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A review by jae_28
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
First off, the narrator for the book was excellent! 100/10 He really made this experience more immersive for me. There were times he got me shuddering and cringing just by changing the tone of his voice. Seth is a voice actor through and through. I expected this book to be gory and horrific but I still wasn’t ready.
The details, imagery, and language were amazing; it was so vivid, I was watching a film in my head. I adored Charlie as a character. Usually, main characters make the most senseless decisions so the plot can unfold but this was the exact opposite. The fact that he was normal and chill made him so much more real to me. He remained loyal and respectful when it mattered and the way he cared for people was natural and easy. He was genuinely a good kid. Even when he started saying he wasn’t and despite some messed up stuff he did in the past. The plot was woven in so expertly, that the things he did didn’t come off as unrealistic or forced. His character was dimensional and I liked being in his head.
About halfway through, the pacing took me out of the story, unfortunately. The first half was beautiful. I loved how the relationship between Charlie, Mr. Bowditch, and Radar grew. After that, the story felt like it was dragging for a little while. A good chunk of it could’ve been cut. I didn’t quite understand why Mr. Bowditch waited until AFTER to tell Charlie about the Well. That’s the only thing that felt a bit disconnected to me. I can assume it was to save the dog but why wait so long when he could’ve just explained everything in person…. I also wasn’t a fan of all the references to the fairy tales. As in, I wish some of it was more subtly woven in there instead of Charlie always explaining every single reference.
Overall, this was a good introduction to S.K. for me. I expected a retelling, but I didn’t expect to see so many of them knitted together and I enjoyed it. This felt like the original tales with the gore, tragedy, and monstrous things. Plus added elements that elevated the story and stayed true to what the author is known for.
The details, imagery, and language were amazing; it was so vivid, I was watching a film in my head. I adored Charlie as a character. Usually, main characters make the most senseless decisions so the plot can unfold but this was the exact opposite. The fact that he was normal and chill made him so much more real to me. He remained loyal and respectful when it mattered and the way he cared for people was natural and easy. He was genuinely a good kid. Even when he started saying he wasn’t and despite some messed up stuff he did in the past. The plot was woven in so expertly, that the things he did didn’t come off as unrealistic or forced. His character was dimensional and I liked being in his head.
About halfway through, the pacing took me out of the story, unfortunately. The first half was beautiful. I loved how the relationship between Charlie, Mr. Bowditch, and Radar grew. After that, the story felt like it was dragging for a little while. A good chunk of it could’ve been cut. I didn’t quite understand why Mr. Bowditch waited until AFTER to tell Charlie about the Well. That’s the only thing that felt a bit disconnected to me. I can assume it was to save the dog but why wait so long when he could’ve just explained everything in person…. I also wasn’t a fan of all the references to the fairy tales. As in, I wish some of it was more subtly woven in there instead of Charlie always explaining every single reference.
Overall, this was a good introduction to S.K. for me. I expected a retelling, but I didn’t expect to see so many of them knitted together and I enjoyed it. This felt like the original tales with the gore, tragedy, and monstrous things. Plus added elements that elevated the story and stayed true to what the author is known for.