Evil Fairies Love Hair: Review, Guest Post, Giveaway (US)

Release Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Clarion Books
Pages: 320
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads

Okay, so I accepted this book for review because it sounded like a cute middle grade book, and we all know I have a weakness for cute middle grade books. Plus, it looked funny, which I love. And then there's that cover, which makes me want to hug it and pinch its too-adorable-for-words cheeks.

So I figured it'd be solid. But, like most middle grade books, I was fully expecting it to be Good, but not blow-my-mind GREAT.

I wasn't expecting it to keep me up hours after I should have been asleep. I wasn't expecting it to make me delay dinner because I was too absorbed in reading to care about eating. I wasn't expecting to come home and immediately drop everything and go all LEAVE ME ALONE I AM READING. 

I did kind of expect to not be able to explain to my husband what was going on in the book and actually sound sane. I mean, look at the title. And that little bald fairy doing the "Please sir, may I have some more?" complete with puppy dog eyes. The charm and hilarity of that type of plot aren't the sort of things you can communicate coherently.

Let alone the zany things that happened, which I couldn't have possibly predicted and won't even attempt to describe. I couldn't stop laughing and just when I thought an absurdly funny scene couldn't be topped Mary G. Thompson would pull out another (or a drawing!) and I'd be rolling.

There was never a dull moment, and while part of this is because the action was steadily brisk (though not breakneck), part of it is due to the fact that I've never read a book quite like this.

First off, there's lore. You know I love lore. Especially when it's dolled out in bits and pieces and where each piece is more hilarious and absurd than the last but somehow they all fit together to form a very well developed and totally unique world.

Then there's the characters. I was surprised at how attached to them I felt and how invested I was in them (both in their dilemma and their little romance). I even liked the fairies (though they're definitely evil, as I've said ALL ALONG). 

There's also this whole wish thing that made me spend a ton of hours contemplating what I would pick and if I'd been willing to grow a flock of evil fairies in exchange (I did try to have this conversation with my husband because I love this type of mental exercise, but I think the fairy flock part might have undermined the conversation a little). 

Bottom line

I am shocked at how much I enjoyed Evil Fairies Love Hair. It's definitely making me feel the "must force everyone I know to read this book" urge. I had so much fun with this book.
     

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

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Info for the giveaway:

• What you can win: A finished copy of Evil Fairies Love Hair by Mary G. Thompson
• As always, you do NOT have to be a follower
• This giveaway is USA only
• You must be 13 years of age or older
• One entry per person
• I will contact the winner through email and the winner will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen 
• This giveaway closes on September 10th 

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Mary G. Thompson was born and raised in Cottage Grove and Eugene, Oregon. She was a practicing attorney for more than seven years, including almost five years in the U.S. Navy, before she moved to New York City to write full time. This is her third novel. Visit her website at marygthompson.com.

My First Book With Illustrations by Mary G. Thompson

Evil Fairies Love Hair marks a huge milestone for me—my first book with illustrations! I knew the book had to have illustrations shortly into writing it, when I had the idea that the fairy directions would have images. So as I was writing, I did some drawings as part of the directions, but they were terrible! I wanted the fairies’ drawings to be a little childish, but mine weren’t even up to five-year-old level! That’s why I was so lucky that Clarion Books found Blake Henry to do the real illustrations for the book. He took the basic ideas that I put into my sketches and really made them come alive. I was so excited when I saw the final versions! Here is an example of my version versus the artist’s:

 Yeah, Blake Henry’s version is a little better than mine! I mean, Hannah and Deacon are not stick figures and have actual bodies! In every instance, the artist was able to capture exactly what I was going for. I’m okay with the fact that art isn’t my biggest strength. I’ll let the professional illustrators do the hard work. I hope readers appreciate it as much as I do!

Mon, Aug 11
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers   

Tues, Aug 12
The Book Monsters

Wed, Aug 13   
The Children's Book Review

Thurs, Aug 14
Cracking the Cover

Fri, Aug 15
Read Now, Sleep Later

Sat, Aug 16
Beauty and the Bookshelf

Mon Aug 18
Word Spelunking 

Tues, Aug 19
Flashlight Reader  

Wed, Aug 20
The Compulsive Reader

Thurs, Aug 21
The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Fri, Aug 22   
Small Review

Mon, Aug 25
The Hiding Spot
   


Download the free activity and Reader’s Theatre kit at http://marygthompson.com/Mary_G._Thompson/Main.html!

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