Frightfully Ever After

by Nick DeWolf

"Do you know what the difference is between a fairy godmother and a witch?"

"What?"

"Not a goddamn thing."

Fairies and dragons are real, and live alongside giants, goblins and trolls. Fairy godmothers exist. The woodsman, that one from the story books? Yeah, he’s real too. They’re all out there, living in the world, right under your nose.

But they’re not alone. There’s another side to the coin. Witches are real. Monsters are real. Things that slither through shadows and bite at your skin are real.

The big bad wolf is very real.

And poor Anastasia – she was born with magical royal blood. She should have been a princess, but grew up under the thumb of a vicious crime boss. She’s lived a life of pain, fear, and violence. In a desperate attempt to get away, she will find herself surrounded by all those things she thought never existed.

Good, bad, and evil.

FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER is a slow burn urban fantasy with guns, horror, sex, and monsters. People get hurt. People get killed. People get eaten. And only the toughest get to live Happily Ever After.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2015

About the author

(Wait, do I do this in first person? Third person? Ugh, I never know. Do I go with the whole, 'Nick was born very young' thing? It's so awkward. Okay, I've kind of already started in first, so I'm going with first person. Less awkward... probably. Yeah.)

I'm the author of (Oh My God it's already awkward), FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER, PULLING STRINGS, VILLAINS NEVER DIE, and BETWEEN DAYS; a Dark Urban Fairy Tale, a psychological thriller, a diverse superhero story, and a collection of dreams (respectively).

Fiction is my thing, and always a little bit sci-fi. I like my stories to have a bit of mystery, and a horror backbone. You won't find much romance here, but be prepared for a generous helping of swearing. And similes. A lot of them.

When I'm not writing, I'm taking care of my brood of children, preparing mass quantities of food (for said brood), brewing my own beer (to help relieve the stress caused by the brood), and occasionally running crazy, overnight relay races with friends.

Reviews

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always loved fairy tales. Usually these are the first stories we learn as children. As I've grown older, the darker they are, the more I like them. After all, the real Grimm stories are pretty dang dark! Enter Anastasis and her fairy godmothers, Mary and Gayl.

This is a bit of a modern day, gang related, fairy tale that gets darker as you read it. However, there is a ton of humor thrown in for levity and you can tell the author has to be fun to be around. The banter back and forth between Mary and Gayl are probably my favorite parts. At certain times, they actually remind me of the Grey Sister (but they don't need to share an eye).

I enjoyed the background brought to us with how Mary and Gayl got to where they are and love that not all intentions are pure. While I used to want a fairy godmother as a little girl, I think this book has persuaded me that maybe it isn't such a great idea. Haha.

Honestly, I could've done without the sex scenes though relating orgasms to bringing someone to their zenith is certainly a new catch phrase for me and one I won't forget, that's for sure! Descriptions were overdone and unnecessary here and there - something about bangs hanging like an antique picture frame? I did, however, giggle at some of these kinds of descriptives because they were something I'd never read before... but I also liked some at the same time.

As a whole, this book was highly entertaining and I found myself having a good time following Anastasia on her crazy adventures. I didn't like her as a character because wow, she didn't seem to appreciate a damn thing! Luckily, I like to hate on characters. ;) Language, Dearie. ;)

Thanks so much to the author for this copy.

3.5 stars

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After enjoying Nick DeWolf’s Pulling Strings, I was desperate for more of the author’s wonderful storytelling. Thus, I eagerly jumped into Villains Never Die. Villains Never Die blew my mind, and I knew I needed to read the other Nick DeWolf book available. Therefore, I entered Frightfully Ever After with high hopes.

Sometimes, when you enter a book with high hopes you’re disappointed. Frightfully Ever After was not one of those incidences.

I confess, Frightfully Ever After is not my favourite Nick DeWolf book. Villains Never Die my favourite Nick DeWolf book. Nevertheless, Frightfully Ever After is a wonderful read. It’s no surprise Nick DeWolf is an author I will read no matter what. He has a way with words, a way with storytelling, and each book is a delight. Add in the fact Frightfully Ever After was his debut, and my love for Frightfully Ever After increases.

With Frightfully Ever After, Nick DeWolf combines numerous things in a mind-blowing manner. We have a new take on several fairy-tale elements. We have a dark world. We have a unique urban fantasy feel. We have fabulous bad guys. We have twists and turns. We have characters you’ll love. We have characters you’ll hate. We have countless layers.

In other words, Frightfully Ever After gives us so much.

At the start, I thought I knew where this story was going. I expected an interesting take on fairy-tales, I expected something slightly disturbing, only to be mistaken. The book got better and better, more and more was added, and each chapter provided us with something more. It’s a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat in the best possible way, ensuring you’ll be turning the pages at a rapid pace.

Without a doubt, Frightfully Ever After is another wonderful example of Nick DeWolf’s imagination. I cannot wait to get my hands on more of his work – he’s an author I’ll follow anywhere.

[Kate Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique book involving what I think is a unique concept. The blending of fables, myths, Western fairy tales, and the Author's own artistic license creates a world where anything is possible.
As in Nick DeWolf's other book "Pulling Strings" action is well written and cinematic in nature - it draws you in to believing even more fervently in the plot.
This genre is not my usual preferred read. I think the book as a whole could be the start of a series of others where characters are further developed and themes explored. I will be following Nick DeWolf with interest.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review

I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll continue to say it, I love the fairy tale stories with a twist. I mean, when you get older that’s when you realized the Grimm Fairy Tales were exactly that, grim and dark and nothing like the ones we grew up hearing (happily ever after isn’t always a thing). FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER by Nick DeWolf definitely adds in the blood, horror, sex, and plenty of darkness to this fantasy world.

Anastasia and her fairy godmothers, Mary and Gayl are the center of our story. The banter and dynamic between the fairy godmothers reminded me a little bit of the three from Sleeping Beauty. Obviously in this tale things were much darker and their intentions aren’t always the purest (I mean, that would ruin the fun, right?). Anastasia is trying to escape her life under a crime boss and once she gets away, she begins to realize all the evil things you thought were only in stories, are actually very real and very dangerous.

Despite the horror feel, the author does include some good dark humor throughout the book. Bring in some funny moments to break up the dark. I will tell you now, there are some very detailed and descriptive sex scenes in the book. I could have done with less of these, but that’s just me. Overall, this was a fun adventure read with some memorable characters. If you like the more evil fairy tales then this will definitely be one you want to pick up.

[Paper Ghost ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review**

The concept of this story is great, it is not your everyday fairytale. It is a mix of modern and fantasy world with a bit more of an edge to it.

The characters were a mix bag for me, I hated some of them and others were great! Anastasia our main character felt a bit flat and she was just overall not fun to read about. The strongest feature of this novel was its humor, the fairies (also the best characters ever, Mary and Gayl are quite a pair) not being 100% knowledgeable of the real world really kept the story going besides that I do think that the writing came out a little flowery at times and almost overwritten.

Other than that if you enjoy fairytales with a twist I suggest you pick this one up.

[Emilie Hrabak · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re into blood, guts, and fairy dust then this is the book for you!

“Frightfully Ever After” has aspects of many popular children’s fairy tales, but revamps them in very adult ways. The author has a way with using sounds to really pull the reader into the story, like with the beeping of a heart machine and the snapping of bones.
I’d definitely recommend this book to any horror fan looking for a fun read.

**I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[NayNay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about putting a twist on fairy tale. Frightfully Ever After is intellligently crafted and dark. This chilling tale will hook you, capture you, and keep you fast reading till the very end. Nick DeWolf is definitely a author all fantasy fans should check out, because I can tell you, you never read anything like this book before.


Frightfully Ever After was given to me by the author for a honest review, Thank you Nick for a fun, interesting read.

[Carrie Gulledge · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It went back. Far back. Farther back than anything else. Before man. Before the Fey. Before magic and words. Before the creatures that had no words. Before the beasts that lumbered and roared and killed and ate and bred. Before the bugs, plants, grass and trees. Before the algae, the water, and the land. Before the earth and sun. Before the swirling fires and clouds the size of galaxies. Before the void, aching to be filled. Before there was the light of a star.

When there was only dark.

When there was nothing.

When everything had just been born and was shapeless and chaos exploded across the entirety.

It was there. And It loved it."

This story started out so beautifully written; poetic, drawing you in and making you feel. The prologue, titled The Beginning, made you feel like you were going into something epic, something amazing.

I wish it hadn't fallen so flat for me.

The characters made zero sense to me. The concept of the light and the darkness wasn't fully explored or developed and it was really hard to tell whether every one had the potential for both, or some the potential for neither, or if most of them only had the potential for one or the other. The characters seemed to have no real control over whether they were going to be good or evil; if the evil made it into their bloodlines some where down the line, then you were pretty much destined to be evil no matter what decision you made. I prefer for my characters to have a little more self-awareness and development than, I did this because the dark made me. Why would characters with hundreds of years of following the light suddenly defer to the dark side simply because they came in contact with someone that "leaked" darkness? And what in the world was Woods exactly? Was he human or something else? I had a hard time keeping up with what exactly his character was supposed to be.

An additional issue I had with the characters is that I didn't like a single one of them. Anastasia was so poorly developed that I couldn't figure out whether I was supposed to like her or not; usually, I at least know whether the intention is for me to like the character or not. Anastasia didn't seem to ever overcome any actual obstacles; and while yes, her past was awful and she deserved some happiness, she also came across as snotty and entitled. You've been used and abused, I get it. You were forced to do some bad things that you had no choice over, I get that too. But her sense of self-preservation, which she put ahead of everyone else's (except for Woods, in the end) as very off-putting.

In general, I really didn't like the crudeness of every male-female interaction in this book. The only relationship in the entire book that didn't have a crude undertone (or overtone) was the one between Anastasia and Fee, and I'm not entirely certain that that simply wasn't because Fee seems to be partly androgynous. It is possible for men and women to have interactions that don't involve immediately thinking about her boobs or what's in your pants on the male's part, or rewarding or manipulating the man with sex on the woman's part. There weren't any real relationship developments in this story that I felt were based on the mind and/or soul connection.

All of that being said, there were some interesting aspects of the story; Gayl and Mary's stories were intriguing and their histories were mostly explained, and their relationship with one another was very solid and consistent throughout the book, maintaining their loyalty even when things went a very bad for them. They had been together long enough to develop a serious sistership with one another that persisted through the light and the dark. Sabre was a seriously well-developed bad guy (DeWolf seems pretty solid on developing the truly evil sides of his characters). The writing through out the book was consistent enough, after you get past the poetic beauty of the first chapter; DeWolf is a good writer and his descriptions were vivid enough to give you a solid picture of what you were reading.

If you like for your fairytale stories to have a wicked, evil twist to them, then this is probably more the book for you. I'm more of a traditional fairty tale kind of girl; I like the twists, good and bad, but I like for more things to end up good in the end. And I really do need to like my characters, which I just couldn't do in this book. But in the spirit of saying that this story line simply probably wasn't for me personally, I am going to give this book three stars for the good writing, a consistent story line and a lot of out of the box imagination.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts regarding the storyline, plot, characters and writing. I received no compensation in exchange for this review.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: Nick's a longtime friend of mine, and he gave me an advance copy to review.)

"Frightfully Ever After" marks a promising debut for Nick DeWolf, even if its delightful high concept clashes with a fair number of rough edges.

The book shines brightest when it's focused on the unorthodox workplace of Grimm, Inc., where a Caribbean-inflected dragon works security, a giant's the doorman, and a foul-mouthed goblin is the office boor. Grimm, which manages the interactions between magical creatures and the mundane world, is a fantastic hook for a book (or series of books), and whenever the narrative drops by its fluorescent-lit cubicles and magical parking garage, it's just a blast to read. A lot of the supporting characters Nick creates in this setting come vividly to life in just a few short chapters. Not all of them make it to the end of the book, and I was pleasantly surprised by their poignant, touching fates.

Gayl and Mary, the two characters who drive the plot forward, are also interesting and mostly tragic creations. The idea of fairy godmothers who've run out of princesses to help -- and have to slum it doing tiny favors for wealthy, shallow airheads with the tiniest traces of royal blood -- is downright inspired, and Nick has a lot of fun with it. Gayl and Mary make a great mismatched duo, and their devotion to each other through all the book's twists and turns is another of its strongest aspects. They've both got heart-tugging, creepy, and well-crafted backstories that lend them depth, and make their ultimate fates more emotionally affecting.

I also need to praise Nick's action scenes. He has a knack for devising exciting, cinematic action, with big, crazy imagery that's thrilling to read.

Unfortunately, the real-world plot that intersects with all of these fairy-tale elements just can't match their inventiveness. Our heroine, Anastasia, never really comes alive as a character -- she doesn't have much of a character arc, she's mostly shuffled around like a chess piece by other characters, and the way every single male character in the book -- and the narration itself -- constantly sexually objectifies her is just kinda creepy. (The book's sexual elements in general feel gratuitous and uncomfortable, as if Nick threw them in for commercial value rather than narrative necessity.) It's tough to root for a character who's just not there, and who never really has to make choices. What ought to be a heck-yeah, fist-in-the-air moment for Anastasia late in the book loses a lot of its punch, despite its perfect timing and supreme coolness, because of her lack of depth.

The book's main villain feels even less developed. There's a nifty aspect to him that gets slowly, deftly revealed over the course of the story. But it doesn't add enough nuance to a character who's basically a giant assemblage of really, really unfortunate stereotypes.

There are occasional clever jokes and sly, well-crafted descriptions -- Nick's a funny guy, and when he weaves humor into the story, it works well. But I also found a lot of the book's writing overwrought, packed with heavy-handed similes that thud across the page.

"Frightfully" also misses an opportunity to make Gayl and Mary's descent to the dark side more tragic than it already is. Like Anastasia and several other characters in the book, they don't have a lot of agency in that slide into evil; they're acted upon by an outside force that basically shoves them into the shadows because, well, the plot demands it. In fact, the whole book would never have happened if the characters behaved rationally. Multiple characters see tragic consequences from a mile off, worry about them, yet choose not to stop them -- indeed, to actively trigger them -- for no other reason than because there wouldn't be a novel if they did.

In short, "Frightfully" creates a fantastically imagined world that's just waiting for a more compelling story to be told within it. I'm eager to read more about the world of Grimm, Inc., and I hope Nick revisits it in future books. If you like urban fantasy, then on balance I'd say you'll enjoy "Frightfully Ever After." The book's low points don't seem any lower than those of the rest of the genre, while its high points are high enough to help it stand out positively from the crowd.

[Rob Slaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is often the case I received this book free for the purpose of review but despite that I'll be completely candid about it below.

The nutshell on this book is that it plays much like a cross between Breaking Bad and Cinderella. You've got drug deals, shoot-outs, lots of profanity, magic axes and Fairie Godmothers. It's not very often you get all that between two covers.

To the positive, I was fairly giddy at the concept and remained so throughout the book. While it would be a bit of a stretch to call this all that original, I will say that this is the first book I've seen in which this was done so well and with such blatant grit. As the book progresses the protagonists/antagonists evolve into pretty frightful badasses. DeWolf has a talent for action scenes and his descriptions leave just enough to the imagination to engage the reader in total interest. The writing is solid, reasonably well edited and leaves little to be desired.

To the negative, many of the characters are pretty stereotypical and don't enjoy fully proper development. This should, I think, be viewed as only a slight issue however, since the original genres from which the author draws aren't exactly known for their deep character development. Faerie tales cop shows deal primarily in archetypes rather than fully-fleshed characters because they're intended to teach a more generalized lesson that the reader can relate to by filling in the gaps with their own attributes.

In summary, this is a delightful and thoroughly entertaining book. I found myself wanting to know more about their history and what brought them to the various straits in which they find themselves. If the author has it within him, this milieu would make for a wonderful extended series that focuses on more details and fleshes out some of the gaps left in this narrative.

Video Review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAm0F...

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[Peter Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and suspenseful read. Nick DeWolf’s flair for description manages to seamlessly mesh fantasy and the modern world. Within a few pages you accept that fairies, goblins, giants and trolls are lurking about our lives, doing their ancient deeds. And the entwining of very different worlds makes for some funny moments: frumpy fairy godmothers performing drug deals with thugs; trolls forced to exist in a business-casual work environment. Through it all, DeWolf uses inventive description to bring it all to life. You even get a sense for the look and smell of troll blood, which “has the consistency and color of hickory barbecue sauce. Unfortunately, the smell isn’t nearly the same. Instead, it has the biting sting of too ripe onions, mixed with the burnt odor of smelted metals.” It all leads to a tense climax where the forces of light and darkness collide into a battle of epic proportions. Driving the vibrant characters and edge-of-your-seat action is a story about the how darkness can turn even the most innocent into frightening creatures. It is about temptation, transformation, and the fine line that separates a princess from a ghoul. And a word to the wise: don’t mess with fairy godmothers, unless you like your ass kicked in the most unusual of ways.

[Teresa Kander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely not your average fairy tale for children! It is more a combination of Disney and Stephen King--it has elements of fairy tales, but it also has drug dealers, shoot outs, sex, and lots of bloody violence.

As I've always been a fan of the original, dark tales told by the brothers Grimm, this was a book that was right up my alley. I'm not a fan of the profanity and the graphic violence (hence only 4 stars instead of 5), but the overall story was intriguing enough to keep me reading in spite of those drawbacks.

One of my favorite things about the characters is that the good guys and bad guys weren't easily discernible. Just like in real life, some people seem to be on one side in the beginning, and as the story evolves, their real character emerges.

I would love to see Grimm, Inc. become an ongoing book series so we could learn more about the various folks in the company!

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ARC was given to me for an honest review. As a rule this is not my kind of read but I had so much fun reading this book. It is a horror, mystery, thriller with a little romantic suspense thrown in, lol. It has all of the blood, murder, gore, and destruction that you could want in a read. And through all of that, there are humorous parts to this story. It shouldn't be funny you would think but it is funny as hell. Nick DeWolf wrote a thoroughly entertaining and interesting book. Enjoy I did.

[Katy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing retelling

So this is a fairy tale retelling, but I seriously loved it way more than the original! It was so much fun and full of drama! I loved the Saber character and Anastasia. The fairy godmother was hilarious and witty! The whole book was an intricate story within a story. I loved the attention to detail and all of the dark humor that the author incorporated! I hope to read more soon!!

[Dawn Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hang on! Your in for a wild ride!

What a great find! Love the different take on the classics! So much happens in the beginning that your turning the pages as fast as you can to see what happens next! Can’t wait to read more!

[Jessica Kernaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ IT!!!!!

I loves this book with all my heart. People should read it cause it's awesome. It has action and fantasy and mentions unicorns. So yeah.... READ it! =)

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars that I'm definitely rounding up because this book was just plain fun! I mean, look at me: enjoying the hell out of an urban fantasy story!

I've seen that some folks refer to 'Frightfully Ever After' as a 're-telling' of a classic fairy tale. I couldn't disagree more. For me, this story takes one of the all-time classics AS WE KNOW IT TODAY and returns it to its origins. No, this harkens back to the days when 'faerie tales' were intended as useful teaching methods about not running around in the woods and getting your little pre-Renaissance arses eaten by wolves or other baddies including the really hungry travellers that were game for anything with meat on it (ignoring for a moment the blatant racist aspects of a lot of these stories... seriously, look up the whole stereotype for witches some day). We mean it kids: lock your doors, don't stray from the path and be prepared to be replaced because your mom is pregnant for the 17th time in the past 5 years...

And DeWolf handles this very well (the story-line, not the pregnancy). Now 2/3's the way through his current play-list - noting the two books I've read couldn't be more dissimilar in plot if they tried - I can say that I quite enjoy his writing style. It's smooth-flowing and is very well put together in terms of the important 3A's - adverbs, adjectives and analogies (ok, they're probably metaphors or similes, but give me this one, okay?). In fact, it is just this aspect that I tend to dislike in many urban fantasy offers as they tend to get a bit gooey in terms of unicorns, rainbows and pretty girls saving everyone and pretty much just focus on totally unbelievable scenarios in major metropolis areas where thousands upon thousands of 'special' creatures live and breathe among us all the live long day which shouldn't surprise us at all because, duh, magic! Which brings up another really cool aspect of this story - we have no clue where it happens! A city (maybe?) in some country somewhere! None of this 'it's taking place in New York so yes we must have sewers, small apartments and disco' or even 'this is a story of London featuring even older sewers, the Tower of London and most likely a haunted royal property.' So, definitely, kudos for that!

No, this was very much NOT along these lines and though completely different in terms of plot, protagonists and - as far as we know - did not take place on a disc on the back of a bunch of space elephants standing on an even larger space turtle - FEA reminded me pleasantly of Sir Terry Pratchett's 'Witches Abroad' classic... that is, if you mess with the balance of good and bad in these "situations", do not be surprised to have your nose turned into a frog (don't ask about the rest of it). The flashbacks are spot on and (without spoilers) the descent into darkness of various characters is truly eerie if not qualifying outright for an official spooky label! Oh, that bad stuff tastes so GOOD! We also have to mention that the good guys are pretty darn good no matter how bad they smell and the bad guys are truly nasty on the outside and in (the latter of which we get to see in full gore-splattering glory)! Fee, go get me another coffee, that's an order!

If I had one pit to nick (stay with me), it would be that the conclusion - which is a breath-taking battle scene that I'd love to see converted to film some day (again, something I never say about fantasy books ever ever EVER) - just happens so fast-ish. I don't know how I would do it differently - you can't exactly end these things with a soliloquoy (sp?) while the baddie stumbles about regretting his or her sins - but by the time I breathlessly closed my Kindle Kopy, I just wished it had kept on going! Still, not a bad sign at all to end a book that way, huh?

Enjoy!

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Frightfully Ever After

Author: Nick DeWolf

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 2/5

Recommended For...: Horror fans, Urban Fantasy

Publication Date: June 4, 2015

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Recommended Age: 18+ (language, sex, guns, violence, gore)

Publisher: Fey Publishing

Pages: 256

Synopsis: "Do you know what the difference is between a fairy godmother and a witch?"

"What?"

"Not a goddamn thing."

Fairies and dragons are real, and live alongside giants, goblins and trolls. Fairy godmothers exist. The woodsman, that one from the story books? Yeah, he’s real too. They’re all out there, living in the world, right under your nose.

But they’re not alone. There’s another side to the coin. Witches are real. Monsters are real. Things that slither through shadows and bite at your skin are real.

The big bad wolf is very real.

And poor Anastasia – she was born with magical royal blood. She should have been a princess, but grew up under the thumb of a vicious crime boss. She’s lived a life of pain, fear, and violence. In a desperate attempt to get away, she will find herself surrounded by all those things she thought never existed.

Good, bad, and evil.

FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER is a slow burn urban fantasy with guns, horror, sex, and monsters. People get hurt. People get killed. People get eaten. And only the toughest get to live Happily Ever After.

Review: Another DNF unfortunately. I couldn’t get into this book for the longest and I’ve had it for about a year I think? It’s very slow for me and there’s too much adult material for me at the moment. It’s not my thing, but it does seem interesting.

Verdict: Not for me but might be for you!

[Lori (a_bookworm_and_her_books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER
Mini review:
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For as much as I hate writing a negative review, i also hate not giving my honest opinion on a book. So if you think you are about to read a negative review here , ...YOU NEED TO THINK AGAIN!!😀ha !! Gotcha !
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Friends, this book was GOOOOODDD! Nick Dewolf has a gift at storytelling, a way with words and, at times, he blew my mind away with them!HE is GOOD !!!! And do you know what I love the most??? It s taht he makes me enjoy a story with blood and violence which is something I d normally stay away from!😆
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FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER is quite unique, a blend of many and diverse elements together: evil, fairies, monsters, giants, trolls, drug delears, violence, blood, grit and guts (!! )Whilst combining elements of modern, and classic fairytales. A fairy tale strictly for adults!!!😅
It was such a good read and Nick s humor at me in stitches more than once!
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I loved villains never die, and although that still remains my favoutite by nick de wolf so far, i must say that frightfully ever after is a Damn good book. Perfect for lovers of revamped fairytales, horror and... blood!😅

[Elena Balibrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

El principio es espectacular pero desgraciadamente el libro se va apagando poco a poco conforme vas avanzando, hasta el punto en que quería que acabara para poder leer otra cosa.
Los diálogos de las dos hadas madrinas son geniales (al principio), poniendo una nota de humor que contrasta mucho con la situación y que es muy necesaria. Pero los pasajes que contaban la historia de cada una de las hadas madrinas me han aburrido y al final creo que no eran tan necesarias para la trama.
El tema de la luz y la oscuridad, aunque ingenioso, es confuso, quizás por la forma en que está narrado. Hay demasiadas comparaciones sin sentido. Esto ha hecho que el libro se me hiciera largo a ratos.
Final mejorable y no todo lo cerrado que me hubiera gustado.

The light made creatures who could live amongst one another, who could come together and gain strength. The darkness made creatures who lived only for themselves, who gained life and nourishment from other weaker creatures.

* Anastasia, Mary, Gayl, Sabre, Ash, Woods, Fee, Jacks.

[Amy Maddess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like "I Hate Fairyland" had a baby with "Shrek" (the film as a whole not the ogre, & only the first film) and they gave it away to be raised by the characters in "Disenchantment". I liked that this book was whimsical and I liked that it was dark. The humour used in this book was dry in a dark way and this made a nice juxtaposition against the juvenile setting and plot. Overall, it was a great set up and when I started reading, I felt as though it was right up my alley. I was excited.

Around 20%, this excitement dwindled. Not enough to DNF the book entirely, but enough to make me consider it. I don't really know how to explain it and I suck at reviews unless I spend four hours making them perfect but the plot just...didn't pull me in. The character development was minimal and I felt that they did not have much depth beyond their stereotypes. There were some surprises in plot that were redeeming, but a large majority was predictable. If this were shorter (there's a lot of unnecessary back story for characters that take up entire chapters...there's also late introductions to arbitrary characters), or perhaps in graphic novel format, I would 100% recommend, because the ideas are good and they are inspiring. However, as the full length novel that it is, I think it could use some editing.

I liked the fairy-god mothers, they were very funny and they had the most interesting character arcs. I also think that the names of all of the characters are a good choice. These things pulled my review up to about 3 or 3.5 stars.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frightfully Ever After is a quick, dark/low fantasy read. Subjectively speaking, I don't typically enjoy low fantasy, but I adore horror. Much of the fantastic horror I was expecting took place toward the end of the novel. The author utilizes a few literary tropes that I personally do not care for (IE: abuse and non-consent). Frightfully Ever After was quite crass throughout, but that comes down to personal preference. I quite enjoyed the development of Fee's character, as well as the twists and turns that Mary and Gayl took. Nick DeWolf shows immense passion and dedication to his craft simply by writing a novel to completion, and I look forward to reading additional works in the future.

Thank you, Nick, for your gift of Frightfully Ever After. It was a pleasure to read your work.

[Fay Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book so much!!!! Makes you forget about the real world immediately. You're greeted by fairies, goblins, and giants, they all make you feel part of the story. I couldn't put the book down! Has many great elements to the story and the characters are amazing as well.

[Melissa La · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great book! It started with lots of suspense and humor and got even better towards the end!
It had an unexpected twist that I loved.
It's well - written, especially the ending.

[Laura Guilbault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, captivating and hilarious!

DeWolf weaves humour into his brilliant take on bringing Fairy Tales into the modern world. His characters will make you laugh out loud. Brought to life by their vividness, each of their distinct personalities, and realistic dialogue, Frightfully Ever After's characters lure you into a dark world we know all too well, with lots of magic wrapped in.

I loved all the ideas, from the Grimm Inc., to Anastasia's daring character. You can't beat the characters in this book! Mary and Gayl especially; what a pair!

For fans of Cameron Jace and Christina Henry!

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Do you know what the difference is between a fairy godmother and a witch?”⁣
⁣
“I —“ Anastasia paused. ⁣
⁣
“Not a goddamn thing.”⁣
⁣
I’ve always loved a good fairytale. ⁣
But this book, it’s a fairytale with a dark twist. ⁣
The concept of the story is really cool and unexpected. ⁣
I was hooked on it and eager to know what comes next. ⁣
⁣
I love how the author cleverly combined modern and fantasy world with a little (bloody) fairy dust in Frightfully Ever After. ⁣
⁣
The only reason I didn’t give a full 5⭐️ is cause I thought the ending felt a little rushed, in terms of the action scenes. ⁣
Overall, it was such an enjoyable read. ⁣
Looking forward to his other books! ⁣
⁣
*I received this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are 100% mine. 🧡⁣

[Domoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The world can be a dark and scary place, especially when all the fairytales are true. Trolls, goblins, witches and princesses: all real. Fairy godmothers, and the Woodsman, and even the Big Bad Wolf are very real as Anastasia is about to learn. It is hard enough for a normal person to survive a world full of normal evils. How are they supposed to survive when what they thought was just fantasy is true? Luckily for Ana, she isn’t normal either.

Grimm Inc. is a modern day company that keeps fairytale creatures productive. The world is running out of princesses to save, so Gayle and Mary, two fairy godmothers who need to keep working, are assigned to help Anastasia. However, Woods (The Woodsman and big boss at Grimm Inc) and Fee (an actual fairy just doing his part to help the good fight) have some pretty big concerns.

Anastasia is a tough, street smart woman who has no problem using her sexuality to get her through sticky spots. She was essentially sold to Saber, a ruthless gang leader, to pay her parent’s debt. When Ana sees a chance to get away from Saber, she plans it out carefully. She will steal a huge shipment of drugs Saber is going to receive from the Turks and fence it herself. Then she will use the money to pay off Saber and make her escape before he realizes she paid him with his own money. Ana’s best laid plans are suddenly interrupted by the appearance of two little old ladies who insist they are there to help her get her dreams. When their interruption almost costs Ana everything, she has no choice but to let them help her. What none of them realize is the power that resides inside of Ana can make good men bad and bad men worse.

I very much enjoyed this book. It took twists and turns that I never expected it to take. I enjoy all manner of fairy tales and this was a unique take. Gayle and Mary were hilarious and then terrifying; I thought they would be my favorite part of the book and at many times they were. I actually did not much like Anastasia, however. I feel like the book has a kind of noir feeling to it, very much the gangster and the bombshell, but Ana was a bit too much of the trollop for me. So though the author wrote her as strong and fearless, her actions and behaviors often didn’t make sense to me.

The flashback scenes to Mary, Gayle and Wood’s pasts were fantastic and help the reader understand the evolution of the story to the present time. I wish there had been more scenes giving a glimpse inside of Grimm Inc. And I would love to know more about Fee’s backstory. Perhaps the author will write another book around this world.

This came very close to being a five star for me

[Slade Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You want honesty? Here goes:

You've never read a book like this.

I know that sounds like hyperbole, but it isn't. And here's why...

The book is equal parts fantasy, horror, and a crime story all wrapped up in one package. It's like if Elmore Leonard and Stephen King had collaborated and come up with the idea of crossing “Pulp Fiction” with the TV show “Once Upon a Time” (or the comic book FABLES, which is much, much better than that TV show).

It shouldn't work. It should an ungodly mess. It's like you threw a whole bunch of different foods and spices together, covered it in dough, baked it, and then cut into it and expected a greasy, failed experiment. But it became something good. Something exotic and tasty. You can't help yourself. You gorge yourself on it, juices dripping down your chin. You eat it all and then look around for more.

Look, some people like to write out the plot of the book in their reviews and list the main characters. I won't waste time with that. You can find that information by reading the synopsis of the book. What I will tell you is:

If you like your fantasy dosed with equal amounts of horror and crime fiction, then you will love this book. If you like complex characters with backstories, plot twists, a heroine to root for, a supporting cast that serves a function rather than simply acting as set dressing, formidable villains, action scenes that keep you riveted to your seat, and scenes of horror that have you going, “What the hell did I just read? Did she just eat that guy with her vagina?”...then you will love this book.

What else can I say? If you're not sold on reading this book by now, then you're just being a tourist. Your idea of a fantasy/horror/crime hybrid is probably some vampire PI series. Go back to reading that cliché pablum and leave books like this to the adults who want something they haven't seen a thousand times before. Something exotic and tasty.

[Ailyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frightfully Ever After was given to me for a fair review.

I was apprehensive at first, because this is not your normal fantasy rewrites, there are no indication of which characters chosen, except that the main character is not from any fairy tale stories. It is a relief, the originality of it.

There are two annoying characters: Mary and Gayl are fairy godmothers, bound to serve those with royal blood only. The story begins with a dark introduction, a war between Light and Dark, and how these two eventually end up in living things.

The story turns to Anastasia, a girl who has been kept by a vicious man called Sabre, who knew was using her. Slowly, the plot thickens as the characters' role spins out of hand, revealing the war that has been brewing underneath.

So, in a world where witches, goblins and all fairy tale creatures are real and alive, Anastasia has to accept the fact that she is special, but how special? Fortunately there are good people from Grimm Inc. who specializes in dealing with fantasy creatures, here to help a confused girl find her place in the world.

Frightfully Ever After has a subtle message that there is a battle inside everyone of us, and sometimes it is tempting and easier to give into the dark side, because it feels good to have power. In the end, even though it is a constant battle, people choose to be good despite the struggle, because to be good is to embrace the Light inside.

As the story weaves between a thriller and creepy action, Frightfully Ever After has humor, suspense and a lot fighting. This is a book that has something for everyone. Definitely worth recommending to fantasy buffs who are interested in reading about magical beings.

[Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Frightfully Ever After" by Nick DeWolf is kind of genre mix that this debut author manages to combine and skillfully incorporate into an interesting novel - showing a good potential for times that are ahead.

Therefore one should not be surprised seeing the usual motives of thriller, fantasy and gore horror in same story, and it may sound like an incredible experiment – believe me, it works!

DeWolf writes in simple and easy-to-read manner, avoiding at all times running into usual clichés these days mainstream books are full of, and by the time you come to the end it all somehow became part of author’s charm.

Therefore, though this is not a book you are going to buy for Father’s Day or as Mom’s birthday present, "Frightfully Ever After" is fun and unpretentious literature with interesting story that introduced could be recommended for readers willing to take a risk. I'm personally interested which way the talent for story telling is going to take Nick DeWolf…

I was given a copy of this book by the author for the purpose of unbiased review, while all the presented information is based on my impressions.