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A review by orrla
Glamour by Kayla Bain-Vrba
3.0
A Hearts on Fire review.
This short retelling of Rumpelstiltskin follows a cobbler’s apprentice, Pip, whose stepmother resents that his father won’t move to the castle and a life of supposed luxury until Pip has been married. To get him out of her way, she lies and makes a deal with the Aelfin king saying the Pip can turn pebbles into jewels. The king kidnaps Pip and throws him into a dungeon until Pip can produce slippers made of fine gems. In the dungeon Pip meets a glamour witch and makes a surprising reconnection with someone from his past.
This little story was a straightforward retelling of the classic fairytale. Pip was a sweet and talented boy weighed down by his stepmother’s aspirations and greed. I enjoyed the magical elements of this book and the subtle difference from the original tale. I also enjoyed the twist at the end which, while predictable, was fun and different. All in all, though, I felt the characters could have been better developed and even though this was a short story more time could have been spent on the end. I would have liked there to have been more consequences for defying the king, too, and I would have liked to know more about Pip’s mom.
Fairytale lovers and people looking for a quick read would be interested in this book, but it wouldn’t be the first book I’d recommend.
This short retelling of Rumpelstiltskin follows a cobbler’s apprentice, Pip, whose stepmother resents that his father won’t move to the castle and a life of supposed luxury until Pip has been married. To get him out of her way, she lies and makes a deal with the Aelfin king saying the Pip can turn pebbles into jewels. The king kidnaps Pip and throws him into a dungeon until Pip can produce slippers made of fine gems. In the dungeon Pip meets a glamour witch and makes a surprising reconnection with someone from his past.
This little story was a straightforward retelling of the classic fairytale. Pip was a sweet and talented boy weighed down by his stepmother’s aspirations and greed. I enjoyed the magical elements of this book and the subtle difference from the original tale. I also enjoyed the twist at the end which, while predictable, was fun and different. All in all, though, I felt the characters could have been better developed and even though this was a short story more time could have been spent on the end. I would have liked there to have been more consequences for defying the king, too, and I would have liked to know more about Pip’s mom.
Fairytale lovers and people looking for a quick read would be interested in this book, but it wouldn’t be the first book I’d recommend.