My Five Word TL:DR Review: A Beautiful Tale of Fairies

I absolutely loved this story and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Literally I devoured this in two sittings and then felt sad that it was over. I confess that Harris is an author whose work I enjoy very much. I don’t think this gives me an unbalanced view however because as with even a favourite author there will be occasional books that simply don’t work their magic. This isn’t one of those times. This is a beautifully written, grown up fairy tale set in a contemporary London where an alternate reality exists alongside the everyday. 

The writing is lush. We have an almost olde world feel to the story that gives it a certain charm and whimsy. There is a collection of fairy tales that provide the backstory as the plot unfolds and we even have a jump back in time to a London Before. Not to mention a visit to an enchanting moonlit market where anything can be bought for the right price. 

The story revolves around a character called Tom (although he has some other interesting monikers). Tom is a photographer based out of a dusty old shop in a forgotten corner of London. His heart is stolen by a beautiful young girl who visits his shop one day and from that moment he begins to see other ‘things’, clues to another world that lead him on an adventure. Strangely enough, he appears to be well known in this alternative world even though he has no recollection of the place or the people. 

I’m not going to further elaborate on the plot as I think this is best discovered for yourself. 

What I loved about this. The writing first and foremost. Harris is a fantastic storyteller, I love her imagination and the way she creates a spell with her words. I felt almost (in fact positively) enchanted reading this.  

I really enjoyed the story itself. Tom, I will confess, can be a little frustrating at times but then he’s been mesmerised and really not in control of his actions so I did cut him some slack even whilst I was shaking my head at him with despair. The tale of the moths and the butterflies is lovely and the way the differences between the two are borne out in their characterisation is really well thought out. 

A tale of love, of love lost and of love found. The fickleness of memory and the lengths one will go to when under the throes of infatuation. 

The pacing at times feels almost indolent and yet at the same time the story kept me racing eagerly to find out how things would play out so go figure that conundrum.

A book that captured my imagination with ease. I loved it.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 5 of 5 stars.