My Five Word TL:DR Review: Pinborough, such a great storyteller

I love a good fairytale, but sometimes better still a good fairytale reimagined.  If this is something you enjoy then I can’t recommend Pinborough enough.  She has a wicked sense of humour, she turns everything on it’s head and I love the way she writes.  Magic has been recently released as the first in the Tales from the Kingdom series.  I’ve already read Poison, Charm and Beauty and loved them.  I nearly had a conniption when I saw on Netgalley two new titles Magic and Blood.  Magic is, as I understand it (although, ahem, I have been known to be wrong) being marketed as the first in the series, followed by the aforementioned three and then another new book, Blood, being the fifth instalment.

So, Magic is a retelling that predominantly focuses on Rapunzel but also captures so many other elements of stories that I’ve loved over the years.  Aladdin plays a role, and believe me when I say he’s the furthest thing from the Disney imagined version than you’ll believe.  Pinborough captures so many different elements and gives them all her own unique twist, I was filled with a lovely sense of nostalgia whilst reading at the same time as being dumbfounded at the creativity on display that takes all my ideas of tropes and characters and stamps them into the earth, followed by a quick dusting off of the hands and a hearty harrumph – take that you fairytale stereotypes.  I mean literally, I loved this.  I confess that I am a fan of the author and maybe I’m predisposed to like her work, I don’t know, but this book picked me up just when I needed it. 

In fact the other three books are also available and as I no longer have copies (having given by beautiful hard copies to some scoundrel to read (and we all know how that goes) I’m tempted to request the others so I have the full set again, that way I could enjoy myself quite spectacularly reading all five in almost back to back fashion – is that greedy though? 

As I said, this is Rapunzel’s tale.  Rapunzel is a beautiful, sheltered, young woman who lives in a tower with her Aunt Gretel (we all know the tale of Hansel and Gretel and the gingerbread house – well, be patient).  Anyway, Gretel is a witch, she makes charms or curses that are usually woven into spindles and she has many spinning wheels already imbued with such magic.  Gretel has hidden herself away from the world, she’s raised Rapunzel to mistrust other folk, especially men.  There’s no such thing as true love and men simply can’t be trusted (feels like a little play on Miss Havisham and Estella).  Except, Gretel is becoming curious about the outside world and when she is given a book, by a friend, about love and romance, she finds herself longing to meet her very own Prince Charming.

Meanwhile, we have a King, he’s exploring the kingdoms (mainly sowing his wild oats) before he takes up his position of authority.  He bumps into a young man who tells him of a beautiful maiden trapped in a tower by a cruel witch and he immediately imagines himself as the dashing hero rushing to rescue her.  The young man who told him the story has his own motives, a room full of magic spindles seems too good to resist.

I think I’ve already told you too much of the plot so I’ll stop there.  Pick these up and enjoy them for yourselves.

What I loved.

The writing.  It’s clever and well plotted.  The stories are written with Pinborough’s wicked sense of humour and it comes across so well.  There’s a determined tongue in cheek poking of fun at everything you may have come to expect from such tales and it ultimately comes together in a perfect package.

I really enjoy the way the author turns the characters around.  We have Aladdin, we even have a genie and a lamp, but they’re so unexpectedly different.  I won’t say more.

All of the books are set within the Kingdoms and this is another reason why I’m tempted to read all of them in order, why deny myself such fun after all.  They’re all connected in small ways so I highly recommend picking up all five and reading them all in order.

I can’t add too much more, well, other than the fact that these books are so easy to read and are good stories packed with humour and a little bit of sizzling sexiness.  And, the cherry on top – this is ultimately a story of true love.

This book was the pick-me-up that I didn’t know I needed.

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

My rating

5 of 5 intoxicatingly delicious stars