The Tinder Box

by M.R. Carey

Prepare to be entranced by this utterly unique and completely spellbinding dark fairy tale from the million-copy bestselling M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts.

In a kingdom forgotten by history, a legend unfolds ...

Wounded in his county's endless wars, former soldier Mag Tresti finds work in the home of a reclusive widow, Jannae Mirchella. But Jannae is more than she seems. A witch of great skill and might, she hides her powers and her deep-laid plans behind a mask of harmless respectability. 

When a dead demon falls out of the sky, the fates of the soldier and the witch are irrevocably intertwined. On the demon's body Mag finds a tinderbox—an artefact of terrifying magical power that can not only grant his every wish, but also change the fate of nations. 

This is a tale of spellcraft and devilry, of witchcraft and trickery—of the wickedness that resides within a few, the goodness that lies deep within us all, and the choices on which our lives turn.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, Historical, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 23, 2026

About the author

Mike Carey is the acclaimed writer of Lucifer and Hellblazer (now filmed as Constantine). He has recently completed a comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and is the current writer on Marvel's X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four. He has also written the screenplay for a movie, Frost Flowers, which is soon to be produced by Hadaly Films and Bluestar Pictures.

Also writes as Mike Carey

Reviews

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book f$cked me up.

Thank you to the author, Orbit Books and NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read some dark books but this book really messed me up. It just hit differently. It is definitely metaphorical which you will understand once reading the book.It touches on war, religion, good vs evil and other very sensitive topics. The last 20% of the book, I did not expect. Major character development. Multiple POVs. The blurb does not set up the reader for what they are about to encounter. It is very misleading.

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story we follow different povs, in particular one of a witch and one of an ex-soldier. When Mag comes back home from war, he finds shelter at Jannae’s house a window who’s hiding the fact she’s a witch. One day a body falls from the sky and Mag retrieves a tinder box from it. The tinder box however is not as innocuous as it looks and soon Mag and Jannae find themselves one opposite sides from one another.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the overall concept. I didn’t really like the switches between povs, but I still appreciated the insight in the characters’ backstory. The ending was good and I enjoyed the demons. My biggest issue with this was the pacing as it was extremely slow in my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demons, Desire, and the Price of Power
The Tinder Box by M. R. Carey

M. R. Carey’s The Tinder Box offers a captivating and richly imagined retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale. It beautifully transforms a familiar story into a deeper, more nuanced exploration of themes like power, temptation, and the choices that shape who we are.

The story follows Mag (Magnus) Tresti, a former soldier coming home after many years of war and injury. As he works to rebuild his life, Mag takes on a task: repairing the ageing house of Jannae Mirchella, a mysterious widow who seems like an ordinary woman but is hiding a more dangerous secret: she is a powerful witch.

Everything shifts when a dead demon falls from the sky onto Jannae’s land. Mag soon learns that the demon was carrying a magical tinderbox, an item capable of summoning three demons and granting its owner extraordinary power. Tempted by its potential, Mag decides to take the tinderbox, setting off a perilous conflict between him and Jannae.

As Mag uncovers more about the tinderbox and its powers, he becomes embroiled in an even larger struggle involving magic, demons, war, and the battle for forces beyond his understanding. The story thoughtfully explores whether unlimited power can truly bring happiness, and whether past mistakes need to define who we become.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is its memorable characters. Mag Tresti is a multi-faceted but empathetic hero, a man scarred by war who yearns for a better life but must resist the allure of power. Jannae Mirchella is a compelling character: smart, secretive, and far more complex than the typical fairy-tale witch. She isn’t just an antagonist but a person with her own motives and regrets. Even the demons inside the tinderbox feel real, each with their own personality, histories, and perspectives, making them more than just monsters.

What makes The Tinder Box stand out is Carey’s skill in taking a classic fairy tale and giving it a darker, more mature tone. It’s a story about resilience, ambition, morality, and the tricky consequences of getting exactly what you wish for.

A wonderful choice if you enjoy dark fantasy, inventive retellings, and morally layered characters.

[Brian Stabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

M. R. Carey’s The Tinder Box is a dark, imaginative retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale that expands a simple moral fable into a morally tangled fantasy about power, trauma, and temptation. Set in a grim, medieval-tinged world where the boundaries between the human and infernal are uncomfortably porous, the novel follows Mag Tresti, a war-weary former soldier trying to rebuild his life, and Jannae Mirchella, a reclusive witch whose quiet household hides far more than it first appears.

The inciting incident - a demon falling from the sky carrying a magical tinderbox - sets the tone immediately: this is not a whimsical retelling, but something heavier and more unsettling. The tinderbox itself, capable of summoning powerful demonic entities, becomes both MacGuffin and moral pressure cooker, forcing characters into increasingly difficult choices about control, ambition, and survival.

One of the novel’s strongest elements is its character work. Mag is written with convincing emotional weight; he’s not a typical hero but a man shaped and damaged by war, constantly negotiating between restraint and desire. Jannae is equally compelling, subverting the “witch” archetype into something sharper and more human, defined as much by regret and pragmatism as by power. Even the demonic presences are given a surprising degree of personality and internal logic, which helps the supernatural elements feel less like plot devices and more like active participants in the story’s ethical chaos.

Carey’s prose leans into a fairytale cadence while still grounding the world in grit and consequence. This tonal blend works well, creating a story that feels both mythic and grounded in human suffering. Thematically, the book is at its best when it interrogates the idea of power - who deserves it, what it does to those who wield it, and whether “getting what you wish for” is ever truly a reward.

That said, the novel is not without structural unevenness. The opening section is deliberately slow, and the momentum only fully locks in around the mid-point once the larger conflict becomes clearer. The multi-POV structure also takes adjustment; while Mag and Jannae’s perspectives are richly developed, at least one secondary viewpoint feels comparatively underdeveloped, serving the plot more than the character. These issues don’t derail the book, but they do affect its pacing and focus.

When it does click into gear, however, The Tinder Box becomes a compelling and steadily escalating moral fantasy, moving toward a conclusion that feels both earned and thematically coherent. It’s particularly effective in its refusal to draw simple lines between good and evil - almost every character operates within their own logic of survival, guilt, or ambition.

Overall, this is a strong, atmospheric retelling that elevates its source material into something darker and more psychologically complex. It may require patience at the start, but it rewards that investment with a layered story about power, consequence, and the cost of desire.

Thanks to NetGalley, Orbit and the author for an advance copy.

[Rallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Orbit for giving me a copy of this book! This review is my own opinion.

"The next day was one that tipped all things out of balance and took both Mag's future and the widow Mirchella's off on a new track entirely.
The next day, a man fell out of the sky."

The Tinder Box is masterfully written; chewy and dense with delightfully lyrical dialogue and a witty narrative. This is definitely a book to take your time with and return to again and again. Introducing the story through Magnus' PoV sets the stage for an unexpected adventure, and as M.R. Carey expands the PoVs we are treated to a chorus of characters who have slight changes in narrative style that serves to really bring them to life.

Mag: take The Grand Budapest Hotel, "Doctor I am Pagliacci", and Roald Dahl's "Collected Stories" and toss them in a cocktail shaker with some Fireball and have at - this is the best way I can describe the vibe of this character. Magnus is a genuinely good guy who is doing his best, but sometimes your best looks like summoning a devil to bust you out of jail. Then again, sometimes your best means fidelity to those in your court (or your tinder box).

Jannae: goals. My idol. My queen. Jannae's arc is beautiful from start to finish, and I would argue Carey's most complex character. We get to see the past that shaped her into an antisocial misandrist (affectionate) and how that butts up against a society that continuously justifies those beliefs while blinding her to the exceptions. From her introduction as the secondary character to Magnus' PoV you can tell there's something lurking there behind her Granny Weatherwaxian slyness, and when she takes the stage as PoV we really get to see what a witch is made of.

Keal, Dorsa, and Borrigar: The three devils are some of the liveliest, consequential secondary characters I've seen in a while - especially Borrigar, for Reasons🌷. Keal's sarcastic insolence, Dorsa's infernal nurturing, and Borrigar's strength of presence are at the heart of what makes this book great. The complexity they bring to the story cannot be understated, but stating too much about it here would give away too much of what I found to be really exciting as it unfolded!

Gluck: This mother glucker. What an incredibly written villain, I despise him.

Overall I spent three beautiful days with this book, used up several colors of tabs and half a pad of transparent stickies, and laughed and cried in equal measure (okay a lot more crying towards the end, because Carey pulls no punches in pursuit of a fantastic story and OH MY GOD Borrigar.)! People who enjoy deliciously baroque writing with political commentary (eat the rich and men ain't shit [until they are]), explorations of morality and goodness, and lively characters will definitely love this book!

[Stephanie Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

**My thanks to Orbit Books for providing me with an advanced review copy via NetGalley**

3.5 stars

The Tinderbox is a novel-length retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s short story of the same name. By the end of the novel Carey has me fully on board with the project, which has grown out of its fairy-tale beginnings into a full fantasy saga, but I have to admit that the beginning was slow. I did not really buy in until about the 45% mark, at which point things began to get good.

I think it’s hard to do a story about a box that grants wishes, largely because it’s easy to get bogged down with the ‘rules’ of the wish-granting and the difficulties in creating any growth opportunities for a character possessed of unimaginable cosmic power. The tinderbox as a physical object helps enormously in this endeavor, as there are many times when Mags, the main character and current owner of the box, is unable to physically use it to summon his wish-granting demons; opening the box and striking the lighter is a two-handed job that takes some skill and coordination, and when he is in a tough spot or physically impaired it’s not always feasible to do so in good time. I also liked that all three of the demons trapped in the box had different skillsets and strengths, so that which striker to choose (and therefore which demon to summon) factored into the equation; in addition all three had different personalities that emerged over the course of the narrative.

There’s also the classic trouble of a wish-granting jinn story, that being how much personhood and personality to ascribe to the jinn (in this case demon), and how much malice it should have against humanity/its captors. I ended up quite liking how Carey handled the three demons. They were decidedly inhuman, not only in their physical appearances and abilities but also in their attitudes and priorities; however they develop a sometimes uncomfortable kinship with Mags due to the fact that they are all soldiers in the armies of Hell, as Mags was a soldier in his country’s army, who feel that the war into which they have been conscripted is unjust, as Mags feels of the war he fought in. These are not party-line demons ready to take down Heaven, but disgruntled soldiers who were imprisoned for mutiny against their Hellish commanders. It is this commonality of position—of ordinary (for their race) people who feel they are being used as pawns by their kings, and object to the devaluing of their lives—that serves as the heart of the story.

I think this book will appeal to fans of T. Kingfisher, provided that they persevere through the first third to half of the book. That said, given the length of the book that’s not an insignificant ask.

[Linnéa Lange · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tinder Box is a classic fairytale with quests and moral dilemmas that explore what happens when regular people all of a sudden come into unimaginable powers. We follow Mag and Jannae whose paths have crossed for very normal reasons when a not so normal devil falls out of the sky, leaving behind an object of magical power. If it feels familiar, it’s because it’s a retelling of H. C. Andersen’s the Tinderbox.

Carey writes the Tinder Box in classic fairytale style prose, which lends to the dark feel and the overall story. He builds a world with wars in human and divine realms, while focusing on the ordinary people who are caught up in the midst. The book starts quite slow, it really gets going around the 46% mark, when the story picks up and becomes really interesting. Personally, I think the first half could have been trimmed by quite a lot to make the story move faster. I found myself struggling quite a bit in the beginning due to the slow pacing.

Thankfully, when the book picks up, it redeems itself by propelling the story forward into an epic conclusion. We get to explore the morality of our characters, follow their different but — to them — legitimate choices. There is no black or white, right or wrong, in the Tinder Box, which makes for a really interesting fairytale in the classic sense.

This book will fit readers who enjoy classic fairytales in the style of the Grimm brothers or, of course, H. C. Andersen. Those who have been craving that style fairytales will enjoy the Tinder Box, despite the slow start. There is a lot to unpack and it’s impressive in its scope.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group for granting me a review copy via NetGalley!

[Nocturne Pages · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Tinder Box is a Dark Fantasy/Fairytale inspired novel written by M.R. Carey. This book is set to release on June 23rd, 2026, so thank you so much Netgalley and ORBIT PUBLISHING for this ARC to read and review early and honestly.  I grew up on the creepy side of childhood, where Hans Christian Anderson tales were King. It gives a specific will they or won't they feel and ESPECIALLY when it comes to pushing the boundaries of what you can do in a whimsical land where nothing is really off the table. Even sometimes the CHAPTER HEADINGS manage to tell a mini story about the content to come and I love that. I love when the author gives you a subtle (or not so subtle) nudge into the future; intrigues and spices things up a bit. Death is a universal theme that can take on many meanings, forms, and languages. However, it is the only one everyone learns sooner or later. I respected the demonic characteristics in this story, most of the time when “demons” are introduced it's just a dark and brooding emo boy. If we could keep to one event/topic at a time though, that would be great. I would get REALLY INVESTED in a character and their progression then it would flit to another for upwards of 15%, then go BACK to a topic we didn't hear of again since the first few chapters. My brain was turning into mush. Also, can we leave random lusty portions out of it? I was really into the unique plot of this book, but as the story went on it got confusing and slow and just felt redundant overall. Keep in mind it is probably best to read this when you're in the right headspace; heavy topics involved. Check your trigger warnings. Oh, and probably don't read this if you are religious… 2.75 ⭐ 

[Hamad Naif · Rating 5 out of 5]

M. R. Carey has always known how to take a familiar shape and fill it with something unexpected. *The Tinder Box* is proof that the dark fairy tale, done right, still has teeth.

The premise arrives like a folk story you half-remember: a soldier comes home from war, broken and purposeless, and finds shelter with a woman who is more than she appears. Then a demon falls from the sky. Then the world cracks open. Carey moves through these beats with the confidence of someone who has studied the form long enough to know exactly where to press — and where to subvert. The tinderbox at the novel's center is not just a magical object. It's a test. What Mag Tresti does with that kind of power, and what it costs him, is the real story.

Jannae Mirchella is the novel's quiet triumph. A witch who has survived by making herself invisible, she operates behind a mask of harmless respectability — and Carey renders her with a complexity that makes every scene she's in feel charged. The tension between her and Mag, two people whose fates lock together and then pull in opposite directions, drives the novel more than any supernatural set piece could.

What Carey does with the fairy tale's moral architecture is where *The Tinder Box* distinguishes itself. This is a book about the wickedness of the powerful, the futility of war, and the small, irreversible choices that determine what kind of person you become. It earns its darkness and its grace in equal measure.

Fans of Naomi Novik's fairy tale retellings and the atmospheric menace of Katherine Arden will find something deeply satisfying here. This is Carey at his most transportive.

[Haly Hoards Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆
The Tinder Box was a surprise. It tells the intertwined stories of Magnus (Mag) Tresti and Jannae Mirchella. Mag is a displaced, broke soldier. Jannae is a former prostitute, widow and witch. When Mag is hired by Jannae to fix her crumbling estate they start to develop a tenuous worker, employer relationship. That delicate relationship blows up after a demon falls from the sky into the estate's court. 

The demon had a tinderbox that held three other demons caged within. Whoever possessed the tinderbox became the master of the three demons. Mag finds and keeps the tinderbox much to Jannae's displeasure. What ensues is Mag's flight from Jannae and her dogged pursuit of him and the tinderbox. 

The surprise was the history of the war between heaven and hell. The role demons and angels play in the war, and how Mag's three demons feel about war in general. It also raises questions about society in general. I was not expecting this fantasy to delve into such deep topics. 

I received an advance review copy (ARC) for free, and I am voluntarily leaving my opinions of this novel. Thank you to M.R. Carey, Hachette Book Group and Goodreads for this opportunity. 

The Tinder Box was a unique experience. It was entertaining, humorous, and posed moral questions. 

Favorite Quote:
"There are moments in our lives when we are challenged. Tested. And the things we do in those moments determine who we are, or who we mean to be. How we will live going forward."
Jannae Mirchella 

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.25)

I loved how this took the bones of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and transformed it into something much bigger without losing that dark folkloric atmosphere. What starts as the story of a discarded soldier searching for work becomes a layered tale about war, power, belonging, and the people society pushes to the margins.

What I liked:
The multiple perspectives added so much depth to the story.
Magnus and Janae both felt fully realized, and I loved watching their journeys unfold alongside each other.
The parallels between the soldier, the devils bound to the tinderbox, and the larger cycle of endless war were incredibly effective.
The fairy-tale voice remains present throughout, even as the story expands into something that feels almost epic in scope.
Themes of survival, autonomy, found purpose, and refusing systems that demand endless sacrifice really resonated with me.

What didn't work:
At nearly 500 pages, it occasionally felt longer than it needed to be.
The pacing is measured rather than fast, though I remained engaged throughout.

Overall, this is a thoughtful, dark fairy-tale retelling that uses magic, folklore, and multiple character perspectives to explore war, power, and what it means to find a place in a world that doesn't want you. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy fairy-tale retellings with strong character work, darker themes, and a touch of epic fantasy.

[Nikkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I went into this read with absolutely no expectations and I am very glad that I did. I had no idea that this was a retelling of a classic fairytale as I had never heard the original. I do intend to read it but for now I am more than happy to have only read M. R. Carey's retelling.

I will say that the beginning was a little slow and I really had to push through but once Mag reached the Widow's manor it became less of a problem! Though the pacing did get better it is slow throughout so if you do not enjoy a slow paced read this book may not be for you.

I am generally not a fan of dual POV but it really worked for this story and I loved being able to get to know the two main characters this way. Both Mag and the Widow Jannae were complex characters that needed their own POV for this book to be successful.

The writing style was a little difficult for me at first but once I adapted to it I really think it amplified this book for me. Too many books that are set historically read too modern and this felt classic. I really appreciated that a lot.

I do think the book could have benefitted from being a little shorter but I think it was very much worth it to power through the first portion of the book as the middle to end was a very fun read.

If you like darker fairytales and a slower pace I think you would really like this book.

For these reasons I am rating The Tinder Box 3.5 stars and I look forward to more from this Author!

[Tales with Atticus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tinder Box is M.R. Carey's retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale. We follow two protagonists: Mag Tresti, a penniless ex-soldier trying to leave his war behind, and Jannae Mirchella, the enigmatic widow who hires him AND who is keeping secrets far larger than her crumbling estate. When a demon's body crashes into the courtyard and Mag claims the mysterious tinderbox it carries, the two find themselves locked in an escalating conflict over an object that can change the fate of nations.

The mythology Carey builds around the war between heaven and hell was so cool. The three demons bound inside the tinderbox: wry soldier Keal, the hulking Borrigor, and the eerie Dorsa, are not the snarling monsters you'd expect. They're disgruntled conscripts, imprisoned for mutiny, and their bitter kinship with Mag (himself a soldier who felt used and discarded) forms the moral and emotional core of the book. The story ends up being quietly, unexpectedly anti-war, asking sharp questions about who gets to send others to die and why.

Carey handles the "wish-granting" mechanics in a really cool way. the tinderbox is physically cumbersome to use, which creates genuine tension, and each demon's different skillset means the choice of who to summon actually matters.

For a book I picked up half-skeptically, I closed it thinking about it for days.

[Boshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised me! I went in thinking it would be a more straightforward story, but it quickly grew into something deeper, darker, and more emotional.

This book shines a flashlight into so many dark corners. How hard life can be for soldiers returning from war. How grief and guilt can shape a person’s choices and trajectory long after the fighting is over. The desperate, terrible situations that can push people toward dangerous lives and bad decisions. How easy it is to misjudge someone when you don’t know what they’ve survived.

There’s also an intricate, brutal look at religion. Specifically the kinds of harm and hypocrisy that people often ignore or overlook when it’s convenient. Paired with the book’s focus on loyalty and integrity, it creates a story that feels both entertaining and pointed.

Structurally, I loved that it didn’t stay narrow. At first, I thought we’d only be following Mag, but once Jannae’s backstory entered the picture, the story became much more dynamic. That shift made me even more invested, especially in how the two storylines might eventually weave back together.

The whole book gave me the vibe of Constantine mixed with Aladdin. Plus witches!

I loved the ending as well. A great read!

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC!

[_linnslibrary_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgally for this arc to read and review.
This is a grim dark fairy tale / historical fiction book with witches, demons and angels, and also a war between heaven and hell. This sounds so very intriguing in my opinion and I was very exited for it. The premise had me so exited and I really enjoyed the first 30% of the book. We had an interesting set up, got to meet some unique characters. We also got some backstory for one of the main characters who is a which and this part of the book was so good! I do however feel like the «read thread» in the story was abruptly cut off at the 30% mark, and after this I lost the grasp on the story completly. I did not know at all where the story was going. I did not understand the direcrtion this book took. I really feel like the first and secon part was very different and almost did not feel like the same book to me. There were some things in the book I would have liked to be explained a little more and somethings confused me at times.

Overall this book was sadly pretty dissapointing to me and I was bored most of the time while reading.

2.5 ⭐️

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This was a fascinating story. A historical setting but with fantasy and magical elements. We follow a soldier, injured and discharged from the army. He’s struggling to make ends meet. He’s disillusioned with the king after certain announcements are made. Desperate for work so he can feed himself, he takes up a handyman role with a strange widow who locals have warned him about. He’s fed and he can get the work done, but he’s yet to see any wages. However things take a turn when a man falls from the sky, carrying with him some unusual objects.

The thing I found most interesting in this book was the morality. The main character goes back on decisions sometimes as he learns more about their impact. He’s quite thoughtful and he tries to do the right thing. He’s willing to listen and he’s not immediately judgemental. He exists in a world that is very judgmental, with people becoming socially outcast, judged on appearance, or executed for witchcraft. There’s a domination of the church and the king which can often be applied unfairly. The more he learns, the more he starts to challenge what he’s always been told.

The three characters associated with the eponymous tinderbox are fascinating. With different skills, strong personalities and often not what you’d expect.

This was a thoughtful novel, with moral questions scattered throughout vast amounts of action. There’s explosions, fights, animals, magic. It is action-packed yet still manages to remain quite character focused.

[Katie May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witches and demons and angels and a box that grants wishes that should definitely never be found and used by humans because they will not be doing anything good with it? Yes to all of that.

The one liner: Retired soldier Mag steals a wish granting box off a dead demon and the witch whose house he ended up at thinks it belongs to her.

This book has a little bit of everything and for once I don’t think suffers for it. Morally gray characters, religious themes, war fall out. Very cool dark fairy tale.

The story felt kind of repetitive because of the structure. It’s multi pov and we see one characters take and then it rewinds to show you the other characters pov. Then the story meets up and moves forward but that caused a decent delay in actually getting to the plot of the story. It’s about 35% in where it really gets going and the boxes origins are explained more at about 60% which seemed a little late. It made the book a tad long. Otherwise I enjoyed it, just some criticisms of the narrative. Would recommend if you like a complex dark fairly tale type story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[BonniePB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone wants this troublesome little tinderbox and why not? Whoever possesses it basically holds the key to invincibility. Both Mag and Jannae are sympathetic characters and yet are the causes of their own problems, which was intriguing for their arcs. I liked that Jannae's magic has limits; that's always a good thing. The three tinderbox devils—wry soldier Keal, gentle berserker-type Borrigor, and Dorsa, healer and mistress of a hellish menagerie—were uniquely interesting and entertaining.

This book is a multi-POV third person narrative. Normally, I love a multi-POV, but I kind of struggled to care about Mag, Jannae, or Gluck sometimes. The prose and writing style was good on a technical level although I couldn't figure out the tone Carey was going for. The Tinder Box has a sort of a slice-of-life-ish vibe yet it was also kind of serious and doing a lot with its thoughtful themes on religious scrutiny, anti-war, anti-slavery, choice matters, pro-choice, and feminist.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you get past the slow start, this is a cracking good read that picks up momentum around the 40% mark and rattles along at a decent pace to the end. I'm not always a fan of fairy tale reworkings, but very much enjoyed this take on Hans Christian Andersen's story, in which the role of the 3 dogs is given to 3 very different devils who really stole the show for me.

Of the 3 POV characters, I liked Mag the war-weary soldier and Jannae the embittered ex-prostitute and witch very much and enjoyed their arcs, but I thought the 3rd POV (the villain's) to be rather superfluous as he had no backstory or character development. It's very well written in a slightly literary style with bursts of unexpected dark humour and critiques on society, religion and politics, and a satisfying conclusion with everyone getting the consequences they deserved.

M. R. Carey was a new author to me but I will be looking at his other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advance review copy of this book.

[Bob Norrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive this book in a Goodreads giveaway and have no vested interest in the book, nor association with the author.

I’ll kick off here by saying I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend. The lines between good and evil blur in this dark fairytale as Carey weaves a wonderfully engrossing tale, which masterfully addresses the issues of inequality, war, power, slavery, persecution, exploitation and misogyny.

It’s a very well written, fun, enjoyable story, punctuated with some delicious, dark humour and interesting social commentary. The characters are intriguing, with their individual back stories in some cases being quite heart wrenching.

While others have found the story ‘slow paced’, personally I felt it cracked on at an almost breathless pace as our ‘hero’ stumbled from one adventure (and mishap) to the next as he fled across the country.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC of this book!

I had no idea what to expect really - only that I had enjoyed one of M. R. Carey's other books (Once Was Willem), also without knowing what to expect, and figured I might go in blind and be rewarded again. Happy to say that this was another lovely read!

Mag is an injured soldier honorably discharged and in dire need of a source of income. He is hired by mysterious widow Jannae, who is much more than she seems. When a dead demon carrying a magical tinderbox falls out of the sky, all hell (quite literally) breaks loose. M. R. Carey settles on some heavy themes framed by a story where action, adventure, magic, and elements of found family abound. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

[Annie Adlington · Rating 3 out of 5]

M.R. Carey really knows how to build a world and then make you work for it, in the best way. This isn't a quick, breezy read; it's the kind of book that demands you pay attention, and honestly it's worth it. There are a lot of moving parts and storylines that seem disconnected at first, but they all come together in a way that feels genuinely earned rather than convenient. The writing itself is excellent throughout.
The characters are what really got me though. Nobody here is simply good or bad, everyone has layers, everyone has their reasons, and Carey makes you question your own judgments about them more than once. The book isn't shy about big moral questions either - war, power, complicity, but it never feels like a lecture. It just lets the story do the work. If you like your fantasy with some real substance to it, this one's worth the effort.

[Kemi Ashing-Giwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many others, M.R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts blew my mind away when I read it in high school. I didn't enjoy this much as that novel, but I thought it was a very good book and it held my attention well enough that I read it in about a day and a half. Carey’s prose is impressive—both the language of the narration and what comes out of the characters’ mouths feels authentic to its 17-19th century European setting. Though I didn’t fall in love with the characters—the very linguistic archaism that makes the writing remarkable also makes the protagonists a bit harder to connect to—I liked them well enough, and the story is filled with exciting twists and turns, and a lot of empathy for all the people who aren’t rich and powerful and glamorously heroic.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following up his version of Seven Samurai in Once Was Willem, MR Carey this time tackles a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale. This time round, I had no knowledge of the prior source, so for me this was something entirely new. As ever with Carey it is extremely readable, smooth and fast flowing. The two leads are well drawn, and Carey doesn’t shy away from presenting them in a bad light where necessary - vey few characters here are entirely good or entirely evil. The story hinges on demons and Hell and a human’s negotiations with them, like a Hellblazer arc set in medieval Europe (which, incidentally, I would be very up for). It’s another highly enjoyable book from Carey, who is fast becoming one of the most flexible and dependable authors in genre.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5

I wasn't sure how to feel about this when it first went from a story about magic to a story about angels and demons, but I ended up really enjoying it. It was a surprisingly quick read, considering how long it is. But the way it jumped from scene to scene felt kind of like reading a fairytale/folktale. I loved the characters and the way that it was written made it easy to imagine everything happening.

[Kale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thankfully, this book has multiple perspectives because I was going to DNF if I was stuck with Mag the whole time.

I surprisingly enjoyed this book considering the setting as Carey is very good at writing grey characters that draw you in.

That being said, the ending was just too tidy. Maybe to allow for a sequel? All in all, enjoyable read but not one I'll come back to.

[Sarah Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I thought this was fantastic! Would highly recommend for people who like Kingfisher's work for their fairytale style. I thought this was would be a rather simple story, but it surprised me with the depth of the characters and the exploration of some powerful themes. The ending was perfection. Loved it.

[Kera’s Always Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this. I started out strong, but I lost interest. I kept going back and rereading parts and I just totally lost momentum. For the most part, I think it was a good read that found me at the wrong time.

The characters and the world building are rich. You have multiple kinds of magic, supernatural beings, adventure. I really did want to love this but I got lost in the dense and sometimes repetitive writing.

[karla JR · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I found this book to be a fairly interesting read. The pacing was definitely on the slower side, but I did find the writing style to be very interesting. Ultimately, I did finish it because I enjoyed the character development and the way the narrative was layered.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley*

The Tinder Box is an entertaining and charming medieval fantasy story complete with witches, devils, and tyrant kings. A worthy read.

4/5