Review of 'The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland--For a Little While: A Tor.Com Original' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I maybe read this too hot on the heels of [b:The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There|13538708|The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There (Fairyland, #2)|Catherynne M. Valente|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334547766s/13538708.jpg|14556391]. I was desperate for my Valente, and it turns out that this book is available as a free ebook (from Tor), so of course, I moved straight into it. But it lacked the delight of the full length books of the series. Maybe more deprivation in between would have helped me appreciate it more.
Yes, it is quite inventive: with carriageless horses and many types of magic. Yes, there is some interesting central plot about Fairyland stealing tithes from other worlds. There is a simply lovely introduction about the concept of history.
But I was hoping for more backstory on Mallow, maybe even dating back to the Maud days, and overall, I just …
I maybe read this too hot on the heels of [b:The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There|13538708|The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There (Fairyland, #2)|Catherynne M. Valente|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334547766s/13538708.jpg|14556391]. I was desperate for my Valente, and it turns out that this book is available as a free ebook (from Tor), so of course, I moved straight into it. But it lacked the delight of the full length books of the series. Maybe more deprivation in between would have helped me appreciate it more.
Yes, it is quite inventive: with carriageless horses and many types of magic. Yes, there is some interesting central plot about Fairyland stealing tithes from other worlds. There is a simply lovely introduction about the concept of history.
But I was hoping for more backstory on Mallow, maybe even dating back to the Maud days, and overall, I just don't think that the short story format is well-suited for fairyland, which I enjoy because of the perception of a vast, rich world.
