Reviewed by Chris

TITLE:  The Fairy’s Assistant

AUTHOR:  Sasha L. Miller

PUBLISHER:  Less Than Three Press

LENGTH:  166 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 2, 2016

BLURB:  

Generally Hayden enjoys his life—he gets to travel, he has a fairy in his pocket, and he helps her bring happiness to people who would otherwise go overlooked and continue suffering. The only problem is that magic is illegal, and there’s a certain stubborn, handsome knight determined to prove that Hayden deserves to be locked up. Between dodging the stubborn knight and the odious nobles he’s currently working for, helping his fairy get a woman to a ball is going to be more difficult than their missions usually are.

REVIEW:  

Magic being outlawed is a big problem for Hayden. Not because he has magic, but because his fairy, Lily, does. Lily, and by connection Hayden, might only use her magic for good, but all magic is equal under the eyes of the king. If caught, Hayden could very well end up spending a lot of time in a dark and dirty cell. Luckily they are very careful and move around the kingdom quite a bit, so the chances of getting caught are low. And sure, Hayden could just give up the whole Fairy Assistant business, but he kinda loves helping out people who need a bit of the fairy’s touch on their lives. He might not have a lot in life, but he has a purpose and that is more than enough for him.

Well, he wouldn’t argue with maybe also not having a very sexy–er, dangerous–soldier from stalking his path. It is hard enough trying to hide magic without of of the king’s guard haunting his steps. And Sidney isn’t just any guard either, because that’d make Hayden’s life too easy. No, Sidney is one of the men in charge of finding and testing suspected mages. He is also the Prince’s best friend. There is no way this isn’t going to make Hayden’s newest project a nerve wracking mess.

This story was so freakin adorable and wonderful and lovely and I don’t know where to even start this review but to say I wanted to give it a big ol’ hug. Less Than Three Press does a great job of supplying me with all the Fairy Tale books I could ever want, and Sasha L. Miller is masterful at creating fantasy worlds that are instantly believable, but not soaked in blood and angst. I was thrilled when I saw this story on the LTT lineup, and was even more so when I realized it was novel length, and not just a short story. 

One of my favorite things about this book is how it takes the instantly familiar story of Cinderella and rearranged the narrative in a way I’ve never before seen. Instead of making Hayden and Sidney the Prince/Cinderella, this narrative instead focuses not on the common love story, but the people that make it happen. Hayden, the fairy’s apprentice–being only inches tall, the fairy’s here need a bit of help with the more mundane aspect of magicking up a happily ever after–and Sidney, the prince’s friend. That it is Sidney’s job to catch people using magic not directly under the King and with his permission, only makes it more fun. By stepping away from the usual narrative, Sasha L. Miller made a story that is pretty predictable due to its commonality, into something that can keep you entranced the whole way through. Sure, the cinder-woman will get her prince…but will Sidney be forced to lock up the man he is falling in love with? Will Hayden be forced to lie and then run from the man who has challenged his desire to always keep running? 

Magic, fairys, and a whole lot of good writing made this a story I couldn’t put down. I thoroughly enjoyed Hayden and Sidney’s tale and would recommend it especially to lovers of a good ol’ fairy stories told in new and highly entertaining ways..

RATING:  

BUY LINKS:

Less Than Three

Amazon