Genre: Fairy Tale, Dark, Historical
Reviewer: DB
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About The Book
Born with a deformed foot and abandoned as a young child, Brand spent his youth in indentured servitude to a mediocre wizard. Now Brand is grown, but with no other prospects to support himself, he remains in his master’s employ, doing small chores and selling firestones on the bleak streets of Greynox. Until one bitterly cold day.
In this dark take on a classic fairy tale, Brand encounters the most sinister of magics. With his firestones gone, can he find his way to the light?
The Review
The author caught my attention right in the beginning and did a good job establishing the main character’s situation.
When the story shifted taking the main character through a transition from human to monster, there were some hiccups in the telling of the story that left me confused. However, I was able to regain my place in the story relatively easy enough that I didn’t lose interest.
I believe the best short stories have to be laser focused on the plot, otherwise they can lose direction quickly and dilute the story enough that it can cause the reader to lose interest.
Although the main plot of this story, where the victimized MC is turned into a monster was good, the secondary story, of the MC human and monster loving a wizard was weak and for me, distracted from the overall story.
Overall, this short story was good enough that I gave it 3.5 stars. If the secondary story line had been left out it could’ve easily been a 5-star read.
The Reviewer
I am D.B. Wilson and I am an avid reader. I was born in Tennessee and lived there until I went to college in Iowa. I spent most of my life in Kansas City and have been a teacher, real estate agent, bookseller, and even a full-time foster parent. My husband and I became full-time RVers in 2017 and now travel with our two dogs Denver and Buddy as he works all over USA as a travel nurse.
