Sydney Carton Was stolen from his parents by fairies and he was replaced by a changeling. Many years later Shadow puts Sydney in the path of his changeling. And from there Sydney has to make choices that will change his life forever.

This book is a bit difficult to follow jumping back and forth between not and present day. You do have a mystery as to what the fairies are up to and how Sydney is going to stop them and take control of his life ones and for all. But slang the away he discovers things that make him see the world not as he thought it was.

This is my first time reading Parry, but I was intrigued by the mash up of historical and fairy fantasy and references to Dickens. I must admit it took me a while to get into the story and keep track of how characters were connected to each other. This was one I had to listen to in hour spurts, anything shorter hindered my ability to keep it all together. However, once I found I understood the characters' motivations, I really got invested in them. While there is a plot to this story, it is definitely character growth propelled, and I really loved where the author took each of the main characters. It was well done. I believe this is a book that I will keep thinking about.

A far better thing is a retelling of a tale of two cities from the prospective Sydney Carton with added fae elements. While I really wanted to enjoy this one I found myself in the position I do with a lot of retelling just wanting to return to the original. The narrator is wonderful and the prose is great but this one just wasn’t for me.

✨A FAR BETTER THING✨ by @hannahgparry easily weaves real historical fact into the magical fabric of faeryland creating a story filled with resistance and magical realism. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @macmillan.audio for the audio-ARC. #macaudio2025

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This is a story of revenge. The faeries stole Sydney Carton (faerie name Memory) as a child, and made him a mortal servant of the Faerie Realm. His only friend in faery, Ivy, was also ripped away from him by the faeries. He must do as his faery masters demand as just a pawn in the games they play with mortals. When he unexpectedly meets the changeling left in his place, he knows something is terribly wrong as the faeries forbid mortals meeting their replacements. As tensions rise on the eve of the French Revolution, Memory plots how to get back at his oppressors as well as the man who is living his life.

I was all in for dodging faery tricks and finding ways to resist their plans in this deeply layered plot of traditional folklore and French resistance. One of my favorite aspects of the story was the fact that the faeries are depicted as their dark origins intended: cruel, conniving, and manipulative. Trips to the goblin market, mortal servant and human found family, and the underground resistance against the oppressive and controlling faeries kept me engaged in this story throughout.

Do you prefer your faery tales dark and traditional or softened and romantic? Dark all the way for me baby!

A magical reimagining of Charles Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities" featuring blood thirsty faeries set against the backdrop of France's Reign of Terror. The machinations of the fey add an additional complex layer to the classic. I enjoyed Memory as a character, who at first glance seems one dimensional but as the story progresses becomes morally grey, as he does Shadow's bidding, but changes along the way when he uncovers Shadow’s plans, a dark family history, and his true identity. The pacing of the book is leisurely and Parry still retains the original beats to the Dicken's classic. While you don't have to read the original text, you can still enjoy this book.

I thought the narrator did a great job in capturing the wide range of emotions from all of the characters. The voices for the characters were different and they were easy to keep track of who is who in this large cast.

Many thanks to Tor/Macmillan and Netgalley for the advanced listening copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVE A Tale of Two Cities. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I was skeptical going into this iteration of it because in my mind, how could you possibly improve upon the character of Sydney Carton?
This best part of this book is that it doesn’t try to. It poses the question of “what if the fae world was involved in the lives of these characters? Would it change things?”
This story was as devastating as its source, even if you are incredibly familiar with the original and its outcome. I found myself still hoping and wishing for a different ending but alas, here I am at the other end, brokenhearted.
Highly recommend to anyone who loves Sydney Carton and would love to get inside of his head.
4/5 stars

Ok so I have not read a tale of two cities, and I am wondering if that would have impacted my appreciation for this book. I have read two books by H.G. Parry, one I did not love, and one I absolutely adored. So I went into this thinking it could be anyone's guess. Sadly, it was one that I did not love, and I ended up DNFing about halfway through.

This book follows Sydney Carton, a human who was switched at birth with a changeling, and is now a mortal servant to the fairies. Interesting enough. His friend Ivy, another replaced-human, died as a child, and he wants revenge for her death, when he was saved instead. However, this book was focused on neither character nor plot, so I felt completely disconnected from Sydney's path. He wants revenge for Ivy... ok, but why? Her death didn't seem quite as revenge-worthy as I would have expected, and it seemed he more felt survivor's guilt. And there were random time jumps, that made me feel like nothing that was happening was truly important. I just felt like nothing was really important, so I didn't feel compelled to spend another few hours reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC! Historical Fiction meets Fantasy in this faery changling genre blend. Sydney Carton was stolen by the faeries and now he's out for revenge. With the French Revolution's reign of terror as the setting, A Far Better Thing, thrusts you right into the story and hooks you into the narrative. Though the story is gripping, there is a quiet element to the narrative that grounds the book and allows the plot and setting to unfold masterfully. Nathaniel Priestley gives a wonderful performance for the audiobook.

This read was atmospheric. It was like a fairytale for big-brained adults. But I certainly appreciate this a lot more after reading the Sparknotes for A Tale of Two Cities lol

Even going in blind, I picked up on how the author incorporates their imagined fae realm to tell us of a threefold revolution: the French Revolution, a fae revolt, and Sydney Carton's resolve to bring meaning to his otherwise abysmal life. His humanity was stolen from him as well as his opportunity for love. He bears an overwhelming sense of guilt and self-hatred, and it shines through in the way he desperately throws away his livelihood to right all the ways that he has been wronged. Some parts went over my head, but now that I know this was a A Tale of Two Cities retelling, I'm not surprised at all lol. I barely made it through 5 chapters of the original classic, so the fact that I got through 20 in this book before getting confused is technically an accomplishment.

I know for a fact that anyone who has read the original or has a general love for the classics will like this book. H.G. Parry takes the themes already_present in the original and kicks them all up a notch, and Sydney Carton, the supposed villain, is the perfect character to explore these themes on a deeply personal level.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

I will start this off by saying that I have never read A Tale of Two Cities that I can recall. That being said this book was fantastic and I don't feel that I missed out on any of the story by not having been familiar with the original story. I thought that the dual plot lines was easy to follow along with and that they ran side by side seamlessly. I enjoyed the characters and the world building and was invested up until the last page. Also someone may have been cutting onions when i finished this one. I cannot wait to see what Parry writes next as she has solidified herself as an auto read author for me.


The audio for this book was extremely well done, it really helped to be able to keep the dual plots moving without getting them confused! Highly recommend.

This is a retelling of 'A Tale of Two Cities', but with fae magic.

Although I haven't read A Tale of Two Cities, I fell in love with this melancholy and magical tale.
I loved every emotionally dark and beautifully written moment of it.

The audiobook was excellent, making the experience even more special.
I highly recommend this book to any fantasy lover.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

I have never read A Tale of Two Cities, but I have seen that this is basically a retelling of the classic tale. I cannot compare since I never read the original, but I do know that if it is anything like this book then I would enjoy it. I was actually surprised about how emotional a beautify written this story was. The atmosphere was so immersive, and the characters were well fleshed out, even as moody and messy as they were I absolutely adored them.
The concept of meeting your own changeling is such a fun and unique concept and I really enjoyed every minute of it. If you are looking for something different than the usual faerie book, then you this is a perfect one to try. The audiobook was very enjoyable, and I really enjoyed the narrator.

This is such an interesting concept of changelings- I feel like there are some stories that discuss this lore on a surface level, but never like this. And I loved that this book incorporates historical events. This is a dark story about a tumultuous historical time, but it is so good. I love when a book can pull from real life and provide an alternate reality for the reader to consider. The narration was wonderful and the story flowed wonderfully in the audiobook format.

Honestly, cheers to Parry, because if I had been able to engage more with A Tale of Two Cities when I read it in high school, I would one hundred percent have thought idly "what if most of the main characters were also faery changelings"? If you remember the broad strokes of the original plot, you'll be set, because Parry spins her AU within there, and gives way more interesting characterization, and a a far more readable plot. (If I were a high school teacher, there's a really neat unit that could be done here with reimaginations of books that are in the public domain and a compare/contrast of the original.) Good characterization, neat fucked up fae shit, all plotted out against the opening days of the French Revolution. Great reimangination and great library read. (Also, the audiobook is well narrated, the voice fits perfectly.)

This is a very dark and atmospheric read. I was drawn at the beginning but somewhere along the way I got lost. Intrigued with the fae world and changelings but again, I was lost. The narrator, Nathaniel Priestley does a wonderful job portraying the characters and the dark atmospherically lyrical read.

At first, I found A Far Better Thing a bit slow to start—I was eager for the pace to pick up. But once it did, I was completely drawn in. The world-building is rich and imaginative, offering a fresh take on familiar faerie lore with some truly unique twists. While it draws on elements I’ve enjoyed in other fantasy books, this novel stands out with its own voice and style. The ending was the cherry on top—emotional, powerful, and incredibly satisfying. A rewarding read for fans of fantasy with a literary edge.

The narrator also deserves high praise. He had great range and gave the characters life.

I enjoyed this quite a bit! I always love a good story about more sinister far over whimsical. I don’t know if it was a good or bad thing that I was not familiar enough with A Tale of Two Cities going into this. I found the main character’s arc bleak, then hopeful, and complex. I began to understand where the story was headed and I found it still impactful and saddening. The historical and fantasy aspects were woven together quite well, and I enjoyed the narration.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to H.G Parry’s A Far Better Thing.

This is a beautifully written and imaginative retelling of A Tale of Two Cities, blending faeirie bargains, plots, and changings with the classic Dicken’s storyline. It’s a five star read for anyone who enjoys rich, magical retellings and the original story it is based on.

For me, I landed on three stars, not because it wasn't well crafted, but because I found myself struggling to stay invested. I now know that Dickens might not be for me; if I had a hard time getting through this version with magic, I'm not sure I’d make it through the original without it.

That said, I appreciated Sydney Carton’s dark humor and martyred persona. The audiobooks narrator was excellent. Ultimately, the pacing just felt too slow for me.

One of my favourite books of the year and I was not prepared for it. So beautifully written and immersive! Loved the audiobook as well. There's no better feeling than finding a new author who you love so much that you want to devour their entire backlist. That's me with HG Parry! I have read a lot of fae stories at this point but something about this one was refreshing. I will be buying a physical copy so I can read and annotate it!

Thank you so much for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exhange for my honest review. I highly recommend catching up on A Tale of Two Cities before jumping into this book. I think it can be enjoyed without the knowledge of A Tale of Two Cities, but it would be more interesting to have that book fresh in your mind. I love the blend of historical and fantasy elements as H. G. Parry tends to include in many of their novels. I also loved the narrator of this audiobook. H.G. Parry is an autobuy author for me and I highly recommend adding this to anyone’s collection who enjoys historical fantasy. Thank you again for allowing me to review this audiobook.