Written by Chauncey Rogers, Happily follows Laure, a street urchin girl who caused the ruin of Luc, trying to trick the crown into thinking she is the girl with the glass slipper so that she can pay Luc back.
So, let us start with this: this is a young adult book, written for Rogers’ daughter. Or inspired by her bothering him while he was writing another story.
This is a fun adventure. Laure is sassy and Luc is steadfast and good. Honestly, this is the kind of novel that, if I had a child, and I was tired of telling them the same stories over and over again, I would be pretty happy to find. Though, maybe I would skip over one of the fights that happens at the end…. just demonstrating a little that this author usually writes novels more in the horror genre.
Probably the best thing in this book, other than Kind, birth-marked Luc, is how this novel openly mocks traditional fairy tales and mocks how uptight the upper crust can be. There is a certain, page long, statement about the hunt for Cinderella, followed by a summary, that I think was just perfect. And the fact that, in many ways, the humor reminded me of Monty Python. So, if you don’t like Monty Python, you might not like this novel.
The king is annoying. But, looked at it through the novel, I understand why he is like that. This is meant to be a fun book, not the most realist novel in the world. It is a story you can tell. I’ll be honest, next time someone asks me to “tell them a story” during a drive – one of the hardest things for me to do – I might use this story. And then go tell them to read the full think if they have any questions.
If you are looking for a good twist on a classic fairy tale, you might like this book. If you are looking to just start your kids in young adult fiction, this could be a good book.for your child.
If you don’t like a short story, or characters with sass, or life lessons very clearly woven throughout the novel, you might not like this.
I did receive this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review from the Author.
