What do you think?
Rate this book
The Shoemaker: A Tale of Love, Magic & Unnatural Acts
alternate cover edition of ASIN: B00F7TGNBE
Lowly shoemaker Edward Cordwainer is desperate for a better life, and so he enters an arranged marriage with Anastasia, a wealthy merchant’s daughter with scars of her own. But when the wedding doesn’t lead to luxury and love, Edward succumbs to an erotic encounter with a mysterious woman, resulting in a magical bargain to become the most famous man in all the kingdom.
As the magic takes root, Edward becomes wealthy and well-known, not to mention the latest plaything of the Princess Ambrosia, who gets anything—and anyone—she desires.
But magic is a tricky lover. As Edward’s star rises, darkness envelops Houndstooth when the women of the town start to disappear.
As events unfold, Edward’s one simple wish threatens to destroy his world…
Blending romance, horror, and gothic suspense, The Shoemaker is a fairy tale retelling about love, honour and the darkest desires of the human soul.
For mature readers.
Lowly shoemaker Edward Cordwainer is desperate for a better life, and so he enters an arranged marriage with Anastasia, a wealthy merchant’s daughter with scars of her own. But when the wedding doesn’t lead to luxury and love, Edward succumbs to an erotic encounter with a mysterious woman, resulting in a magical bargain to become the most famous man in all the kingdom.
As the magic takes root, Edward becomes wealthy and well-known, not to mention the latest plaything of the Princess Ambrosia, who gets anything—and anyone—she desires.
But magic is a tricky lover. As Edward’s star rises, darkness envelops Houndstooth when the women of the town start to disappear.
As events unfold, Edward’s one simple wish threatens to destroy his world…
Blending romance, horror, and gothic suspense, The Shoemaker is a fairy tale retelling about love, honour and the darkest desires of the human soul.
For mature readers.
- GenresFantasyDark FantasyMagic
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2013
14 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Cottam
11 books8 followersKathryn Cottam has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Victoria and is a graduate of the Vancouver Film School Screenwriting Program. Kathryn has worked as both a story editor and a Judge for numerous screenwriting competitions. Her script, Bus Station Zombies, was a semi-finalist at the Austin Film Festival Writing Competition and her first novel, The Shoemaker: A Tale of Love, Magic & Unnatural Acts was nominated for best Fantasy Novel of 2013 with InD’Tale Magazine’s RONE Awards. Kathryn recently completed two story compilations, Three Short Tales of Red and Fabled with Roberta Cottam & K.M.Tremills.
A gothic novel enthusiast with a penchant for dark drama, Kathryn is currently writing her next novel.
A gothic novel enthusiast with a penchant for dark drama, Kathryn is currently writing her next novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 26, 2013
This is a re-telling of the “Elves and the Shoemaker” fairy tale, and this dark version is far more Grimm than Disney.
Read full review in the 2013 Dec/Jan Holiday issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2013 Dec/Jan Holiday issue of InD’tale Magazine.
July 29, 2016
This book reminds me of Pushing Daisies. It appears to be a cute little fairytale, a treat for the eyes (thanks to the fantastic illustrations), but there is more murder and mayhem than you can shake a stick at. (Just the way I like it!) It doesn't shy away from adult themes either.
Edward is a terrible heel, to say the least, and Anastasia is almost too much of a goody-goody. But they're both fascinatingly human in their own ways. The story continually shifts from his point of view to hers, and back again. This was a good balance, because either one of them completely taking the lead would have been too much.
As soon as a wish came into the picture, it was obvious things were going to go awry and it would turn into a "be careful what you wish for" scenario. (Ah, when will fairytale characters learn not to make vague wishes?) Nevertheless, how exactly this happened took quite a few unexpected twists and turns.
It was fun spending some time in this world with such strange yet familiar creatures, architecture, foods, clothing and hairstyles. The author skillfully immersed the reader into this realm without bogging things down with too many extraneous descriptions. After getting to the end, I wanted to go back and reread it just to stay a while longer!
Edward is a terrible heel, to say the least, and Anastasia is almost too much of a goody-goody. But they're both fascinatingly human in their own ways. The story continually shifts from his point of view to hers, and back again. This was a good balance, because either one of them completely taking the lead would have been too much.
As soon as a wish came into the picture, it was obvious things were going to go awry and it would turn into a "be careful what you wish for" scenario. (Ah, when will fairytale characters learn not to make vague wishes?) Nevertheless, how exactly this happened took quite a few unexpected twists and turns.
It was fun spending some time in this world with such strange yet familiar creatures, architecture, foods, clothing and hairstyles. The author skillfully immersed the reader into this realm without bogging things down with too many extraneous descriptions. After getting to the end, I wanted to go back and reread it just to stay a while longer!
September 27, 2013
The Shoemaker: A Tale of Love, Magic & Unnatural Acts weaves a powerful story about choice and consequence. Edward's tale is eerily familiar, as he faces down a classic human struggle - that he deserves more than life has offered.
For every misstep that Edward takes, Anastasia makes one that melts your heart. She is bold, generous, and wise. Luring you into empathy as surely as Edward frustrates and fascinates. Cruel or kind, you will fall in love with every character in this story.
Kathryn Cottam's writing is stunning, eloquent, and original. Every sentence draws you deeper into the world she created. And you will find yourself needing to turn every page until you have finished this amazing tale.
For every misstep that Edward takes, Anastasia makes one that melts your heart. She is bold, generous, and wise. Luring you into empathy as surely as Edward frustrates and fascinates. Cruel or kind, you will fall in love with every character in this story.
Kathryn Cottam's writing is stunning, eloquent, and original. Every sentence draws you deeper into the world she created. And you will find yourself needing to turn every page until you have finished this amazing tale.
Read
December 12, 20134/5 stars
An excellent, dark fairytale.
Read my full review at http://indtale.com
An excellent, dark fairytale.
Read my full review at http://indtale.com
March 28, 2017
This is a quirky and gripping retelling of the fairy tale, the Elves and the Shoemaker.
It begins with tragedy as the main character is badly scarred as a child. As an adult she marries, wanting to move far away to colder climbs. Her husband was kept ignorant of her scars until she arrived, and she was misled about his interest in his shoemaking business. Life goes from bad to worse, with hunger, loneliness and poverty. It seems things can’t get any worse, but then the magic arrives.
This is a dark and gothic retelling which gripped my attention and kept me fascinated. The characters would fit well into an adult Alice in Wonderland and I had no idea what would happen next. It’s an intricate, compelling and surprising story and I can’t wait to read more by Kathryn Cottam.
It begins with tragedy as the main character is badly scarred as a child. As an adult she marries, wanting to move far away to colder climbs. Her husband was kept ignorant of her scars until she arrived, and she was misled about his interest in his shoemaking business. Life goes from bad to worse, with hunger, loneliness and poverty. It seems things can’t get any worse, but then the magic arrives.
This is a dark and gothic retelling which gripped my attention and kept me fascinated. The characters would fit well into an adult Alice in Wonderland and I had no idea what would happen next. It’s an intricate, compelling and surprising story and I can’t wait to read more by Kathryn Cottam.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews