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Shards of a Broken Sword #1
Twelve Days of Faery
King Markon of Montalier is at the end of his tether. His son, Prince Parrin, is afflicted with a rather nasty curse that slaughters, maims, or brutally attacks any woman with whom he so much as flirts. After the rumour that sweeps around the kingdom, promising that any woman breaking the ‘curse’ will be eligible to marry the prince, there is no shortage of willing volunteers. Unfortunately, there is also no shortage of bodies piling up.
Markon needs to do something, but what? Can a visiting enchantress from Avernse help, or is she simply another accident waiting to happen? And will Markon be able to give her up to his son if she does break the curse?
Markon needs to do something, but what? Can a visiting enchantress from Avernse help, or is she simply another accident waiting to happen? And will Markon be able to give her up to his son if she does break the curse?
150 pages, ebook
First published October 30, 2015
62 people are currently reading
755 people want to read
About the author
W.R. Gingell
44 books1,082 followersW.R. Gingell is a Tasmanian author of urban fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, and madcap science fiction who doesn’t seem to be able to write a book without a body suddenly turning up. She solemnly swears that all such bodies are strictly fictional in nature.
W.R. spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I don't tend to friend anyone unless they're a personal friend or someone from my close author circle. I have a limited social battery which needs constant care. If you want to keep up with my reading/writing, you can absolutely follow me here or on pretty much any social media site.
W.R. spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I don't tend to friend anyone unless they're a personal friend or someone from my close author circle. I have a limited social battery which needs constant care. If you want to keep up with my reading/writing, you can absolutely follow me here or on pretty much any social media site.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
December 25, 2015
Actual Rating: 4.5
A fun, intriguing, puzzle-box of a story. Oh, I loved this read. First off, standing ovation for a story told from the male POV (King Markon, who is not young, dashing, and full of passion, but actually turns out to be older, able to dash quite fast upon demand, and both practical and passionate) that also stars an extremely clever, fast-thinking and capable young-ish woman (enchantress!) who really, really carries the story. Oh my goodness, I loved Althea. Talk about smart, spunky, and doesn't do random dumb things to forward the plot. She comes from a scarred past, but she's impressively resilient and I so, so want to read more about her. Sadly, although this is a series, it looks like each book features a different set of characters. However, since our characters do retrieve a shard of two of the broken sword which the series must take its name from, I hold out hope that at some point there will be a massive character reunion and I'll at least get to see Markon and Althea one last time.
Okay, sorry, I'll focus on the story itself. So, the love interests of Prince Parrin have been dropping like flies, and good old dad, King Markon, has spent the last two years trying to find someone or something that can break the curse on his son. With a cursed heir, the succession of the crown is in jeopardy. Also, he feels pretty bad for his son. And really awful about all the girls who've suffered because of him. Just as Markon is deciding to call it quits, declare another heir, and--well, he still doesn't want to wall Parrin off from the world--Althea shows up to break the curse. Markon does not precisely give her permission to make the attempt, but Althea goes right ahead and works her way into the thick of things before he knows what to expect. But everything she does, however risky, is a considered risk, and she typically has a trick up her sleeve to handle it. Markon finds himself tagging along as they track down the source of the magical "curse" which seems to have something to do with fae magic... But why would the fae be involved? Is it really the fae or someone who has a hold on them? And what would that hold be?
This story took so many twists and turns, even though I figure out the arch villains halfway through, the how and the why kept me guessing. I'll admit to wishing one of the baddies, a bit lower down on the totem pole but of great import, had had a bit more depth and intelligence to her. I tend to find the vehement, angry, self-serving villains not quite so persuasive. Then again, she was a tool for others, so I suppose that works. Depth and intelligence would not have made her a particularly good tool. Note also that this is somewhat light-hearted in the sense that, while dark stuff happens, this book is not filled with deep themes and emotional turmoil. It's fast, and fun, and I laughed out loud at least twice.
This is my first by Ms. Gingell, but I immediately pre-ordered the next book in the series when I finished it. How does this book not have more ratings and reviews? I can admit that I wasn't drawn in by the cover (nope) and the title made me wonder if this was a spin-off of a Christmas story (nope), but I have never been more glad that I actually read the blurb and then the sample. Go get this story now! You won't regret it.
Overall, a solid 4.5 stars.
A fun, intriguing, puzzle-box of a story. Oh, I loved this read. First off, standing ovation for a story told from the male POV (King Markon, who is not young, dashing, and full of passion, but actually turns out to be older, able to dash quite fast upon demand, and both practical and passionate) that also stars an extremely clever, fast-thinking and capable young-ish woman (enchantress!) who really, really carries the story. Oh my goodness, I loved Althea. Talk about smart, spunky, and doesn't do random dumb things to forward the plot. She comes from a scarred past, but she's impressively resilient and I so, so want to read more about her. Sadly, although this is a series, it looks like each book features a different set of characters. However, since our characters do retrieve a shard of two of the broken sword which the series must take its name from, I hold out hope that at some point there will be a massive character reunion and I'll at least get to see Markon and Althea one last time.
Okay, sorry, I'll focus on the story itself. So, the love interests of Prince Parrin have been dropping like flies, and good old dad, King Markon, has spent the last two years trying to find someone or something that can break the curse on his son. With a cursed heir, the succession of the crown is in jeopardy. Also, he feels pretty bad for his son. And really awful about all the girls who've suffered because of him. Just as Markon is deciding to call it quits, declare another heir, and--well, he still doesn't want to wall Parrin off from the world--Althea shows up to break the curse. Markon does not precisely give her permission to make the attempt, but Althea goes right ahead and works her way into the thick of things before he knows what to expect. But everything she does, however risky, is a considered risk, and she typically has a trick up her sleeve to handle it. Markon finds himself tagging along as they track down the source of the magical "curse" which seems to have something to do with fae magic... But why would the fae be involved? Is it really the fae or someone who has a hold on them? And what would that hold be?
This story took so many twists and turns, even though I figure out the arch villains halfway through, the how and the why kept me guessing. I'll admit to wishing one of the baddies, a bit lower down on the totem pole but of great import, had had a bit more depth and intelligence to her. I tend to find the vehement, angry, self-serving villains not quite so persuasive. Then again, she was a tool for others, so I suppose that works. Depth and intelligence would not have made her a particularly good tool. Note also that this is somewhat light-hearted in the sense that, while dark stuff happens, this book is not filled with deep themes and emotional turmoil. It's fast, and fun, and I laughed out loud at least twice.
This is my first by Ms. Gingell, but I immediately pre-ordered the next book in the series when I finished it. How does this book not have more ratings and reviews? I can admit that I wasn't drawn in by the cover (nope) and the title made me wonder if this was a spin-off of a Christmas story (nope), but I have never been more glad that I actually read the blurb and then the sample. Go get this story now! You won't regret it.
Overall, a solid 4.5 stars.
Read
March 18, 2017What a thoroughly fun story!
We have a fairy tale secondary world, with Doors appearing from Faerie, not a great thing for humans: as the mysterious mage Althea says to Markon, the king whose son and heir keeps losing fiancees to a horrible curse, the Seelie will off humans with a smile, and the Unseelie with a wink.
But if they are going to solve this mystery--and get Althea positioned for the future, something hinted at in the curious contract she signs with Markon--they're going to have to venture into Faerie, with all its dangers. And Faerie is just as wondrous and perilous as it ought to be.
This is a short, quick-paced tale that can be read over a couple of tea breaks. If it had been longer, perhaps the villain would have been more interesting, and Althea a bit less one-note mysteriously competent, but those are very small quibbles. (Even smaller, a couple of grammar oopses.) Overall, it was a fun, vivid story, making me want to read more by this author.
We have a fairy tale secondary world, with Doors appearing from Faerie, not a great thing for humans: as the mysterious mage Althea says to Markon, the king whose son and heir keeps losing fiancees to a horrible curse, the Seelie will off humans with a smile, and the Unseelie with a wink.
But if they are going to solve this mystery--and get Althea positioned for the future, something hinted at in the curious contract she signs with Markon--they're going to have to venture into Faerie, with all its dangers. And Faerie is just as wondrous and perilous as it ought to be.
This is a short, quick-paced tale that can be read over a couple of tea breaks. If it had been longer, perhaps the villain would have been more interesting, and Althea a bit less one-note mysteriously competent, but those are very small quibbles. (Even smaller, a couple of grammar oopses.) Overall, it was a fun, vivid story, making me want to read more by this author.
January 17, 2017
On my 2nd read I still really enjoyed it. Made me grab my other favourite of hers, Spindle, and am now reading that. Might reread Wolfskin after that. She has a voice of her own and I like her world and characters.
This book can be read standalone, as the protagonists of the other books in the series switch over. The shards of the sword being the thread that binds the story. There'll be a single volume edition at the end of Januar 2017 so I'll get that and see what happens (it includes a short story with Carmine, how could I resist after this book).
ETA: I now remember how I came across this - it was suggested in the Goodreads side panel and then I clicked on the link as I quite liked the cover design, and looked at reviews, and there was a very good one by Intisar Khanani, whose books I have enjoyed, as well. It is quite detailed but I don't mind getting a lot of info usually, because the way through the book is the actual reward of reading it, not the bones of a summary.
This book can be read standalone, as the protagonists of the other books in the series switch over. The shards of the sword being the thread that binds the story. There'll be a single volume edition at the end of Januar 2017 so I'll get that and see what happens (it includes a short story with Carmine, how could I resist after this book).
ETA: I now remember how I came across this - it was suggested in the Goodreads side panel and then I clicked on the link as I quite liked the cover design, and looked at reviews, and there was a very good one by Intisar Khanani, whose books I have enjoyed, as well. It is quite detailed but I don't mind getting a lot of info usually, because the way through the book is the actual reward of reading it, not the bones of a summary.
October 1, 2017
1st impression: I liked the title and the cover so they both dragged me in. I am ready for cuteness and faeries!
[Edit: 9-30-17]
•Cute moments every-so-often.
•Unique fairy plot. Who doesn't like a 'good' murder? Though, it did get a little boring for me (remember I am one person, so you or another may like it more), it was mainly because the only large plot I could find was centered around the murder and there wasn't much tension anywhere else to me.
•Definitely a lot of characters (which can lead to/be a fun and more complex plot), but I wasn't able to care for each character.
Though, I did like the main 2 characters somewhat. They were interesting and nice to read about.
3/5 enjoyably light stars.
[Edit: 9-30-17]
•Cute moments every-so-often.
•Unique fairy plot. Who doesn't like a 'good' murder? Though, it did get a little boring for me (remember I am one person, so you or another may like it more), it was mainly because the only large plot I could find was centered around the murder and there wasn't much tension anywhere else to me.
•Definitely a lot of characters (which can lead to/be a fun and more complex plot), but I wasn't able to care for each character.
Though, I did like the main 2 characters somewhat. They were interesting and nice to read about.
3/5 enjoyably light stars.
Read
February 2, 2017A very readable story, and plays thoroughly into my appreciation of competent female mages. Althea is very enjoyable (except, perhaps, for a little too much blushing).
Markon was a nice, honourable king, but what I call 'plot blind'. There are so many things that he failed to notice or realise and so (while the man was not by any means incompetent) I was frequently exasperated with him. I did think we would have benefited from more time spent with the culprit before the denouement, but did appreciate the inevitable fate of villains who tangle with Faerie.
Still, a solid, short read. Will probably continue with the series. Many thanks to Estara for the gift.
Markon was a nice, honourable king, but what I call 'plot blind'. There are so many things that he failed to notice or realise and so (while the man was not by any means incompetent) I was frequently exasperated with him. I did think we would have benefited from more time spent with the culprit before the denouement, but did appreciate the inevitable fate of villains who tangle with Faerie.
Still, a solid, short read. Will probably continue with the series. Many thanks to Estara for the gift.
July 2, 2021
Re-reading preparatory to (finally) finishing the series. Wendee is so clever, and her imagery is wonderful.
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A bit of mystery, a bit of humour, a bit of romance, and a lot of fun.
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A bit of mystery, a bit of humour, a bit of romance, and a lot of fun.
June 22, 2016
3.5 stars!
February 7, 2024
The King is rather irritated that any women his son shows interest in are cursed and end up dead, badly injured or go missing. The lack of a betrothed for his son would mean no heir and therefore the end of his royal line.
In desperation he agrees to an enchantress seeing if she can break the curse and here is where the adventure starts.
A very gentle short story, I enjoyed it nonetheless.
What I like;
- the main character being male is quite unusual for fantasy and having the story written from his POV was refreshing
- He is in his forties, a nice change from all these late teen/early twenties characters that we are supposed to believe have such vast knowledge and old heads on their shoulders in many fantasy books
- The romance is gentle and very much in the background
- There is no in your face world building, or downloading of huge amounts of explanatory information, the story is told simply and so is easy to follow
- Some of the humour that was included lifted the story
What I found offputting;
- occasionally the writing style felt a bit stiff or formal
- There were quite a few typos and grammatical errors that took you out of the story, as sometimes you had to re-read a sentence to understand what it SHOULD have said
- The other side of the coin to no massive amounts of world building is that sometimes you didn’t know what was happening or why and just had to let the story pull you along (which it did), trusting you would get to where you needed to be eventually (you did)
- I wanted to know more about Carmine! He (and his past with Althea) seemed intriguing…
Overall giving it a 3, as I did enjoy it but wouldn’t re-read it… however am going to read the next one in the series.
In desperation he agrees to an enchantress seeing if she can break the curse and here is where the adventure starts.
A very gentle short story, I enjoyed it nonetheless.
What I like;
- the main character being male is quite unusual for fantasy and having the story written from his POV was refreshing
- He is in his forties, a nice change from all these late teen/early twenties characters that we are supposed to believe have such vast knowledge and old heads on their shoulders in many fantasy books
- The romance is gentle and very much in the background
- There is no in your face world building, or downloading of huge amounts of explanatory information, the story is told simply and so is easy to follow
- Some of the humour that was included lifted the story
What I found offputting;
- occasionally the writing style felt a bit stiff or formal
- There were quite a few typos and grammatical errors that took you out of the story, as sometimes you had to re-read a sentence to understand what it SHOULD have said
- The other side of the coin to no massive amounts of world building is that sometimes you didn’t know what was happening or why and just had to let the story pull you along (which it did), trusting you would get to where you needed to be eventually (you did)
- I wanted to know more about Carmine! He (and his past with Althea) seemed intriguing…
Overall giving it a 3, as I did enjoy it but wouldn’t re-read it… however am going to read the next one in the series.
March 7, 2020
I liked this even more than Spindle (my first W.R. Gingell book)! This novella is definitely romantic fantasy (a sideways fairy tale) adventure á la Georgette Heyer, and it's utterly adorable. It's told from the PoV of a very sweet, harried and deeply principled king in his early 40s, and the enchantress he hires to break his son's curse is just a FABULOUS heroine. It's so much fun to watch the two of them race around Faerie together, falling in love along the way, and the ending is perfect.
March 3, 2024
King Markon has a problem. Every girl his son, Prince Parrin, seemed to be interested in – a fiancé or a sweetheart or simply a ballroom flirt – has met an unfortunate accident. Some died. Others disappeared or ended up maimed. Nasty magic is obviously at work, and the poor prince is now reluctant even to smile at anyone, lest she suffers. Royal succession is in jeopardy. The king needs help to find out what is going on and remove the vicious curse.
Enchantress Althea offers her services. If she succeeds, she would be named queen. But first, she must survive the curse and find the perpetrator.
This novella was a fast and sweet read, an original fairy tale with a murder mystery slant and two charming protagonists. Althea is an unusual sorceress, and Markon is definitely not your standard king. The politics and court intrigues certainly exist in this world, but they linger on the periphery of the story, not pertinent to the plot.
Magic is rampant, the mysterious villain appears dangerously all-knowing, and the faeries are obnoxious or downright evil. While the two heroes are searching for clues to the culprit’s secret identity, their adventures in Fairyland would satisfy any thrill seeker.
The only blot on this enchanting tale was the ending. It rather disappointed. Otherwise – delicious.
Enchantress Althea offers her services. If she succeeds, she would be named queen. But first, she must survive the curse and find the perpetrator.
This novella was a fast and sweet read, an original fairy tale with a murder mystery slant and two charming protagonists. Althea is an unusual sorceress, and Markon is definitely not your standard king. The politics and court intrigues certainly exist in this world, but they linger on the periphery of the story, not pertinent to the plot.
Magic is rampant, the mysterious villain appears dangerously all-knowing, and the faeries are obnoxious or downright evil. While the two heroes are searching for clues to the culprit’s secret identity, their adventures in Fairyland would satisfy any thrill seeker.
The only blot on this enchanting tale was the ending. It rather disappointed. Otherwise – delicious.
February 6, 2017
Honestly delightful in an irreverent, slightly absurd, but purposeful way. I love that the POV is slightly off from what you would expect for a fairytale, that what Markon thinks of himself and what we're shown don't align in a charming way, that Althea runs circles around everyone without even batting an eyelash, that the hero/heroine are mature (Markon in his mid forties at least) and that the whole thing is written in a witty, engaging voice.
My only complaints are that I'm never pleased with the whole scorned woman turns villainous trope and some of the challenges were overcome a bit too easily. Though, to be fair, they weren't meant to be the focus of the book anyhow.
What can I say, I finished the book and immediately looked for more Gingell stories.
My only complaints are that I'm never pleased with the whole scorned woman turns villainous trope and some of the challenges were overcome a bit too easily. Though, to be fair, they weren't meant to be the focus of the book anyhow.
What can I say, I finished the book and immediately looked for more Gingell stories.
February 9, 2019
This is a fun novella, not quite on the level of the Two Monarchies books but still a very enjoyable read. I liked the twist on the cursed royalty, and the characters were pleasant. Plus, it's a mystery, and I love a good mystery. I will note that Gingell seems to have a thing for couples with a large age gap, but I won't hold that against her.
Plus, there's Fae. I'm always down for Fae.
Plus, there's Fae. I'm always down for Fae.
February 23, 2016
4.5 stars
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I really enjoyed this short novel, so much that it set me off on a (very worthwhile) W.R. Gingell reading binge. She writes wonderfully readable, interesting prose; good sturdy stuff that makes it darned hard to put-the-story-down-and-get-to-sleep-cuz-it's-3am-already!
Gingell has created a fascinating world where, amongst other things, magic is a routine matter, practiced by some people but not all, and generally taken for granted in the same way we viewed early technology. She's included a Fae population, usually dangerous and truly non-human in motivation as well as action, instead of the too-often found tarted-up human-like beings who exist merely to further the hero's journey (yes I'm pointing at Tolkien even though I adore his works - way to ignore the Unseelie, JRRT!). Anyway ...
The nifty sort-of-18th-century world we find in Twelve Days is the setting for several of her writings. Here she's telling the story from the POV of a middle-aged king who's behind in his paperwork and dealing with annoying political scut-work while trying to keep his kingdom prosperous and on good terms with the neighboring countries. This is King Markon, who works hard at his job, is a trifle harried and getting a bit of a bald spot. His only child and heir Prince Parrin gives every evidence of having been the victim of a particularly cunning and unpleasant curse setting the scene for the entry of youthful, clever, efficient enchantress Althea who wants a shot at lifting the curse, and we're off to the meat of the tale.
Twelve Days features tweaked western fantasy tropes along with plot twistings and turnings, adding enjoyable characterizations and an interesting plot line to Gingell's fun-to-read writing style. The only thing that kept this from 5 stars was that it was easy to see where the story was going, but even with that it was a terrifically fun read that I'll probably re-read fairly soon.
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I really enjoyed this short novel, so much that it set me off on a (very worthwhile) W.R. Gingell reading binge. She writes wonderfully readable, interesting prose; good sturdy stuff that makes it darned hard to put-the-story-down-and-get-to-sleep-cuz-it's-3am-already!
Gingell has created a fascinating world where, amongst other things, magic is a routine matter, practiced by some people but not all, and generally taken for granted in the same way we viewed early technology. She's included a Fae population, usually dangerous and truly non-human in motivation as well as action, instead of the too-often found tarted-up human-like beings who exist merely to further the hero's journey (yes I'm pointing at Tolkien even though I adore his works - way to ignore the Unseelie, JRRT!). Anyway ...
The nifty sort-of-18th-century world we find in Twelve Days is the setting for several of her writings. Here she's telling the story from the POV of a middle-aged king who's behind in his paperwork and dealing with annoying political scut-work while trying to keep his kingdom prosperous and on good terms with the neighboring countries. This is King Markon, who works hard at his job, is a trifle harried and getting a bit of a bald spot. His only child and heir Prince Parrin gives every evidence of having been the victim of a particularly cunning and unpleasant curse setting the scene for the entry of youthful, clever, efficient enchantress Althea who wants a shot at lifting the curse, and we're off to the meat of the tale.
Twelve Days features tweaked western fantasy tropes along with plot twistings and turnings, adding enjoyable characterizations and an interesting plot line to Gingell's fun-to-read writing style. The only thing that kept this from 5 stars was that it was easy to see where the story was going, but even with that it was a terrifically fun read that I'll probably re-read fairly soon.
September 14, 2016
I loved this book and not just because the author spells “faery” the same way as me. I lost count of how many times I busted out laughing because of the snark and sarcasm. Markon is a wonderful narrator who manages to be both sympathetic and entertaining. It was wonderful to have a fresh slant to the “cursed prince” archetype and the author made it amazingly new. Things like the repeated pie-related proverbs were particularly funny.
The plot:
I read this in two sittings with one brief break for lunch. In case you hadn’t guessed, I was hooked. A clean, fun slant to fairytale retellings, the story sweeps you along like an undercurrent. I was impressed with the degree and skill of the character development the author wove in during the (implied) timeline of only twelve days.
The characters:
Oh, Markon was adorable. Despite being king, he gets flustered and indignant (mostly internally). When he tries to be flirty, there’s this sweetness and boyishness to it that earns all the <3 ‘s. He is a little jaded and a little cynical, but who wouldn’t be, considering his circumstances? His interactions with his son were precious and the mentions of his past war feats and the woes of his reign helped remind us that he’s been through a great deal.
Althea was an equally anomalous portrayal of the “great enchantress” archetype. Dressing more like a school ma’am than a sorceress, she is nonetheless powerful, strong-willed, and independent. I truly appreciated her portrayal and how the author managed to embrace the feminine aspects of her character.
Most of the other characters come and go, but I mostly enjoyed them as well. The depictions of the fae as being neither benevolent or necessarily evil reminds me more of the original mythology.
Cloistered in my dorm room, I enjoyed this immensely and have already downloaded the next book. I cannot wait to see where the story goes!
The plot:
I read this in two sittings with one brief break for lunch. In case you hadn’t guessed, I was hooked. A clean, fun slant to fairytale retellings, the story sweeps you along like an undercurrent. I was impressed with the degree and skill of the character development the author wove in during the (implied) timeline of only twelve days.
The characters:
Oh, Markon was adorable. Despite being king, he gets flustered and indignant (mostly internally). When he tries to be flirty, there’s this sweetness and boyishness to it that earns all the <3 ‘s. He is a little jaded and a little cynical, but who wouldn’t be, considering his circumstances? His interactions with his son were precious and the mentions of his past war feats and the woes of his reign helped remind us that he’s been through a great deal.
Althea was an equally anomalous portrayal of the “great enchantress” archetype. Dressing more like a school ma’am than a sorceress, she is nonetheless powerful, strong-willed, and independent. I truly appreciated her portrayal and how the author managed to embrace the feminine aspects of her character.
Most of the other characters come and go, but I mostly enjoyed them as well. The depictions of the fae as being neither benevolent or necessarily evil reminds me more of the original mythology.
Cloistered in my dorm room, I enjoyed this immensely and have already downloaded the next book. I cannot wait to see where the story goes!
January 21, 2021
This book was just so...cute! And fun.
I think if I had started Gingell with this book instead of Monarchies Sequence 1 or City Between I would have grafted on to her style better. XD The pacing is a bit speedy and the writing is a bit clearer, or it might be for me since I managed to predict the plot points early on (though I will embarassingly admit I forgot the villain's name until they were introduced again. Oops....). The characters are just SO much fun and well-personalized, with pasts and backstories of their own that aren't too much expounded upon (so they don't take over the plot) but are given ample time to have the effect they need. And honestly, I loved the worldbuilding style here...with the realm of Faery and the knigdoms (rather neat to see how Gingell incorporated inter-kingdom relations without it clouding the main storyline) and the development of the realtionship felt natural despite it only being twelve days.
ALSO. I /love/ how the main character was a widower (I think he's a widower? I mean, I assumed he either married and his wife died or something, as he has a son - maybe I missed that part) and found love again. There is a bit of an age gap in the romance but I didn't find it creepy at all since the heroine was so...conniving in certain ways. ;) If I have any complaints, it's just that I sometimes thought parts of the writing could use a bit more detail? The villains did seem a bit underdeveloped. But it's fine...I just honestly liked this book. And the MC's "tired dad"/"exasperated/overstressed king" energy was beautiful.
Content: Uh...there's a bit of violence (the curses do take on violent forms) and there is kissing.
I think if I had started Gingell with this book instead of Monarchies Sequence 1 or City Between I would have grafted on to her style better. XD The pacing is a bit speedy and the writing is a bit clearer, or it might be for me since I managed to predict the plot points early on (though I will embarassingly admit I forgot the villain's name until they were introduced again. Oops....). The characters are just SO much fun and well-personalized, with pasts and backstories of their own that aren't too much expounded upon (so they don't take over the plot) but are given ample time to have the effect they need. And honestly, I loved the worldbuilding style here...with the realm of Faery and the knigdoms (rather neat to see how Gingell incorporated inter-kingdom relations without it clouding the main storyline) and the development of the realtionship felt natural despite it only being twelve days.
ALSO. I /love/ how the main character was a widower (I think he's a widower? I mean, I assumed he either married and his wife died or something, as he has a son - maybe I missed that part) and found love again. There is a bit of an age gap in the romance but I didn't find it creepy at all since the heroine was so...conniving in certain ways. ;) If I have any complaints, it's just that I sometimes thought parts of the writing could use a bit more detail? The villains did seem a bit underdeveloped. But it's fine...I just honestly liked this book. And the MC's "tired dad"/"exasperated/overstressed king" energy was beautiful.
Content: Uh...there's a bit of violence (the curses do take on violent forms) and there is kissing.
March 22, 2020
truly delightful and highly recommnend it
March 21, 2019
This was cleverly written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot was fun and the characters were witty Mary Sues. You never doubted they'd succeed and any problems were solved with a MacGyver kind of ingenuity. I believe I snagged it as a Kindle Freebie and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.
October 27, 2016
I adore everything I have read by W.R. Gingell and this is no exception.
April 8, 2017
I enjoyed reading this fun book written in a light, almost playful style despite the terrible things that keep happening to the girlfriends/fiances/casual female acquaintances of the heir apparent to the throne of Montalier. Althea, an enchantress, comes along, a practical level headed lady who doesn't do dumb, random stuff (unlike some characters I've read about who do dumb, random stuff, usually only because the author told them to) and who moves the plot forward with her intelligence, wit, and spunk. And of course, she wants to help do what she can to undo the "curse". What follows is a very entertaining, and unexpected tale which I found very enjoyable. I highly recommend this entertaining and well-written book!
February 22, 2023
I meant to save these, but I needed a comfort read, and W. R. Gingell has become that for me…even if it’s one of her books I’ve never read before. Helen MacInnes is that way too, why I don’t know. (And don’t @ me, I know I have a weird definition of “comforting.”)
Markon as MC is wonderful. A quiet soul, a principled king, and such a very tired dad…I love him. He’s so…well-adjusted. Gingell can write characters who are so ordinary-yet-extraordinary, and that’s one of my favorite fictional things. Her creativity is also just astonishing and delightful, and her stories feed my very particular appetite for story-ingredients, and she never overdoes the pathos but it’s there and she’s honestly hilarious and I just love her work, okay?
Markon as MC is wonderful. A quiet soul, a principled king, and such a very tired dad…I love him. He’s so…well-adjusted. Gingell can write characters who are so ordinary-yet-extraordinary, and that’s one of my favorite fictional things. Her creativity is also just astonishing and delightful, and her stories feed my very particular appetite for story-ingredients, and she never overdoes the pathos but it’s there and she’s honestly hilarious and I just love her work, okay?
January 12, 2019
I must admit that it was surprisingly engaging for me. It wasn't the best fae book out there, but I did like the world Gingell had come up with. Yes, there were some parts I wish that had been explained in more detail or given more background information about, but overall it was an enjoyable reading experience for me and I didn't spot any glaring mistakes.
Would I recommend this book? I'd lean more towards yes than no. It was enjoyable but it wasn't memorable and I don't think I will remember much about it in some time.
Would I recommend this book? I'd lean more towards yes than no. It was enjoyable but it wasn't memorable and I don't think I will remember much about it in some time.
April 2, 2020
More like 2.5 stars but difficult to rate this. Interesting story and plot, no real objections to it, but it somehow just felt totally "lifeless" to me, the characters never felt real, the universe village like almost.
September 16, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable read with great characterisation. Some proofreading is needed but only for a few small tweaks.
September 3, 2016
This was delightful! A fun fairytale -esque fantasy with excellent pacing, a great story, and fantastic characters. I loved Markon- it was so refreshing to have such a wonderfully pragmatic and mature protagonist and his dynamic with Althea was just perfect. Althea! What a great character! Every scene she's in gets instantly more fun and keeping the story in Markon's POV kept her even more mysterious and unpredictable. .
May 4, 2016
Madcap. That's the first word that comes to mind with this story. Zany and fast paced and oh so fun.
The story is told from the POV of a non-traditional hero (only in sofar that he's a bit older and more mature than your average hero). It's different and works perfectly. There's mystery and a lot of magical adventure. Basically all of the things that make Gingell one of my new favorite authors. Her mind works in such a special way, and I love it!
The story is told from the POV of a non-traditional hero (only in sofar that he's a bit older and more mature than your average hero). It's different and works perfectly. There's mystery and a lot of magical adventure. Basically all of the things that make Gingell one of my new favorite authors. Her mind works in such a special way, and I love it!
October 11, 2023
Lots of fun! Good adventure, tongue in cheek, interesting new fae world and cute romance
November 12, 2021
Loved it! Somehow Goodreads was missing the audio book. Hoping to see this as an edition choice after I've just added.
March 24, 2018
My second review of a book by W.R. Gingell. It’s a fast-paced crime mystery with a romantic subplot, but there’s more adventure in it than solving a puzzle. POV is a third-person limited of a king whose son can’t marry because the worst things happen to whoever gets close enough to his heart. “Close enough” varies from engagement to a flirtatious smile. Rumor says it’s a curse and anyone who breaks it will be married to the prince. Althea, an enchantress who arrives to investigate, immediately discovers that it’s not a curse at all and someone from the castle is involved. The king immediately falls for Althea. A murder immediately happens in the castle. The prince… doesn’t really have to do anything. Really. He’s fine.
The romance plotline is pretty obvious but not an insta. That’s more or less all I have to say about it. The chance that things won’t quite work out was small. I still rooted for the couple.
Mystery: Twelve Days Of Faery is not a story where you put the pieces together in a picture one-by-one. You get a few pieces here and there but the picture will only be revealed at the very end when the characters tell you how to place them. I don’t think one kind of mystery is worse than the other. What did disappoint me, though, was the resolution. The culprit’s motives were flat and the resolution itself a deus-ex-machina. The latter might be a worldbuilding problem, I’ll get back to it later. The former, though, guarantees an oversimplified villain and this is how I felt in the end.
The king is neither very observant nor very active. Does he still qualify for a job as a protagonist? Yes, because he’s always together with the enchantress and doesn’t constitute an independent entity. They’re like one whole protagonist. I’m exaggerating, of course. But think of all the mysteries where the sidekick tells the story. In Twelve Days Of Faery the king is this Hastings/Watson/Goodwin. His perspective doesn’t let the reader understand too much but allows for more wonder before the adventure comes to its conclusion. It's also more forgiving: since he’s not the “real” investigator, we’re less likely to get mad because he didn’t notice the things that we did. That said, he’s not dumb and worked well in tandem with Althea. For a significant part of the book, there wasn’t much he could do because most things weren’t happening on his own ground, but when he had to act, he played his part well.
Althea was a lovely character. Her backstory is a big deal and I didn’t quite like that we got 90% of it in one scene. On the other hand, the timing was right so why complain? She is very good at what she does but still makes mistakes. So human, isn’t it? Overall Gingell created a no-nonsense survivalist character and made her adorable.
Worldbuilding: First and foremost, top work with the fae lore. Also top work with including political background without info-dumps. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the ending, where everything was supposed to become clear. There was too much new, too many things turned out possible at the exact moment when they were life-savers. I wish they were introduced earlier because it was crowded enough and they took away from my attention and the intensity of the scene.
Overall the story was fun to read. It’s light, written in a nice language, and doesn’t ever get boring. I wasn’t fully invested and I think the problems with villains and the resolution are serious problems for a mystery, but the strengths are worth the time spent with it.
The romance plotline is pretty obvious but not an insta. That’s more or less all I have to say about it. The chance that things won’t quite work out was small. I still rooted for the couple.
Mystery: Twelve Days Of Faery is not a story where you put the pieces together in a picture one-by-one. You get a few pieces here and there but the picture will only be revealed at the very end when the characters tell you how to place them. I don’t think one kind of mystery is worse than the other. What did disappoint me, though, was the resolution. The culprit’s motives were flat and the resolution itself a deus-ex-machina. The latter might be a worldbuilding problem, I’ll get back to it later. The former, though, guarantees an oversimplified villain and this is how I felt in the end.
The king is neither very observant nor very active. Does he still qualify for a job as a protagonist? Yes, because he’s always together with the enchantress and doesn’t constitute an independent entity. They’re like one whole protagonist. I’m exaggerating, of course. But think of all the mysteries where the sidekick tells the story. In Twelve Days Of Faery the king is this Hastings/Watson/Goodwin. His perspective doesn’t let the reader understand too much but allows for more wonder before the adventure comes to its conclusion. It's also more forgiving: since he’s not the “real” investigator, we’re less likely to get mad because he didn’t notice the things that we did. That said, he’s not dumb and worked well in tandem with Althea. For a significant part of the book, there wasn’t much he could do because most things weren’t happening on his own ground, but when he had to act, he played his part well.
Althea was a lovely character. Her backstory is a big deal and I didn’t quite like that we got 90% of it in one scene. On the other hand, the timing was right so why complain? She is very good at what she does but still makes mistakes. So human, isn’t it? Overall Gingell created a no-nonsense survivalist character and made her adorable.
Worldbuilding: First and foremost, top work with the fae lore. Also top work with including political background without info-dumps. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the ending, where everything was supposed to become clear. There was too much new, too many things turned out possible at the exact moment when they were life-savers. I wish they were introduced earlier because it was crowded enough and they took away from my attention and the intensity of the scene.
Overall the story was fun to read. It’s light, written in a nice language, and doesn’t ever get boring. I wasn’t fully invested and I think the problems with villains and the resolution are serious problems for a mystery, but the strengths are worth the time spent with it.
December 8, 2021
A kingdom in peril from a curse and the lure of marriage to royalty for the woman who breaks it awaits in W. R. Gingell’s Twelve Days of Faery.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Frustrated by what appears to be a curse bringing harm, sometimes deadly, to the women that his son Prince Parrin entertains as a possible romantic prospect, King Markon is willing to try practically anything to bring it to an end. With a rumor circulating that anyone who is capable of breaking the curse will be able to marry the prince, there’s no shortage of people volunteering their skills to the service of the kingdom, but many of their bodies add to the count of those harmed. An enchantress, Althea, from another land arrives and contracts with Markon to break the curse, confident in her abilities; her investigation uncovers some fae magic, leading to the first real progress in solving the matter, but will Markon be willing to part with her when his son has been freed from the magic’s hold?
An entertaining and quickly progressing story, the relatively light narrative makes use of more traditional and familiar fairy tale elements and molds them into something a touch more novel to better serve the tale’s purpose. While there were two worlds explored, that of Faery and the one humans reside in, the intersection was intriguing to see play out but the development of Faery felt a bit too rushed to be deeply satisfying – there seem to be many varieties of fae, which were only cursorily explored within brief moments – and the antagonists were rather predictable despite the twists offered to throw suspicion elsewhere as there wasn’t too much development given to them to create a gratifying complexity to the story. The agency that Althea assumes and exhibits is refreshing as the men in the kingdom rely upon her skills with and knowledge of magic to save them from the events they’re suffering, plus her cleverness helped to add humorous moments to the magical adventure undertaken.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Frustrated by what appears to be a curse bringing harm, sometimes deadly, to the women that his son Prince Parrin entertains as a possible romantic prospect, King Markon is willing to try practically anything to bring it to an end. With a rumor circulating that anyone who is capable of breaking the curse will be able to marry the prince, there’s no shortage of people volunteering their skills to the service of the kingdom, but many of their bodies add to the count of those harmed. An enchantress, Althea, from another land arrives and contracts with Markon to break the curse, confident in her abilities; her investigation uncovers some fae magic, leading to the first real progress in solving the matter, but will Markon be willing to part with her when his son has been freed from the magic’s hold?
An entertaining and quickly progressing story, the relatively light narrative makes use of more traditional and familiar fairy tale elements and molds them into something a touch more novel to better serve the tale’s purpose. While there were two worlds explored, that of Faery and the one humans reside in, the intersection was intriguing to see play out but the development of Faery felt a bit too rushed to be deeply satisfying – there seem to be many varieties of fae, which were only cursorily explored within brief moments – and the antagonists were rather predictable despite the twists offered to throw suspicion elsewhere as there wasn’t too much development given to them to create a gratifying complexity to the story. The agency that Althea assumes and exhibits is refreshing as the men in the kingdom rely upon her skills with and knowledge of magic to save them from the events they’re suffering, plus her cleverness helped to add humorous moments to the magical adventure undertaken.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
November 20, 2019
This is an original take on a traditional fairy tale plot where unfortunate accidents happen to a prince's girlfriends/fiancees, and the king has offered a reward to whomever breaks the curse. I enjoyed the first person narrative of the king, who is simultaneously shrewd about ruling his kingdom and oblivious about personal relationships. There is the obligatory mystery of who or what is causing the accidents and delightful world building of the faery world. Interesting backstories are hinted at although not fleshed out.
In fact, my biggest criticism of the book is its novella length. There was so much more in the story that could have been elaborated on, but the short length of the book prevented that from happening. While this book is in no way equal to the author's Two Monarchies series, it is a pleasant, fun, and unusual story. And the author's writing is, as always, a pleasure to read.
3.5 stars.
In fact, my biggest criticism of the book is its novella length. There was so much more in the story that could have been elaborated on, but the short length of the book prevented that from happening. While this book is in no way equal to the author's Two Monarchies series, it is a pleasant, fun, and unusual story. And the author's writing is, as always, a pleasure to read.
3.5 stars.
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