Author: C K McKenzie
Release Date: February 13, 2016
Genre: Fantasy
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 214
Publisher: Self-Published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★

Blurb:

It has been in the nature of fairy tales that they begin with ‘Once Upon a Time’ and end with a ‘Happily Ever After’. However this is not a fairy tale. It is a somewhat true story… Quentin Wallis was not dead but neither was he entirely alive. He was something very much ‘in-between’. In short, Quentin Wallis was cursed. For a century he had been fated to live only on Halloween, seeking out his true love so that he might break the curse which had been laid upon him. The tricky situation was no treat when faced with bad men, murderous ghosts and an inconsiderate army of assassins determined to kill him. With only an honest heart, a haunted house and lashings of candy to assist him Quentin must resolve the small matter of an almost kiss, and a girl with wild grey eyes. And as night falls, and the bonfires burn, so starts the greatest of all adventures.

Review

Plot/Story:

I love the story that has to be told here. It’s a story of love that keeps you guessing until the very end. You are basically on edge the whole time, hoping that everything turns out the way it should. While I did enjoy the story, I felt like a lot of it was very long winded and had a hard time getting through the book. It didn’t lessen my interest in the story, it just felt more like a chore to get to the end. It’s a cute story, and for that, I would recommend it to others.

Characters:

I felt like a lot of the characters were very flat. You don’t really get a feel for who each character is because there are so many characters to explore. Also, you do a lot of jumping around. One minute you are in Quentin’s head and the next you are in Nell’s head. The voice of the story is as if you are watching everything from above and know exactly what everyone is thinking. I just think there were too many perspectives and too many characters.

Romance/Kills:

There is one main love story. The love between Quentin and Nell. There is a lot of death in this book, nothing too gory or graphic.

Writing:

Sometimes the writing was a little hard to follow. Maybe because as you are reading you are in every one’s head. You know what everyone is thinking or feeling and it can get a little confusing at times.

Beginning:

The beginning is very captivating. It made me want to continue on with the story to see what has happened and what is going to happen

Ending:

I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so I will just say that the ending was interesting.

Cover Art:

The cover gives the book a fairytale, Cinderella, kind of feel. Which makes sense, as this story is supposed to be a fairy tale, unlike any other fairy tale. With that being said…I feel like the cover could have been better.

Blurb:

The blurb is very spot on with how the story goes.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: Once upon a time it was autumn in the golden city of New York and the sparkling metropolis had pulled on its gilded mantle of russet hues so that it might celebrate the most glorious season and the best of all holidays, namely Halloween.

Highlights: It was a unique and intriguing story.

Lowlights: Somewhat long-winded.

Final Thoughts: I would recommend this book to friends, but warn them of how drawn out it can feel.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.