My Sparkling Misfortune
, by Laura Lond and Alla Alekseyeva (illustrator)Published: April 28, 2010
Publisher: Dream Books LLC
ISBN: 9781616580834
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 164
Source: Provided by author for an honest review
Series: The Lakeland Knight Series
Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle readily admits that he is a villain and sees no reason why it should stop him from being the protagonist of this book. After all, Prince Kellemar, an aspiring hero, has defeated him in a rather questionable way. Bent on revenge, Arkus attempts to capture a powerful evil spirit who would make him nearly invincible, but a last-minute mistake leaves him with a sparkling instead a goody-goody spirit that helps heroes, watches over little children, and messes up villains plans. Bound to Lord Arkus for five years of service and sworn to act in his best interests, the sparkling is not easy to get rid of, and of course his understanding of best interests is quite different from what Lord Arkus has in mind.
I almost didn't accept My Sparkling Misfortune for review. Complete with illustrations, this book seemed to lean too far into the MG category for my liking, but the blurb drew me in and I just had to give it a shot. I am so glad I did. Having read it, I would have been missing out on an absolutely adorable story!
This book won me over in the first few pages. I had already smiled numerous times, and let me tell you, it's rare for a book to genuinely make me smile. Lord Arkus is a self-proclaimed villain, but despite his best efforts to stay that way, deep down it just isn't who he is--not completely. We start to see this in these small deeds that he does along the way, though he himself just brushes them off as a rare moment of kindness. Those "rare" moments being to pile up, however, and Lord Arkus' realization and subsequent denial is hilarious.
This book is aimed at younger readers, that much is clear. But it's so much fun, I recommend everyone to give it a try if you're looking for a lighthearted, enjoyable read. Because My Sparkling Misfortune does not disappoint in that regard.
First memorable line: "Hmm...perhaps Korvaleus was right, writing a book is not so easy as it seems, and I shouldn't have, uh....Oh well. He'd deserved it anyway." This was in the second paragraph, and I was already smiling.
My only complaint is that it was too short. Classic MG length, but I'd have loved to have more.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Your review has me all kinds of curious, though these kind of books aren't my thing. Who does not love a bad guy with a heart, can i find this book on netgalley?
ReplyDeleteIt was quite enjoyable! I don't believe it's available on Netgalley, it was provided for me by the author herself. But I think you should give it a try if you get the chance :)
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