Hey all, Sam here.
If everything is going well with my long weekend of reading, then hopefully I will have many more book reviews coming your way soon. I’m working on figuring out some sort of reading plan so I can try and get caught up on my NetGalley reads, because I am tired of seeing such a low review percentage. The problem is that there are just so many books out there that I want to read, and then I end up getting distracted by other books…and I never cycle back around to the ones I really should be reading and reviewing.
I guess the nice thing is that you can still post up a review for a book you got off NetGalley and it counts, even if your review is coming a few years after the book was released.
I’d just like to get more caught up and not let myself slack as much in future. And that starts with making a plan and sticking to it. Making plans I find to be easy; it’s the sticking to it that sometimes becomes an issue.
All right. I hope you all are having a lovely weekend, and let’s go ahead and jump into today’s overdue review.
Shave the princess? Inconceivable! The hilarious bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes are back with a new adventure in the irreverent world of Pell.
Once upon a time, a princess slept in a magical tower cloaked in thorns and roses.
When she woke, she found no Prince Charming, only a surfeit of hair and grotesquely long fingernails–which was, honestly, better than some creep who acted without consent. She cut off her long braids and used them to escape. But she kept the beard because it made a great disguise.
This is not a story about finding true love’s kiss–it’s a story about finding yourself. On a pirate ship. Where you belong.
But these are no ordinary pirates aboard The Puffy Peach, serving under Filthy Lucre, the one-eyed parrot pirate captain. First there’s Vic, a swole and misogynistic centaur on a mission to expunge himself of the magic that causes him to conjure tea and dainty cupcakes in response to stress. Then there’s Tempest, who’s determined to become the first dryad lawyer–preferably before she takes her ultimate form as a man-eating tree. They’re joined by Alobartalus, an awkward and unelfly elf who longs to meet his hero, the Sn’archivist who is said to take dictation directly from the gods of Pell. Throw in some mystery meat and a dastardly capitalist plot, and you’ve got one Pell of an adventure on the high seas!
In this new escapade set in the magical land of Pell, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly skewer the tropes of fairy tales and create a new kind of fantasy: generous, gently humorous, and inclusive. There might also be otters.
My Thoughts
Rating: 4 stars
This is a follow-up to Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes, which are the first two books in The Tales of Pell series. But, aside from some small mentions/cameo appearances from previous book characters, you can technically read any of these as if it is a standalone. Of course, I will always recommend reading a series in the order published, although technically there are some series that can be read in a few different ways.
Anyway, this series is a funny, sort of satirical stab at a number of different tropes from fairy tales and fantasy. The first book remains my favorite, but they’ve all been fairly amusing, and have been fairly quick reads.
I just love the amusing references to some beloved fantasy books, movies, and shows out there. Obviously this one has references to Sleeping Beauty, but also to The Princess Bride. Plus, these books are just very filled with puns.
As with my thoughts on the second book of the series, I unfortunately feel that this book was also trying too hard to hold on to the hilarious charm of the first book. And at times it read like it was trying to force the funny and to force the ridiculously amusing.
If you’re looking for a serious fantasy with deep moody characters who are invested in saving the world or making it a better place or something…well, perhaps try a different read. But, if you’re looking for something a bit too-over-the-top at times, all around shenanigan filled, and with numerous juvenile jokes about things like butts and poop, then the Tales of Pell might be something to check out.
Morgan –our bearded princess turned pirate, Vic — our swole centaur with a silly dainty ability he doesn’t like, Tempest–a dryad with dreams of being a lawyer before becoming a man-eating tree, an Al– an awkward unelfly elf who wants to meet the Sn’archivist….it’s a motley crew for sure, and they make for a quest that feels like you’re on an incredibly silly D&D shenanigan story arc to reduce stress by being over-the-top silly.
While I know these books won’t appeal to anyone, I know I’m keeping them on my shelves. I enjoy the writing style of the authors, and it’s always good to keep around some books that you know will make you laugh.
Well, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
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