Trisha O. (Shaylinn) reviewed on 11/16/2008 + 13 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

I picked this book up and decided to buy it based mostly on the rave review that Neil Gaiman gave it and the fact that it was a World Fantasy Award winner. But I have to be honest here. I just don't get it. I don't understand why Gaiman adores it so much or why it's award winning -- maybe because it was ahead of its time when it was originally published in 1992? I even enjoy other books this author has written under a pseudonym. I just don't get the attraction of this book.

The story itself is cute but very hampered by the fragmented way its told. Each character's story is chopped up into bits and pieces. All the chance meetings and coincidences that make the story fall together in the end really felt a bit forced. And worse yet none of the characters are completely fleshed out. They are all characatures - the tragic heroine, the loser who just needs a little guideance, the crazy homeless woman, and all the various fairy clans are complete stereotypes.


The final straw is that after everything is over and done with and all the strange little plot lines are tied up the book ends very abruptly and left me wondering what happened.

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