Heather’s Bookshelf: The Fairy Godmother’s Tale
Author: Robert B. Marks
Released: 03/07/25
Genre: Historical Fantasy
“‘Why would they tell stories about us?’ Fritz asked.
Freidrich raised his eyebrow. ‘A mad princess tried to poison Snowy because she thought Snowy would be more beautiful than her, and then danced herself off a cliff. You think that’s not worth telling?’
‘I don’t know what’s worth telling.’ Fritz declared. ‘What makes Snowy’s story any more worthy of being remembered than the butcher’s courtship of his wife?’”
“The Fairy Godmother’s Tale” introduces Elisa, a fifteen-year-old living on a secluded island kingdom with her parents. The kingdom had initially negotiated their hidden status, but after years of struggle and facing starvation, the King announces a plan for reconciliation with the mainland.
But Elisa has a little secret…
Not only can she hear everyone’s deepest wish, she can also grant it. Consulting a trusted clergyman and seeing a small example of what her power can do, she decides to grant everyone’s wishes.
Awakening 2 weeks later, she finds that her wish-granting has taken a terrible turn with deadly consequences. Escaping barely with her life, Elisa happens upon a young woman who shows kindness to her. Cinder-ella is trapped in a terrible situation and desires only to escape. Elisa does what she can to help the situation and her new friend.
Continuing with her penance, Elisa encounters many individuals in need of help. Will she find a way to help those around her while also finding herself?
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, classism, religious bias, mutilation, murder
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The fairy tale references are much more along the lines of the Grimm Brothers version than the one told at the House of Mouse. There’s many characters that Elisa encounters including Snow White and Briar Rose from Sleeping Beauty. There’s some that were more familiar to me than others and I appreciated the list the author gave at the end of the book. There’s twists and different ways that each of the characters are worked in, but all of it seems natural and central to Elisa and her story. She’s the protagonist and main POV for this tale. Elisa begins as a very isolated and naive girl who makes some terrible decisions resulting in the blueprint for the rest of her life. But through her experiences and all the passing years, she discovers what’s truly important to her and that there are some things in life she simply can not stand for. The first three quarters of the book has almost a historical fantasy/quest feel to it. There’s a sense of discovery and character development and little tales all built within the one main endeavor. However, the last quarter turns into more of a war story. The personal aspects were nice, but it just didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book. This may have been purposeful by the author, but I just couldn’t get into it as much as the rest. I also felt that it pulled away a bit from the ending that just didn’t pack as much of a punch as it could have in regards to the revenge storyline. However, the ending felt complete and absolutely resolved.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A historical fantasy with a strong protagonist and countless references to fairy tales. A change in tone and an underdeveloped ending counter the connection to the rest of the story.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Robert B. Marks
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