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Kingdom Come: A Fantasy Novel
Seventeen-year-old Harold Tray is preparing for college when he is visited by an apparition one night. After she convinces him to accompany her to a faraway world, Harold finds himself in the middle of a prophecy in the fairy-tale land of Kingdom. Planet is a powerful pixie who proclaims Harold has been teleported to help her bring peace back to Kingdom. His assignment is to unite five maidens to overthrow the illegitimate king. Luckily for Harold, the five are fairy-tale princesses from familiar childhood stories. After partnering with Planet and other misfit companions, he journeys across Kingdom in search of the maidens. He finds them at the end of their stories, ready to continue their lives as queens. Unfortunately, their progress to the throne will not be easy. An ancient enemy is waiting for them, and he knows secrets about Harold’s past.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2018
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 11, 2018
Enjoyable portal fantasy adventure with Harold the hero and Planet the pixie in a kingdom called Kingdom. The story leans heavily on fairy tale tropes and characters, from ones that everyone knows (e.g. Snow White) to ones that are a little more obscure (e.g. the Little Match Girl). Author Jim Doran applies a light touch to the material, making even the shifts in tone and temperament subtle—it’s not lacking in drama, but it also leans into comic fantasy territory (you’ll find characters such as an elf named Turducken and a werebear given the unfortunate name of Lol—try reading that one without needing to force away the abbreviation connotation every time).
Doran handles the exposition dumps with just enough style and wit to keep them from becoming too lumbering or dull. However, dialogue passages (where characters stand around and discuss what’s happening, what they should do, etc.) take up a large portion of the story space; more physical action/intrigue and descriptive detail of the world Doran creates would have made the story more engaging (and entertaining overall). As is, it bogs down from time to time, but has enough tricks up its sleeve to keep the reader pushing past them. Highlight: the intriguing, dream-like way the “real world” and “fairy tale world” overlap late in the story.
Most important lesson to take away from Kingdom Come: Never kiss a corpse in the presence of a dwarf.
Doran handles the exposition dumps with just enough style and wit to keep them from becoming too lumbering or dull. However, dialogue passages (where characters stand around and discuss what’s happening, what they should do, etc.) take up a large portion of the story space; more physical action/intrigue and descriptive detail of the world Doran creates would have made the story more engaging (and entertaining overall). As is, it bogs down from time to time, but has enough tricks up its sleeve to keep the reader pushing past them. Highlight: the intriguing, dream-like way the “real world” and “fairy tale world” overlap late in the story.
Most important lesson to take away from Kingdom Come: Never kiss a corpse in the presence of a dwarf.
August 9, 2018
This is not your average quest-type/portal fantasy.
What begins as a predictable adventure quickly converts into a fast-paced, original story with clever twists on fairy tales reaching past their Disney interpretations to the authentic archives of the Brothers Grimm. The characters are the highlight of this book (Helga - I love her, I love her, I love her!) with the plot a close second. It's engrossing, full of fantasy action and lore, but be wary: Kingdom Come packs a surprising emotional punch. A deeply satisfying read on all accounts, I'm happy to give it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone!
What begins as a predictable adventure quickly converts into a fast-paced, original story with clever twists on fairy tales reaching past their Disney interpretations to the authentic archives of the Brothers Grimm. The characters are the highlight of this book (Helga - I love her, I love her, I love her!) with the plot a close second. It's engrossing, full of fantasy action and lore, but be wary: Kingdom Come packs a surprising emotional punch. A deeply satisfying read on all accounts, I'm happy to give it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone!
July 15, 2020
Unabashed Fantasy for YA Readers of All Ages
Pairing a tried and true hero’s journey premise with a somewhat unique twist involving fairy tales (as other reviewers have mentioned, this story instantly recalls the ABC show Once Upon a Time), Kingdom Come deliberately explores a bevy of fantasy tropes to great effect.
Harold Tray is knee-deep in college prep when he is whisked away to the land of Kingdom where he meets a pixie named Planet who informs him that he has been chosen to save the five maidens and defeat the evil king. While the premise is well-tread territory, the story quickly deviates from convention as Harold soon finds himself traveling through the timeless stories of his youth in a harrowing quest to restore balance and return home.
While Doran's writing aligns with the expectations of a YA novel, he does tend to fall into the trap of ‘telling instead of showing’ during the dialogue-heavy second act, an issue somewhat exacerbated by his decision to write in a cozy, first-person voice. That being said, the dialogue is well written, and the numerous characters (bonus points for highlighting a handful of lesser-known characters) presented here literally leap from the page. Add to that a handful of vivid settings and a suspenseful, twist-laden plot, and you have yourself a YA novel that easily sustains and entertains readers both young and old.
There’s little in “Kingdom Come” that hasn’t been seen before, but Jim Doran succeeds in taking a collection of stories we all know and love (some undoubtedly more than others) and turning them on their head, offering readers from all ages a well-written, highly-entertaining page-turner.
Pairing a tried and true hero’s journey premise with a somewhat unique twist involving fairy tales (as other reviewers have mentioned, this story instantly recalls the ABC show Once Upon a Time), Kingdom Come deliberately explores a bevy of fantasy tropes to great effect.
Harold Tray is knee-deep in college prep when he is whisked away to the land of Kingdom where he meets a pixie named Planet who informs him that he has been chosen to save the five maidens and defeat the evil king. While the premise is well-tread territory, the story quickly deviates from convention as Harold soon finds himself traveling through the timeless stories of his youth in a harrowing quest to restore balance and return home.
While Doran's writing aligns with the expectations of a YA novel, he does tend to fall into the trap of ‘telling instead of showing’ during the dialogue-heavy second act, an issue somewhat exacerbated by his decision to write in a cozy, first-person voice. That being said, the dialogue is well written, and the numerous characters (bonus points for highlighting a handful of lesser-known characters) presented here literally leap from the page. Add to that a handful of vivid settings and a suspenseful, twist-laden plot, and you have yourself a YA novel that easily sustains and entertains readers both young and old.
There’s little in “Kingdom Come” that hasn’t been seen before, but Jim Doran succeeds in taking a collection of stories we all know and love (some undoubtedly more than others) and turning them on their head, offering readers from all ages a well-written, highly-entertaining page-turner.
July 25, 2020
Kingdom Come is an interesting twist on a fairy tale retelling. The protagonist, Harold, has grown out of being creative and his imagination if you will until he is thrown into a fantasy world where he must help the inhabitants fulfill a prophecy of five queens.
These queens are fairy tale characters we know and love. For example, Snow White, though there are some other characters that aren't as well known which was nice to see. Their stories have ended and Harold needs to help them continue but it's not an easy road.
To say this plot was unique is an understatement. The storyline was well done and thought outside the box in terms of fantasy and fairy tales. All the characters were fun though I'll admit I didn't agree with Harold's age. He's 17 and this is a YA novel, but it gave more middle-grade vibes to me due to the way he acted and some of his dialogue choices.
It took me a bit to get into the story. The beginning was kind of slow for me and when searching for the five queens, it felt repetitive (and sometimes predictable) at times. But overall, I enjoyed this book and it was well done. It's definitely worth a try if you're a fan of fantasy and fairy tales.
These queens are fairy tale characters we know and love. For example, Snow White, though there are some other characters that aren't as well known which was nice to see. Their stories have ended and Harold needs to help them continue but it's not an easy road.
To say this plot was unique is an understatement. The storyline was well done and thought outside the box in terms of fantasy and fairy tales. All the characters were fun though I'll admit I didn't agree with Harold's age. He's 17 and this is a YA novel, but it gave more middle-grade vibes to me due to the way he acted and some of his dialogue choices.
It took me a bit to get into the story. The beginning was kind of slow for me and when searching for the five queens, it felt repetitive (and sometimes predictable) at times. But overall, I enjoyed this book and it was well done. It's definitely worth a try if you're a fan of fantasy and fairy tales.
July 25, 2020
This novel focuses on 17-year-old Harold Tray, while preparing for college, is visited by an apparition. She convinces him to accompany her to a faraway world and he finds himself in the middle of a prophecy in the fairy tale land of Kingdom. It starts with some famous quotations, including one from Hans Christian Anderson, “When a star falls, a soul ascends to God.”. The fantasy continues through his visit to Kingdom with fascinating chapters such as Grok’s Teeth and The Lady Under Glass, It is a YA novel that holds your interest and especially appeals to the fantasy novel reader. What begins as a predictable adventure, it quickly delves into a fast-paced story with many twists and turns. Definitely a must-read!
February 27, 2020
What Did I Like:
-Exploring fairy tales. In the vein of big television shows, like Once Upon a Time, this book plays around with fairy tales that you’ve heard before in different ways. It’s a fascinating, fun idea that really plays out well.
-Variety. I was afraid, once I figured out we were playing with fairy tales, that we’d only stick to the common ones. I was pleased to see some lesser known stories make their way in. I was also pleased to see we were using the original versions, as opposed to the Disney-fied versions, of the common stories when they were used.
-Well written. The language and descriptions in this book are well written. I would gladly hand this book to a teenager to read because the fun story line combines with higher level vocabulary to help them feel like they’re not reading a children’s book.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you are a fan of stories that play around with fairy tales, you’ll love this one.
-If you like reluctant hero stories, grab this one.
My Rating: 4 Stars. This one will appeal to all fantasy readers who like their fantasy to build on fairy tale characters and create a whole new world.
For full review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/i3ZUdHhh0rs
-Exploring fairy tales. In the vein of big television shows, like Once Upon a Time, this book plays around with fairy tales that you’ve heard before in different ways. It’s a fascinating, fun idea that really plays out well.
-Variety. I was afraid, once I figured out we were playing with fairy tales, that we’d only stick to the common ones. I was pleased to see some lesser known stories make their way in. I was also pleased to see we were using the original versions, as opposed to the Disney-fied versions, of the common stories when they were used.
-Well written. The language and descriptions in this book are well written. I would gladly hand this book to a teenager to read because the fun story line combines with higher level vocabulary to help them feel like they’re not reading a children’s book.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you are a fan of stories that play around with fairy tales, you’ll love this one.
-If you like reluctant hero stories, grab this one.
My Rating: 4 Stars. This one will appeal to all fantasy readers who like their fantasy to build on fairy tale characters and create a whole new world.
For full review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/i3ZUdHhh0rs
July 16, 2019
Good story pacing and characters
Hit all the right spots for a work in this genre. Fun, engaging. Must read several chapters in before you can really get a feel for the tone. After that, things move at a pretty good clip.
It is not uncommon for me to get annoyed at main characters. I never got seriously annoyed with this one. Really, I liked all the main characters.
Hit all the right spots for a work in this genre. Fun, engaging. Must read several chapters in before you can really get a feel for the tone. After that, things move at a pretty good clip.
It is not uncommon for me to get annoyed at main characters. I never got seriously annoyed with this one. Really, I liked all the main characters.
October 13, 2021
I loved it! What a unique spin on fairy-tale classics. Well done!
May 27, 2021
Fun fairy tale retellings and expansions
We all know one story or another of Snow White, and that knowledge makes Harold an oracle in the land of Kingdom, where Snow White and other fairy tale princesses must unite together and unite their world before the literal devil can stop them.
Kingdom Come is full of adventure, fun characters, clean romance, and values to live by.
We all know one story or another of Snow White, and that knowledge makes Harold an oracle in the land of Kingdom, where Snow White and other fairy tale princesses must unite together and unite their world before the literal devil can stop them.
Kingdom Come is full of adventure, fun characters, clean romance, and values to live by.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews