Review: A Princess of Fae by Bob Craton

Hello Readers,

I have not posted a book review in a few weeks, so without further ado, here we go :)

I just finished A Princess of Fae by Bob Craton, a fairy-tale parody about a Faerie princess on a quest, accompanied by a colorful cast of supporting characters, including a wizard, a thief, and an ogre. I enjoyed reading this book. I have not read a parody-style book in a while, and it was a refreshing change! The story was written in an unusual style, in that the characters often "interrupt" the narrator and correct him. I found this to be very funny, but was glad that the technique was not overused. The story also appealed to me because it was often random and the characters spoke/acted in a very non-fairy tale manner. I enjoyed the many pop-culture references sprinkled throughout the tale, especially the references to a certain series featuring vampires and werewolves.

Of the characters, my favorites were George and Loudt. I found the scenes where George held his own against the princess to be some of my favorites. I was not overly fond of the princess, however. The character fell a little flat at times, with her constant grumbling. The rest of the supporting cast were well developed.

In terms of plot, I found it to initially be a little slow moving, but never to the point that I lost interest. When I got to the first "ending", it felt quite anticlimactic, and I am glad that the follow-up ending was included. This was my absolute favorite part of the story!

In technical terms, the story was well-written, and I laughed often. I would say that some of the references to pop culture were too on the nose. It is okay, in my opinion to give more subtle references, and to believe that your audience is intelligent enough to pick it up. Overall, this was a fun read. I would definitely be interested in learning more about these characters, as well as reading more of this author's work!

My review: 4 stars