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Wizard Promise 9781908844736 Books

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Wizard Promise 9781908844736 Books

I would like to thank NetGalley and Strange Chemistry for the opportunity to read this e-ARC. Although I received the ebook for free, that in no way impacts my review.

<blockquote>When Deanna's missing friend Hyde turns up at his father's funeral to claim his corporate empire and inheritance, she is swept into his glittering world of paparazzi and wealth.

But re-kindling her friendship and the dizzying new emotions along for the ride are the least of her concerns. Because Deanna has a secret – and somebody knows. Someone who is out to get Hyde. And if she doesn't play along, and help the enemy destroy him…she will be sold to the highest bidder in the black market for human swans.

Now Deanna is struggling to break free from the gilded cage that would trap her forever…

Feather Bound is a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's <em>A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings</em>, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella.</blockquote>

A creative blend of original and modern fairy tale, this story holds all the horror of the original tales and all the luxury and wish fulfillment of today's modern tale. Deanna rediscovers her childhood best friend, resurrected from the grave. Though he clearly wants to reconnect, he is also hiding something from Deanna, and the not knowing is driving her crazy.

Before they can make any real headway in rebuilding their friendship, and quite possibly more, Deanna undergoes a shocking transformation at one of the worst possible places and times. Though she thinks she got away with her deception, to her horror she discovers that she was indeed caught. And the one who caught her is nothing short of evil. In the blink of an eye her life goes from normal to terrifying as she is blackmailed into destroying her one true friend to save herself.

After a period of almost catatonic shock she begins to recover enough to put the blackmail plan into action. But she just can't see herself hurting Hyde, however she also can't seem to find any way out of the mess she's been caught up in. Even if she does escape this situation will she learn to live her life without always looking over her shoulder for the next threat?

Like any good fairy tale this one has an underlying message or two. Will Deanna be rescued by her fairy godmother at the last moment? Will her knight in shining armor arrive in time to sweep her off her feet while single-handedly slaying the evil villains? Or will something more important happen?

Filled with a fascinating protagonist or two, an excellent supporting cast that are easy to relate to, as well as antagonists that are evil personified and you have the makings of a solid story. Add in a bunch of unexpected twists and turns and suddenly you have an exciting plot. Lace it with morals and lessons to be learned and suddenly you have an entirely new fairy tale, all wrapped up in a pretty package. These lessons aren't like the ones from childhood nursery rhymes or school, instead they are at once more subtle and more transparent. Well told, with a creative and unique take on a fairy tale/myth, this quick book is definitely worth the read.


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Wizard Promise 9781908844736 Books Reviews

Review Courtesy All Things Urban Fantasy

I can understand, to some degree, wanting to generate buzz for your novel, but you might want to stop and think before comparing it to something written by a man who can claim a Nobel Prize in Literature. Apparently, stopping and thinking wasn’t the road chosen and the comparison was made. Bad move.

FEATHER BOUND isn’t so much a novel as it is a trainwreck. I can understand wanting to keep an air of mystery around the story to keep the reader engaged; I even support that to some degree. I like not having every detail spelled out. But there’s a line between mystery and “what the hell is going on?” If you’re going to have a world where characters turn into swans (but not really swans – just people with feathers that suddenly sprout down their backs around puberty) you really need to set the scene just a little.

After a few times running back through the little exposition we’re given, I was finally able to figure out enough of how the world building worked and focus on the story. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a good thing. It’s a showcase of awkward phrasing, seriously contrived plot devices, predictable misunderstandings, and almost completely unlikeable characters. For the first time in a very long time, I’m having a very hard time finding something positive to say about it.

I didn’t so much read FEATHER BOUND as I endured it and I’m wearing the fact that I didn’t mark it DNF as a badge of honor. Suffice to say, I probably won’t be revisiting this author.
This is the second time I've tried to finish this book. The first was several weeks ago, and I made it to 12% before needing a break. The time I made it to 28% and. I. Am. Done.

There is no world-building.

The book begins with Deanna's family getting ready to go to the funeral of an old family friend. A family friend who sounds a lot like any number of men you'd find on the Forbes' Richest People in America list. A family friend whose dead son was Deanna's best childhood friend (except that he came across as more of an over-eager puppy who was indulged). A family friend who enslaved his wife.

Enslaved his wife? What do you mean?!

Well apparently roughly 3% of the world's population are really swans, and if you steal their feathers, you can control them.

*gasp*

But where did these swans come from?

That's an excellent question. It's also a question I have no answer to.

Why not?

NO WORLD BUILDING.

Deanna and family are at the funeral when a girl shows up in a trench coat, takes advantage of the paparazzi to soapbox, and then further demonstrates her flare for the dramatic by flinging open her coat, baring her feathers (and breasts) to the world.

And that is all the introduction to the existence of swans that you get.

But wait--it gets even sillier . . .

Deanna is wandering around the graveyard on the way to the reception when she sees a lone boy (about her age--she can tell this at quite a distance from the view of his back) standing in front of Enslaving Family Friend's tombstone. Curious, she wanders closer, only to discover *gasps again* it's Hyde!

Hyde her not-so-dead-after-all childhood best friend.

And not just any old Hyde. A new and improved Hyde. A Hyde who is mischievously good-looking. A Hyde who dresses like a hipster (b/c all the girls LOVE hipsters). A Hyde who, despite his obvious confidence (from the whole minute and a half of their interaction), is clearly nervous about her reaction to him.

Oh, for the love of god.

And it only get more ridiculous from there.

This is especially annoying b/c if you read the blurb, you know that this book is described as, "a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella."

And it is dark in places, I'll give it that. But Gabriel García Márquez dark? Not hardly. Neither did it have anything to do with, "the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella."

Ladies and gents, if you somehow don't already know, fairy tales are kind of my thing. I was raised on them. Spent my first paycheck when I was 16 y.o. on a massive collection of the original Grimm's Fairy Tales. The original German versions that I've been familiar with since I was 10 (it was an accident on my grandmother's part--she didn't intend to get me the bloodthirsty version, but she couldn't exactly take it back, could she?). Anyway, the point is that the dark and nasty part of the original Cinderella did have to do with enslavement, but enslavement of the ordinary kind (not the stealing-of-feathers kind). It may also have had to do with the step-sisters cutting off large portions of their feet in an attempt to force a shoe to fit, but that's neither here, nor there.

When a book is described as being part specific fairy tale, I expect it to share fantastical elements with the fairy tale it's being compared to. This does not. The only thing it has in common with Cinderella is slavery, and NOBODY associates Cinderella with slavery. It would be more honest to compare it to Uncle Tom's Cabin, but that probably wouldn't sell as many books to the target demographic, so somebody decided to be disingenuous instead.

Then again, I quit at 28%. Who knows? Maybe a fairy godmother shows up further down the road.

But I doubt it.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Strange Chemistry for the opportunity to read this e-ARC. Although I received the ebook for free, that in no way impacts my review.

<blockquote>When Deanna's missing friend Hyde turns up at his father's funeral to claim his corporate empire and inheritance, she is swept into his glittering world of paparazzi and wealth.

But re-kindling her friendship and the dizzying new emotions along for the ride are the least of her concerns. Because Deanna has a secret – and somebody knows. Someone who is out to get Hyde. And if she doesn't play along, and help the enemy destroy him…she will be sold to the highest bidder in the black market for human swans.

Now Deanna is struggling to break free from the gilded cage that would trap her forever…

Feather Bound is a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's <em>A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings</em>, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella.</blockquote>

A creative blend of original and modern fairy tale, this story holds all the horror of the original tales and all the luxury and wish fulfillment of today's modern tale. Deanna rediscovers her childhood best friend, resurrected from the grave. Though he clearly wants to reconnect, he is also hiding something from Deanna, and the not knowing is driving her crazy.

Before they can make any real headway in rebuilding their friendship, and quite possibly more, Deanna undergoes a shocking transformation at one of the worst possible places and times. Though she thinks she got away with her deception, to her horror she discovers that she was indeed caught. And the one who caught her is nothing short of evil. In the blink of an eye her life goes from normal to terrifying as she is blackmailed into destroying her one true friend to save herself.

After a period of almost catatonic shock she begins to recover enough to put the blackmail plan into action. But she just can't see herself hurting Hyde, however she also can't seem to find any way out of the mess she's been caught up in. Even if she does escape this situation will she learn to live her life without always looking over her shoulder for the next threat?

Like any good fairy tale this one has an underlying message or two. Will Deanna be rescued by her fairy godmother at the last moment? Will her knight in shining armor arrive in time to sweep her off her feet while single-handedly slaying the evil villains? Or will something more important happen?

Filled with a fascinating protagonist or two, an excellent supporting cast that are easy to relate to, as well as antagonists that are evil personified and you have the makings of a solid story. Add in a bunch of unexpected twists and turns and suddenly you have an exciting plot. Lace it with morals and lessons to be learned and suddenly you have an entirely new fairy tale, all wrapped up in a pretty package. These lessons aren't like the ones from childhood nursery rhymes or school, instead they are at once more subtle and more transparent. Well told, with a creative and unique take on a fairy tale/myth, this quick book is definitely worth the read.