Real

by Joel Abernathy

Nothing is more dangerous than a beautiful lie.

Unable to cope with the death of his beloved son, the brilliant but eccentric alchemist Gustavo crafts an automaton in his likeness. Desperate and mad with grief, Gustavo makes a deal with a strange angel to breathe familiar life into his new creation, but he soon learns that wrenching a soul from the hands of death comes at too great a cost.

Genres: M M Romance, Fantasy, Romance, Retellings, Dark, LGBT, Historical

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2023

About the author

Joel Abernathy, also writing as L.C. Davis, is a trans author of MM romance. He enjoys writing dark and emotional romance about men loving men in all genres.

Reviews

[mica · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestamente pensé que iba a ser un libro for the shit and giggles medio turbio pero me sorprendió bastante (igual hay shit and giggles, piensen que cuando miente si se le alarga algo...)

[Iman (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m actually confused by the title. It’s “The Alchemist’s Boy” on KU, but it’s “Real” here on GR lmaoo

First of all, I definitely did not expect it to be entertaining. I expected darker theme, but the plotline was still okay. Most parts were a surprise for me and honestly, it’s refreshing. I like it. I also had the biggest laugh the first time Pinocchio lied. I didn’t expect that lmao. And ofc that was how they got together. The love development was there, I can see it, but I didn’t feel attach to them as much as my previous Pinocchio retelling. The angst was okay, not much in depth, but did gave me the feelings. Overall, I liked how it was executed although it wasn’t perfect. But I don’t really know how to feel about the age gap here, seeing he was supposed to be his son in the first place.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is essentially a Pinocchio retelling with Gustavo (aka Geppetto) losing his real son and creating a new one. Having difficulty filling his 'puppet' with a soul, the blue 'angel' appears to strike a deal. Everything is absolutely not as it seems with this one. Phineas's (aka Pinocchio) soul is not the right one; deals are being made and secrets are being kept. There are suspicious villagers, an evil priest and growing feelings of discomfort Gustavo has toward his 'son'.

There's some fun here with hat grows when Phineas lies 🤣 and how that is taken care of. Phineas also needs blood (or you know, other bodily fluids) to survive. A LOT more could have been made of these two elements and frankly it was disappointing that it wasn't becasue it would have made this a hell of a lot more fun to read.

Nonetheless, it was a decent enough story.

ARC provided for my honest review

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

🦋 interesting premise
🦋 not as dark as I thought
🦋 it was actually kind of adorable and wholesome
🦋 I liked the couple but chemistry was lacking a little

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I went into this expecting something very twisted and dirty, and instead I got a story that was a little forbidden and taboo, and a lot heartfelt. A story filled with what it means to be human, and to love. I also appreciated the slower burn, especially with the headspace Gustavo was in at the beginning. I'm seriously surprised by how much I ended up liking this one!

[Janet (iamltr) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny thing happened while I was reading this book. The author changed the title on it. Which means when I got to the end, I could not review it via the kindle app, I had to come manually put this in. Now dont get me wrong, I understand why they did it, but it irks me as now I have no way of knowing if this review will get posted correctly.

Spoilers ahead stop reading if you dont want to see them.

Anyways, in this retelling of Pinocchio, we have Gustavo. A man who watched as his wife and son die of the plague. Being the doctor of the village, he was not able to save them and it hurt him. We know this because its just chapters of his grief. The first 40% of the book is grief and trying to resurrect his son by creating a wooden body.

Then a blue fairy (who he did not realize was a fae) came to visit him and offered a way to bring the wooden young man to life. Gustavo thought it was his son at first and there were many challenges to having the wooden young man around. You see, to keep the boy alive for a year, the boy needed life giving fluids (you see where I am going with this) to live. It started with blood, but then eventually changed.

No matter what the blurb says, this was not any sort of pseudo anything, which was fine. I would have preferred it to be honest.

As we all know, the wooden boy eventually becomes human. Alessandro was able to ride up at the last minute and save Gustavo, who was being tried as a witch.

There is mention of child rape in the end scenes, no graphic details, but it is there.

The villagers suddenly turn on the bad priest and these two get to be together.

Which brings me to one of my nitpicks. This is a village that believes in demons, witches, and all that but is ok with a MM pairing??

[Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pinocchio retelling
Gay
Hot
And very sweet
I loved it

[Krys (spicy.spine.breaker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pinocchio.
But make it gay.
During the plague….
In a low key medical revolution aka witchcraft vs a
priest aka dirty bastard debate
+ otherworldly fae magic.

I feel like that’s enough for you to know you should dabble in this book…. It’s basically the perfect recipe.

[rzells · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books I've read in months

I'm literally sobbing this book is SO SO SO SO SO SO SO BEAUTIFUL omgggg

The plot is amazing. It's fast paced all the way through with perfect twists. I could never predict but it was in the best way.

The leading characters are amazing and relatable I loved them soooo much. The writing is GORGEOUS and there's this dark vibe that is so intoxicating and riveting. The grief and the magic really give this story a presence and sets a scene. I'm overwhelmed. Crying. Beautiful. Love and hope. Amazing ending.

10000% you should read it and I'll probably also buy the paperback. This is what fiction should be

[Margo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Que miedo me da Pinocho joder

[circexin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I was expecting the story to be more dark but I found that I really liked the pace and the plot. I also really liked that the there was no insta-lust or insta-attraction mainly because of what Gustavo was going through from the start of the book. I was really surprised that there were fae elements in the story but I enjoyed those scenes the most.

[Kenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 ⭐

[Edith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7⭐️

[Alleenah_ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not as dark as I expected, which was not a problem for me, since I'm not a dark romance reader. I was intrigued by the idea of an MM Pinocchio retelling and I love this author's style, so I jumped right in, not knowing if I would love it, but hoping that I would. And I loved every single word. Don't get me wrong, this is not light or funny, but there's nothing spectacularly dark, that you would need your salts to revive you. 🤭🤭
Oh, and FYI, it's not his nose that's growing when this Pinocchio lies. 🤭🤭
If you love MM romance and you love retellings, then I would definitely recommend this. The love story is sweet and 🌶️ enough, and you will find quite a few elements from Pinocchio in this one.

[Allyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Alchemist’s Boy is a lovely interpretation of Pinocchio. In order to deal with his grief over losing his family, Gustavo becomes obsessed with making a doll to replace his son. After working diligently for years, he makes a deal with an ethereal being to bring his creation to life. He has a year to teach Alessandro how to love and be loved, which is a pretty big undertaking. I love the pacing of the story, and Abernathy does an excellent job of developing the characters, especially the changes in Alessandro as he starts to feel empathy for other living creatures. The conflict between science and religion feels relevant today and adds depth. The love between Alessandro and Gustavo grows in a way that feels natural, and the ending is perfect.

[Kalum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wooooow tremendo y turbio el asunto.

Literal me recordó a un corto de terror donde los padres no soportan la perdida de su hizo y lo hacen muñeco. Tremendo!

Pasamos de: perder la cordura y hacer un muñeco tamaño real de tu hijo muerto a follarte al muñeco tamaño real de tu hijo muerto PEEERO que no tiene el alma de tu hijo muerto...

Y luego la mamá/papá que es una entidad... Intenso

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

le doy una estrella nomas pq no puedo dejarlo en cero.

q horror mannn era tu hijo ajjaja q rápido se te olvidó eso salu2.

[CateReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

***4 stars***

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Pinocchio retelling. The original story is different than the Disney version, and I think Abernathy took more inspiration from The Mouse than from 19th-century Italian fairy tales. Disney's version is the story of a man who wanted a son so badly that he created one out of wood, so I was wary that we were going to head into some taboo territory. However, the content warnings assured me I was safe (yay, because nobody likes surprise incest.) Ultimately with this book, I found Abernathy’s excellent prose, but also a storyline that felt a little off and characters I didn’t connect with.

I think my issue is the plot tried to incorporate a few different genres and ended up feeling disjointed. It was a Pinocchio retelling, but really only kept the doll, Blue Fairy, cricket conscience, and lying makes stuff grow aspects. (I was NOT prepared for the lying consequences.)
It was a story about fae, but that aspect felt more like a convenient plot device than anything else. There wasn’t enough world-building for me to go with the fae plotline.
There were shades of Frankenstein, with the mad doctor playing God in the woods and an army of villagers who come to mete out their ill will.
It also had a bit of Hunchback of Notre Dame, with a pervy religious figure that has a stranglehold on the town.
It was ALL of these things, but also sort of none of them

In the end, the story felt like it was more than an "inspired by" tale, but less than a "retelling," coming out somewhere in between. I wanted the plot to either lean even more into the source material or pull away more and become its own story. Unfortunately, it meandered somewhere in the middle.

The most I connected with the story was in the descriptions of Gustavo’s grief. Because Jesus, that hit hard. But that made it harder for me to connect to Alessandro and their romance because I really just wanted Gustavo to have a family again! At one point, I thought “This isn’t dark, this is just SAD.” The beginning kept me interested, but somewhere when Alessandro comes to life, I started to care a little less until eventually, I was “meh” about the happy ending.

Honestly, part of me feels like someone went, “Hey, what if you re-told Pinocchio, but instead, when he lies his dick gets hard.” and then fit the plot around that.
Only a small part, because I have read and enjoyed Abernathy’s work before so I know they’re a better storyteller than that. Their prose is really well done and when there’s a solid plot, it is lovely. I just didn’t feel like this had a solid plot. Still, it was enjoyable and I was mostly engaged until the end, so 4 stars!

***I received this as an ARC and this has been my honest review.***

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I hesitated, trying to find a way to describe the thing that I simply knew. And yet, I knew it on the deepest level. As surely as I knew myself, and whatever existed of myself that there was to know, it was bound up in this strange, nebulous concept humans called love. "Because it's… freedom," I answered. "It's sunlight on your face, and the wind tickling your skin. I may never be human, but it doesn't matter. I don't need to be. I'm in love, and love is worth dying for."

I love the way Joel Abernathy 'mixes it up' with every book he writes, they are all so different and Real was no exception! I literally had no idea what to expect from this MM (loosely-based) retelling of Pinocchio, I wasn't sure if it would be taboo (it wasn't) or just plain weird (it wasn't) but I certainly wasn't expecting this beautiful little tale of magic and grief and darkness and redemption and love.

It was a quickish read (I inhaled it in about an hour and a half or so) but if you're looking for something different, you need to download Real.

4-4.5 stars

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gustavo is a doctor in his small town. Four years ago, his wife passed away. Yesterday, his six year old son succumbed to the plague. In his grief, (over the next 15 years) he becomes obsessed with bringing them back, channelling all his efforts into building a puppet he could bring his son back into. One night a blue fairy shows up and makes him a deal: in exchange for helping Gustavo bring his puppet to life, he has to help teach the puppet determine what it means to be human.

It take Gustavo a while to figure out that the newly animated doll, now Alessandro, is not his son. It was off-putting they were calling each other Father and son, but once they resolved that, the character dynamics got better. Of course, then an evil priest enters the story and makes life dangerous for Gustavo and Alessandro.

This was obviously a queer retelling of Pinocchio with a lot of allusions and symbolism included. It was also... weird and felt awkward to read. There were some interesting ideas (the blue fairy, the fae, the blood aspects, and more backstory) but I felt like instead of focusing on those, the author kept focusing on other details instead. I would have liked more character development, neither Gustavo or Alessandro read real for me. Not the worst, but just... not as good as I felt it could have been.

2 .25 stars, rounded to Two Stars.

[Guardian.angel54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I've read a lot of fairytale retellings lately but this one was completely unique and on a different level than most. We all know the basic story of Pinocchio - man makes wooden puppet that is brought to life by the blue fairy, and attempts to prove itself worthy of becoming a real boy. This book took that basic premise but expounded on it in a wonderful way. It is a bit dark - especially at the beginning. Gustov, the village doctor, has just lost his son and, in his grief, turns to dark alchemy to try and create a living vessel to bring his son's soul back to. Their is so much pain in Gustov and he really borders on the edge of insanity until one night he is visited by an ethereal, blue glowing figure that strikes a deal with him. I don't want to give too much away because part of the thrill of this book was in discovering the unique elements that the author wove into the classic story. I will say that, like the original tale, there is cricket, a strict rule about lying, and you can probably guess when I say that it's not the doll's nose that grows! 😲 I was absolutely sucked into this new story and couldn't put it down. This certainly isn't your kids Disney story but I 100% recommend that you give it a try. I'm completely hooked and it definitely deserves 5/5*!

[Jenniffer Redrovan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Para pasar el rato si uno no tiene nada que hacer

No me encantó o me disgusto

Ame a la hada y lo que hizo por su hijo y el final de ella despidiéndose en forma de mariposa casi me hace llorar JAJSJA, no me gustó la relación de Alessandro y Gustavo muy apresurada? JAJAJJA idk los problemas si es que se le puede decir así muy randoms aunque a la vez no? ya que es muy real lo de los sacerdotes asquerosos pero fue mucha coincidencia de cuando Alessandro quiere escapar para que no le hagan daño a Gustavo pum justo es cuando pasa eso en fin el personaje Gustavo es insípido como una arroz con pollo, Alessandro diría también pero medio se salva un poco por que era un muñeco etc, la hada azul me gustó ya que todo lo que hizo fue por su hijo (siempre amaré cuando las madres dan todo por sus hijos) me dio tristeza que haya muerto y más dando el contexto que tenía miedo al morir por lo que se ve ahí (igual medio confusa la traducción de si es madre o padre pq una me tiro madre y la otra padre pero meh) y quedo el problema que hasta al mismo Gustavo se le olvido de que tenia un trato con la hada de lo de su propio hijo (se le olvido pq se enculo) y ame a la monja qué se enamoro de una chica pero la perdió por la peste.

[Mal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first fairy tale retelling in the mm romance genre and I have to say I really enjoyed it. A plot point here or there was quite cheeky (and I should have expected it 🙄) in the retelling of the tale but over all I found it well paced, steamy with interesting world building & characters whom you want to keep following through the journey the story takes. The themes of first time, the forbidden, the push and pull from dislike to love makes this an interesting read.

The book starts on a note of grief and desperation and isolation, moves into intrigue, then some danger and suspense and and takes you through to acceptance and love. I especially love the nuances and perspectives that the author creates with their characters .. the desolation of a fathers loss, the moral ambiguity of different social constructs of paranormal creatures, the struggle with guilt over the forbidden etc. While the book is similar in the style of the author it is quite different to what I expected but I did enjoy reading it.

[Tiffany Tremayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

well done Joel!

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel reading this book since a doll coming to life was my worst nightmare as a child but I really loved this story! Joel Abernathy is always good at being able to tell a story in a way that lets you feel the characters emotions and I could feel Gustavo’s grief when he lost his son at the beginning of this story. I could feel Gustavo’s desperation in trying to mix science and the occult together to bring his son, Phineas, back and I could feel his rage and his despair when he failed and nearly burned down his workshop. Most importantly, you could feel Gustavo’s hope when he met the blue Fae, who told him he could bring the doll to life. I think any grieving parent, desperately wanting their child back, would have agreed to the Blue Fae’s deal. And when you find out that Gustavo had been tricked by the Blue Fae, I would have reacted angrier than Gustavo had. But anyway, don’t want to ruin it for you. It’s a great book and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

[SHUCHI · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ebook Review📚
Story ♥️♥️♥️
Characters ❤️❤️💕
Overall - *not rated*

I'm really not sure what rating I can give to this book. The story has left me somewhat divided. There are aspects, such as how a heartbroken father ties to bring back his dead son to life in a doll that he created similar to that of Pinocchio's. There are certain lighter moments as well especially when the doll comes to.life. But, then there are aspects of dark alchemy that was frowned upon by people, especially superstitious, illiterate people. And how simpletons get caught in the "crazy talk" of religion and foolish priests. As the topic was carrying a somewhat tabooed theme, I was expecting angst, but I'm still divided about certain aspects of the book. So for now I'm just minimizing the review by adding that it's an interesting take on a popular tale, the romantic angle isn't bad either, even if the chemistry was very minimal. Give it a try if like retelling tales of old classics in a not so subtle manner.

***I received an free copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, for an honest review.***

[Ken Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The darkness comes from the environment that this novel is set in. Pre Industrial Age Sevea is filled with inhabitants who fear and believe in fae, witches and demons, exacerbated by the local priest. The town doctor, a recent widower who also lost their son to plague, attempts to resurrect Phineas. Exploring dark arts to make the mannequin come to life, Gustavo balances medicine with the occult. Manipulated, the puppet becomes Alessandro, apprentice.
Abernathy writes two intriguing MCs full of faults, feelings, mischief. The coming together is done cleverly, triggered by a lie. The daily feeding of the doctor's essence to stave off the darkness got me grinning. The trial at the climax was brilliantly related, yielding a HEA.
The author provided me an ARC: having read and enjoyed this delightful retelling, this is my unbiased and honest evaluation of a novel well executed.

[C. Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 Stars

I once read an MM short story where a man was sick and dying and made his lover promise that when he died, his lover would perform craft to bring him back to life so that they could get back the time being robbed from them. His lover held up his end of the bargain but something must have gone wrong because the being that came back was nothing like man who died. The being was cruel, forceful, hungry and over all inhuman. It couldn't be controlled but the lover seemed to willingly blind himself with desperate hope and patience.
The story was sooo freaking interesting and I was angst at the fact that it was so short, with so many unanswered questions and the promise of the greatest destruction caused by love.
Real by Joel Abernathy has somewhat filled the hole in my morbid curiosity for how that book would have gone.
Thank you I enjoyed this...and it has fae in it!

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love fairytale retellings, and The Alchemist’s Boy did not disappoint. It is its own unique story but there’s enough sprinkling in of classic elements for those who enjoy the nostalgia.

A retelling of Pinocchio, this version looks deeper into why someone would be trying to animate a doll and who - and why - someone else would help them achieve that goal.

While there is some darkness and it’s set during a time of superstition and plague, the overall story is a bit lighter than the average Abernathy book. It’s heartfelt and tender, with lovely relationship building and character development.

I very much enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys m/m fairytale retellings with a touch of magic, decent world building, and a hard-won HEA.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting take on an old tale

The book was super interesting to take in while knowing the original story. I loved the world that was created. The descriptions were amazing. However I felt that the timeline was off. I couldn’t tell how long it had been after his sons death and the creation. Because one moment you’re thinking it’s been months but then the next it seems it’s been years and years. The connection between the two MCs took a long time to get to and I felt that they had a weak connection for awhile. When the connection came it was great. I’m just still confused on the timeline.
The heat in this book is low. And sometimes it was rushed. I liked most of it but I wouldn’t read it again.

[Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll give this story points for the creativity of the premise: a MM re-imagining of Pinocchio, it has its clever moments, as well as some heartbreaking ones, some beautiful ones, and some that didn’t quite feel as developed as they might have been. All in all, however, I found this to be a satisfying read: I appreciated the slow burn, liked the focus on the interiority of the characters (and by implication, some food for thought on what it means to be human, the nature of relationships, etc) and the pacing, while at times a bit on the quick side, worked for me overall.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.