#ATBR2019 Review: Frightfully Ever After by Nick DeWolf @Nick_DeWolf @jessmapreviews
Frightfully Ever After
by Nick DeWolf
Thanks so much to the author for these copies!
Publisher: Vintage City Publishing
Publish Date: December 26, 2017
Kindle Edition
251 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Fantasy
"Do you know what the difference is between a fairy godmother and a witch?"
"What?"
"Not a goddamn thing."
Fairies and dragons are real, and live alongside giants, goblins and trolls. Fairy godmothers exist. The woodsman, that one from the story books? Yeah, he’s real too. They’re all out there, living in the world, right under your nose.
But they’re not alone. There’s another side to the coin. Witches are real. Monsters are real. Things that slither through shadows and bite at your skin are real.
The big bad wolf is very real.
And poor Anastasia – she was born with magical royal blood. She should have been a princess, but grew up under the thumb of a vicious crime boss. She’s lived a life of pain, fear, and violence. In a desperate attempt to get away, she will find herself surrounded by all those things she thought never existed.
Good, bad, and evil.
FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER is a slow burn urban fantasy with guns, horror, sex, and monsters. People get hurt. People get killed. People get eaten. And only the toughest get to live Happily Ever After.
My Review:
I have always loved fairy tales. Usually these are the first stories we learn as children. As I've grown older, the darker they are, the more I like them. After all, the real Grimm stories are pretty dang dark! Enter Anastasis and her fairy godmothers, Mary and Gayl.
This is a bit of a modern day, gang related, fairy tale that gets darker as you read it. However, there is a ton of humor thrown in for levity and you can tell the author has to be fun to be around. The banter back and forth between Mary and Gayl are probably my favorite parts. At certain times, they actually remind me of the Grey Sister (but they don't need to share an eye).
I enjoyed the background brought to us with how Mary and Gayl got to where they are and love that not all intentions are pure. While I used to want a fairy godmother as a little girl, I think this book has persuaded me that maybe it isn't such a great idea. Haha.
Honestly, I could've done without the sex scenes though relating orgasms to bringing someone to their zenith is certainly a new catch phrase for me and one I won't forget, that's for sure! Descriptions were overdone and unnecessary here and there - something about bangs hanging like an antique picture frame? I did, however, giggle at some of these kinds of descriptives because they were something I'd never read before... but I also liked some at the same time.
As a whole, this book was highly entertaining and I found myself having a good time following Anastasia on her crazy adventures. I didn't like her as a character because wow, she didn't seem to appreciate a damn thing! Luckily, I like to hate on characters. ;) Language, Dearie. ;)
★★★☆
Jessica's Review:
I've said it many times before, and I'll continue to say it, I love the fairy tale stories with a twist. I mean, when you get older that's when you realized the Grimm Fairy Tales were exactly that, grim and dark and nothing like the ones we grew up hearing (happily ever after isn't always a thing). FRIGHTFULLY EVER AFTER by Nick DeWolf definitely adds in the blood, horror, sex, and plenty of darkness to this fantasy world.
Anastasia and her fairy godmothers, Mary and Gayl are the center of our story. The banter and dynamic between the fairy godmothers reminded me a little bit of the three from Sleeping Beauty. Obviously in this tale things were much darker and their intentions aren't always the purest (I mean, that would ruin the fun, right?). Anastasia is trying to escape her life under a crime boss and once she gets away, she begins to realize all the evil things you thought were only in stories, are actually very real and very dangerous.
Despite the horror feel, the author does include some good dark humor throughout the book. Bring in some funny moments to break up the dark. I will tell you now, there are some very detailed and descriptive sex scenes in the book. I could have done with less of these, but that's just me. Overall, this was a fun adventure read with some memorable characters. If you like the more evil fairy tales then this will definitely be one you want to pick up.
3.5 stars
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