A Far Better Thing is a historical fantasy retelling of Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities that will appeal to readers of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries. I started reading H. G. Parry's books last year and they have quickly become one of my favourite authors!

A new spin on A Tale of Two Cities featuring faeries and set during the French Revolution! I have to say I read A Tale of Two Cities when I was in high school and adored it, but if you were to read this book without having any knowledge of A Tale of Two Cities, it would be a rough time. I honestly just didn't find myself vibing with this as much as I had wanted. I just wasn't as invested as I had hoped I would be. The story is unique and the retelling is a very interesting one, its just a bit too boring for me unfortunately and I couldn't find myself all that invested in the characters. While this one was a miss for me I do think that other fans of the classic will have a good time with this!

Release Date: June 17, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I haven’t actually read A Tale of Two Cities, which is really weird for me to say because I’m a person who used to read classics for fun. I do, however, know how it ends, and I thought that this book made for a very clever retelling and put fae/changelings in all the right places.

If you’re looking for a mash-up of Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde books and Charles Dickens, look no further. This book was fantastic, evoking the drama and class-consciousness of Dickens and the terror and beauty of the fairy world. It’s different from the other book I’ve read by Parry, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, but just as fantastic. While Heep was a wild romp through Victorian literature, this is a thoughtful retelling of A Tale of Two Cities – a book I now very much need to reread.

In her acknowledgments, Parry says the idea came about when she read Tale of Two Cities and wondered, what if Charles Darnay looks like Sydney Carton because he’s a changeling? That’s where this book starts. Sydney meets his changeling when he defends him in a London courtroom, something that’s never supposed to happen. Sydney is a mortal servant to the fairies, a slave really. When children are abducted as infants, they are given a choice at the age of 13: return to the mortal world as a servant or become a fairy. Sydney’s best friend Ivy was killed in fairyland before she turned 13, and Sydney has sworn revenge against the fairy who killed her.

In pursuit of this revenge, Sydney is drawn into the lives of Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, and a host of other characters. Over 11 years and two cities, their lives intersect according to Dickens’ tale. No doubt you know the story, although I read it many years ago and really only remembered the beginning, the ending, and those knitting needles of Madame DeFarge. So given my imperfect memory, I can’t really say how closely this book follows the original, but I thought it was brilliant.

This book will be best appreciated by those who have read Tale of Two Cities, but it’s certainly not essential. Anyone interested in a fantasy set in the French Revolution will enjoy this book. Though it is a dark and violent read, so if you’re looking for cozy I would definitely look elsewhere.

This is the third Dickens reinterpretation I’ve read in recent years, and I recommend all of them: Demon Copperhead, of course, and also Fagin the Thief. Dickens’s stories are timeless and he has such a rich collection of characters, but some of those characters (like Fagin) need to be fleshed out and reconsidered in a modern light.

With this book, I’ve added H. G. Parry to my list of must-read authors, and I can’t wait to read more of her backlist. If you’ve read any of her books, please let me know.

Note: I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley and publisher Tor Books. This book was released June 17, 2025.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2025/07/03/review-a-far-better-thing-by-hg-parry/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Brilliant. No Further Words Needed

I thought I was going to love this, I loved The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door and I was excited to pick this up – and, I did love it, literally, it didn’t disappoint.

Firstly, I haven’t read a Tale of Two Cities – although I confess this book actually makes me wish to do so. So, I have no idea how this story ties in to the Dickens tale. However, I had such a good time reading this. Parry writes with confidence and panache. I love her style, this read like a period novel, not necessarily with the wordiness and antiquity but with a flavour of the times and an ease of reading. I mean, you have to love an author that gives you a feel for Dickens but with a more modern take. I really enjoyed this.

Secondly, I’ve read and loved two books now by this author, so, literally, HG Parry is on my list of authors to watch.

So, I’m not going to talk of the plot. At all.

What I loved.

The writing is exquisite. I loved the writing. I mean, I really enjoyed reading this. I’m really excited to see what this author comes up with next.

The characters, you care about them. They’ve, for the most part been pretty much mistreated by the fae and, in fact, continue to be so. Some of them are the fae, changelings in fact, and yet they’re not aware. How complicated is it really?

The setting is a perfect period setting. It feels Dickensian in so many ways. The dialogue, the description of places, the slums, the ways of life, the discrepancies between those with and without, and then of course the move to France and the Revolution.

The fae are perfectly hideous. They’re all about the long game. Plotting and planning and downright nasty. I loved them.

Overall, I loved this, I can’t recommend it enough. If you want a period feeling novel dripping with fae machinations you simply have to read this.

I received a copy through Netalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion

The best thing about this book was that it convinced me to finally read A Tale of Two Cities, which I absolutely loved (considering my heavy interest in the French Revolution, it's wild that I hadn't read it until now). Another positive outcome of my experience with A Far Better Thing was that it solidified for me why I dislike the current onslaught of fae-based fantasy -- it almost entirely eschews all the interesting bits of real life fae folklore and just uses the fae as a vaguely magical setting and cast of stock characters that can be used in place of actual explanation, characterization or worldbuilding.

I gave up on A Far Better Thing about 20% in because it never justified its existence. Incorporating fantasy elements into Tale of Two Cities is such an interesting concept, but if you rewrite such a significant literary work, you really need to have a reason to do so other than shoehorning magic into the plot that you're reciting verbatim from the original. If you're reading this, PLEASE go read A Tale of Two Cities instead!

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. This blog post includes affiliate links.
A Far Better Thing by H. G. Parry had me crying in bed.

I love the way Parry writes fantasy—prose that will totally grab you, inventive plots, & character work that can make your heart ache. Set amidst the French Revolution, AFBT features a fairy servant named Sydney who fights as much as he can against the uncaring faeries who hold him hostage.

It’s a remake of A Tale of Two Cities that asks what someone might do to survive & what one is willing to do for someone they care about.

This book will stay with me for a while, just like the other Parry books I’ve read!
5⭐️. Out now!

Thank you so much @torbooks for the gifted finished copy for an honest review.

Five freaking stars for this beauty that made me sob so hard, I think I'll need seven days to recover.

This book is a Historical fantasy set in the French Revolution with faeries and changelings.
It's about freedom and how you can change things even if you don't have control over your own life.

It's about love and what you would do for the ones you care about.

Sydney Carton is brilliant, ingenious and cunning. I loved reading his point of view and how much he changed through the years.

If you love the world of Faeries in Emily Wilde's, you're gonna love this one.

Read this if you love :

✨ Historical Fantasy ;
✨ Faeries ;
✨ Changeling and magic ;
✨ Love ;
✨ Revenge.

What would you do if your life had been stolen from you before you had a chance to live it? And what would you do if you had the chance to get revenge on the one who'd stolen everything and everyone you'd ever loved?

--
3.75 stars, rounded up!

Having never read anything else by this author, this book surprised me with its eloquence and it's execution. I'm generally a bit hesitant about "morally grey" characters and books about revenge, but this disaster of a main character and this story of hatred and revenge were both handled in a lovely way, and the tale swept me up and carried me along to the end.

The main plot of this story was lovely, dark, and tragic, and I shed a few tears during the journey. My main complaints are that the surrounding characters and side-plots didn't reach the same level. Most of the side characters felt a bit flat compared to Sydney, and there were certain events in the story that were hard to care as much about as a result, which made those moments in the story drag some. There were also times were it felt like we spent too much time dwelling on Sydney's angsty thoughts, although that part also fits with both the character and the nature of the story!

Complaints aside, though, I did enjoy this book, especially in audiobook form! The narrator did an excellent job bringing Sydney to miserable, self-destructive life and making you care about him.

I would recommend this book to fans of darker fae fantasy, or fans of historical fiction fantasy and classic literature!

3.5 stars

This book follows Sydney Carton as he lives through the French Revolution. From what I understand it is similar to A Tale of Two Cities, which is a book that is also based during the revolution. Sydney, when he was a child, was captured by Fairies and taking to their realm until he was a teenager. As a teenager he was released into the mortal realm as their servant. Being their servant meant he had to follow their demands throughout his life. He finally gets the opportunity to seek revenge on the fairies when he meets his changeling and doesn’t let the moment go.

It took me a while to get into the story and understand the aspects of the fairies. But once I understood I was able to enjoy the story more. It’s an interesting story with many different aspects happing behind the scenes as revolution is happening. I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters, but I was rooting for them and interested to see what would happen to them. I also saws the ending coming which I think is deliberate because of the foreshadowing the author does. The ending is kinda a happy ending but also not one it depends on which POV the reader decides to think about.

In the world of fairies, you aren’t supposed to meet your changeling- the human that replaced you as an infant when you were taken to the Realm. Sydney Carton, a fairie who chose to return to the world as a mortal servant at 13, accidentally does just that. Charles Darnay is on the stand fighting for his life at a court hearing, and Sydney Carton is staring at a copy of himself. He unknowingly prepared the legal work to save his own changeling.

From there, hold on tight. It’s a story of humans. Fairies. And everyone in between. It’s love, revenge, and drama- dare I call it a fantasy thriller? It’s fate and choice all woven together, leaving us, the reader, feeling like we’re at the mercy of the Realm, too. I often wonder when on StoryGraph I would ever check the “fast-paced” box- it’s this book.

If you are looking for another fantasy book to love, here it is. If you love classic literature and are curious to see “A Tale of Two Cities” reimagined in the hands of a brilliant writer, here it is. If fantasy isn’t your thing but a hybrid tale of all sorts of genres sounds intriguing, pick this up! I think there’s something here for everyone. And spoiler alert- the last chapter will make you cry. Yes, even you the non-cryer.

Thank you @torbooks for the #gifted copy. This is a book that will live on my shelves to share with others!

4/5

Loved this! The writing is gorgeous,lyrical, and Sydney was such a fascinating, tragic character, tied to the fae in a way that feels inevitable, he felt flawed but impossible to look away from. The fairies were not your usual fantasy fae, but feral, manipulative beings twisting bargains against humans.

The magic system is cool, and the emotional weight of the story hit hard. Perfect if you love a standout portraial of the fae in your fantasy. Highly recommend for fans of dark retellings!

This was a rather interesting book and kind of sad too. As a retelling it was spot on! I enjoyed the writing a lot but as with Dicken’s there’s a lot of words haha. I thought the author did a great job explaining faeries and changelings and the realms in the French Revolution. However it was a slow start as most classics are and to be honest if I hadn’t read the classics I probably would have DNF’d it.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot especially once the plot picked up!

This book is very atmospheric and you will feel the mood of the French Revolution era as you read through this dark and emotional tale. The presence of faeries and magic are built so seamlessly into the world, making this such a good historical fiction. The pacing was a bit slow at times, which helped to build the world, but led to me taking a bit to settle into this read. The writing is beautifully done and evokes writing from the time of Dickens.

The narrator for the audiobook was fantastic and brought a really enjoyable listening experience that enhanced the book.

Thank you to @torbooks for the ARC and @macmillan.audio for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

I went into this without knowing anything about A Tale of Two Cities. I don’t think it’s necessary to have any background knowledge of the book now that I’ve completed it and read a synopsis for A Tale of Two Cities. This book does read a lot like a Dickens story- it’s not an easy or quick read. The story was essentially a retelling with the added element of fantasy. It was well done, if not a little slow in the beginning. The fantasy elements were great- I especially liked the goblins. I was an absolute mess at the ending (again- didn’t know it was coming, even though I had sort of pieced it together). I will be thinking about this book for years to come.

I received both an ALC and an eARC so I oscillated between the two. I really appreciated the narrator. He was easy to listen to. He did an excellent job of differentiating between the characters. His accents were spot in on.

This was such a fun read! Parry has taken A Tale of Two Cities and crafted a story of fairies and changelings interwoven seamlessly into the original. Although it has been a hot minute since I read AToTC, Wikipedia had a solid recap, which I read before diving into this novel. In this fantasy retelling, Charles Darnay is a changeling, and Sydney Carton is the human child he replaced. Now, Carton is a mortal servant of the fairies, and he's still grieving the fairyland death of his dearest childhood friend, Ivy, who happens to be the child replaced by changeling Lucie Manette. This was an emotional, atmospheric read that I found utterly compelling. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a digital review copy.

I was really interested in this book because of how it was marketed as a mix of Jonathan Strange and A Tale of Two Cities. And I was really happy with how much I enjoyed it! A standalone fantasy that leans historical fiction, A Far Better Thing was the perfect combination of history and fantasy elements. I saw a review that this book was A Tale of Two Cities but with faerie magic and I think that sums up the book perfectly :)

I do recommend reading A Tale of Two Cities before this one or at least knowing what that book is about, because I found a lot of parallels between the books that helped me to understand the setting of A Far Better Thing and the history of the world. The author essentially takes major elements of A Tale of Two Cities, adds in faerie magic, a fantasy world, magical realism elements, and really fleshes out some characters. I LOVED the philosophical elements of this book and also the morally grey characters. I also loved how dark the plot felt at times, matched perfectly to the city and setting. I did feel like the book dragged on a bit towards the end, but overall it was a very cozy read.

I heard great things about this one on audio, so I would recommend checking that out! Thanks to Tor Books for the free book.

Thank you to Tor, netgalley, and the author for this physical copy to review!

Sydney Carton was a child stolen away by the fairies at birth and replace by a changeling. This is his journey of revenge during the dangerous times of the French revolution.

Based off a classic, this was so beautifully written in my opinion. A historical fantasy full of love, sacrifices, and tragedy. It's slow and I think perfect to take your time with and enjoy the atmosphere. I liked the magic of the faerie world and the way it was weaved into the real world.

I, of course, cried a little.

Can a reader really appreciate a retelling if they’ve never read the source material? I have never read A Tale of Two Cities, and I suspect that I’m missing quite a lot in this book because of it. But I still really, really liked this novel. I am sure there are aspects of this book, reimaginings and references etc that went totally over my head. I may not have been able to fully appreciate the ways in which this retelling transformed the original, but I still enjoyed the ride. The story was well paced and the worldbuilding seemed pretty solid. I found Carton/Memory to be a compelling and multi-dimensional character (though whether he was similar in the original, I have no idea) and I liked the side characters as well. 4.5 stars.

I went into this both with the comparisons and an open mind and I’m glad I did. The prose in this book was beautiful and at times heart wrenching. I think I read it cover to cover in less than two days. I cannot wait to see more from this author as this was truly a feat.