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Book Review of Never After

Never After
Never After
Author: Rebecca Lickiss
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
jai avatar reviewed on + 310 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


This was a comedic tale with references to several fairy tales - Rumplestiltskin, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and others. The story centers around a castle overgrown by vines and everyone within it cursed by a magically induced sleep. Sounds familiar huh? Except when Prince Althestan comes to kiss a sleeping princess, he finds 3 princes there instead. Calling in his headstrong cousin Vevila and 3 wizard friends (rotund Rueberry - always eating, young Mazigian - not overtly cautious, and white haired Zenpfennig - pompous and gold-loving), for help, they all encounter Urticacea - a crazy witch who is adament that she is keeping everyone asleep for their "own good" and to "protect" her princes from the evil of the world. Things just get crazier from there. The witch insists they throw Vevila into a cell to make her pass a princess test, Rumplestiltskin appears, Vevila keeps trying to escape, other princesses start to appear, many screaming matches occur between all. While I thought the whole concept was very witty and original, this book wasn't my type of humor since all the characters felt like giant caracatures to me, so I give it 3 stars for being OK. I think that is just a matter of taste in humor though.