leah_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Laura Lam's Vestigial Tales are novellas that I've been meaning to read for the longest time. I'm a huge fan of Laura's novels so I was really looking forward to immersing myself further in her world. The Snake Charm is the first novella and it gives you more of an insight into Drystan, the White Clown and his life prior to Micah's joining of R.H. Ragona's Circus of Magic. This was a quick and easy read but oh so captivating at the same time. I was instantly transported back into Lam's world and incredibly reluctant to leave.
This novella provides so much more depth and insight into Drystan's character. The Snake Charm holds some horrendous memories and I didn't see events like this coming. It explained a lot about his character. It's infuriating not being able to go into much detail about this novella because I don't want to spoil it for you guys! This story most certainly packs a punch and I'm really looking forward to reading more of The Vestigial Tales!
This novella provides so much more depth and insight into Drystan's character. The Snake Charm holds some horrendous memories and I didn't see events like this coming. It explained a lot about his character. It's infuriating not being able to go into much detail about this novella because I don't want to spoil it for you guys! This story most certainly packs a punch and I'm really looking forward to reading more of The Vestigial Tales!
writingwwolves's review against another edition
4.0
I love it when authors write short stories or novellas to accompany their books but I always wish they were longer!! I was really getting into this story, & I was being reminded of how much I fancy Drystan, & then it finished so now I'm sad.
This was a fab little story though & really reinforced how I already felt about the characters! Sometimes I really wish I could escape to the world of this series because I love it so, so much.
This was a fab little story though & really reinforced how I already felt about the characters! Sometimes I really wish I could escape to the world of this series because I love it so, so much.
oftheabyss's review
4.0
6.5/10.
The pros: I really enjoyed this story. Drystan is one of the characters who has the most interesting backstory from the trilogy, so it was great to get a story about something that happened to him previously. It added more information about the vestige artefacts and about the magic and the world in general, behind the main story.
The cons: The only criticism I'll really have about any of these stories is that they're just too short to be fully invested in, but that's just my preference!
The conclusion: All of these little ebooks are a pleasant companion to read when you finish the Micah Grey trilogy!
The pros: I really enjoyed this story. Drystan is one of the characters who has the most interesting backstory from the trilogy, so it was great to get a story about something that happened to him previously. It added more information about the vestige artefacts and about the magic and the world in general, behind the main story.
The cons: The only criticism I'll really have about any of these stories is that they're just too short to be fully invested in, but that's just my preference!
The conclusion: All of these little ebooks are a pleasant companion to read when you finish the Micah Grey trilogy!
thiefofcamorr's review
5.0
At 42 pages, this is a short story that takes place in the circus (R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic) that we see in the first book of the series, but set before Micah joins. This revolves around Drystan (a fan favourite to be sure) and the awful and unethical ringmaster Bil, but also introduces the reader to a couple of characters that are long gone before Micah's path meets that of the circus.
Reading about circuses is always infectious and this does an excellent job of spellbinding the reader - it must be hard to pull off the energy, magic and excitement of it all, but Lam certainly manages it. This is an excellent start to this mini-series, yet somehow it only gets better from here. Fans are lucky they can go straight from this to the first book in the series, Pantomime.
Reading about circuses is always infectious and this does an excellent job of spellbinding the reader - it must be hard to pull off the energy, magic and excitement of it all, but Lam certainly manages it. This is an excellent start to this mini-series, yet somehow it only gets better from here. Fans are lucky they can go straight from this to the first book in the series, Pantomime.
nancyotoole's review
4.0
The Snake Charm is the first in a series of short stories/novellas that tie into Laura Lam's Pantomime series. This story focuses on the character of Drystan before we meet him in Pantomime. One thing I really enjoyed about The Snake Charm was getting back into the circus setting. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the magic show aspect of Shadowplay just as much, but I still missed the circus. It was also nice to get to see Drystan pre-Micah, and to get into his head for a little while. Having already ready the Pantomime books gives you a pretty good idea about how certain things will turn out (in the beginning of The Snake Charm, Drystan is approached by a clown named Linden who wants him to get involved in a mutiny against the Ringmaster Bil), but I still found the story to be quite enjoyable. Perhaps being predictable is an acceptable flaw of prequels.
If you're a fan of the Pantomime series, picking up The Snake Charm is certainly worth your time in money. I look forward to future "Vestigial Tales" in the Pantomime universe.
If you're a fan of the Pantomime series, picking up The Snake Charm is certainly worth your time in money. I look forward to future "Vestigial Tales" in the Pantomime universe.
leah_reads's review
4.0
Laura Lam's Vestigial Tales are novellas that I've been meaning to read for the longest time. I'm a huge fan of Laura's novels so I was really looking forward to immersing myself further in her world. The Snake Charm is the first novella and it gives you more of an insight into Drystan, the White Clown and his life prior to Micah's joining of R.H. Ragona's Circus of Magic. This was a quick and easy read but oh so captivating at the same time. I was instantly transported back into Lam's world and incredibly reluctant to leave.
This novella provides so much more depth and insight into Drystan's character. The Snake Charm holds some horrendous memories and I didn't see events like this coming. It explained a lot about his character. It's infuriating not being able to go into much detail about this novella because I don't want to spoil it for you guys! This story most certainly packs a punch and I'm really looking forward to reading more of The Vestigial Tales!
This novella provides so much more depth and insight into Drystan's character. The Snake Charm holds some horrendous memories and I didn't see events like this coming. It explained a lot about his character. It's infuriating not being able to go into much detail about this novella because I don't want to spoil it for you guys! This story most certainly packs a punch and I'm really looking forward to reading more of The Vestigial Tales!
emybookworm's review
4.0
It was great getting a glimpse back into the beautiful setting. It was also nice seeing Drystan again. I liked the little hints of the old cast. I missed the circus so it was lovely to hear about again. Lam has a knack at writing that is just addicting and consumes you. Also the beach with Frit. Almost heartbreaking.
reluming's review
4.0
(Find the original review and more at Jellyfish Reads.)
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
The Snake Charm is a little prequel story to Pantomime. It stands well on its own, so you can read it even without reading Pantomime first, but you'd probably be able to enjoy it a lot more if you have read both Pantomime and Shadowplay.
I liked this a lot! You all know how much I loved Pantomime and Shadowplay, and the universe of these books. This was an interesting look at a powerful and potentially terrifying Vestige artefact (I think it's pretty cool that these tales are all going to be centred around different Vestige artefacts, because they're fascinating and I can't wait to learn about other artefacts!), and I liked getting to know Drystan a bit more. What he was like at the circus, before Micah came along; the touch of loneliness in him. The way he quietly observes, and always keeps his true self hidden. It makes me all the happier that I got to see him the way he was in Shadowplay, so much more open, all the trust he showed in Micah in that book (and the trust that Micah showed in him!).
I also liked the glimpses of Frit that we got in The Snake Charm. If you know her story from Pantomime, you'll know that it is a very sad one, and that's the case here too, somehow sadder for the hint of hope that still lingers in her.
I only wish this story had been longer! I really want to spend more time with Drystan. I just am not very used to reading short stories most of the time and I feel like with a short story of this length, by the time I'm really getting into it, it's already over. I like to have more stuff to sink my teeth into. The Vestigial Tales are going to be of varying lengths though, and some will be longer, so I'm really looking forward to the rest of them!
patchworkbunny's review
4.0
We get to return to the circus in the first of Laura Lam's short stories set in the same world as Pantomime. This one follows Drystan the white clown, in the days before he met Micah. It doesn't contain any spoilers for the novels but I still think you'll get the most out of it after reading Pantomime.
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