Fairy Metal Thunder (Songs of Magic, #1)

by J. L. Bryan

[inlibrisveritas]

When I saw this was free on Amazon in April I immediately hit download, and all because I had read Aeicha’s review on her blog “Word Spelunking” last year. You can see it here. It seemed like a really fun and quirky idea for a story, and I’m happy to say it turned out to be just that.

The idea of a band using special instruments isn’t a new idea when it comes to rock music, though it typically has something to do with a certain fallen angel that has horns and goat legs (or some variation). So when I see the words ‘fairy’ and ‘metal’ in one title, not to mention a cover with a fairy girl playing fiery guitar, well I pretty much have to read it at that point.

It’s a pretty easy going novel with a great mix of humor and fantasy that keeps you on your toes. At first nothing really seemed out of the ordinary but as soon as a rather small thief is introduced into the mix it all begins to spiral out of control in a really fun and epic way. I liked the fact that it this didn’t turn into one of those fairy novels that end up with a rather sinister shadow lurking behind every word, and I even like the fact the term “antagonist” is kind of skewed in this. I loved the descriptions of the fairy realm as well as the creatures that come along with it for example: goblins, faeries, fauns and a really epic unicorn. Despite it’s constant lightheartedness there are still a few mentions of the rather mischievous side to the fae. It even keeps to the main lore that go with the fae, like Queen Mad and the Sidhe.

I loved the everything about the band from it’s goofy named, Assorted Zebras, to it’s actual lyrics. The characters are also pretty cool, and the dialog never felt stiff or staged. The humor came easy and never once felt forced. I think the most surprising thing to me was the fact that the characters had depth to them, I never expected that from such a short book and I honestly think that if these guys had gone to my high school there is a pretty good chance I would have been friends with them.On a side note I want to know what was the problem with the slaw from McSlawburgers, and I’d pay money to see someone wear a hat with a bouncy burger on it.

So if you like awesome music mixed with fairies and fun then this is certainly the book for you. It’s a fun read that I think most ages can enjoy, especially the younger ones.