Skip to main content

Member Reviews

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book!
This book is a wonderful addition to the cosy fantasy genre, and perfect for those who enjoy books about books.
The concept is unique and engaging and was executed wonderfully! Truly enchanting and whimsical.
I loved the setting and the characters however I favoured the familial relationships over the romantic ones.

Was this review helpful?

I thought this was a fantastic YA fantasy novella with great worldbuilding and character development even in a short story. The timeline truly made it a fairytale and there was a lot of historical references and literary works cited which I thought was fun. The magic system was super unique with the FMC being a snatchwords and using it to weave fairytales to life.

The plot was definitely predictable, but it was done in a way that was quite different than what I’ve experienced before and was well done! The romance was as to be expected for YA and I thought it was cute and the story had quality character arcs.

Thank you NetGalley and Rivka Publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The Storyteller’s Tale ✨

My second net galley read.

Iliad found out she was a snatchwords when she was young, she had the powers to make the words on a page magically appear before her.

Out of the blue one day, Iliad receives a marriage proposal from a mystery lord and an invitation to be the queen’s storyteller. Intrigued and in need of a fresh start, Iliad agrees to go to the palace to meet her unnamed fiancé and see if she wishes to go ahead with the marriage.

But things take a turn when Adil, her husband to be, is not what she had in mind. He’s missing one eye, has a huge scar and he’s extremely bad at socialising, making him come across as rude and surly.

But in true enemies to lovers style, there is more to this story, with Iliad learning the truth about her fiancé and why he is the way he is and Adil admitting his true feelings about Iliad.

Together the pair must work to help the king save the kingdom from the potentially corrupt rule of Prince Edmund before it’s too late.

A middle grade somewhat cozy fantasy about the power of words and the importance of love and friendship.

It was a little too fast paced with the story moving quickly without much happening and quite confusing to read in some places and I wished we had seen more of Iliad and Adil together, but for a middle grade book, it was very enjoyable.

Was this review helpful?

Our main character, Illiad (can I just say how much I love that name?) is honestly the perfect mc for this book. She almost floats through the world, gathering words and books along the way. She is self confident, she knows her own power and I loved that. So many books have heroines learning about their power but Illiad already knows her power and it is just what she chooses to do with it!
The world of being a snatchwords (someone who can read words and they come to life in illusions) set against a truly historical (but with flying deer!) fantasy set in France with lots of true classics mentioned was just so good. I – the world is incredible so complex but then so graspable from page one because we understand the societal undercurrents of power.
It almost reads as a ‘if the French Revolution hadn’t be necessary’ narrative which I loved exploring and this is definitely an unexpected find – that should be all over Bookstagram, it is gorgeous – and it is just gorgeous.

Was this review helpful?

Illiad is known as a wordsnatcher. She is able to bring words to life for those who listen to her stories. Her talent brings her to the court of the Queen, so she may also enjoy this art as well. But, at the castle, there is a hand waiting to marry Illiad. Will she like her suitor or not? Will she end marrying him or not?

Was this review helpful?

Although I found the writing a little awkward at times (not sure if that's a product of the English translation or not), but the story was delightful. I would definitely read more by this author.

Was this review helpful?

I finished this book in less that 24 hours, initially the first few chapters are hard to get into but after that the book is addictive!

I loved the idea of a Snatchwords (and let's be honest most of us would love to be one!). The romance did feel a little rushed at times but they are very sweet and I enjoyed this book a lot.

Was this review helpful?

First of all, many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC grante to me. Altough this book hasn't got my entire enthusiasm as much as I thought It would, I could be entertained by its narrative.

Was this review helpful?

4/5⭐

Short and quick read. Really cute and cozy story.

I loved the idea of the illusions.

The characters acted and felt like real people and were interesting.

The book leaves you wanting more.

I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

It had an original universe, a likable plot, interesting characters, and funny and original writing, but it was too fast for me, and I wasn't really hooked. I couldn't say why. It was a nice novel, but just not for me.
Thank you NetGally

Was this review helpful?

The Storyteller's Tale is a beautiful story of adventure, misconception, and love where you least expect it. I requested this book from NetGalley based on the whimsical cover, lovely description, and intriguing magic system. It did not disappoint.

In our story, sweet librarian Iliad, who is grieving a broken engagement, is met with a mysterious summons to the capital. She is to become the Queen's Storyteller, as she has a very special gift of magic - that of bringing words to life in the air. Included in the summons is a strange proposal from a member of the royal family - to be married in 3 months' time, but to keep it all secret. Chaperoned by her fiery (literally) grandmother, Iliad sets off on an adventure far more grand, more beautiful - and dangerous - than she ever expected. This a beautiful read suitable for mature middle grade and up, with some parental guidance encouraged (see CW below). Highly recommend!

There were places where the pacing felt a little off - moreso in reflection after finishing than during the story itself. This may have been due to the book being a translation, which I was not aware of prior to beginning. It did not, however, detract from the story itself. The world building was lovely - I just wanted more! I would love to see more books in this series and see it expanded!

World Building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character Development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Predictability (lack of): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🥛 - very mild (0.25 🌶️)
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW/CW: Death, murder, suicide (off page and historical, though cause of death is discussed), a scene where a man grabs and kisses an unwilling woman without her consent, some bullying

Was this review helpful?

Overall well written and entertaining. The world building is nice, and the characters are interesting.

Was this review helpful?

I really wanted to love this book. It has a very unique feature that caught my eye when looking on NetGalley and that is the FMC being a “Snatchwords” — someone who can breathe life into words by speaking them aloud. Her power is illusions created from her mind while she reads. This was so alluring to me as someone who adores words of all kinds… but, I honestly felt a little disappointed by this book.

This book was rated middle-grade/young adult fantasy, however, I felt it should’ve been classified as only middle-grade or maybe even younger. I felt the plot to be juvenile and not enticing enough to continue had it not been a DRC. I did like the references to classic literature throughout and the use of them to tell the story, I felt that was very creative and unique.

I do think I would recommend this book but likely to a younger audience as I felt that it was missing any actual “YA” elements.

Was this review helpful?

ARC review reader:

This book promised a lot in my opinion, the cover is beautiful and the story looks very interesting, but it didn't work for me.
The magical concept is fabulous, the world is developed in a magical and incredible way, well constituted and everything explained so well for such a small book and maybe that was the problem. Because then the dialogues and interactions were weak, the storyline was weak.
The scenes happen too quickly; the dialogues that barely start are already ending up being weak in terms of emotions; the romance between the Lord and the Snatchword has potential, but I couldn't feel connected to them, they say they already love each other with few interactions and it didn't even make me almost faint. The plot was rushed and the [ big moment where we see how the characters are is in a small letter that Snatchword makes to her sister, who has a big declaration of love from the judge in a P.S. note?

It didn't work for me, but this book promised EVERYTHING! And it would easily reach four stars!

Was this review helpful?

I adored this book. The Storyteller's Tale is about Iliad who’s a famous storyteller in Esmeria. She moves to the capital Babel for a new job and marriage to an unknown suitor, but soon finds it’s not as easy and wonderful as she thought it would be.

I read this book in just two sittings, I couldn’t put it down. The worldbuilding is beautiful. It’s set in an ambiguous timeless setting, but there are magical aspects throughout the world with some people having special powers including Iliad. Iliad is the main character, who has a gift I would love to possess: creating illusions from the books she reads. I connected with Illiad a lot as we both share a passion for books. The only minor critique I have for this book is I want to dive deeper into this world. I’d love a sequel that dives deeper into this world to understand the politics, the monarchy, and especially the magical elements that are intertwined within the society.

The translation was excellent, and the writing style made it an easy and enjoyable read. I loved this book and everything to do with it, it was a cosy comfort read. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially those who are into fantasy and cosy books.

Was this review helpful?

As much as I liked how well the story was written and the story as a whole it just wasn’t my vibe so this is more of an impersonal review rather than my true thoughts as I unfortunately didn’t mesh well BUT the story it’s self was amazing and I really think others would like it if you like a cute wholesome sort of book where good conquers evil

Was this review helpful?

Oh boy, where to begin.

From page one this was really hard to read. It was stilted, awkwardly written, and clunky. This was originally written in French, and I can't tell if it has a bad writer, a bad translator, or both. My gut is telling me it's both.

The biggest issue I had was the writing itself. People just don't speak like that. The language was so forced that I couldn't sink into the story at all. I wanted to pick out a few quotes that highlight just how awkwardly written this is, but honestly there are decent examples on every page.

Originally I kept reading because I wanted to give the netgalley ARC a fair chance, and I kept reading out of morbid curiosity. And I'm SO GLAD I did, because the plot was finally introduced in the last 30 pages. I have no idea about the purpose of the first 7/8ths of this book.

And!!! This is a fantasy book that is set in a fantasy land, so explain to me the constant references to real-world literature? The old testament, the picture of Dorian Gray, Rousseau?? Homer?! Are you suggesting this is all happening on our earth, post-1890?

Additionally, the characters were bland. The main character has red hair and that is her personality.

This reads as a book that is nowhere near ready to be published, but what baffles me the most is the other reviews- did we read the same book?

Was this review helpful?

In this story, we follow Illiad, a character who has the ability to turn words into illusions by speaking them aloud. While this concept is intriguing, the book ultimately felt superficial. Illiad's power, while interesting at first, is only explored in its most basic form, and even by the end of the book, we don’t learn much more about it.

The world is populated with potentially interesting characters, but they remain one-dimensional, and could be described in just a few words. The origins of these powers are never explained—are they something everyone possesses, or are they unique to certain individuals? Even more fundamental questions, like where this world is set, go unanswered. The author frequently quotes from well-known, classic works, but it’s unclear how these references fit into the world and weighed down the narrative.

Ultimately, this book left me with a sense of disappointment. It felt rushed and overly simplistic. The relationship between Illiad and the lord was underdeveloped, progressing from only two meetings to a rushed romance that seemed to serve the plot rather than any meaningful emotional development. Furthermore, the world-building was minimal, with almost no descriptions to ground the reader in the setting.

Was this review helpful?

The Storyteller's Tale is the story of a girl, and a boy, and a library - and yet, it is so much more than that. In this English translation of a French novel, Iliad is a wordsnatcher - a person who can bring the words she reads to life, so that the words themselves wind around around her as she reads, illuminating and enhancing the author's meaning. The daughter of a middle class family, named for Homer's famous work by her much-travelled father, Iliad is a librarian who does book readings, when she receives a most unusual missive: a proposal of marriage from an unknown member of the royal family, with a contract that ensures that, no matter her response to the proposal, she will be rewarded for even considering the idea. Thus begins a tale of intrigue and unexpected love, along with political plots, intertwined with the introduction of an unknown, middle class woman into the royal relationships and machinations.

This novel started a bit slowly for me, but after I got a few chapters in, it caught my attention more fully and drew me in, to the point that I finished the last three-fourths in one sitting. As befits a novel about a librarian, this novel is full of literary allusions, quotes, titles, and authors, all properly footnoted (which is, at the start, a bit distracting in a novel - but easy to ignore once the purpose of the footnotes is determined). It is a love story in the fashion of Beauty and the Beast, in which a literary-minded young woman meets a disfigured young man with a library, but it goes far beyond that, into a plot with several twists and turns that will, ultimately, surprise the reader. Recommended for readers middle school through adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Iliad is a snatchwords. Whatever she reads aloud comes to life right before everyone's eyes. She has a gift for taking tales and adventures, and bringing them to reality. And this gift causes her to be summoned to the palace. Along with this request, a strange and unusual courtship also draws her far from home. So, with her whimsical grandmother to chaperone, Iliad sets off on her own adventure. But court life is unlike anything she expected. Iliad is quickly drawn into one mystery after another. Who can she trust? The king who seems to be playing both sides? Her reclusive suitor? Or the charming prince? Her very life is dependent upon her choice. Where will it lead her?

This book has a great premise. An intelligent woman travels to a foreign land, meets a variety of interesting people, and stands her ground... Both the king and Iliad's suitor strive for justice in the kingdom. There are plenty of references to classic literature and poetry. Many of the elements and themes I look for in books that I want to pass on to my kids But there were definitely trouble spots. This book is listed under middle grades and teens. It is absolutely not a middle-grade read. There are references to Iliad taking off her clothing, being seen in only her shirt, guests to the palace being encouraged to drink to the point of drunkenness, and more. The main characters also display an attraction to each other that is much too mature for the audience. In addition, there are references to other characters, such as the "old bag." Terms and attitudes that kids might be familiar with today but still don't need to be encouraged. There are enough of these instances that I won't be handing this book over to my kids and just can't recommend this title. There are so many great reads out there. This just isn't one of them.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?