldn't call it gratuitous, but dude. No one talks like that. It distracts from the story at times. Drives me crazy.

2) Charlie is supposed to be 17 years old, in present day. He's Gen Z. But he feels Gen X. His references are those from a kid who grew up in the 80's or early 90's. The TCM movie references make sense, because of his relationship with his dad, though. Either Charlie is an old soul (he's not), or King hasn't hung out with Gen Z-ers enough. Still, he's well written as a whole.

3) The payoff doesn't quite match the setup... There's a massive evil creature to defeat at the end, and his defeat is somewhat anticlimactic for me. Some great imagery, for sure, but it feels too fast.

4) The weird language thing. At first, Charlie discovers he can't say certain words in the Other world, and figures out that he's speaking their native language, not English. Cool thought, methinks. But near the end, he CAN say English words that don't have a native translation, and they just don't understand him. So, it felt inconsistent. I wish an editor had caught that and had King polish it up.

Overall, it was a fun read, complete with a Chosen One and a happy ending. A good October read.

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