Book Review : Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

A captivating and witty dark fantasy that will have girls lusting after it.

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

Hardcover, 248 pages

Published June 23rd 2009 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

more details...

ISBN 0385737068

Morgan Sparks has always known that she and her boyfriend, Cam, are made for each other. But when Cam’s cousin Pip comes to stay with the family, Cam seems depressed. Finally Cam confesses to Morgan what’s going on: Cam is a fairy. The night he was born, fairies came down and switched him with a healthy human boy. Nobody expected Cam to live, and nobody expected his biological brother, heir to the fairy throne, to die. But both things happened, and now the fairies want Cam back to take his rightful place as Fairy King.

Even as Cam physically changes, becoming more miserable each day, he and Morgan pledge to fool the fairies and stay together forever. But by the time Cam has to decide once and for all what to do, Morgan’s no longer sure what’s best for everyone, or whether her and Cam’s love can weather an uncertain future.

I'd always wanted to read Fairy Tale. I liked the book cover, and the synopsis intrigued me. I'm really glad that it did not fail to live up my expectations. I finished it in one sitting by staying up late at night, reading until 2 a.m. in the morning. Yes, I'm that crazy.< Alright, back to the point. I loved everything about this book. The characters, the plot, the author's writing style... everything! The story was told from Morgan's point of view, and I really liked that because her boyfriend, the perfect, gorgeous Cam is under a transformation into a faerie and she was worried that she would lose him soon as he needed to go back to the Faerie world to be the new king. And when Pip - the boy who was kidnapped by the faeries when he was a baby was returned to the human world as an exchange for Cam so that he could substitute Cam's place in the real world. I love Pip's character, although his name sounded somewhat sissy. LOL. He was such a sweet, innocent and charming boy who would do anything to make Morgan happy. I wanted to cry for him when he volunteered to take Cam's place to return to the Faery world so that Cam and Morgan could remain together although he knew deep down what would happen if he were to do that.

I found Morgan's lack of confidence similar to my own, so maybe that's why I could relate to her so well. She tried her best to keep Cam in the human world, but when she knew what punishments would Pip receive if he were to take Cam's place, she suddenly questioned her plans. Was it right to sacrifice Pip to save Cam? Would she be able to do that?

Balog's writing has a smooth flow and is constantly sprinkled with humour. It's really delightful and lovable. I loved the fact that unlike other faeries, Cam was able to feel love. And it's not just romantic love towards Morgan, he also showed friendly love towards a little girl who was dying of leukemia. And he knew that true love is not a manacle, but rather a warm embrace; a promise of love which sets one free

I will conclude my review with one word: Wonderful.

Rating:

Note: Parental guidance recommended for teenagers below the age of 15. There's some mild swearing, violence, and sexual references.

Cyn Balog is a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. She is author of young adult paranormals FAIRY TALE (2009), SLEEPLESS(2010), and two other forthcoming novels from Delacorte. She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters. Visit Cyn Balog's Website