The Luck Child

by Rebekah Shafer

Cabernet would give almost anything to be remembered--except his freedom.

Cursed to be eternally forgotten, Cabernet grew up walking a dangerous, lonely line between the world of mankind and the world of fairy. Now known only by a faceless reputation as a rogue and fairy aficionado, he wanders ceaselessly with the cat Maugrim as company.

Then the king dares order him to eliminate a magical foe in northern waters, and threatens to attack fairy lands if Cabernet refuses. As an increased annoyance, he is saddled with a stiff naval officer, the king’s elderly personal advisor, and the advisor’s nurse, a charming young woman named Rosemary who can inexplicably remember him.

Cabernet wants to complete this mission quickly without actually facing the enemy, a dangerous enchantress who nearly killed him before. But sea perils and fearsome monsters blindside his every trick and turn. Moreover, he is somehow growing fiercely attached to the human tag-a-longs.

As the enchantress’s deadly net tightens around them, Cabernet must face the terrors of his past in order to save his new-found family--and future.

Enjoy this standalone YA fantasy that combines dark whimsy with fairy tale magic, plus a side of Oliver Twist and an enchanting romantic subplot.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Micheline Ryckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book and it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say something like that! This was lyrical, witty, adventurous, fun, and just plain wonderful in every way. I’m so glad I randomly came across this book and made a spur of the moment purchase! And I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author now. Brilliant, truly.

[Kat Heckenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

First...look at that cover! I always get my hopes up when I see covers like that, but fear I'll be disappointed. No reason for doubt this time, though. I adored this book. Great characters, great dialog, fun story, rich story world. Fairies and magic and a kraken and selkies and a talking cat. Dual plotline, which when it works is always fun, and this one works. The absolute best thing about this book, though, is the description. Seriously, THIS is how to write description. I could see/feel/hear everything, and the prose is lovely. I will be reading this again!

[Corinne Morier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Luck Child by Rebekah Shafer
ARC received courtesy of Uncommon Universes Press
My rating: 4/5 stars



Told in a dual-timeline format, THE LUCK CHILD is set to be released on June 9, 2020, featuring Cabernet, a young man cursed to walk the shadows of the human world with only a snarky talking cat and a housekeeping dwarf for company.



As always, here are three things about this book I enjoyed and three things I didn't like so much about it, alternating between bad and good, so that you can make your own decision about whether or not to pick this up. All opinions presented in this review are my own and I have received no financial compensation for writing this review. Like always, I'll start with something I didn't like about this book so that I can finish on a positive note.

The Haymitch Problem



This might just be me and my pet peeves, as I certainly have yet to meet anyone else who is also bothered by this when they read, but in this book, we have an arguably important character. This character is very important to the plot, being the brother of the main love interest and a soldier on one of the disappeared ships. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a presence in the story because he was named Haymich, one letter off from our favorite mentor in The Hunger Games. So I was unable to differentiate this Haymich from the Haymitch I know so well from The Hunger Games and ended up just kind of ignoring him throughout the story. Of course, if you're not bothered by characters having names eerily similar to ones in other books, then this might not even be something you need to worry about.

Mermaids and Selkies and Dryads, Oh My!



Tons of fantasy creatures are present here in the story; if you are a sucker for any of the fantasy creatures listed below, you're in luck because they all play a huge part in the plot:
-Dwarves
-Talking cats
-Fairy queens (especially the not-so-benevolent ones)
-Dryads
-Sirens
-Selkies
-Krakens
-Sea serpents
-Hippocampi

Instalove much?



I was really not a fan of the romance in this book; it felt too much like instalove for my liking and was wrapped up too conveniently. After meeting his love interest for a few days during his childhood adventures, Cabernet runs into her once more as a teenager for no more than a few hours, before he's pulled off into another adventure. And then he meets her again when they're both adults, and she's working as a doctor for the king. Within a few days of this third reunion, he's already throwing out the "l" word. The main "we shouldn't be together" aspect of this romance is that Cabernet, due to being half-fairy, would not be able to stay with his love interest for long without making her sick. So despite the instalove aspect, it was technically a forbidden romance, which I am trash for in fantasy. I love forbidden romances, whether they end happily ever after or not, but how this romantic subplot wrapped up felt rather too convenient from what we saw the rules of this world are.

Fantasy Creatures With Unique Personalities



All the characters in this book were so much fun to hang out with! We had a snarky talking cat (a particular favorite trope of mine), a dwarf who laments his master's ignorance of social conventions like telling his housekeeper when they'll be expecting company, an evil fairy queen who wants to use a human child for her own purposes, a kraken who gets bored and decides to wreak havoc, and a runaway child who decides to become a pirate and live on the ocean. They all had their individual personalities and motivations and their decisions drove the plot forward.

I Would Have Written It Differently



There was way too much "stuff" stuffed into this book. It's told in a dual-timeline POV; one where we follow the adult Cabernet and one where we follow him as a child as he runs away from the orphanage where he's lived all his life. Now, I'm not one to completely hate on dual-POV novels or dual timeline stories, and I can think of several examples off the top of my head of dual timeline/dual POV novels that I've loved, but this one didn't really work all that well. My reading experience kept being interrupted by what I call my "editor brain": thinking that "OH BUT IT WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER WRITTEN THIS WAY!!"

Imagine if this had been a duology instead: Book One, we follow Cabernet as a child as he escapes from the orphanage, comes to terms with his curse, and then goes on an adventure to defeat the kraken and earn the king's respect. Book Two, we follow adult Cabernet as he deals with the consequences of what he did in Book One--the king berates him for not killing the kraken and orders him to go kill the kraken and discover what happened to the ships under threat of his life, and then he thinks that maybe the kraken broke his promise and along the way finds clues that it's not actually the kraken and maybe the fairy queen is the one responsible...

Supporting this theory is that the "childhood" scenes felt rather episodic and the ending seemed to come out of nowhere, answering questions I didn't really have while at the same time not answering the questions I wanted answered. I wanted to see why Cabernet was half-fairy and half-human, but the book just wanted us to know that Cabernet is The Luck Child which is apparently a concept that has existed this whole time even though we were never told about it and he is special and different. How is he special and different? Well, he's part human, part fairy, for no properly explained reason, and fairies always have to listen to him and do what he says because he's so special. I feel like if this had been two books, we could have gotten a lot more worldbuilding, and seen a few scenes that I kept wishing would happen, like learning why Cabernet is half-human half-fairy or his discovering that the kraken is simply bored.

Kicking it into high gear



Although this book has a rather slow start, once you get used to the format, you start to really get absorbed into the story. You want to find out what's really behind the king's ships sinking, and whether or not it's actually the kraken, and how Cabernet is going to overcome his curse once and for all. And at one point during the story, a certain character dies (trying to avoid spoilers here) and I got appropriately sad when Cabernet had to say his final goodbye to his friend.

In conclusion
This book gets four stars for
👍 Interesting characterization
👍 Plethora of fantasy creatures playing an important role in the plot
👍 Intriguing second act
👎 Instalove romantic relationship
👎 Rushed pacing that felt like it should be two books rather than one
👎 Character named Haymich reminding me too much of Haymitch from The Hunger Games

This review originally appeared on my blog as a part of The Luck Child blog tour via Uncommon Universes Press. Business requests should be directed to my contact form.

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[Mangy Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly delightful. A whimsical fantasy that diverts from the typical fantasy tropes. See selkies, the kraken, and talking cats in a different light. Absolutely adored this charming tale!

[Sara Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Luck Child is a delightful, whimsical tale of a boy that no one remembers who does unforgettable things. Shafer does an excellent job of blending all the classic elements of a fairy story (magic, intrigue, mythical creatures) with a quest that will resonate with readers young and old. Our hero, Cabernet, is a young man longing to be known, but people just seem to forget him--all except one. People do, however, remember what he does, so the king has called on him to aid the kingdom. To do so, Cabernet must not only face new dangers, but he has to confront his past--a past he doesn't fully recall.

The Luck Child is full of adventure, magic, fantastical creatures, one of the best talking cats in the history of literature, and of course, a touch of romance. Readers of all ages will appreciate Cabernet's journey to discovering who he really is, and who he wants to be. This is a tale to be read and savored and then read again. I highly recommend.

[Michelle Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a feast for anyone who loves a good fairy story! It samples several different mythologies to build a menagerie of fantastical creatures, including (but not limited to) fairies, goblins, dwarves, dryads, hippocampi, a kraken, a selkie, and of course, a talking cat that is so perfectly feline, I could almost hear him purring in my lap as I read. Between this and the lush world-building, I could hardly wait to pick it up every day because I knew it would transport me somewhere magical each and every time.

Told in dual timeline format, Cabernet's story unfolds from his sad and lonely childhood through adolescence and early adulthood. His vulnerability as a child built up an intense feeling of protectiveness for him in me as I read, and knowing that he grows up into a clever and resilient young man made him easy to root for. I loved how much he stuck with his challenges until he figured them out, even when he felt troubled or overwhelmed. And gosh darn it, his swashbuckling style just tipped him over the edge with that extra cool factor. I love when the main character is so intensely likable as Cabernet.

I think my only real complaint is the almost Disney-like quality of the romance. It kind of blossoms from nowhere and doesn't have enough space to develop into what it does, I think, but at least it was wholesome and sweet.

And, okay, I kind of wish the cat had a different name than Maugrim. Since that name was borrowed from the White Witch's chief of police, a wolf, from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, and since I have known the Narnia stories my entire life, it was difficult to give Cabernet's little feline friend the individuality he deserved. I mentally had to switch out the wolf I associate with that name a few times, which is especially unfair to the cat since the wolf was a bad guy in his story.

Overall, though, a throughly enjoyable fantasy read that will draw in readers from the get-go! I can't wait to re-read this one many times in the years to come.

[Cal Katherine Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming story with a relatable protagonist, it reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones with a hint of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell."

[Margaret Gaffney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captured my imagination from the earliest pages! The author teases with you half-stories, encouraging you to keep reading to discover the mysteries of Cabernet's life. Her method of weaving the past and the present together keeps you interested and avoids other work that spends pages and pages on flashbacks.
I will admit, one or two plot points escaped my full understanding at the end, such as the whole reason Rosemary remembers Cabernet, but listening to it on audiobook can make you lose things, so I might just need to go another pass. And I definitely could see myself reading this one again.
Also, Maugrim was just the best.

[Verity Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Distinctive, entertaining, not quite for me.

About a hundred pages into this book, my tutoring job started again, spring semester, and I dropped it for the next four months. Somewhere in there, I lost the sense of continuity which I feel was absolutely key to understanding this book. I skim-read the earlier parts to bring myself up to speed, but refreshing myself on sequence of events didn't get me in the zone. So while I loved the fairy lore, and the tension between the magic-kind and human-kind exemplified in Cabernet, and TOTALLY rooted for his relationship with the intelligent and poised Rosemary (that childhood scene where he asked if he was going to die? Hilarious and 10/10 relatable hehe), I was also intensely confused about a Lot Of Things. How did he end up with the tokens after refusing them? Which memories exactly was he repressing? Why was Adoramus so freaked out about... uh... everything? Why did Cabernet bring home skulls? Why didn't he get a solid talk with his buddies about what exactly they did to him, and why wasn't the Luck Child mentioned sooner? (could go on here)

I feel like maybe I lost on a fundamental level what type of book this was supposed to be, and that influenced my expectations for it. But one way or another, the vagueness and "just-so" answers to some of my questions were definitely not up my lane. Which is too bad, because I appreciated a lot about the book aside from that. The writing style was easy, the characters engaging, and a certain death scene nearly brought me to tears. As is my habit, I attached my affections ruthlessly to a side character; Phillip Devaroux is now my son.

It's possible my frustration might lessen on a reread, but I'm not quite motivated enough to do so. I recommend The Luck Child to people seeking a chosen one premise, a story that's excited about exploring its whimsical-faery setting, and a narrative with lot of subtlety.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Luck Child was a super fun book!

I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Beauxregard Neylon. I'll give my thoughts on the audiobook first.

The audiobook was very well done. Beauxregard did a fantastic job narrating, and his voices for each character were perfect. My only complaint about the narration was that Beauxregard's voices for the female characters were very similar. However, there are only about three female characters in the cast, and they never talk to each other, so I never got confused about who was talking. I just would have preferred for the female characters to sound more different. Other than that complaint, the audiobook was fantastic. If you're an audiobook listener, I'd highly recommend the audiobook version of The Luck Child.

Now onto the story itself!

I'll start off with the characters. They were all awesome. Seriously. I loved Cabernet's character and his character voice. However, Maugrim might be my favorite character. Shafer perfectly wrote his cat personality. Maugrim reminded me of my own cats. (spoiler: there was a certain scene with Maugrim that made me really sad... if you really love cats, be warned) Adaoramus was also great. All the characters were great. They were all nicely developed as well.

The story unfolds in dual timelines, one following Cabernet's childhood, and one in the present (about 10-11 years later). Dual timelines in stories are always tricky. You run the risk of the reader being more invested in one timeline than the other and skipping parts of the story. However, Shafer did a nice job balancing the tension of the various timelines and keeping me engaged in both. Because I was listening to the audiobook, I didn't really have the option of skipping around in the book, but I don't think I would have even if I'd had a paperback copy. There were only a few points where I was dying to know what was going to happen next in the other timeline and couldn't wait to get back to that timeline.

I saw a review that suggested that Shafer should have written two books instead of just one, with each of the books following one of the timelines. However, that wouldn't have worked for the story. The Luck Child needed to be told in a dual timeline because of some of the twists and secrets of the plot.

Getting onto the plot now. The plot was well done and paced nicely. As I said above, Shafer did a nice job of maintaining the tension in both timelines, and I was very curious about what was going to after. I do think that the pacing towards the end of the book may have been slightly off, but I might have only felt that way because of how I was listening to the audiobook.

The worldbuilding was also very nice. I liked the different types of magic and the faeries. I would have loved to learn more about the magic and worldbuilding, but I'm a huge worldbuilding fan.

As far as any complaints about the story... the conclusion felt the tiniest bit confusing about how everything all worked. Like Cabernet, I wished that the Kraken would have provided more explanation. But I might have missed things because I was listening to the audiobook. And while Cabernet's deck of cards did end up having a role in the plot, I would have liked for them to have had a bigger impact. They were just so neat, and they kept popping up in the story, so I was expecting something bigger to happen with them. But both of those complaints aren't big things.

Overall, The Luck Child was a very enjoyable book. I'll definitely listen to it again!

Cautions: two swear words, one blasphemy, one kiss, light/moderate romance, magic

***Please note that because I listened to the audiobook, I may have missed some cautions

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Luck Child, by Rebekah Shafer, is a new take on the fairy child story.

In this world you can be born Fairy or you can be born Human. Poor Orphaned Cabernet (Pronounced: Cab-er-nay it's french I think,) seems to have been born both. He is drawn to the fairy kind, he gets along with the fairies and they seem to like him. But he's for the most part human. He can't do magic without tools, and he seems to crave human company. The only problem is that human beings don't remember who he is once he leaves their sight. You can't call yourself lonely until you've been forgotten by even the most casual of acquaintances.

The narrative bounces back and forth between the present (where Cabernet is asked to find his majesties missing ships) and the past (where a young boy searches for a family, or at least some companions who won't forget him).

I found myself equally captivated both by the predicament of adult Cabernet and the heart breaking loneliness of young Cabernet. I feel like each portion could have been expanded into two separate stories but once I reach the climax I really appreciated the way it all came back around and made almost a circular plot.

The world building and fairy lore were great, but I was most blown away by the character development. I felt such empathy for Cabernet that I actually felt lonely while reading. (Of course I do my best reading alone so that may have been a contributing factor.) In addition to Cabernet there is a whole cast of fairy creatures as well as a handful of humans, each well developed in their own right and all of them like real people. (mostly because people are awful and would totally forget a poor boy looking for shelter and food.)

*I found a copy of this manuscript in the bottom of an old email, it bore a note from the publisher saying that it was an advanced reader copy. I have taken it upon myself to read this manuscript and report to you my own honest opinion of it's contents. So that if you should happen upon your own copy of this manuscript you will be informed and shall not fear it.*

[Lauren Hildebrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a unique story, I had no idea what to expect from it. The book follows the adventures of Cabernet, a famous sea adventurer--who no one can remember. "They remember the legend, not the man." The story jumps back and forth between the present, as Cabernet is forced to investigate vanishing ships, and the past, where ten-year-old Cabernet discovers the world of fairies.

I found myself falling in love with young and grown Cabernet separately, and worried that I wouldn't get enough time with either! But instead, the story unfolds at an excellent pace, each jaunt into the past giving us a little more insight on the mystery of the present.

Cabernet is a delight, and I love how he approaches each problem like a gentleman--always trying to be polite. Maugrim, his talking cat companion, is entirely too grouchy and realistic of a feline not to love. The author excels at descriptions; we can taste the tang of sea in the air and feel magic pulsing in the sand.

In the end, I found this a thoroughly happy read with just enough mystery and magic, romance and adventure.

[Laurie Lucking · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an imaginative, charming read! The writing style was lush and descriptive, and I loved the magical world and its variety of fae creatures. Cabernet was a likeable, complex character, and his assortment of unlikely friends were so quirky and fun! I think Maugrim and Adoramus were my favorites :) What kept this from being a 5-star read for me was that the dual timeline made it hard to feel fully invested in any portion of the story (though Cabernet's childhood had some moments that absolutely broke my heart), the romance, while sweet, felt a bit stilted, and the fact that many of my questions weren't answered by the end. But overall it was a lovely book, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for more releases from this author!

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.*

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Luck Child has a likable cast of characters, particularly Cabernet and the cat Maugrim. It's a rich and interesting story world, with ships held together with ice and leaves that function like portal doors and wish tokens. It has fairies and selkies and hippocampuses and other interesting creatures. It follows two timelines, Cabernet in the present as he's forced to deal with an issue of ships being sunk in a place he's terrified of, and Cabernet at various times in his youth, gradually explaining his current situation. Cabernet's sadness at not being remembered is very relatable, and he's just a good guy and so easy to cheer on.

I received an ARC from the publisher. This review is my own independent and fair evaluation.

[Jenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the non-linear story-telling of this book // Cabernet is an interesting character and his problems were intriguing // loved Rosemary // loved Maugrim Maugrim!!! **SOBS** // I felt like the ending happened really abruptly // would have liked more hints to see what was coming // I would have also enjoyed getting to read more of Cabernet's exploits before he left the sea... I was just settling into the story when it sort of felt like everything just got cut short // but overall, this was an intriguing and enjoyable read

[Amy Kneeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic adventure tale! As a boy, Cabernet can't understand why everyone pretends not to know him. What begins as a pitiful situation at an orphanage grows into a love affair with magic and fairy kind as Cabernet grows up learning to navigate both the human and the fairy worlds. His inclination toward fairy kind makes him a natural diplomat between the two worlds, giving him notoriety, even if humans can't remember what the famous Cabernet looks like. Accompanied by a droll cat Maugrim, Cabernet must face his deepest insecurities to save the humans and fairies he cares about.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! Cabernet and Maugrim were a delight, and I found myself wanting to explore more of Cabernet's adventures! The multi-POV from past to present was a little jarring, especially around the halfway to 3/4 mark, but nothing major. It's just not my preference. I wish we could have built up a little more of the romance as well, but overall, this was a solid book.

[Sarah McConahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavy on the pathos in a heart-wrenching sort of way. This book made me cry... twice. Excellent characterization throughout - every character brought something unusual to the story, and I enjoyed seeing how each had their paws (*ahem*) in the plot.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cabernet makes a very interesting protagonist. The flashbacks were a good way to give his history and explain his actions in the "present". Also nice to have a stand-alone book for a change, instead of the usual series.

[Kaitlyn Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story of love, whimsy, and longing. Highly recommended for fairytale lovers

[Jamiereadsallthebooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing style just did not flow well for me on this one. The overall story was fairly boring.

[C.D. Storiz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasn't a fan. Not sure if it was intentional on the author to constantly include the thoughts of the MC, so much so it came across as info dumping and insulting to the reader. The premise was a bit of a stretch, also.

[Claire Banschbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't where to start! Part fairy tale, part fantasy, part Oliver-Twist-ish, this book had so many elements that were amazing and worked so well together!

Cabernet was such a fun character - all sunny smiles and laughs to hide the pain and panic of always being forgotten. And we all need a grumpy talking cat who could have told him more things at any time!

And Rosemary having none of it all. But slowly coming around to Cabernet and his shenanigans. And Shafer keeping this melancholy thread through the whole thing to replace with a bit of hope towards the end. *love* And all in a delightful writing style that reminded me of fairy tales and adventure stories I adored growing up. SO many classic elements in this tale and I absolutely loved every bit of it.

Some fun twists throughout, a few I saw coming but was still delighted with as they occurred. There might have also been some frantic flipping of pages towards the end/climax...

Highly recommend, especially if you love dark, whimsical fairy tales with golden streaks of hope and fascinating characters and worlds!

Really looking forward to more books and stories by this author!

eARC provided by Uncommon Universes Press for review. All opinions are my own.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! Plenty of humor, a dash of romance and loads of adventure. I would be delighted to explore this world with my own talking cat and fairy tale companions.

I received an ARC from the publisher. This review is my own independent and fair evaluation.