Thank you to Amberjack Publishing for the Arc of this book.
I really enjoyed this book, made me laugh and it was a nice pleasant read, very whimsical, and I loved that it was narrated, gave it some extra whimsy.

This was rough.

“A Dreadful Fairy Book” takes the reader on an adventure with Spade who sets off to find herself a library after losing her home and along the way she meets many new creatures to aid or hinder her journey.

Right off the bat it’s clear I am not the intended audience this is written for someone much much younger than myself and as much as I tried to put that aside for the sake of an unbiased review I couldn’t. What amazes me though is how much improvised for the world swearing goes on and it’s not even subtle with direct references to how some of the words used are the “worst ones” in their language. Another problem for me was the language or rather accents used by some of the minor characters we meet along the way that lean too heavily into stereotypes.

The bigger problem of all however is the main character herself. With so little real world experience outside her books she’s very arrogant to those around her who are offering assistance and that’s not a fun thing to teach kids. There’s also heavy influence to that of Lemony Snicket and the forth wall break that simply switches the word unfortunate with dreadful like we won’t notice.

This was not great and I would advise all those with kids who are looking for a new read to share with them to skip this one for something better you won’t regret it.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

It's comforting to know that fairies are like humans in that they aren't always whimsical and carefree and happy. This tale opens with Shade, a decidedly NOT whimsical sprite, having lost her home and (worse) her *library* in a fire started by some ill-used fireworks. Shade is not impressed with the "Hey, gang let's build her a new house!" reaction from the sprites who burned her out, so she leaves. As she moves through the forest, she has doubts about having left the safety and relative comfort of her home, despite the annoyingly whimsical populace. She's never been on her own and doesn't know what she'll find. All she wants is a quiet place to read, and really wishes she could find a nice library. What she finds, instead, are friends in the lest likely places.

This is a welcome relief from the sugar-sweet stories about fairies that are so popular right now. It reminded me a little of the first time I read the Artemis Fowl books, and how I loved the unconventional approach taken by the author. Kids who are just a bit different will eat this up and will find a friend in Shade. Well done.