3 stars
A wonderfully fantastic journey through the unknown. This book is pure Gaiman, filled with all sorts of oddities, mystical elements, and pure magic.
I listened to the audiobook of this as read by the author. This is the third or fourth audiobook I’ve listened to by Gaiman and each one is a treat. He has a special way of reading his work aloud that makes the words come to life. Well done.
Overall, I liked the story. There were many elements that mesh well together. However, even though I knew it was a fairy tale for adults, I was less interested in the violence and sex. Some of it was a little prolonged for my taste.
Also, there’s this whole weird thing about consent in terms of the star that I just can’t quite get over. I remember being creeped out by it when I watched the film adaptation, so I knew it was coming, but it still didn’t sit well with me. The story for the most part was good, but I think the issue of consent was a large hole that prevented me from fully enjoying the story.
However, most of the elements were fantastical and interesting. I really enjoyed all of the characters and they dynamics between them. A truly magical read filled with age-defying witches, a unicorn, a boy unaware of his past, conniving siblings fighting over the throne, and most importantly, a star.