But you don’t really need a magic pencil to write a magic book. All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.
Storyteller Corner: The End, The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
Table of Contents
The Fantastical Fairy Tale
The first and most important aspect of this book that you should know is that it is a love letter to the fairy tale. More specifically it is a homage to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis. I have not read The Chronicles of Narnia series of books but I have watched one of the many (?) movies that were made from those books. I am also generally familiar with the trappings of a fairy tale having read a few of them as a child.
This book felt like a comfortable blanket on these cold November days, a reprieve from the general bleakness of our contemporary world. This book has it all – characters whom I genuinely adore and care for, a fantastical plot befitting of a fairy tale and a queer love story to make the romantic in me swoon.
I loved how the author used all the tropes of the fairy tales of old in a fresh and innovative way that kept me hooked to the story. I would have finished this book in one sitting if I didn’t have other things to get to in my day-to-day. Definitely a book that made me anticipate, there was just the right amount of thrill and suspense.
Romance
That said, what really kept me going was the romance plot. This book is an extremely gay fairy tale in all the best of ways. I am not going to spoil anything but the way the romance plays out in this book strikes the right balance between sultry and cozy. Good balance of romance, yearning and displays of affection.
I think this book is more romance than it is fantasy in many ways. I suppose one could call it a romantasy and I know I have already expounded enough on my distaste for that term in a previous book review. Nonetheless, this is a romantasy and the fantastical elements serve as the fairy tale foundation upon which the romance is built on.
I think I’m becoming a romantasy enjoyer. I still don’t like that word though.
Musical Notes
One of the smaller aspects of the book I found delightful is the author’s use of musical references – specifically to Ludovico Einaudi and Stevie Nicks. As a massive music nerd I really enjoyed how the author wove those two artists and their music into the story of two of our main characters. Primavera by Ludovico Einaudi is such a good piece of neoclassical music. I’ve listened to it a lot on repeat on my morning walks recently.
My most favourite Stevie Nicks track continues to be Edge of Seventeen. I have not particularly warmed to the rest of her discography but I want to explore more of it because of this book. I always love when a piece of media leads me to explore other different kinds of media.
Conclusions
This book was another recommendation from the lovely cari of the cari can read YouTube channel who continues to be one of my biggest sources of good book recommendations. Thank you cari. I very much enjoyed this book and I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fairy tale fantasy with a very well written queer romance in it.
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