The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication date: May 2012
Length: 9 hrs 5 min
Source: Won audio from Small Review and Walden Pond Press
For: Fun
Things I Liked:
This was a delightfully fun romp into the world of princes charming and how wrong all the fairy tale stories got it. I loved every minute of it, from Prince Frederic's obsession with Sir Bertram the Dainty to Gustav's desire to rush blade-first at anything that moves. The personalities of the princes kept me laughing and smiling through the whole thing. And don't think princesses get the short end of the stick, either. Cinderella certainly holds her own throughout, though I thought Briar Rose was an especially nice touch. Definitely a fun fractured fairy tale for any true fans of a good retelling. I like how it didn't stray into the trap of making everything end neatly like a fairy tale. It was still pretty messy. Bronson Pinchot, the narrator for the audio, was fantastic, doing every voice differently and with amazing characterization. I laughed out loud a number of times on my commute, and that is saying something. He did a superb job of bringing the princes, the witch, the troll, and more to life. I think it more than made up for not getting to see the awesome illustrations.
Things I Didn't Like:
Honestly, I kinda of wish there was more. When I got to the end, I was hoping for more adventures with the League of Princes and felt disappointed that it ended. That's about it, though.
Read-alikes:
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
I think maybe one or two mild cuss words
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->
most of the fighting is pretty lightly handled
Overall rating: *****
What's your favorite fractured fairy tale?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Posts
This sounds hilarious! I even think it would be more enjoyable on audiobook and I never listen to audiobooks!
ReplyDeleteYou should give this one a try!
DeleteSounds like fun! I've never heard of Bronson Pinchot before.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't either, but consider me a fan now.
DeleteEveryone love Bronson Pinchot's narration, I really must listen to him sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely worth trying the audiobook out sometime :)
DeleteI am SO glad you liked this! I can't help but laugh out loud at ever Sir Bertram the Dainty reference.
ReplyDeleteAnd there will be more! I'm very impatiently waiting for the sequel to come out (and the movie!) I hope Bronson Pinchot narrates the next book as well. I never in a million years thought I'd say this, but I'm actually considering buying the audio version instead of the print version (oh, who am I kidding. I'm considering buying it as well as not instead of).
Sequel? MOVIE?? Oh, be still my heart. I definitely want to get my hands on a print version to see those illustrations. Thanks for picking me as the winner, I'm so happy :)
DeleteI just finished reading this, and it was wonderful! I need to encourage the library to order an audio copy, because it sounds like I NEED to hear this one!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely should encourage them! The audiobook is just fabulous.
Delete