Slippers of Pearl

Tales of a Cobbler Mage #1

by Danyelle Leafty

Faryn has spent his life running away from magic, but what he never understood is that you don’t choose magic—magic chooses you. Faryn would rather make shoes. Shoes are predictable. They don’t change shape or try to bite him. But when he awakens a feathered serpent inscribed on a golden disc, nearly losing some fingers in the process, he doesn’t get a choice. After his uncle—who has a bad habit of dying—is fatally poisoned, Faryn’s family packs him off to the King’s Seat to learn magic and find his place as his uncle’s heir. What he discovers instead is a knack for making magical shoes, that turning a girl into a goose is a bad way to make friends—and dying her bright blue only aggravates matters, sinister apples that enchant all the maidens at court, and a royal edict to undo the apples’ magic if he wants to keep his head. As magic propels him onward, Faryn finds himself locked in a dungeon fashioning shoes out of the shadows so he can escape. It is then that Faryn realizes that people severely underestimate the power of shoes, and he must exploit that weakness if he’s to save the kingdom.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Middle Grade

445 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2012

Reviews

[Shannon Cooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy who just wants to make shoes has to learn magic instead, because a magical amulet once named him his uncle's heir, and his uncle is dead (and actually seems to be staying that way this time). But when his shoe-making and magic mix, the crazy adventure that follows just might save the kingdom. If the king doesn't have his head first.

A very fun middle-grade novel. There were some fun classic fairy-tale elements in this, and the sheer ridiculousness of the situations made me laugh several times. The writing was good also--several times I stopped to re-read an excellent line to my husband.

Two things knocked off the fifth star for me.

1) There were a few times where things jumped really suddenly and I had a hard time tracking the transition.

2) There were quite a few copy-editing errors--not enough to make me too annoyed to enjoy the story, but enough that my inner editor kept poking at me. (Things like the word "cottar" being also spelled "cotter" several times, a few missing words, "affect" instead of "effect," that sort of thing.)

[Diana Ault · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun fantasy reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones, Vivian Vande Velde, and Alex Flinn. Danyelle Leafty is a connoisseur of fairy tales and it shows. Elements of so many tales are brought into play and given special twists, threading in and out, in and out with the main storyline. Aside from instances of typos and a few inconsistencies, this is a highly enjoyable, imaginative, and clever read. I'm very curious as to the next adventure!

[Emily Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Slippers of Pearl daily on my Kindle tucked into my elliptical while I sweated it out. It was full of magic, humor, mystery, and a little bit of love. It was fast paced and there was always something happening to keep the story moving. I think it is a cute more modern day fairy tale and everyone should read it if you enjoy fantasy and magic.

[Christine Fonseca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a chance to read an early version of this - and I loved it. Leafty has such a fabulous ability of transforming well known fairy tales into something new and wonderful. And this latest is no exception!

[D.J. Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faryn Moore's life is soaked in magic to the nth degree. His family house is so thick with the stuff it has its own personality and emotions, and the tea service around the kitchen has a life its own. Faryn, though, doesn't want the magic. Of all his aunts and uncles, most of them wizards, the one he wants to get apprenticed to is the ordinary cobbler, Brogain. His bad luck then, that when his uncle Harvey the wizard suffer his latest and final death by apple turnover, Faryn as his heir has to go off to the capital and become apprenticed to take his uncle's place.

At the capital he gets treated more like a janitor than a wizard, befriends a fellow apprentice with a special talent for being cursed, meets a goose girl with one mischievous goose and a dream of reading books, and finds that guild rules mean he can't even make shoes as a hobby… unless he does it as a wizard. His poor mastery results in a pair of shoes that turn the goose girl into an actual goose, but things go downhill from there… when the sorceress who turnovered his uncle to death makes a play for the kingdom, Faryn and his wild shoe magic turn out to be the only thing standing in her way.

[Jessica (Books: A true story) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slippers of Pearl is an interesting twist and original take on the fairy-tale The Princess Who Couldn’t Laugh. I thought the story was very imaginative and the writing was cute and witty (though there were more comparisons in this book than I think it really needed). I liked that the house the main character, Faryn, lived in was alive in a adorable and charming way. The story felt kind of like The Hobbit because Faryn goes on different adventures involving magic shoes, runaway pigs, and trying getting a girl to laugh to lift a curse. My only complaint about this book was that unlike Bilob who is on all these adventures to get somewhere, there was no overall story line connecting all the side quests in Slippers of Pearl. Still, the author put a lot of detail in the story that made it very rich and entertaining to me.

Overall, it’s a good coming of age story with a lot of funny moments and a good message. It was pretty entertaining for me as an adult, but I think kids would really dig this story.

This book is also reviewed on my blog Books: A true story

[Grey Liliy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute.

That one words seems to sum up my entire thoughts on the book, and for the better. It's a fun romp to save the girl (or this case, goose) and the kingdom. One thing leads to another as they escalate from a gift gone wrong, to fighting a full on magic battle. One little adventure after another, a good deal of which drawing elements from classic fairy tales such as the Golden Goose, and the enchanted apples of Snow White. It's a nice blend, and a fun story that had me grinning.

I also appreciated the book's take on magic & how individual it is to each person. Faryn's specific skill involved with making shoes was unique, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

And it's cute. <3

Faryn is adorable in that he just can't catch a break.

Terrik's cute whenever he's foiling Faryn's pessimism with witty optimism.

Lily's just cute. :D

The book has a fun cast of characters who play off each other well after each little mini adventure. If you're in the mood for a series of short little mishaps that lead up to a big conclusion, than read on!

I enjoyed it, and I hope to see more of our little Cordwainer, Faryn. :3

[Morgun Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faryn is a teenage boy surrounded by the unwieldy magic that manifests itself in often annoying ways at home. Ready for something better, he determines to become a shoemaker. Unfortunately his uncle Harvey, a magician of some renown, has managed to die. Again. But this time it seems that his uncle will not be coming back. And guess who is his uncle's heir and must go to the castle at once to learn magic and save the kingdom?

A whimsical ride through a world where magic permeates everything whether anyone realizes it or not. Slippers of Pearl by Danyelle Leafty is an enjoyable read that entertained me with smile after smile after smile. As I read this magical tale, I knew that if I were to share it as a bedtime story, my children would stay up longer just to hear more and more.

I highly recommend Slippers of Pearl.

~Morgun

[Emily M Genther · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun and imaginative read. I really like the world Leafty creates where magic seeps into the very fabric of the universe.

The characters are vibrate and fun to watch interact, as they don't always get along. Faryn is near hopeless as his, clearly powerful, magic has a mind of its own and keeps leading him further into trouble. His room mate only makes things worse with his penchant for collecting curses(as in curses that are cast on him). With the whole kingdom falling under a spell and Faryn suspected as being the center of it, he's certainly got his challenges ahead of him.

If you're looking for something you child can read:

I don't remember there being any language
There's no sexual content
There's very little violence, mostly just people throwing magic at each other.

It's a great read for adults who love fantasy too.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slippers of Pearl is a fun middle grade fantasy that follows the misadventures of Faryn, a teenage boy of humble means who is sent away from home to apprentice in wizardry and take his uncle's place in court after the old man's (seemingly) final passing. Faryn, however, wants nothing to do with magic and would rather learn the cobbler's trade. As the story unfolds, Faryn's desire to make shoes and his reluctant affinity for magic that runs in his blood become wonderfully (if not always desirably) entwined. This shapes his emerging powers as well as his identity, and it was my favorite aspect of the story. The characters are wonderfully likeable, the magic is creative, and just when you think nothing else could go wrong, Faryn and his friends find themselves in even more trouble thanks to magic. Great story!

[Katharina Gerlach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting romp through a very twisty story. It contained lots of elements of fairy tales, and mixed and merged them in a very exciting new way. A fun read, and very well written.

What I enjoyed the most was that a major obstacle for the main character was not the villain but his own refusal to learn magic. He's such a nice guy but he gets himself into trouble so many times just because he's not doing magic right. I loved, love, loved the fact that he was his won antagonist for a good part of the book.

[Sarah Beggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slippers of Pearl is a delightful story which has a little bit of fun for every age of reader, and I found myself happily turning pages to learn of the goose-girl’s fate. Faryn can make shoes and work magic. Although Faryn does not want to be subjected to magic, he needs it in his life in order to survive his journey filled with wizards, gnomes and pigs, black magic at times, and beautiful blue creatures. I’m hoping for another book to follow sharing more of his adventures with the goose girl!

[Ivy Zheng]

Slippers of Pearl! It have a very interesting title and the cover of the book is fantastic. I really like how authors put up a very interesting title and a fantstic cover. Loved it!!!!!!!!

It sound very exciting to read and hope I could read it if I could win one copy of this book.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this magic adventure, and found it reminiscent of the Septimus Heap series (of which I am a huge fan). I loved the characters and the main character's struggle to figure out his path & how to access the talents & magic that are his inheritance.

[Tiana]

Very cute and full of twists and turns. There was always something happening and the pace was a fun, fast romp through their world. I loved the humor and the voice.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, magical, and whimsical read. The series has potential, I just hope the author ties all the different facets together the whole series long.