Book Review: Fairy Tale

FAIRY TALE | Stephen King
09.06.2022 | Scribner
Rating: 3/5 stars

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, but he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Charlie meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder. Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. 

It’s no secret that I’m not much of a fantasy reader and in particular I struggle with King’s fantasy releases. Fairy Tale has been getting all kinds of mixed reviews in the bookstagram community, so I went in apprehensively. While I’m not in the “hate it” camp, I also don’t find myself in the “love it” camp either. Since I’m middle of the road on this one, I thought I would take a different approach and give you all my pros and cons versus a wordy review.

Pros:
✨Radar – She’s absolute perfection!
✨The first half – I was so committed to the launch of this book & then it lost my attention at the halfway mark.
✨The ending – Call me a sucker for a happy ending!
✨The readability factor – Such an easy book to pick up and put down.

Cons:
✨The second half – I just didn’t feel connected or passionate about the direction.
✨The cast of characters – Way too many! I can only list off a handful that I maybe remember names of.
✨The lack of details – So many questions!

Verdict: Give it a try! Find out where you land with this one. If you get stuck, switch mediums. I added in parts of the audio when I was feeling slumpy and it helped a lot.