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themaxdog's review
2.0
Full review now up on the blog: https://www.thewritinggreyhound.co.uk/2019/07/book-review-piper-and-fairy-carole-bulewski.html
I really wanted to love this book as on paper, it sounds right up my street. The book incorporates elements from a wide range of genres including mystery, romance, and paranormal - all of which are genres that I regularly enjoy reading. However, sadly, The Piper and the Fairy just didn't live up to its potential.
The plot was too winding and convoluted, heading off to explore irrelevant tangents rather than getting to the actual point of the story. This also made it confusing at times, and disrupted the pacing of the story that Iris was recounting. Key plot points seemed muddled and unclear, and when I finished reading, it was like coming up for air after being underwater.
The characters were contradictory and uninspiring, and I really struggled to engage with anyone in the story. I was interested enough to keep on reading in order to find out what happened to Tom, but unfortunately, I just couldn't engage with the characters on an emotional level and remained distanced from the story.
I did feel that the supernatural element to the story was done quite well, although I would personally have preferred more direct referencing to it throughout rather than subtle, veiled hints and guesswork. I also enjoyed the influences of Wicca, paganism, and spiritualism that are a common theme throughout the book - interestingly, I was reading the part when Iris went to Glastonbury when I was also visiting the town, which was a lovely coincidence!
All in all, I'm sorry to say that The Piper and the Fairy was a bit of a disappointment for me. The story had so much potential, but the execution let it down.
I really wanted to love this book as on paper, it sounds right up my street. The book incorporates elements from a wide range of genres including mystery, romance, and paranormal - all of which are genres that I regularly enjoy reading. However, sadly, The Piper and the Fairy just didn't live up to its potential.
The plot was too winding and convoluted, heading off to explore irrelevant tangents rather than getting to the actual point of the story. This also made it confusing at times, and disrupted the pacing of the story that Iris was recounting. Key plot points seemed muddled and unclear, and when I finished reading, it was like coming up for air after being underwater.
The characters were contradictory and uninspiring, and I really struggled to engage with anyone in the story. I was interested enough to keep on reading in order to find out what happened to Tom, but unfortunately, I just couldn't engage with the characters on an emotional level and remained distanced from the story.
I did feel that the supernatural element to the story was done quite well, although I would personally have preferred more direct referencing to it throughout rather than subtle, veiled hints and guesswork. I also enjoyed the influences of Wicca, paganism, and spiritualism that are a common theme throughout the book - interestingly, I was reading the part when Iris went to Glastonbury when I was also visiting the town, which was a lovely coincidence!
All in all, I'm sorry to say that The Piper and the Fairy was a bit of a disappointment for me. The story had so much potential, but the execution let it down.
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