The Brothers Grimm didn’t water down their fairy tales when they wrote them; modern society has done that. In their original form, they are full of violence, blood, and gore. Times were different when the Brothers Grimm wrote their fairy tales, and yes, they were intended to be read to children. But Once Upon a Fairy Tale is definitely not meant for children.
The land of Fairy Tale is where the big bad wolf and the three not-so-little pigs live. It is here where the crocodile that ate Captain Hook’s watch roams.
In the town of Dead Wood, Maggie is fed up with fairy tales. They told her that one day she’d hook up with Prince Charming. That didn’t happen. Instead, in her own words, she ended up stuck with a selfish prick who took his own life. Pissed, she burns all of her old fairy tale books, not realizing that this will bring the inhabitants of Fairy Tale into Dead Wood. When a giant pig charges her and tries to kill her, she realizes that something about home has changed.
Now the town she lives in is full of fairy tale creatures—the Chesire Cat, Humpty Dumpty, the Gingerbread Man, Snow White—that are nothing like the ones she read about as a child. And all of them except one—Red Riding Hood, known as Red—are out to kill her.
jester statue, flickr
The KING OF LIES took over Fairy Tale when Maggie burned those books. Now Maggie is the only one who can bring the gift of belief back to children, so she is basically walking around with a target on her. THE KING OF LIES, who is dressed as a jester, has said she must not be allowed to give birth to the child she is carrying; she must die.
Bloody, violent, at times disgusting, this is a fairy tale like you’ve never read before. But amidst all the cutting, slicing, and chopping off of body (or animal) parts, there is humor.
The author made this book a lot of fun to read by using a lot of sound words—slash, clink, clunk, crack, clatter, ding, fizzle, jingle, rumble, thud, vroom-vroom-vroom, yak, etc. His descriptions of what is going on are very detailed. If you get sick to your stomach easily, you might want to skip this one. But if you are a fan of fairy tales, horror, and humor, you will love this book.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to purchase a copy of your own, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Once Upon a Fairy Tale
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dark imagination, pixabay
Favorite Sentences:
He seemed to have sobered up in an instant, gunslinger intent seeping into his expression from somewhere within.
The books went up in a quick roar of flames, the fire twisting in all directions, twirling red and yellow spiked fingers.
The croc stopped inches from David, the hot air from its stout blowing his eyelashes, the smell seeping in through his nostrils, finding rest in the back of his throat, an unusual taste.
marotte, wikimedia commons
The wolf’s chest was still rising and falling, but it looked to be out of huff and puff.
His clothes went up in flames; his skin went both crispy and gooey at the same time.
New Words Learned:
Cheroot – a cigar having open, untapered ends
marotte– a prop stick or sceptre with a carved head on it. Jesters usually used a marotte. The word is borrowed from the French, where it signifies either a fool’s (literal) “bauble”, or a fad/craze.
About the Author:
Welcome to the maddening world of author Peter Hallett where there is an epic extravaganza of extreme excitement around every corner.
Peter Hallett
Peter Hallett originates from Haydock, England. He has also written scripts for independent movies and worked for a leading genre publication.
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