Five Fall Favorites – Fantasy

It’s day 2 – fantasy time!

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So, in this book, we have:

MALCOLM. Malcolm Blackfire is a dragon who can shape-shift into a human and he’s also an archaeologist. He’s sarcastic, gruff, has a heart of gold (Pun intended? Pun not intended?) and I’m pretty sure he’s also got a protective mode built into him by instinct because no matter how many times he gets annoyed with humans, he still cares about them in his own, Malcolm-y way. He just won’t admit it. Not out loud, at least.

Melody Nightingale. Aside from how pretty that name is, she’s a former jewel thief with a mysterious past who works as Malcolm’s assistant. BUT THAT QUIP BY HADES. LIKE, WHAT? AND THE CLIFFHANGER. I NEED MORE INFORMATION!!!

James. James is a precious cinnamon roll who helps Malcolm and Melody out, but given he might end up being who I think he’ll end up being, I’ll just leave it at that for now.

The Afterverse version of Hades. Yes, that Hades. Greek god of the dead, husband to Persephone, has a three-headed dog named Cerberus? He’s just…so done with Malcolm’s shenanigans. 😆

The Afterverse version of Anubis. Yes, that Anubis. Egyptian god of the dead. He’s definitely not sweet and cuddly like Hades. But he has a library, so he’s not too bad.

(I do believe I should take an interlude here to explain that they’re not actually gods in here, they’re just really powerful beings who live a long time and can die. Basically, like the Asgardians in the Marvel Cinematic Universe)

The Afterverse version of Victor Frankenstein. A bit kooky in the head.

The Afterverse version of Dr. Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde. I’m not saying anything more than that.

Humor. The humor is a dry, sarcastic, witty kind of humor, and it suits Malcolm perfectly.

Fantasy. To be more specific, this is in a parallel world called the Afterverse, where mythical, legendary, classical, and fairytale characters are real, and their stories are the history of that world. Plus, they’re totally flipped on their heads and twisted up into each other so they’re really NOT like the stories we know.

Noooo, the Afterverse is different. The Afterverse works like the Afterverse. It gives you feels. It throws plot twists that were so cleverly hidden, you don’t even notice them until you re-read the story. It leaves you with cliffhangers that frustrate you but in a good way – they leave you with WANTING more.

They also leave you with screeching KYLE at the top of your inward lungs.

Anyway…I really enjoyed this book. The message about everyone having worth really does hit home when you think about the way humans treat other humans with disregard because of X, Y, or Z.

Now, I would divulge more, but I think I’ve said plenty already. If I say anything more, I might spoil it. Can’t have that happen or else the rabbit will come after me. 😬

So, for now, I shall keep my lips 🤐 .

Content: No swearing, no sex, two kisses that aren’t detailed, and some violence, but nothing too graphic.

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Ok, so since I read Kyle Robert Shultz’s version of the Jabberwocky first, I did think of his version a few times while reading this.

That being said, I enjoyed this! And the romantic in me is glad that my ships sailed, haha.

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*happy sigh*

2022 retrospect: yes, friends, that was my review. xD

I’m gonna have to read this again.

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This was quite charming, and Podgin and Bramble had to be the funniest characters. Bramble reminded me of both Gollum and Radagast from The Hobbit.

I guessed the twist about halfway through the book, then I was like, “Oh wait, maybe it’s not that…”
But it was.

Martin was definitely a stubbornhead – both he and Elodie – but the way they kept looking for each other even when all seemed hopeless…

And the banter between Illo and Podgin, haha!

I’ll have to read this again. 🙂

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*squee* This is such a sweet story! I kind of got a Disney-vibe while reading it-like, a 90s Disney movie that was meshed with the fairytale-ness of the older Disney princess movies and topped off with the aesthetic from the 2015 Cinderella.

It’s so good, guys. It’s such a good story about appearances. The romance was sweet, and now I want a side-story about Paul…

Also, the villain weirdly reminded me of Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective??? That scene when they meet her was so comical though, like…I could totally see the interactions in my head!

If this were a movie, you can bet I’d wear the disc out by watching it over and over again. xD

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Yes, I did Goblin & Dancer twice. It’s just that good, okay??