Less Than Charming

by Rebecca A. Demarest

A second novel, LESS THAN CHARMING tells the story of a world beyond a veil in which all of the characters writers have ever created are alive and living in their own society. As writers in the other—human world—constantly write new characters into existence, those characters emerge into this mirror world. A hierarchy evolves as every retelling of existing characters is layered onto the original, adding to and changing their personality, knowledge base, and sometimes their emotional stability. Prince Charming conspires to rule the society of characters, which includes every protagonist and foil you’ve ever found in a story or a book, and the prince is not as charming as you first imagine.
One character sands in the Prince’s way—Princess Sophia from Grimm’s lesser known “12 Dancing Princesses.” She’s stable—mostly—but Prince Charming is most definitely not. The good Storyteller and the First Character have tasked Sophia with stopping the Prince from destroying their world, and, by extension, ours.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Young Adult Fantasy

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2016

About the author

Rebecca A. Demarest is an award-winning author, playwright, book designer, and writing instructor living in Seattle, WA with her husband and two muppets. Her short work has appeared alongside authors like Cat Rambo and dramatized for the stage and NPR. When not being held hostage by words, you can find her at her day job (working the people side of unbelievably awesome tech) tending to her indoor jungle (now with real frogs and lizards!), crafting, sewing, running Dungeons and Dragons as a professional Dungeon Master, and failing to teach her dogs new tricks. For more information on her work, please visit rebeccademarest.com.

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time, I found this book in a Goodreads giveaway binge. It was back in the day when I was entering anything and everything, because I mean, free books? And I somehow stumbled upon this amazing sounding book. Fairytale and every character ever being brought to life? Um, sign me up. And when I didn't win, I was so sad...only to be supremely excited when my bookish best friend did and I could happily borrow it from her when she was done. It took me far longer than normal to steal...I mean, borrow, it from her, but I'm so glad I did because this was such a good story.

Okay, first off, I have to give sooooo many props to Demarest. The concept was amazingggggg, and there totally needs to be more stories in this series because I'm hooked on the concept. I loved everything about the world she created, and she literally could do so much more with it. *forever crossing fingers there is more books coming*

The world really was amazing. Every character ever created is alive in this world, and it's sectioned off with more contemporary places or the old school fairytales. Demarest sets it up easily and accessibly and I was never sitting there, going, but wait, I'm confused. Help! No, she created a world that was easy, fun, and just SO COOL. It's definitely worth the read just for that. And she would bring up the coolest characters and quirks to them. Sleeping Beauty was there - although, she was made fun of a bit :( ;) - and even Edward Cullen. She got a few good quips in there. Even the Big Bad Wolf, Rumple, and the Evil Queen made fantastic appearances...and even a certain Hogwarts professor...or is he the principal? I don't know. I'm so bad on my Harry Potter knowledge.

Sophia was a fantastic main character. She wasn't the average princess, and she knew it. She was kickbutt, and I enjoyed her so much as a heroine. I thought it was epic that she was this princess reporter, off to find a story. And her romance with Jack was epic. I could used a bit more of the romance and feels for her, but I had to admire her for having that redemption arc that was in her past. I loved how layered she was.

The side characters were fun as well. As I said, I loved Jack, and he was a fantastic companion to Sophia. The rest of the characters provided a cool feel to the book, and each new character brought new life to the story. But Jackkkkkk. ;)

The plot was interesting as well. There were a few times that I felt the real plot got a bit muddled and it became a bit slow, but the plot really was interesting and I was quite interested what was going to happen until the end. I wanted to find out what was happening and what the big finale would be. She definitely had a few twists and turns, which was good as well.

Also, kind of a weird sidenote, but this book was actually a lot spicier than first thought? Here I was, thinking it might border on middle grade, be all cutesy, but it totally got a little spicy at times with the jokes and (I'm looking at you, Mr. Big Bad Wolf especially), much more than I was expecting. Not a complaint, but I just found it hilarious. XD

Overall, this book was a lot of fun! I loved Sophia as a heroine, and the rest of the epic characters were great as well. Demarest reimagined quite a few in different ways, and the world that she created was stunning. She came up with the most interesting concept and fleshed it out wonderfully. At times, it did flounder a bit since some of the plot took a while to set up, but overall, it was a great read.

Four stars and an Ariel rating since Sleeping Beauty refused to be a part of this since she's still offended by what Sophia did to her! Also, please let there be more books in the series. *still forever crossing my fingers...which is, you know, implied by the forever part)*

[Becky - Pug and Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Handing Jack the book, I curled into a corner with my coffee and stared at the steadily darkening countryside outside the window. The sunset this evening wasn't even pretty, which I thought was unfair. The least our universe could offer, as we sped off to defend it, was something pretty to look at."

Before I begin my review I want to disclose that I did win a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

First off the world building in this novel is absolutely stellar. I was a little afraid with characters being alive in the world after being written and knowing they are fictional could get too meta but Demarest made her world make sense. She gave it clear rules and it was absolutely amazing and the concept alone pulled me into her book.

I really loved her characters in this book, especially making Prince Charming the villain. He was a lot darker in origin than I would have suspected and I thought it worked really great. He was evil and dark but charismatic, even though you knew how bad he was you couldn't help but be (pardon the phrase) charmed by him.

Using one of the princesses from The Twelve Dancing Princesses as the protagonist was a really smart move and I was so excited by it. I love that fairy tale but you hardly ever see anything at all about it. Of course this is by no means a retelling of the fairy tale, but I still loved Princess Sophia. She and Jack have great chemistry in this book. (Although I could do without them calling each other lover. I can't encounter two people calling each other that and not think of those SNL sketches with Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch in the hot tub.)

I liked the concept of how 'magic' works in this world. It reminded me a lot of how Patricia C. Wrede describes magic in her Dealing with Dragons series. I love whenever an author describes how magic feels to the user. It just adds a whole extra layer that I really appreciate.

I think the one thing I can say I didn't like was Fred. He kinda creeped me out with all his gross comments he made towards Sophia. She always laughed them off but if he wasn't a corgi then his comments would be predatory. I don't know, I could appreciate some aspects of his use in the story but not him as a character. No thanks.

I was glad to read this is the beginning of a series because I am very eager to read more of this. I'm so happy I found this book in the giveaway section of Goodreads because it was absolutely amazing and I loved it.

[Jami Fairleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Less Than Charming is one of the smartest takes on storybook worlds that I’ve ever read. Unlike most reimagined fairytales, this novel isn’t a retelling, but an expansion of the storybook world, similar to the movie Shrek.

I loved the character of Sophia, a princess no longer fulfilled by the expectations written of her. Like any progressive, self-sufficient woman, she sets herself a new career goal and pursues it despite the obstacles set in her path. Given that, I thought Sophia’s chosen partner of Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame) odd. My take on Jack is he is a bumbling hustler; a character dumb enough to be swindled out of a cow for a handful of beans, who then turns larcenous, stealing from and murdering a giant. One thing the novel doesn’t explain is how Jack turns from a gray character into a brawny, heroic leading man, but perhaps the next novel in the series will delve into Jack’s growth.

Less Than Charming is sprinkled with Easter eggs and doesn’t limit itself to standard fairytale characters, instead welcoming in personalities such as Dumbledore and the Twilight cast. I particularly enjoyed the notion of how unnamed side characters that we authors add to our stories impact “real” characters in this world (sorry about that, Gustav!). If you are a reader who grew up loving story, and thinking of literary characters as your friends, you may adore this novel as much as I did!

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a nugget of a good idea here but it wasn't executed well at all. The exposition was awkward, and the world building was clunky and felt like a school project, not a tangible world. The relationships weren't believable, though the characters were interesting.

[Marie Winger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, though not the best iteration of the idea of the fairytale characters living together in their own world apart from us. I very much liked that human imagination feeds the magic. Also lied how all subsequent telling someone of a characters story add layers and complexity to them.

[Meredith Sessions · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not unlike Fables comics (and many other stories) in premise, but with a fresh, pleasant twist and a compelling protagonist. Some fun ideas and nice world building. I would pick up a sequel.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a few false starts to get past chapter one, but then I hit the sweet spot and couldn't put it down! Looking forward to more in the Mark of the Storyteller series!!

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea behind this book was wonderful and the world the author made was fantastic and It kept me reading. The story and action was choppy and hard to follow. The characters were lovely though.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if there were a world where fictional characters lived? What would that world look like? Would the science of our world work there? Would magic?

Sophie is the 12th princess from the fairytale "12 Dancing Princesses," and as a result of her story being told for hundreds of years, her sense of character is pretty strong. Do you remember her? The curious one who was suspicious of someone sneaking behind her and her sisters? Imagine how many times her story has been told and re-told in its various forms and how it affects her personality and sense of self. Where would a girl like that work?

A newspaper, of course, because a girl that curious is bound to want to be an investigative journalist.

LESS THAN CHARMING is Rebecca A. Demarest's most recent novel, and takes place in a world there every character ever created lives. Yes, Edward Cullen, Gandalf, and Pinkie Pie all exist in the same world. And interact. Oh imagine the possibilities.

The Charmings are throwing an anniversary party of the founding of the Central hearth (the symbolic source around which stories are told), and Sophie is intent on finding hidden scandal. But when she arrives to Central City, she's approached by the Storyteller, Himself, and sent on a quest to discover why Prince Charming is changing history.

Sophie runs into her former flame, none other than Jack the Giantkiller, with whom she spent partying during their wild youth. She's been avoiding him ever since, but Jack has done some maturing on his own and decides to help Sophie in her quest. And it's a good thing, too, because if Prince Charming catches wind of her snooping, there's bound to be trouble. Fortunately Jack is handy with an axe.

Told from Sophie's PoV, LESS THAN CHARMING is narrated with a fun voice and clean writing. Demarest adds great details, including some hilarious pop culture references. Sometimes she gets a little infodumpy because there's so much to explain about this world of fictional characters. And I'm not talking Once Upon A Time (although they do reference the show), but a much fuller world with characters from every story, every book, everywhere...even NaNoWriMo. Yeah, I know.

Sure it's a world built on cliché, but Demarest uses it to her own advantage. She turns well-known fairytales upside-down. You see, over time re-tellings change characters; but what happens when a character "edits" other characters' re-tellings? What about fandoms? But the most important question that involves Prince Charming is: how do the original stories build everything that comes after?

It's that very fascinating question that drives Sophie on her quest to understand how her world was founded, and what fuels it: imagination. The world does work on scientific principle, and what works in our world works in theirs, which means magic does not work. But imagination is what created Sophie's world in the first place, as well as the characters, and it's what makes the world around her malleable, if she can only learn to use it.

A quarter of the way into the novel the tone of the story changes from a silly re-imagining to a serious problem: Prince Charming is much more than the we realize. The plot is pretty straightforward, but the pacing gets clunky in the middle during the obligatory "hero must learn new skills" phase. I was also frustrated than an experienced investigative journalist would take (sometimes vague) word of convicts (even if unjustly incarcerated) and some suspiciously stolen information as hardcore evidence. Especially considering the gross charges.

LESS THAN CHARMING ends sufficiently cleverly, and when we understand more the whys of character behavior, then the story begins to make more sense--but that isn't until almost the end. Still, Demarest has created a fun fractured fairytale in a world I wasn't expecting.

Recommended Age: 16+; at first it seems fluffy, but charges of pedophilia do darken the tone
Language: A couple handfuls
Violence: A couple of instances but nothing really bloody; some deaths but this is a world where characters only die when they're forgotten
Sex: Referenced

***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***

[Susan Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less Than Charming follows the story of literary character Sophia. Sophia is the twelfth princess in The Dancing Princesses fairytale. Sophia lives in a world where all the characters in every book ever written exist together. Whenever an author creates a new character they’re released into this fairytale world.

Sophia works as an investigative journalist for Geppetto’s newspaper. She manages to snag the assignment of covering Prince Charming’s upcoming party, but once she arrives she’s approached by The Storyteller himself to investigate something much darker – Prince Charming has been manipulating and editing characters’ stories, which could mean the end of their storybook world as they all know it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book from the description. And to be perfectly honest, when I began reading I was confused at first. There's a lot of information right at the start and I found it a bit difficult to follow. The author adds so much exhaustive detail and I found it tended to bog the story down. However, as I continued reading things began to fall into place and I was able to settle into the story.

There’s no denying that Less Than Charming is a truly unique book. The author certainly has quite an imagination. Any bookworm like myself is sure to appreciate the literary references throughout. Plenty of well-known characters are mentioned – there’s even a snarky quip about Edward and Bella early on (not sure how true Twilight fans might feel about that).

This book is less than three hundred pages, but it’s incredibly detailed and the font in the print version is super small. Therefore, it seemed a bit longer than it really was. Yet, I did appreciate the creative storyline. The author's writing is clever and appealing. This book is geared toward teens, but I’m sure adults will enjoy it as well.

4 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton, http://ebookreviewgal.com
eBook Review Gal received a complimentary copy of this book via a LibraryThing Early Readers Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I won this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaways. In no way does this affect my rating and review.

First, I want to thank Rebecca for sending me her book because it was amazing! I was so happy that I won it in the giveaway.

I was so excited to read this book because the premise just sounded awesome...every character that has ever been written is alive and real and living in a special character land! But then I got a bit worried that this world was going to be very chaotic and messy, but the author was fantastic with the world building! Everything was so nicely laid out and easy to understand. The rules in this world made sense, and half the reason I kept flipping the page was because I was so interested in finding out more about how this magical character world worked.

I also loved the main characters, Sophia and Jack. They were smart and funny, and the dynamic between them was fun to read. Fred even grew on me too even though I didn't like him too much at first, but I came to love him.

Another thing about this book that I found hilarious and amusing was the delightfully cheesy fairy tale jokes and the well known character cameos. I couldn't help myself from bursting out laughing at some of these.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was different and interesting and comical. I was excited to realize that it's only the beginning of a series because there is definitely much more to examine in this wonderful world Rebecca has created, and I can't wait for more!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't express my love for this book enough. The creative references to other characters was fabulous. I can't wait for the next book in this series. This author acknowledged the things we've all said about certain characters in certain books or tv shows. I'm really kind of upset that I didn't write this.

[Allison Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a wonderfully witty world, this adventure story is a real treat. With a fresh yet familiar cast of characters and some memorable newcomers that will make you grin and giggle, it was a hard book to put down!