Evertrue: An Underworld Fairytale

by Jill London

To save Grandma Crick from being fed to the ravenous Monger turtles, Mila must journey into the underworld to steal the Evertrue Emerald from the demon, Malrook. Joined by a motley bunch of experts through the deadly, dragon-infested caves, they meet Captain Tuna the accordion-playing walrus, a karate-kicking fairy, and a colony of strange and grumpy troglonomes. As time runs out, Mila discovers that friendship and ingenuity can unearth the greatest strength of all and win her heart’s desire.

Evertrue is a fairy-tale for readers young and old, and will appeal to fans of Philip Pullman and J. K. Rowling’s The Ickabog.

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2013

About the author

Fueled by coffee and Netflix, I spend my free time writing about fictional worlds, places where my readers can experience adventures, love, and loss with strong and fascinating characters.

Favourite authors: Frances Hardinge, Neil Gaiman, Marcus Sedgwick
Favourite food: Anything with a five chilli rating.
Guilty pleasure: Lounging in front of the TV in my silky green tiger print pajamas.
Greatest regret: Not growing up in an abandoned Italian villa.
Find out more at http://jill-london.com

Reviews

[LeAnn L Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review for the Audiobook)
What a delightful fairytale Evertrue is. You will meet the greedy King Josef who at any cost seeks to find the ‘Evertrue Emerald.’ He threatens to feed Grandma Crick to the gluttonous Monger turtles if Mila and a crew of adventurers don’t fulfill his wishes to uncover the elusive gem. So, off they go, forced by the King to travel through several dangerous caves or their jobs and homes will be taken away.
Skillfully written and full of humor, the narrator brings each character alive with their unique personalities.
Classified as a children story, adults and children alike will enjoy this tale of wonderful allegories throughout.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventure and desire go hand in hand when greed is at the forefront of an avaricious king’s desires. King Josef has everything he could ever want or need, but this naturally means he must get his hands on the elusive Evertrue Emerald in order to be truly satisfied. To this end, a ragtag team of adventurers is summoned to retrieve the Emerald in order to keep both their jobs and their homes. Led by a brave girl named Mila, the four traverse a network of caves filled with unknown challenges in order to fulfil their king’s wishes.

Gripping from the first moments, the writing in this book is immediately accessible and entertaining, keeping readers turning pages to discover what happens next. Overall, the story takes about an hour to read, but it is filled with intrigue and contains a complete and satisfying plot. Though brief, this book carries all the hallmarks of a traditional fantasy adventure: kings, dragons, knights, unexpected creatures, and brave heroes all find their way into the mix.

Throughout the story, the writing incorporates both humor and recognizable plot points, giving readers a comfortable and familiar setting for this bite-sized tale. Each character has a dynamic and unique personality which lead them to pursue their overall goal. The plot itself is well laid out, including all the elements of a traditional narrative, but there is great potential for expansion of the overall story. Intentionally distilled into its component parts, this story gives readers the satisfaction of an epic fantasy adventure without the commitment required of a longer novel.

It is rare to come upon a fantasy story that can be told in the succinct fashion of this book, and Evertrue manages to succeed in this regard. Myriad characters are introduced to advance the plot, but the overarching goal remains clear from beginning to end. Strong morals and behaviors are found throughout the narrative, encapsulating the recognizable feel of a fantasy epic within a concise context. Advanced middle grade as well as older readers who are looking for a taste of fantasy in a smaller package will appreciate the forward motion and brief design of this book.

I received a copy of this book from the author and I chose to leave this review.

[Matthew Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Jill London's "Evertrue: An Underworld Fairytale" very much. It reminded me of "Shrek" ... not because of the storyline, but because of the flavor. The story is a fairytale, but it's also a parody of fairytales. And when I use the word "parody," I don't just mean that it's vaguely humorous. It's truly funny. There are a lot of belly laughs in this book. I recommend it to anyone who likes humorous fantasy novels (like the "Xanth" series by Piers Anthony, for example) as well as fans of British comedy. (Side note: Grubber, a minor character in the book, talks a little bit like Mr. Mash from "Are You Being Served?") It was a thoroughly entertaining book and I plan to read it again.

Here's a link to it:

http://www.amazon.com/Evertrue-An-Und...